Brevard-Rice House – New Orleans, LA

The Brevard-Rice House is a particularly fine example of the large, narrow and long, two story residences built in the Garden District in the prosperous decade that preceded the Civil War. The 1850s Greek Revival style residence boasts nearly 9,000 square feet on three floors with five bedrooms and six full baths.  The home features period touches such as murals in the dining room, ornate millwork and beveled mirrors.  It also has a large, heated salt-water pool, fish pond, guest house, staff house and “lush grounds with maintained gardens.”  There are five bedrooms, six full baths and two half-bath

Built by James Calrow and Charles Pride in 1857, 1239 First Street is “transitional” in style, containing both Greek Revival and Italianate elements. The double galleries have Corinthian columns below and Ionic columns below, set between square pillars at the corners. Albert Hamilton Brevard, who commissioned the house, was a wealthy merchant with a taste for the finer things in life. At the time of its construction, the house contained many conveniences, such as hot and cold running water in all four of its bedrooms. However, Brevard had little time to really enjoy his mansion; he died there, only two years after he moved in.

The Reverend Emory Clapp acquired the house from Brevard’s daughter in 1869 and contracted with architect Charles Pride to add the hexagonal bays. They were designed to enlarge an existing room for use as the Episcopalian clergyman’s library. But Rev. Clapp found more pleasure in tobacco, and his library quickly became his smoking room. As newlyweds, the Clapps wanted their residence to reflect their style and refinement, so they began their occupancy by installing massive, beveled French mirrors in the double parlors downstairs.

After Rev. Clapp passed away, his wife continued to occupy the house until 1934, taking a loving interest in maintaining it. In her later years, Mrs. Clapp enclosed part of a gallery and installed an elevator on the Chestnut St. side of the house. From 1989-2004, the house was the home of Stan and Anne Rice.

Anne Rice, famous for weaving the real and supernatural worlds together in epic novels that explore history, philosophy and religion, was a long-time resident of New Orleans and the former owner of a few of the city’s most haunted homes. Rice has a penchant for spooky properties, and prior to her time at this particular listing, she took up residence at 1239 First Street, which later became the setting for her novel, The Witching Hour. In the story, the historic house was the ancestral home for the Mayfair family and generations of male and female witches. In real life, the mansion, originally known as the Brevard House, is considered to be haunted by its original owner. Legend has it, that on moonless nights, the residents of the neighborhood can see a mist form on the porch where Brevard shot himself.

Brevard-Rice House was sold to a private buyer in June 2010 for $2,300,000.