Hermann-Grima House
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Hermann-Grima House
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| Location | 818-820 St. Louis St., New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| Coordinates | 29°57′25.65″N 90°4′3.83″W / 29.9571250°N 90.0677306°WCoordinates: 29°57′25.65″N 90°4′3.83″W / 29.9571250°N 90.0677306°W |
| Built | 1831 |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other |
| Part of | Vieux Carre Historic District (#66000377) |
| NRHP Reference # | 71000359 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 19, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | May 30, 1974 |
| Designated NHLDCP | December 21, 1965 |
The Hermann-Grima House is a historic house museum in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The meticulously-restored home reflects the "Golden Age" of New Orleans. It is a handsome Federal-style mansion with courtyard garden, built in 1831. It has the only extant horse stable and 1830s open-hearth kitchen in the French Quarter.
The house has been restored to its original splendor through archaeological studies and careful review of the building contract and inventories. The house is recognized as one of the earliest examples of American architecture in the French Quarter. The restoration accurately depicts the gracious lifestyle of a prosperous Creole family. Approximately one-half of the collection can be sourced to original families.
The Christian Woman's Exchange (now The Woman's Exchange), a local non-profit organization, purchased the property in the 1920s and ran it as a boarding house for single women until 1975. It was restored and reopened as a museum in 1975, and The Woman's Exchange still owns and operates the building today. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.
William Brand designed and built the house in the Federal or Georgian style. This was not a commonly-used style in early 19th-century New Orleans. It features a symmetrical facade, an ornate doorway, and a wide central hall, but it is not purely Federal.
Brand took the basic form of a Federal-style house and added several cabinets, balconies, and galleries. The balconies and galleries are more typical of French Louisiana style architecture and were an adaptation necessary because of the warm climate. The slave quarters were built in the characteristic New Orleans style. There are no interior hallways; the balconies connect the rooms.
There are four major styles of furniture in The Hermann-Grima House. Because the home was a private residence from approximately 1831 to 1924 there are several furniture styles that are appropriate to the museum's interpretation of the history of the house. The majority of the collection is generally classified as American Empire and early Victorian with many nice examples of more specific styles under both classifications.
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