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The
Beauregard House
1113 Chartres St
(504) 523-7257
Admission:
$5.00 - adults
$2.00
- children 6-12
Free
- children under 6
 In
the Old French Quarter of the City
of New Orleans along Chartres St.
lies an architectural jewel in the
Palladian and Louisiana
raised-cottage style--The
Beauregard House.
Built
in 1826 by the French auctioneer
Joseph LeCarpentier, Beauregard
House stands on land purchased
from the Ursuline nuns whose
convent is across the street.
Designed by the Spaniard architect
Francisco Correjolles, the cottage
was built as the residence of
LeCarpentier. The famous chess
master Paul Morphy (son of
LeCarpentier’s daughter and
Judge Alonzo Morphy) was born here
in 1837.
The
building received its name as the
Confederate hero, a native New
Orleanian, rented rooms here after
the Civil War. After passing
through the hands of many owners,
the home almost became a macaroni
factory in 1925. That fate was
halted when concerned citizens
formed the Beauregard Memorial
Association. The home sat is
disrepair until purchased in 1944
by novelist Frances Parkinson Keys
and she commissioned the
restoration. She used the home as
a winter residence and wrote
several of her novels here
including Dinner at Antoine’s.
She
furnished the home with several
original Beauregard pieces and
memorabilia as well as her own
collections. There are five
portraits in the home of
Beauregard, his daughter and his
granddaughters which belonged to
the Beauregard family. Ms. Keys
had impressive
collections--ceiling fans, over
200 dolls from all over the world,
"veilleuse" (tiny
teapots)--all here on display. The
home is a lovely representation of
the times. The lower level of the
raised cottage ,originally an
above-ground basement, was used
for storage and a wine cellar. The
home is brick, facade overlaid
with stucco. The large wood floor
planks (about 8 inches) are of
yellow pine and the ornate
millwork surrounding doors and
windows as well as intricately
carved ceiling medallions make
this a home to die for.
Tours
are conducted Monday through
Saturday--closed Sunday--from
10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Tours
are on the hour with the last tour
at 3:00 p.m.
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