A Transitional Plantation House in Louisiana Architecture

Abstract

Louisiana plantation houses fall into three classifications: the West Indian or Creole type, the Greek Revival type, and a transitional type that appeared in the years 1816 to 1843. This paper deals with twelve houses of the transitional type. The author describes these houses and gives their group the name “Tuscan” because the term reflects their most significant architectural feature and suggests a different construction era from the Creole. It also differentiates them from the Greek Revival in important authentic ways. Most of their columns are real Tuscan, rather than a Greek order. The house interiors and exteriors are comparatively simple, and Ionic and Corinthian features are noticeably absent. As the Tuscan house appeared after the granting of Louisiana statehood, it defines a new era in Louisiana architecture.