Hermann-Grima and Gallier Houses

The Hermann-Grima and Gallier Houses are two preserved 19th-century residences in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, operated together as a historic house museum. The Hermann-Grima House, at 820 St. Louis Street, was built in 1831 by architect William Brand for the merchant Samuel Hermann Jr. and is an example of the American-style Georgian townhouse that appeared in the Quarter as English-speaking newcomers arrived after the Louisiana Purchase. After financial troubles, the Hermann family sold it in 1844 to the notary Felix Grima, whose family lived there for generations. The house is unusual for its walled courtyard, stable, and a kitchen with an open hearth, where cooking demonstrations in season recreate Creole dishes. The Gallier House, built in 1857 by the architect James Gallier Jr. as his own residence on Royal Street, is known for its innovative features: indoor plumbing, gas lighting, cisterns and a ventilation system suited to the subtropical climate. Together, the houses present a thematic, room-by-room interpretation of daily life in antebellum New Orleans, including the work of the enslaved people who sustained these households and the social conventions of Creole and American families. The Hermann-Grima rooms are furnished with period pieces from the 1830s to 1860s, and the courtyard shows a working garden and service buildings. Guided tours explain architecture, domestic technology, mourning customs and the city's yellow fever epidemics. The houses have been restored and maintained by a nonprofit and are listed as a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register. Restoration has focused on paint colours, wall finishes and furnishings consistent with archival records. Tours last about 45 to 60 minutes, and visitors should check the schedule in advance since tours generally run on selected days.