2108 Palmer Ave
New Orleans, LA 70118, USA

Hart House - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

The Hart House is locally significant in the area of architecture because its Gothic Revival detailing makes it an important example of Victorian architecture within the context of New Orleans.

Residences in the Gothic style are one of the hallmarks of Victorian architecture. They gained nationwide popularity due in part to the pattern books of A.J. Downing and A.J. Davis.' Yet the style and the books seem to have made very little impact in nineteenth century New Orleans. For example, the recently completed survey of Uptown New Orleans, which covers some 10,716 buildings, only identified nineteen examples of the Gothic Revival style, most of which are institutional buildings. Three Gothic Revival style residences are identified as landmarks in the survey report, one of which is the Hart House. Its Gothic styling can be seen both in the pointed arch and cusped gallery and in the elaborate use of quatrefoil vergeboards. The Hart House

Historical Note [excerpted from New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission nomination form)

According to records in the Notarial Archives, the land on which this building stands was acquired by Toby Hart on January 31, 1870. Real estate assessment records for this period are incomplete, but the 1875 books indicate that Hart had built on the site by that date. Hart is first listed at this location in the 1874 Boards City Directory, and as Boards books were usually published early in the year, we can assume that the present house was constructed in 1873.

While no contract or other document has been found which associates an architect with the design of the house, it is highly likely that Toby Hart himself was responsible, Hart is listed in city directories of the period as a house painter and decorator. His office was located on Commercial Place, which implies that his was a very successful business. Many of the city's most noted architect? had their offices on Commercial Place; so, one can assume that Hart was often called upon to decorate the interior of their residential designs. His occupation required that he be knowledgeable regarding the latest trends in both architecture and the decorative arts, a background which could surely have given him the ability to design his own house.