Godchaux–Reserve Plantation
Godchaux–Reserve Plantation | |
 Godchaux-Reserve Plantation House in 2012 | |
  | |
| Location | 1628 Louisiana Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 30°03′19″N 90°33′50″W / 30.055278°N 90.563889°W |
| Architectural style | French Creole and Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 93001548 |
| Added to NRHP | January 21, 1994 |
Godchaux–Reserve Plantation, also known as Godchaux–Boudousquie Plantation, and the Reserve Plantation, is a former plantation, former site of a sugar refinery, and once included a historic house built in 1764, located in Reserve, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana.[1]
The house is listed as a National Register of Historic Places since January 21, 1994 for the architecture.[1]
History
[edit]House
[edit]The earliest portion of the house is thought to be built in 1764 by Jean Baptiste and Marie Therese Laubel.[2] Between 1810 and 1833, it is thought that the main house was owned by unknown free people of color.[2] From 1833 to 1855, the house was owned by Antoine Boudousquie and his wife, Sophie Andry Boudousquie, and followed by a purchase by Leon Godchaux in 1869.[2]
In 1909, President William Howard Taft visited the Godchaux–Reserve House while touring Louisiana and he gave a speech at this location.[3][4]
Sugar mill and refinery
[edit]By the late 1800s, Godchaux and his family turned the plantation and the sugar refinery into the largest sugar manufacturers in the United States and one of the largest globally.[5] Godchaux had owned network of 12 sugar plantations, all located across southeast Louisiana that fed into the Godchaux Sugar Refinery.[5] For many years the Reserve plantation property held the Godchaux Sugar Refinery which was active from 1917 to 1985; and the company had once offered public tours.[6][7]
House architecture
[edit]The Godchaux–Reserve Plantation house is a colombage (or timber framed) raised building, designed in the French Creole and Federal architecture styles.[3] The core structure of the house is thought to be built in 1764 by Jean Baptiste and Marie Therese Laubel and was simply a two wooden rooms with a fireplace.[2]
The house has had four major periods of construction and has been moved at least two times.[3][8] Sometime prior to 1900, the house was moved to the Godchaux Sugar Mill.[3] On September 25, 1993, the house was moved from the former Reserve Plantation (less than one mile distance) to its location on 1628-Louisiana Highway 44 (also known as Great River Road).[3]
Four Federal architecture-style wraparound fireplace mantels featuring intricate designs and motifs were added to the home in circa. 1825 during a renovation; however, it is unclear how much of the house was renovated during this time.[3] A renovation circa. 1850 on the house added new flooring, new moldings, new roof columns, and a new roofline.[3] The walls of the building are a combination of brick and bousillage between the wooden posts.[3]
By the early 1990s, the building was in disrepair.[4] In 2013, the Godchaux-Reserve House Historical Society (GRHHS) was formed in order to restore the house.[8][2] The long-term goal of the GRHHS was to restore the building into a museum open to the public.[4]
Publications
[edit]- The Story of Godchaux's Pure Cane Sugar (1 ed.). New Orleans, LA: Godchaux Sugars, Inc. 1933. OCLC 4233358.
- Famous Recipes From Old New Orleans: Collected for You by the Makers of Godchaux's Sugars (5 ed.). New Orleans, LA: Godchaux Sugars, Inc. 1955. OCLC 1031406758.
See also
[edit]- Landmark Land Company
- Cinclare Sugar Mill Historic District
- Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation
- List of plantations in Louisiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Godchaux--Reserve Plantation House". NPGallery Asset Detail. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b c d e "Personal space". The Magazine Antiques. February 1, 2018. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Reserve Plantation House". United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. December 17, 1993.
- ^ a b c Robichaux, Brooke (2018-09-08). "Godchaux-Reserve renovation hits milestone: Oct. 16 community celebration open to public". L'Observateur. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- ^ a b Hammer, David (2017-12-16). "Leon Godchaux: The Times-Picayune covers 175 years of New Orleans history". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-16. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- ^ B., C.; Beaty, J. K. (1950-03-05). "Spring Tours By Car and Boat Through Louisiana". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- ^ Karst, James (August 9, 2015). "See Vintage Photos of Godchaux Sugar Refinery: Our Times". NOLA.com. The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- ^ a b "Godchaux-Reserve House will celebrate progress on renovation project". NOLA.com. October 12, 2018. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
External links
[edit]
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
- Houses completed in 1764
- National Register of Historic Places in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
- Houses in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
- Creole architecture in Louisiana
- Plantation houses in Louisiana
- Sugar plantations in Louisiana
- Sugar refineries in the United States
- 1764 establishments in New Spain