 rom the Delgado-Rice House, walk toward the river and turn right on Camp Street. At the corner of Camp and First Streets, cross diagonally to the left opposite corner. The house on the corner at 1134 First Street is the: - Payne-Strachan House. The Greek revival mansion was built for Kentucky-born Judge Jacob Payne in 1849, and was one of the first houses in the Garden District to feature ornamental ironwork. The galleries are supported by columns in two Classical styles: the first floor columns are Ionic and the second floor columns are modelled after those at the Tower of the Winds in Athens, Greece.
The house is notable for one particular event: the death in 1889 of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. A stone marker in front of the house bearing the date of his death was erected in 1930 by the Ladies Confederate Memorial Association. Stay on the same side of the street as you walk up Camp Street to Second Street. Look to your left when you get to the corner. The house at:
- 1137 Second Street is a fine example of the Victorian style that was very popular in uptown New Orleans, but rare in this district. It is derived from the styles that are mostly found in the Northeast, and was built at the turn of the century. Note the beautiful stained-glass windows and the exquisite decorative patterns around the front door and above the windowframes. Keep walking in the same direction on Camp Street, and when you get to Third Street, turn right.
There are two houses here on opposite sides of Third Street. Both houses were the homes of prominent New Orleanians. The house on the right is the:
- Montgomery-Hero House, 1213 Third Street. The architecture of this house, with its ornamental brackets, arches, and swooping eaves, doesn't resemble the typical Classically-designed house of this area, but rather is characteristic of many Eastern seaboard houses. The Swiss chalet-style house was designed in 1868 for Archibald Montgomery by fellow Irishman Henry Howard in the bracketed style that was becoming more popular in other areas of the country. Montgomery, a railroad proponent, was born in Belfast, Ireland and was the president of the Crescent City Railroad. The house on the left, 1206 Third Street, is the:
- General John Bell Hood House. Built in 1852 in the French Second Empire style,
it was the home of Confederate General Hood, who moved to the garden District after the Civil War. The terra-cotta-colored house has two front bays over its wide first-floor gallery. Continue up Third Street for another block and a half, and stop in front of the last house on the right, number 1331, as you get to Coliseum Street. The:
- Musson-Bell House, a large frame Italianate-style mansion, was built in 1853 for Creole gentleman Michael Musson, who was, in addition to being the Postmaster of New Orleans and the president of the Cotton Exchange, the uncle of Impressionist painter Edgar Degas. He's even featured in one of Degas' paintings, The Cotton Factor's Office. The two original bay windows were removed from the front of the house and lacy ironwork galleries added in 1884. Cross Coliseum Street, Turn left,
and walk one block to the corner of Fourth Street. At 2627 Coliseum, on the right, is the impressive:
- Koch-Mays House. This beautiful Swiss-style chalet was built in 1876 for James Eustis, a United States Senator and Ambassador to France. Elaborate scrollwork, rich cast-iron ornamentation, and other Gothic details enhance the picturesque look of this architectural gem. Eustis and his family lived here until 1903, and the house was subsequently owned by architect Richard Koch until 1953. Cross Fourth Street diagonally to the opposite corner, and on your left you will see a small row of five similarly designed square-columned houses. This group of once-identical homes is known as:
- Freret's Folly, a somewhat misleading name, since the house are obviously architecturally and structurally sound.
The name comes from the fact that William Freret built these houses in 1861 as part of a speculative project, and because of the Civil War, lost money on the development. These handsome double-galleried homes are typical of the late Greek revival mansions that sprung up all over the Garden District in the years preceding the War Between the States. Keep heading in the same direction, and when you come to Washington Avenue, turn right and cross the street. The sprawling turreted Victorian building with the striped turquoise-and-white awnings is the famous:
- Commander's Palace, the highest rated restaurant in the country, and one of the premier restaurants in the world. It was established in 1883 by namesake Emile Commander, and later acquired in 1974 by restauranteur Ella Brennan,
who made it into the culinary capital that it is today. The rambling building combines Queen Anne styling with Eastlake details, two very popular architectural styles at the Turn of the Century.
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