Listing of the Day
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Price: $4.4 million
The Big Easy is known for its lavish and historic architecture, but every once in a while a true stunner hits the market. The Cornstalk Fence Mansion (as it’s known locally) was built in 1859 and designed by Henry Howard, a noted architect in the South at the time. The stately home features a garden, along with four balconies, and nearly every room opens to a patio or the garden. But the most distinguishing feature of this mansion is the morning glory and cornstalk motif cast-iron fence around the entrance.
"It’s one of the greatest homes in New Orleans and the whole south," says Hill Riddle, Jr. of Hill Riddle Jr., & Associates. "It’s an iconic structure loved by locals and tourists."
The mansion was built for Col. Robert H. Short, a wealthy commission merchant from Kentucky, and for brief stints at the height of the American Civil War, served as a home for a top government official and then a major general.
The current owners, a couple that "want to downsize," according to Mr. Riddle, purchased the property in 1994 and began a 10-year restoration. They furnished the palatial home with period French antiques from local vendors, specially woven rugs from England and hand-sewn silk drapes.
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Stats
The 9,800-square-foot home has six bedrooms, three full bathrooms and three partial bathrooms.
Amenities
The chef-style kitchen is equipped with Sub-Zero appliances and a La Cornue free-standing island stove and rotisserie. The house is lit by numerous antique chandeliers, including one in the breakfast room from the 1850s that is composed of Baccarat crystals. A small side garden blooms camelias, roses, gardenias, crepe myrtles and magnolias.
Design Pedigree
In addition to the unusual cast-iron fence, the Colonial Revival mansion includes details such as Corinthian columns, pocket doors, marble mantels, masterful millwork and walkthrough windows.
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Neighborhood Notes
The mansion is located in New Orleans’s historic Garden District, a block from Saint Charles Avenue, which is known for its iconic streetcar line and Mardi Gras parade. The house is also bordered by the famous Magazine Street shopping and dining corridor. The area is high ground, which means it is not vulnerable to flooding during hurricane season.
Agent: Hill Riddle, Jr. , Hill Riddle, Jr. & Associates
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