Hermann-Grima House, New Orleans, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Hermann-Grima House is a historic house museum at 820 St. Louis Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Built in 1831, it is one of the best preserved homes from the early American period in the neighbourhood, and it is a National Historic Landmark.

The story behind it

The house was built in 1831 for Samuel Hermann, designed by the architect William Brand. Hermann did not keep it for long. The financial panic of 1837 wiped out much of his fortune, and the house passed to Felix Grima, whose family lived here until 1921.

In 1924 the Christian Woman's Exchange bought the property. The group later restored it and opened it as a museum, and it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Behind the main house, the courtyard still holds the service buildings that kept a wealthy household running, including a kitchen with an open hearth from the 1830s.

What to look for

• Look at the street front first: a restrained, symmetrical brick facade that feels quite different from the lacy iron balconies found elsewhere in the Quarter.
• Find the courtyard behind the house, which shows how daily life was organised around outdoor work space as much as indoor rooms.
• Notice the separate kitchen with its open hearth, a reminder of how much cooking and labour happened out of sight of the family.
• Check for the stable in the courtyard, a rare reminder of the horses that once filled the Quarter.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 20 minutes to look at the exterior and the streets around it, and longer if you plan to tour the interior.
• The inside is open as a museum, usually by guided tour, so check current opening hours and tour availability before you go.
• Morning light is kind to the facade and the street is quieter than Bourbon Street, one block away.
• The house sits a short walk from Bourbon Street, so it combines easily with a longer stroll through the Quarter.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in New Orleans brings you to this corner on foot as one stop of a longer route through the French Quarter. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Rhythm of New Orleans: Musical Mystery suits you if you want the music side of the neighbourhood alongside its architecture. You walk the streets around the house, hear about each stop as you reach it, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Christmas Operation: Sleigh Down in New Orleans is a festive way to see the same part of town. You walk from place to place, the app tells you the story of each one, and you solve a puzzle where you stand. One ticket covers the whole group.