Colonel Short's Villa
New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Marker Inscription
Colonel Short's Villa. Built in 1859 for Colonel Robert H. Short of Kentucky, commission merchant. Henry Howard, Architect. Robert Huyghe, Builder. In 1832 this property, which was part of the Livaudais Plantation was subdivided into city squares. September 1, 1863 the house was seized by the Federal forces occupying the city as property of an absent Rebel. In March 1864 the house briefly served as the executive mansion of the newly elected Federal governor of Louisiana, Michael Hahn. It then became the residence of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks, U.S. Commander, Department of the Gulf. On August 15, 1865, the house was returned to Colonel Short by the U.S. Government and he lived in it until his death in 1890. An addition was made in 1906 and the house was restored in 1950. The unusual cast iron Morning-Glory and cornstalk fence was furnished by the Philadelphia Foundry of Wood and Miltenberger.
Erected by Orleans Parish Landmarks Commission
The Story
Built in 1859 for the Kentucky commission merchant Robert H. Short and designed by noted architect Henry Howard, this New Orleans mansion is famous for its cast-iron cornstalk-and-morning-glory fence. During the Federal occupation the house was seized as Rebel property; in 1864 it briefly served as the residence of Louisiana's Union governor Michael Hahn and then of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. It was returned to Short after the war, and he lived there until his death in 1890.
Why it matters
The villa captures both the opulence of antebellum New Orleans and the upheavals of Union occupation during the Civil War.
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Related people
- · Robert H. Short
- · Henry Howard
- · Michael Hahn
- · Nathaniel P. Banks
Related events
- · Federal occupation of New Orleans
Themes & tags
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