Last updated: September 20, 2024
Place
Creole Architecture
Christy Hoover
Quick Facts
Location:
Natchez, LA
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Louisiana architecture was shaped by culture and climate. Creole is multicultural, blending French, Spanish, African, and Native American heritages, and the architecture reflects this diversity.
A raised Creole house featured wide, wrap-around galleries or porches. Homes were raised from one-half to a full story to increase air flow and avoid flooding. Construction was a heavy cypress frame with an infill of mud mixed with Spanish moss and straw. The Louisiana French term for this earthern architecture is bousillage (boo-zee-aj). The mixture was a Native American recipe, but the method was derived from France.
Doors and windows were placed for funcion without concern for exterior symmetry. Each room opened onto the gallery by means of French doors. By the 1840s, homes were combining Creole architectural features with Anglo-American traditions such as symmetry and central hallways.
French Creole homes lacked interior hallways and fireplaces often had wrap around French mantels. The 1821 house included a parlour, dining room, and two bedrooms. This floor plan shows the additional rooms including a hallway that was added over the years.
A raised Creole house featured wide, wrap-around galleries or porches. Homes were raised from one-half to a full story to increase air flow and avoid flooding. Construction was a heavy cypress frame with an infill of mud mixed with Spanish moss and straw. The Louisiana French term for this earthern architecture is bousillage (boo-zee-aj). The mixture was a Native American recipe, but the method was derived from France.
Doors and windows were placed for funcion without concern for exterior symmetry. Each room opened onto the gallery by means of French doors. By the 1840s, homes were combining Creole architectural features with Anglo-American traditions such as symmetry and central hallways.
French Creole homes lacked interior hallways and fireplaces often had wrap around French mantels. The 1821 house included a parlour, dining room, and two bedrooms. This floor plan shows the additional rooms including a hallway that was added over the years.