Right here on Leda Street stands the Florence Luling Mansion. It is a testament to a bygone era of opulence and tragedy. This mansion whispers stories of wealth, loss, and reinvention. Today, we’ll uncover the secrets of this Italianate masterpiece.
Florence Luling Mansion was built in 1865 for Florence Luling. He was a wealthy German cotton merchant. He wanted a home that reflected his success. He commissioned James Gallier Jr to design it. Gallier came from New Orleans’ eminent family of architects.
The Florence Luling Mansion took two years to construct. It boasted 22 elegantly appointed rooms. Its formal grounds included a lake with its own island. The property spanned 30 acres. It overlooked the scenic Bayou St. John.
Tragedy struck soon after the Luling family moved in. Both of Luling’s sons drowned in the bayou. The Civil War devastated Luling’s cotton business. He sailed for Europe never to return to New Orleans.
In 1871, Luling sold his grand home. He sold it to the Louisiana Jockey Club. The exclusive club transformed the mansion into their headquarters. They hosted extravagant cocktail parties. They also held banquets and masquerade balls. These events were in flamboyant New Orleans style. One historian called the mansion one of the most beautiful places in the country. He praised the grounds, vistas and landscape. The Louisiana Jockey Club livened things up with hundreds of Chinese lanterns.
However, the Jockey Club left the Florence Luling Mansion in 1905. It was then converted into private apartments. The once vast gardens were divided. New streets and small family homes emerged. The Florence Luling Mansion became surrounded by new property development.
The Florence Luling Mansion is hard to find. It is secluded in a system of small one-way streets. The hard to find manse is still there. It is divided into eight apartments. Most of them lie empty.
Look closely at the rusted iron fence. You can see it is decorated with serifed “L’s”. They are a reminder of the Luling family. The southern aristocracy of the Jockey Club no longer dances on its balconies. The Florence Luling Mansion is obscured from sight. It gently falls into ruin.
Originally, the Florence Luling Mansion faced Esplanade Avenue. It had a deep front garden. That garden was sold and subdivided in the early twentieth century. This altered the mansion’s relationship with the street.
Notice the three-story structure. It is raised on a terrace. See the dry moat surrounding it. Observe the galleries with low balustrades on the second and third levels. The hipped roof extends beyond the walls. This shades the upper balcony. The square belvedere adds to its unique character.
All the windows are round arched. This gives the impression the mansion belongs in Renaissance Italy. A granite staircase rises from the rusticated first floor. It leads to the second-level entrance. The house was originally flanked by pavilions. They accommodated a conservatory and a bowling alley. Bridges across the moat linked these to the house.
The Florence Luling Mansion stands as a reminder of fortune lost and found. It is a symbol of New Orleans’ complex history.