Garden District, New Orleans

Garden District, New Orleans

The Garden District of New Orleans is known for its historic plantations and luxurious mansions of the wealthy.

The Garden District of New Orleans is known for its historic plantations and luxurious mansions of the wealthy. In fact, it gets its name from the early 19th century mansions of businessmen and plantation owners that were surrounded by large gardens. Most of the area was originally the Faubourg Livaudais, created from the Livaudais plantation in 1832. In the latter half of the 19th century, a majority of the land owners sold off their surrounding lots, on which wooden Victorian homes were built. It is bounded by St. Charles Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, and Magazine Street.

At the heart of the area is the Lafayette Cemetery #1, a green shaded area with old monumental tombs and interesting sculptures. Its north corner is the intersection of Prytania Street and Washington Avenue, which has several cafes and shops incuding the Rink Shopping Center, which was a skating rink in the 19th century. The best known restaurant on Washington Ave is Commander's Palace, known for its award-winning Creole fare and old world charm. The notable mansions in the area are –

• 2707 Coliseum Street, built in 1832 and featured in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as the childhood home.
• Colonel Short's Villa at 1448 Fourth Street, a sprawling antebellum estate with a cornstalk wrought iron fence.
• Briggs­Staub House at 2605 Prytania Street, the only Gothic Revival building in the neighborhood.
• Buckner Mansion at 1410 Jackson Ave., a grand 1856 plantation-style house that was Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies in American Horror Story: Coven.
• Women’s Opera Guild House at 2504 Prytania Street that combines Greek Revival and Italianate metal work with Queen Anne. Parts of Django Unchained were filmed here.
• Toby’s Corner at 2340 Prytania Street is the oldest extant residence in the area, dating back to 1838.
• Bradish Johnson House and Louise S. McGehee School at 2343 Prytania Street, a Second Empire style mansion built for sugar baron Bradish Johnson in 1872.
• Archie Manning House at 1420 First Street.
• Morris ­Israel House at 1331 First Street which is the inspiration for the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland in Anaheim.
• Anne Rice House at 1239 First Street, a Greek Revival house where the namesake novelist lived till 2003 and based her Witching Hour novels on it.
• Sandra Bullock Residence at 2627 Coliseum Street, a Swiss Germanic chalet owned by the Oscar winning actress.