Hermann–Grima House facts for kids
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Hermann–Grima House
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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 Location in East New Orleans
Location in Louisiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | 818–820 St. Louis St., New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| Built | 1831 |
| Part of | Vieux Carre Historic District (ID66000377) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000359 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 19, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | May 30, 1974 |
| Designated NHLDCP | December 21, 1965 |
The Hermann–Grima House is a special historic house museum located in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. This beautiful home has been carefully restored to show what life was like in New Orleans during the 1800s.
It's a large house built in 1831 in the Federal style, which was popular in America. What makes it extra unique is that it has the only horse stable and an open-hearth kitchen from the 1830s still standing in the French Quarter.
The house was brought back to its original look thanks to studies of old records and careful restoration work. It's known as one of the first examples of American-style architecture in the French Quarter. The restoration helps visitors imagine the fancy lifestyle of a wealthy Creole family who lived there long ago. About half of the items in the house actually belonged to the original families.
A local group called The Christian Woman's Exchange (now The Woman's Exchange) bought the house in the 1920s. They used it as a place for single women to live until 1975. After that, it was restored and opened as a museum in 1975. The Woman's Exchange still owns and runs the museum today. The house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1974, which means it's a very important historical place.
Contents
House Design and Style
The Hermann–Grima House was designed and built by William Brand in 1831. It features a style called Federal or Georgian. This style wasn't very common in New Orleans during the early 1800s.
The house has a balanced front, a fancy main doorway, and a wide central hall. However, it's not purely Federal style. Brand added some features that were more typical of French Louisiana homes. These include balconies and galleries, which were useful because of New Orleans' warm climate. The living areas for enslaved people were built in a style common to New Orleans. Instead of inside hallways, the rooms are connected by these outdoor balconies.
Furniture Through Time
The Hermann–Grima House displays four main styles of furniture. Since the house was a private home for nearly a century (from 1831 to 1924), the museum shows different furniture styles from that long period. Most of the furniture is from the American Empire and early Victorian periods.
American Empire Style
American Empire furniture was inspired by the fancy French Empire style. It has straighter lines and designs that remind you of ancient Greece and Rome. American Empire furniture often feels a bit heavier than its French counterpart. This style was very popular between 1830 and 1850. The Hermann–Grima House has many pieces of furniture from this time.
Restoration Style
Restoration style is a type of Empire Style. It gets its name from the time when Louis XVIII became king of France again after Napoleon. This style also looks like Greek and Roman designs, but its lines are more curved. American furniture makers, like Francois Seignouret, created pieces in this style. You can see examples of Restoration style furniture throughout the Hermann–Grima House, especially in the dining room.
Pillar and Scroll Style
This style came from the early Victorian period and influenced American furniture makers like Joseph Meeks. Meeks had a store in New Orleans. Pillar and scroll furniture also uses Greek and Roman ideas. It often has simple designs with flat surfaces, supported by pillars and scrolls. These pieces were often made or partly made by machines. The Hermann–Grima House has several nice examples of this furniture style.
Rococo Revival Style
The Rococo Revival style became popular from about 1845 to 1860. This style looked back to the days of Louis XV in France. It was made popular in the United States by furniture makers like Henry Belter. Rococo Revival furniture often features C-shaped and S-shaped curves. It has a light, delicate feel. Decorations like carved fruits, flowers, and shells were very common. The Hermann–Grima House has a beautiful Rococo Revival bedroom set and other great examples of this style.
Families Who Lived Here
Two main families lived in the Hermann–Grima House for many years: the Hermann family and the Grima family.
The Hermann Family
Samuel Hermann was born in Germany in 1777. He moved to Louisiana in 1804. He married Marie Emeranthe Becnel in 1806, and they had four children. Samuel worked as a broker, helping plantation owners and merchants in New Orleans. The family moved to New Orleans in 1813.
In 1831, the Hermann family bought a piece of land on St. Louis Street. Samuel hired William Brand to build their new home, which is now the Hermann–Grima Historic House Museum. In 1837, a big financial crisis happened, and Mr. Hermann lost his money. He had to sell the house to Felix Grima. The Hermann family continued to live in the French Quarter. Samuel died in 1851, and Emeranthe died in 1853.
The Grima Family
Felix Grima was born in New Orleans in 1798. He studied law and married Marie Sophie Adelaide Montegut. They had nine children. The Grima family moved into the former Hermann home in 1844. Felix's unmarried sister and widowed mother also lived with them.
The Grimas were a well-educated family who loved to read. The museum now has over two thousand books that belonged to them! They were also very involved in the social and religious life of New Orleans. Mrs. Grima helped with a sewing group at St. Louis Cathedral. Their youngest daughter sang in choirs at St. Louis Cathedral and St. Augustine Church. The Grima family lived in the house until 1921. The last Grima living there sold it and moved to another part of New Orleans.
The Woman's Exchange
The Christian Woman's Exchange was started in New Orleans in 1881 by Margaret W. Bartlett. Its first goal was to give women in need a place to sell things they made or family treasures. Many important women in New Orleans helped support the organization financially over the years. Later, its name was changed to The Woman's Exchange. It is part of a larger movement of similar organizations across the country.
In 1887, the Exchange bought another house that had a shop, a library, a lunchroom, and rooms for women to rent. In 1924, the Exchange bought the Hermann–Grima House. As mentioned, it was used as a boarding house for women until 1975, when it became a museum. In 1996, The Woman's Exchange also took over the Gallier House, another house museum, from Tulane University. The organization changed its name from "Christian Woman's Exchange" to "Woman's Exchange" more recently, around the late 1900s or early 2000s.
See also
- Gallier House, another house museum in New Orleans that the Woman's Exchange now cares for.
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Orleans Parish, Louisiana
