Louisiana Plantations

Creole homes are found in the south, near the Gulf Coast. The architectural style was influenced by French and Spanish colonial styles. Many were built more than two centuries ago, and they're still standing!

The term Creole became commonly applied to individuals of mixed heritage born in Louisiana.

Double Galley House

Shortly after the arrival of the first two slave ships from Africa in 1719, New Orleans became one of the nation’s major ports of entry for slaves, immigrants, and goods. Then, in the 1720s, Germans began immigrating to the region, followed by the Acadians (now known as Cajuns) in the 1760s. The Saint-Domingue Revolution, which began in 1791, led to the start of immigration of Haitians in early 1810.

Louisiana State Bank, Richard Koch

“Creole Houses” is a book on the character and style of the homes and people found throughout the state of Louisiana. Steve Gross and Sue Daley provided the photography and John Lawrence documented the history.

In an interview with Southern Accents, John Lawrence talks a bit about what is typical for Creole homes.

Built from the 18^th to mid-19^th centuries, typical manors or cottages have shaded galleries, covered porches and courtyards with plans that promoted cross-ventilation. Casement windows allowed breeze to flow through the entire window. Many were built with heavy timber frames and bricks in between, which they then coated with plaster or stucco.

A lot of these houses are still standing because of the durable materials and design that was used. The local cypress wood that's commonly found in Creole homes resisted rot and insect attack.  

Carpenters, ironworkers, brickmasons, plasterers, and furniture-makers of African descent contributed to the architectural style.

4 photos above from Steve Gross and Sue Daley

It is also significant that these homes withstood the 2005 hurricanes.

Chretien Point Plantation, Richard Koch

Pitot House is a quintessential Creole house and a Louisiana Landmark, open to the public.

Can you imagine some of the antiques that can be found in these old manors?

The "Pigeonnier" at Parlange plantation with interior converted into a guesthouse.

This is the inside of the photo above it!

The August issue of Garden and Gun includes a story about Hollywood director Tate Taylor’s move to Wyolah Plantation—a 70 acre plantation in Mississippi.

Look at those columns!

So lush

Loving the deep south yet?

A. Hays Town is a well-known architect and renovator of French Creole homes built in the 19^th century. The blog, Under Spanish Moss offers the original posting of this story, but it was so inspiring, I wanted to share the photos of the restored Creole cottage. Aamaazzing.

Jo Ann Hymel, an interior designer with Rogers and McDaniel Antiques purchased a Creole cottage in Baton Rouge. She wished Hays Town to redo the home which he agreed to after she allowed him to move the cottage across town.  

2x12 boards from a school house demolition in a town nearby made the floor.

French Cypress Doors with early 1800’s door hardware. Cypress doors offer hidden space for entertainment preparations 

American Empire chest and beautiful silk drapes

Dutch brass chandelier hanging over French dining table

A. Hayes often installed floor to ceiling wood windows

I would move into this Creole cottage tomorrow

Another Garden and Gun article featured southern antiques dealer Patrick Dunne's old Creole manor named Serenity. The photos are below. You can visit his antique store, Lucullus, which is based in New Orleans, to find some true antique pieces. 

  Built during the first decades of the 1800s, is a classic French Creole manor house

Wide-plank cypress wood is again used here

 Like most Creole houses, Serenity has no halls (for ventillation) with high ceilings and tall French doors.

Historical Buildings from the Historic New Orleans Collection

The Counting House

The Counting House was built as a warehouse by Jean François Merieult in 1794–95. A 20th-century renovation revealed that material from a previous warehouse had been incorporated into Merieult’s building.

The walls were found to contain some small French bricks, as well as thistle-shaped ventilator grills dating from the early colonial warehouse.

Hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I did. Thanks for reading!

Tara