San Francisco Plantation House

San Francisco Plantation House
Nearest city Reserve, Louisiana
Coordinates 30°2′56.88″N 90°36′20″W / 30.0491333°N 90.60556°W / 30.0491333; -90.60556Coordinates: 30°2′56.88″N 90°36′20″W / 30.0491333°N 90.60556°W / 30.0491333; -90.60556
Area 8 acres (3.2 ha)
Built 1849
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Gothic, Other
NRHP Reference # 74002186
Significant dates
Added to NRHP May 30, 1974[1]
Designated NHL May 30, 1974[2]

San Francisco Plantation House is a historic plantation house at 2646 Louisiana Highway 44 in Garyville, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. Built in 1849–50, it is one of the most architecturally distinctive plantation houses in the American South. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.[2][3] It is now a museum and event facility.

Description and history

The San Francisco Plantation House is located on the north bank of the Mississippi River, separated from the river by Louisiana Highway 44 and a levee. The house stands on about 8 acres (3.2 ha) of land, now surrounded by a farm of oil tanks. It is a 1-1/2 story structure, set on a full-height basement. The basement has a brick floor, reportedly 6 feet (1.8 m) deep, with brick piers rising to support the main structure. Side-facing divided staircases lead to the main floor, which is sheltered on three sides by an ornate porch, supported by fluted columns with iron Corinthian capitals. It has deeply overhanging decorative cornice, which in profile gives the house a styling called "Steamboat Gothic". The house is topped by a dormered hip roof. The interior is also richly decorated, with paintings attributed to New Orleans artist Dominique Canova on ceiling and door panels.[3]

The house is traditionally ascribed a construction date of 1849–50, and may include elements of an older building. It was built for Edmond Marmillion, and its name is alternatively said to derive either from San Francisco, California, then celebrated as a destination for the California Gold Rush, or to a corruption of the French phrase "son saint-frusquin", meaning "the shirt off his back", an assessment of what it cost Marmillion to build the house.[3]

The house has been restored to an 1850s appearance, and is open for tours daily. It is also available for rental for special occasions.

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "San Francisco Plantation House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  3. 1 2 3 Paul Goeldner (January 17, 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: San Francisco Plantation House" (PDF). National Park Service. and Accompanying 2 photos, exterior, from 1973. (419 KB)
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