01/08/2023
We are going here on our Mardi Gras package in February!
The Oval Room houses the spiral staircase, and sits within the 1805 structure, which has undergone numerous changes over the years. The room was originally part of two bedrooms in the 1805 house. The Hampton enlargement in 1829 created a cross hall through the mansion and introduced the spectacular spiral staircase to the floor plan. The staircase ascends to the 3rd floor of the mansion and originally had windows of all three levels for light and ventilation. In the 1890's the Miles connected the Mansion to the old French House and the windows were altered. In the 1890's, when the Miles family converted the Dining Room into the Great Library, they removed the cross hall to create a new and larger dining room, which was partially located in what is now the Oval Room. In the 1940s, Dr. George Crozat, owner of theHoumas from 1940 to 1966, enlisted New Orleans architect Douglas Freret to redesign the mansion in the Federal Colonial style. The Miles Dining Room was eliminated, as were the pocket doors leading to the Great Library. It was then that the Oval Room was created to accent the free-standing spiral staircase. The design also provided for an interior kitchen and the installation of an elevator and bathrooms. Parts of the stair-walls were removed, opening up the staircase to the new oval room. This room still contains the 1805 Federal Doorway, the rear French doors and windows from the early 1800's, as well as the spiral staircase.
