A historic two-story building with a peach facade and ornate black wrought-iron balcony in a sunny street. The building has shuttered windows, a small upper window, and a metal fence at the entrance. Shadows are cast on the wall.

714 Toulouse Street

Townhouse

American townhouse built ca. 1827 and fully renovated ca. 1888

714 Toulouse Street

Townhouse

American townhouse built ca. 1827 and fully renovated ca. 1888

Home
Research & Collections
Our Buildings
714 Toulouse Street: Townhouse

This two-story American townhouse, built ca. 1827, originally had two front archways. Renovations completed in 1888 made it a three-bay home with a side staircase and wrought-iron balcony. The building has been used as a bank, boardinghouse, brothel, gift shop, and offices.

Timeline

1827: A two-story brick building is constructed on a lot once owned by Jean François Merieult.

1829: The Consolidated Association of Planters of Louisiana (CAPL) opens on site, giving loans to stockholders who put up plantation acres and enslaved laborers as collateral.

The townhouse, sometime before the 1888 renovations. Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey at HNOC, N-529

1888: The CAPL liquidates after the Civil War. In 1888, CAPL sells the property to Antonio Augusti, a real estate investor and builder. He fully renovates the old bank building into an urban townhome suitable for a lodging house. The renovated three-bay house has a recessed entrance to a side-hall stair, nine rooms, two cisterns, gas lighting, and a new cast-iron gallery.

1890s–1910s: The renovated house is used as a boardinghouse.

1917–21: Genevieve Stewart operates a boardinghouse on the site, which is repeatedly raided by the police as a suspected brothel. In the fall of 1920, just a few months after the start of Prohibition, Miss Stewart’s is the subject of a sensationalist first-hand account of booze and prostitution published in the Times-Picayune.

1947: Leila Moore Williams purchases the property, which adjoins her new residence. The Williamses later sell the property when they move uptown.

The townhouse in 1939. Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey at HNOC, N-2-062-092

1965–67: Preservationist Clay Shaw buys the building to restore it to use. He sells the property two days before he is indicted on charges of conspiring to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. He is later found innocent.

Clay Shaw (right) shaking hands with unidentified man at an International Trade Mart presentation, circa 1960, photo by Charles F. Weber. HNOC, 2012.0208.2.126

The townhouse in 1967, during Clay Shaw’s ownership. Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey at HNOC, N-2-062-094

Look Magazine issue, 1969 August 26, article by F. Irvin Dymond. HNOC, 2000-102-L.1.1

1980: The Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation purchases the building, rejoining the property with the historic Merieult lot and the Williamses’ other French Quarter holdings. The new offices in the townhouse become home to the first computer used at the museum.

The townhouse, sometime before the 1888 renovations. Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey at HNOC, N-529

The townhouse in 1939. Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey at HNOC, N-2-062-092

Clay Shaw (right) shaking hands with unidentified man at an International Trade Mart presentation, circa 1960, photo by Charles F. Weber. HNOC, 2012.0208.2.126

The townhouse in 1967, during Clay Shaw’s ownership. Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey at HNOC, N-2-062-094

Look Magazine issue, 1969 August 26, article by F. Irvin Dymond. HNOC, 2000-102-L.1.1

Our Buildings

HNOC’s Architectural Treasures

Every building has stories to tell. Learn more about HNOC’s historic French Quarter properties.

Explore Explore

Illustration of a two-story building with green balconies and multiple doors and windows. The facade is adorned with potted plants and small trees. The sky is clear, creating a serene atmosphere.

Research Tools

Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey

Visit the Database Visit the Database

A detailed historical map of San Franciscos downtown, circa 1906. The buildings are color-coded: red for those damaged in the earthquake and yellow for those destroyed by fire. Streets are clearly marked, with a coastal line at the bottom.

Related Collection Highlights

A person stands outdoors, holding a translucent fabric over their head against a textured wall. The shadow casts an intricate pattern on the wall. A potted plant and some grass are visible in the foreground.

Clarence John Laughlin Archive

Through his dreamlike black-and-white images, the surrealist Louisiana photographer explored, amplified, and commented on the mystique of the South.

Learn More

A nun stands outside a building with three large arched windows. She is facing the windows, holding a book. The building is white with some visible plants and a tree on the right. The scene has a quiet, contemplative atmosphere.

Mother St. Croix Photographs of Ursuline Convent

The ebullient nun documented her cloisters, sisters, and pupils with care and skill. In doing so she became the earliest known woman to photographically record daily life in New Orleans

Learn More