Located at 620 St. Peter Street, the Le Petit Salon is one of the most regal and elegant buildings in the Vieux Carré. Best observed from Cabildo Alley, this 1838 Greek Revival side-hall American townhouse is a pristine example of the growing American Anglo-Saxon influence and taste for the period.  This tall and narrow red brick structure is truly one of a kind in the French Quarter.

Like so many other French Quarter lots, the building we see today is not the only structure that has appeared on the site.  Records indicate that a structure stood on this site as early as 1722. Various pioneer dwellings for the settling French Canadians came and went, but a more permanent and notable structure was built in 1772. During this period the Trudeaus family owned this plot of land.  The Good Friday fire of 1788 destroyed the occupying structure and the fire of 1794 burned the rebuilt residence.

After the fire of 1794, the Trudeaus family decided to sell the empty lot to Jean Baptiste Orso.  Orso, who had recently married into the St. Martin family, died in 1805 with a structure on the site being described as "of carpentry and brick" measuring 23 feet wide by 72 feet deep.  This land stayed in his family until hardware merchant Victor David purchased it in 1837.

The structure that we see today was built by the most prominent American contractors in New Orleans for the period, David Sidle and Samuel Stewart of the firm Sidle and Stewart.  The two men had been working together since 1832 and constructed various buildings in the Faubourg Marigny and the original St. Patrick's Church on Camp Street, which has since been replaced.

Victor David, in the wake of the fall of Napoleon, emigrated from France to New Orleans sometime before 1819 and married Anne Rabasa in the same year.  David was the owner of a profitable hardware store on Levee Street, which can be dated to 1822 through the city directories.

It was from this same hardware store that Daniel Turnbull purchased plated mortise locks and hinges for the Rosedown Plantation in 1835. Being a prominent merchant, David also supplied hardware for many important buildings including various plantation houses and hotels.

The architect of the Victor David house is unknown, but it's clear that the architect has a clear understanding of the Greek Revival style.  They were also familiar with builder's handbooks of the time, namely Minard Lefever's "Beauties of Modern Architecture" published in 1835.  This publication had a wide influence on the architecture in the 1830's and 40's in the Southern and Eastern United States.

The cornice, front entrance, and interior doors and doorways are all decorated with elaborate moldings including twisted rope, shells, medallions, flowers, and various geometric designs.  These details are typical for the period but are also examples from Lefever's publications.

The Doric columns, front entrance, and cornice all create a powerful and symmetrical force that blends well with the red brick.  These dominant elements are juxtaposed on every level by fluid ironwork that softens the appearance of the façade.  Even the winding stairs, hidden by behind an iron grille on the ground floor, are cast-iron.

The building features ironwork on every level, including the three cornice windows.  The wrought iron balcony railings and ground floor gates are all different styles of ironwork.  Although not documented, legend has it that Victor David had three daughters and therefore allowed each to choose a unique ironwork pattern for each of the three balconies.

The most notable is the bow and arrow railing design on the third floor.  The design features two upside down Native American arrows tied together in a bow with a hair ribbon.  This design is not unique to this building but it is one of the most important architectural elements of the facade.  The third floor balcony is also the only level to have elegant iron brackets underneath.

Another telling feature of the house is the unpainted hard red brick façade.  Unlike local soft brick, which had to be stuccoed over to maintain the masonry, imported hard red brick was more durable and could be left exposed.  The expensive brick usually came from the Northeast United States and had a deep red shade that stood out in the French Quarter.  This building was not built entirely of hard red brick but you can see the clear line on the sidewall where the hard brick on the front façade ends and the soft brick begins.

The house remained in the David family until it was sold in 1876. From 1882 to 1885 Edward Bermudez, Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, owned the house.  It cannot be confirmed that the judge used the house as a fulltime residence but he did own the property, along with many others in the French Quarter.  The four-and-a-half story building found a new owner in 1925 when Grace King bought the property.

King, a popular author and historian, purchased the property with the intent to use the dwelling as the meeting place for Le Petit Salon, for which she served as President.  The organization was established as a Woman's club devoted to preserving the traditions, culture, and atmosphere of the Vieux Carré, and are still active and true to their mission.  The members are still devout stewards of the property and have maintained the appearance both inside and out to the period of construction.

The meeting hall of Le Petit Salon is on the ground floor while the upstairs parlor has the appearance and décor of a house museum, although it is not open to the public. On the walls hang portraits of Grace King and popular columnist Dorothy Dix, who served as the organizations second president.  The organization also utilizes the rear courtyard during events.  The third and fourth floors are maintained as private residences.

By 1838 Greek Revival had become a fashionable building style in New Orleans, but the Victor David residence was seen as the embodiment of the period.  The building has had a fortunate history with few owners, all of which maintained the original appearance and intent of the builders.  The building is not only beautiful but it also serves as a link to the 1830's and 40's, giving us an unaltered view of the period and an idea of how New Orleanians lived.