Creole Houses: Traditional Homes of Old Louisiana

by Steve Gross, Susan Daley

Creole houses, found from New Orleans to northern Louisiana, are one of the nation’s unique architectural treasures. A blend of French and Spanish colonial styles, with West Indian, Canadian, and other influences, these lovely houses were astutely designed to withstand their sultry, subtropical environment. Significantly, most major examples withstood the devastating hurricanes of 2005.

No other book of photography evocatively examines the development of this singular American style, embracing architecture and interior decoration, which thrived from the early eighteenth through the mid-nineteenth century. Creole Houses offers an appreciation of Creole culture as seen through its historic homes and celebrates not only a memorable way of life, but the history, and the unique sensibility, that produced it.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Hamiltonphillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have purchased three copies to send as gifts! This book shows true American Houses, not the
cookie-cutter you see today. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wonderful photographs are the main point of the book but the captions and commentary are helpful and informative.
Chapters are: Louisiana’s Creole culture, New Orleans, River Road, Pointe Coupée, The Bayou Country, Natchitoches and Cane River. Suggested reading.
Highly recommended if you live in or want to travel to Louisiana, especially the southern part, or even if you just want to look at photographs of interesting old houses.
I plan to check this book out again sometime.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating from both historical and design perspectives. I wanted to see more of each property that was featured!