Herman-Grima
House
820
St. Louis St.
(504)
525-5661
Hours:
Mon
- Sat
10am - 4pm; last tour leaves at
3:30pm
Admission:
$6
adults
$5.25
AAA members
$5
seniors & students
$3
children 8--18
Free
under 8 yrs. old
 Built
in 1831, the Herman-Grima House is
run by the same people who
administer the Gallier
House Museum. This
symmetrical Federal-style building
may be the first building of its
kind to be erected in the French
Quarter, and is easily
recognizable among the many
French-style structures that make
up most of the area. The Herman-Grima
property stretches from St. Louis
Street to Conti Street and
contains one of the Quarter’s
last surviving stables, complete
with stalls.
The
Herman-Grima House would pass
through two separate families
before becoming a boarding house
in the 1920s. Of course, the
building has been carefully
restored making a tour of this
place as authentic and historical
as possible. Keep in mind that, on
Thursdays from October to May,
there are cooking demonstrations
(depicting the methods used in the
19th century) in the
house’s 1830s kitchen.
There
are plenty of tours
in town that stop here, with
docents more than willing to
explain the history of this house.
A visit during holidays is
especially appealing. At
Halloween, for instance, the
building is draped in typical
1800s mourning, and tour guides
provide hardy information on the
related customs of the period. The
house is also decked out at
Christmas as well. Nevertheless,
for a taste of New Orleans
history, the Herman-Grima house is
a fine place to start.
-
By Jim Vance
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