Pitot House

During the French and Spanish colonial era of the 1700's, Bayou St. John was a key waterway, bringing passengers and products into New Orleans. Several West Indies-style country homes lined the bayou at that time, but today only one of those historic structures is open to the public. Now headquarters for the Louisiana Landmarks Society, a preservation advocacy organization, the Pitot House has been restored to the time when James Pitot, the first American mayor of New Orleans, and his family lived there from 1810 to 1819. Pitot was also president of Orleans Navigation Company, opening commerce on Bayou St. John and the Carondelet Canal. 

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Pitot House is an authentic example of Creole Colonial architecture.

Exterior Features: 

The Pitot House Museum has been meticulously restored to showcase its brick-between-post construction covered by white plaster and Caribbean double-pitched roof. 

Visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the home and parterre garden. The 10,000-square-foot side lawn and gardens can be rented to host elegant seated dinners, wedding receptions, and corporate entertaining. 

Interior Features: 

The home is carefully furnished with Louisiana and American antiques from the early 1800's with a second-floor gallery surrounding overlooking the bayou. Pitot House Museum is a 10-minute ride from the French Quarter and a 10-minute walk from the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Course. It is accessible via the North Carrollton branch of the Canal Streetcar line, as well as the Esplanade Avenue bus line. The house is currently open Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m The last tour begins at 2:30 p.m.

Tours are by appointment only.