A luxury library for leisurely learning
Many visitors, and more than a few locals, want to take tours of the large antebellum mansions which dot the Garden District and line St. Charles Avenue. A few open their doors for Spring Home & Garden tours, but the private homes are generally off-limits.
The Milton Latter Library, perhaps the most elegant library on the planet, is a grand exception. During their opening hours, anyone can walk in and stay as long as they like (until closing). You can browse the paper, read a book, or just rest awhile in one the various parlors’ ornate velvet chairs.
Info
Address 5120 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115, +1 504.596.2625 | Hours Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat–Sun, noon–5pm| Tip The Women’s Opera Guild (2504 Prytania St) is the one residence in the Garden District that does (sometimes) offer (very restricted) tours. The Greek Revival house was built in 1865. It can be seen by appointment on certain Mondays only and is a quick stop on Gray Line’s Garden District tour.
The beaux-arts mansion occupies an entire block. The house sits loftily atop a sloping landscape, looking down on the neighborhood and the St. Charles streetcar line. It was designed by architects Favrot and Livaudais for department store owner Mark Isaacs, and built in 1907.
Inside the house, you’ll be dazzled by the chandeliers and mirrors imported from Czechoslovakia, massive dining-room mantels, Dutch murals with German mottoes, and carved Flemish-style woodwork. Most immediately impressive is the sweeping 25-step staircase that looks like Sunset Boulevard’s Norma Desmond might descend at any moment, ready for her close-up. This is totally appropriate, as it was for years the home of silent-film star Marguerite Clark. Marguerite was one of New Orleans’ first glamorous celebrities-in-residence, a good 75 years before Brad Pitt or Sandra Bullock. Her portrait rests at the landing of the staircase.
The last private owners of the home were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Latter. They bought the house in 1947 for $100,000, not to live there, but to create a memorial to their son Milton, who had been killed in the Battle of Okinawa. They spent $25,000 converting the estate into a luxurious library, which they donated to the city of New Orleans. Milton’s portrait still hangs proudly in the foyer.
Nearby
Back
To the online map