LOU03 Steamboat House,  New Orleans,  LA   This unique mansion is the first of two identical homes built by the Doullut family.   It was built to resemble the steamboats on which Milton P. Doullut was a pilot.   It is adorned with the unusual pearls and topped with a belvedere from which you can take in a grand view of the Missippi River.   Descendents of the Doullut family continue to occupy this mansion and its twin only a block away.

LOU07 Destrehan Plantation,  Destrehan,  LA.   Built in 1787,  Destrehan is the oldest documented plantation house left intact in the lower Mississippi Valley.   The influence of the West Indies is seen in the design of the tall and wide roof,  which shades and cools the house.   Another West Indian design influence is the use of the ground floor as the working area of the plantation,  while the living quarters are raised to the second floor where breezes are able to blow through open windows ad doorways.   A ten-year renovation was undertaken in 1830,  changing the facade from early Louisiana Colonial style to Greek Revival.