Belfort Mansion
Belfort Mansion Information:
The 7,000 square foot, two-story Greek revival Mansion was built sometime in the 19th century and is located in the Garden District of New Orleans. The first record of the Mansion's existence is in the J.F. Braun Plan Book Map of 1874 for the Fourth District. The Mansion was built for Mr. and Mrs. Alexander C. Hutchinson. They purchased the property, which occupied one-half of the city block and all the frontage on St. Charles Avenue, in 1867. They lived there until Mr. Hutchinson died in 1902.
In the 1930's, the Mansion was divided into apartments, and for many years it was home to many New Orlean residents who remember it fondly. Most recently, Jim Perrier and James Ashbee purchased the property in 1995 from the estate of Edward Bilgrad.
When the show's producers discovered the Mansion, it had been gutted down to the studs and was in the process of being returned to a single family residence. New Orleans based co-designers Monroe Kelly (art director) and Lee Ledbetter (architect) were responsible for restoring the Belfort Mansion’s original plan, and in doing so, converting the Mansion (interior and exterior) into a comfortable living environment and a functional production set.
After the filming of the series ended in May 2000, the Mansion sat in various stages of disrepair and construction for nearly four and a half years while the current owners completed the renovations to return the Mansion to a single family residence.
In August 2005, the Belfort Mansion survived Hurricane Katrina as St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District escaped the massive flooding and suffered primarily from wind damage.
Driveway, Front, Front Door, Front Gate, Front Northeast Side, Front Southwest Side, Front Yard, Rear Section, Northeast Porch/Courtyard, Scheinuk Florist, Southwest Porch
Post-Filming Pictures
Front, Front Door, Northeast Porch/Courtyard, Southwest Porch
Exterior
Driveway, Front, Front Door, Front Yard Fence, Northeast Porch/Courtyard, Southwest Porch
1st Floor
Billiard Room, Confessional Room, Control Room, Hallway, Kitchen, Office, Living Room
2nd Floor
Bathroom, Hallway, Mardi Gras Bedroom, Music Bedroom, Stairs, Voo Doo Bedroom
Taping Dates:
January - May 23, 2000
Photo Credit: Unknown
Updated - December 29, 2006