The Victorian Style: An Iconic Part of New Orleans Architecture
The Characteristics & History of Victorian Homes
From Uptown mansions near Audubon Park and smaller homes in Mid-City to “gingerbread” beauties in Algiers Point, Victorian architectural styles in New Orleans abound. These styles were very popular with builders and their affluent clientele during the 1870s-1900s — the Victorian era that followed the end of the Civil War in 1865.
Notable features of Victorian homes include detailed, decorative woodwork and patterned trim, bright colors, and floor plans that include ornate staircases as well as lots of nooks and crannies. Victorian mansions in the Queen Anne style can be quite large with two to three stories, featuring detailed ornamentation, gabled roofs, wrap-around porches, rounded towers, pointy-topped turrets, and large bay windows. Another variation — the Eastlake style — tends to feature decorative wooden trim, intricate spindles and railings, and pitched roofs.
The popularity of elaborate Victorian styles during the late 1800s was in part due to a desire among the newly wealthy to show off their money. In addition, newly mechanized techniques at the time made creating woodwork inexpensive.
Victorian Homes in New Orleans
Many beautiful homes celebrating Victorian details line St. Charles Avenue, with one of the most well-known — “The Wedding Cake House” – found at the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Rosa Park. A three story, 12,068 square foot mansion, its numerous garlands and intricate designs resemble the decoration of a traditional, three-tiered wedding cake.
Another part of town where you’ll find many beautiful Victorian homes is the Algiers Point neighborhood, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Following a fire that consumed that area in 1895, new construction proliferated in the then popular Victorian style – and many of those homes still stand.
Of course, if you’re a fan of the various details made famous by this style, you don’t have to go far to find them. There are many shotgun homes across the city that offer bits and pieces of Victorian elements, from intricate wooden trim adorning windows, doors and porches, to ornate mantels and molding.
Take a look at this Victorian home listing:
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