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Gallier House

Architect
James Gallier, Jr.
City
New Orleans, LA
Collection
the french quarter
Gallier House
Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Gallier House is the restored Royal Street residence architect James Gallier Jr. built for his own family, beginning construction in 1857 and moving in with his wife and children in 1860. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 for its close association with one of New Orleans' most important 19th-century architects, the house survives as a fully furnished museum showing how a leading local architect chose to live.

the building

Courtyard and slave quarters. Behind the main house, a courtyard garden leads to a carriageway and to slave quarters, giving a fuller picture of how a wealthy Creole-era household actually operated day to day.

Eclectic facade. The house mixes Italianate stucco treatment with a classical, formal front entrance, an eclectic combination typical of a working architect designing for himself rather than following a single pattern-book style.

A house furnished to the 1850s. The interior is restored and furnished to match the 1850s, letting visitors see the technological and architectural advancements of Gallier's era in their original domestic setting.

the style

The house is deliberately eclectic, combining Italianate features such as stucco treatment with classical elements like the formal front entrance, rather than committing to a single style.

the architect

James Gallier Jr. was one of New Orleans' most important architects of the mid-19th century. This Royal Street house was his own family residence, begun in 1857, and its landmark status rests specifically on that personal connection to his career.

significance

Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974, Gallier House is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tulane University once owned the property; in 1996 stewardship passed to the Woman's Exchange, which maintains it today as a house museum reflecting a comprehensive historic restoration.

nearby

All 38 buildings in New Orleans