French Quarter details!!!

Detail of the carved front door surround at The Hermann-Grima historic house museum in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. William Brand designed and built the house in the Federal or Georgian style in 1831.

I delight in beautiful historic details! Often historic building of great age have been modified over time. Bubbled wavy glass is replaced with new glass. Hand carved wood details rot away and are replaced with new growth uncarved wood. Bricks can be altered. Historic buildings are added to and made smaller in size.  It is not often that we can look at a historic building of great age and see much of a building from the time period it was built. That's why historic original details are a delight. Today we take a tour of some of my favorite historic details in New Orleans French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans (La Nouvelle-Orléans in French) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter. Today the French Quarter is a treasure trove of Historic buildings dating from the 18th century to the early 20th century. Here are some of their details! 

Detail of the carved front door surround at The Hermann-Grima historic house museum in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. William Brand designed and built the house in the Federal or Georgian style in 1831.

Front door surround at The Hermann-Grima historic house museum in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. William Brand designed and built the house in the Federal or Georgian style in 1831.

Detail of 18th century bricks fro a building that was on the property before the house was built at The Hermann-Grima historic house museum in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. William Brand designed and built the house in the Federal or Georgian style in 1831.

Fanlight French doorway on a 18th century French Quarter mansion 

Beautiful 18th century transom and French door on Royal street  

Detail of 18th century transom 

Detail of wrought iron brackets and balcony at the Old Absinthe House built 1806. Many celebrities have been welcomed through our doors in the nearly two centuries since its opening -- including Oscar Wilde, P.T. Barnum, Mark Twain, Jenny Lind, Enrico Caruso, General Robert E Lee, Franklin Roosevelt, Liza Minelli and Frank Sinatra.

Detail of wrought iron balcony and detailed stucco work at the Old Absinthe House built 1806

French doorway at the Old Absinthe House built 1806

Detail of wrought iron balcony Old Absinthe House built 1806

Royal street doorway and interesting transom 

French Quarter patina 

late 18th century wrought iron balcony and bracket 

Nice early 19th century Federal dormer 

Greek Revival cast iron 

Terracotta tiles 

18th century wrought iron gate 

Greek Revival classical cast iron downspout 

Detail of downspout 

Greek Revival egg and dart and lambs tongue molding  

Gas light 

Greek Revival door 

1791 intricate decorative stucco work 

Greek Revival door and classical wrought and cast iron 

Greek Revival wrought iron and alley lintel 

Greek Revival egg and dart and lambs tongue molding  

Classical wrought iron 

Greek Revival cast iron and egg and dart and lambs tongue molding  

Classical cast iron 

Federal doorway 

 Doorway of The Beauregard-Keyes House, built in 1826 for wealthy auctioneer Joseph LeCarpentier, is a fine example of a raised center hall house. It is named for two of its former residents, Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant (P.G.T.) Beauregard and author Frances Parkinson Keyes.

Doorway of the Soniat house built in 1830 by Joseph Soniat, a plantation owner who needed a house in New Orleans when visiting with his large family. 

Rare French Quarter transom 

Temple of the winds capital

Greek Revival Granite doorway  

Wrought iron balcony 

Greek Revival window with iron shutters 

Detail of Greek Revival doorway 

Detail of Greek Revival doorway 

Detail of Greek Revival doorway 

Lyre classical  wrought iron balcony  

Court of Two Lions in the French Quarter of New Orleans at 708 Toulouse Street. Built in 1798 by Don Juan Mericult. Gate to courtyard with two facing lions.

Detail of decorative stucco work on the house of the Court of Two Lions in the French Quarter of New Orleans at 708 Toulouse Street. Built in 1798 by Don Juan Mericult. Gate to courtyard with two facing lions.

French Quarter iron 

Decorative wrought iron 

18th century stucco work 

18th century stucco work 

18th century wrought iron 

Corinthian cast iron column

Detail of cast & wrought iron on the Bank of Louisiana building 1826

Detail of cast & wrought iron on the Bank of Louisiana building 1826

Detail of a 1868 Italianate Cast-iron building in the French Quarter

Detail of a 1868 Italianate Cast-iron building in the French Quarter

Detail of a 1868 Italianate Cast-iron building in the French Quarter

Creole townhouse circa 1800 built by Barthelemy Lafon for Vincent Rillieux the great grandfather of Edgar Dagas

the Rillieux-Waldhorn House, this is now the home of Waldhorn Antiques (est. 1881). The building was built between 1795 and 1800 for Vincent Rillieux, the great-grandfather of the French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. Offices of the (second) Bank of the United States occupied the building from 1820 until 1836 when, thanks to President Andrew Jackson's famous veto, its charter expired. Note the wrought-iron balconies -- an example of excellent Spanish colonial workmanship.

Dormer on the Louisiana State Bank Building 1821 It was the last structure designed by nationally prominent architect Benjamin H. Latrobe, who died from yellow fever in New Orleans.

Immediately, adjoining the old Louisiana State Bank Building, 409 Royal Street, is a much older structure, that for eight years was the town house of Jean Blanque, once a well-known figure in old New Orleans. Merchant, lawyer, banker, and legislator.

Doorway and wrought iron on the Old Brulatour Mansion at 520 Royal Street 1819 

 Wrought iron on the Old Brulatour Mansion at 520 Royal Street 1819 

 wrought iron bracket on the Old Brulatour Mansion at 520 Royal Street 1819 

Carved cypress cornice 

Classical wrought iron 

Classical wrought iron 

Greek Revival doorway on Bourbon street 

Greek Revival doorway on Bourbon street 

18th century capital 

Cast iron water god head 

Detail of Greek Revival window transom 

Detail of Greek Revival window transom 

Greek Revival portico 

Greek Revival cast iron

Greek Revival egg and dart and lambs tongue molding  

Greek Revival window 

Greek Revival egg and dart and lambs tongue molding  

Greek Revival cast iron 

Ornate cast iron