Herman-Grima House 

820 St. Louis St.

(504) 525-5661

 

Hours:

Mon - Sat 10am - 4pm; last tour leaves at 3:30pm

 

Admission:

$6 adults

$5.25 AAA members

$5 seniors & students

$3 children 8--18

Free under 8 yrs. old

Built in 1831, the Herman-Grima House is run by the same people who administer the Gallier House Museum. This symmetrical Federal-style building may be the first building of its kind to be erected in the French Quarter, and is easily recognizable among the many French-style structures that make up most of the area. The Herman-Grima property stretches from St. Louis Street to Conti Street and contains one of the Quarter’s last surviving stables, complete with stalls. 

The Herman-Grima House would pass through two separate families before becoming a boarding house in the 1920s. Of course, the building has been carefully restored making a tour of this place as authentic and historical as possible. Keep in mind that, on Thursdays from October to May, there are cooking demonstrations (depicting the methods used in the 19^th century) in the house’s 1830s kitchen.

There are plenty of tours in town that stop here, with docents more than willing to explain the history of this house. A visit during holidays is especially appealing. At Halloween, for instance, the building is draped in typical 1800s mourning, and tour guides provide hardy information on the related customs of the period. The house is also decked out at Christmas as well. Nevertheless, for a taste of New Orleans history, the Herman-Grima house is a fine place to start.