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Historic Buildings
Historic buildings: Nearly 200 years old, Napoleon House's architecture stands test of time
09:40 AM CDT on Monday, April 21, 2008
The name itself exudes both elegance and intrigue: The Napoleon House. The Nicholas Girod House, better known as the Napoleon House, carries with it a treasured past of romance and legend.
Napoleon House then (above) and now (below).
Prominently situated at the east corner of Chartres and St. Louis streets in the French Quarter, this 3 1/2 story stuccoed brick townhouse is one of the most admired and important landmarks of the Vieux Carré.
Then mayor of New Orleans Nicholas Girod built the house in 1814. French architects Lacarrier Latour and Hyacinthe Laclotte - both prominent local architects who designed private and public buildings, including the Tremoulet Hoet (Castillon House) - are credited with the design.
Other than the Ursuline Convent, the Napoleon House appears to contain more characteristics of French architecture from the same period than any other building in the French Quarter. The building is an outstanding example of the continuing French influence on architectural design in Post-Colonial New Orleans. And although it has been altered throughout its life, the vast majority of the historic fabric is still well intact.
The ground floor is used for commercial purposes, and the upper floors - with high ceilings - used as the principal living area, a common building style from the period. The ground floor has suffered the most from alterations, with many of the original doors and windows, specifically the ones facing the street, changing.
Most of the exterior openings on the second floor are double-easement doors, which give easy access to the wrought iron balconies on both sides of the house. These galleries are held up by elegant swirling wrought iron brackets.
The most significant interior alteration is the addition of a wood and glass partition installed in the second floor stair hall, creating a solarium, and is not indicative of the French character of the rest of the interior.
The rest of the Empire style living quarters have been well preserved, including the French doors, hand milled cypress woodwork, carved mantles, wide planked wood floors and plaster cornices with chandeliers and medallions.
About Stephen McNair:
Stephen McNair is an architectural historian and preservationist living in New Orleans. He will periodically write about historic buildings in the city. He says that if you took almost any building in the French Quarter and placed it in another city, that it would become the most interesting building there. Here, he feels that some take N.O.'s unique and historic buildings for granted, so he'll offer his perspective on some of the more and less well known historic buildings in our city.
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