Remembering Anne Rice

Amid a bunch of other things I had to do, I've finally gotten to this very important task.  A Celebration of Life for Anne Rice is still in the planning stages.  When you go to Anne's official website, though, it will look a little different.

The Garden District on Project Gutenberg

I discovered that a book published at least as long ago as 1972 that shows 1239 First Street can be read on Project Gutenberg.  It is The Great Days of the Garden District by Martha Ann Brett Samuel.

Like the Internet Archive, Project Gutenberg also has made hard to find books available in digital format.  One difference is that the books are usually ones you will have to do at least some scrolling to read.  Since the book is available to read on Project Gutenberg, I've put a new link on Exploring New Orleans Architecture.  When you click the book, it will open the book on the Project Gutenberg website.

One thing Michael Curry did during the restoration of the Mayfair house (in the book, The Witching Hour) was to show Rowan pictures of the houses surrounding hers.  Michael took Rowan on a "tour" via history books.  So I thought it would be an interesting addition to the Parlor.

If you like, click on the book below to go straight to the anchor link on the Parlor page above...

Patterns in Chaos

To give a better idea of what a restoration of a house like 1239 First Street would have been like, I've created a new kind of image gallery, a slideshow.  The images came from Estately.com, and are of recent restoration work on the Morris-Israel house at 1331 First Street.  Both houses, while not identical, are similar in a lot of ways.

To see this little collection of images, you can go to the section of the Patterns In Chaos page linked here.  The images in the slideshow gallery are of the interior of the house.

As for the exterior, there are also a few images taken of that, as well.  I think these two images of the gallery of the Morris-Israel house really fit the description of the peeling and faded paint of the Mayfair house in The Witching Hour...

Before...

...After

House of Patterns

When you look at the House of Patterns page, it will look...slightly different.  The thumbnails are a tiny bit larger.  But when you click on those thumbnails, the full size images are now quite a bit larger.  With the exception of this one:

and the two drawings of the Egyptian keyhole doorway, which now open at their full size of 612x792, the images of the plans will open at a width of 1920 and a height between 1506 and 1510.  For those who want to get a good look at the plans for 1239 First Street, the larger size should be A LOT more helpful.

I have never been able to find any plans like this for the second or third floors of the house.  There are photos of the master bedroom and at least one other bedroom for real estate listings, but that's about it.  The closest I've been able to find to see what the second floor of the house might look like is other houses like the First Street house.  

One is the Morris-Israel house, which the McEnery Company took several photos of during renovation.  Some of them can be seen on Exploring New Orleans Architecture.  A link to the McEnery Company website's content on the Morris-Israel house can be found on that page, as well.

The Morris-Israel House, New Orleans

This house does look a lot like another house that is closer to 1239 First Street, the Carroll-Crawford house, doesn't it?

The Carroll-Crawford House, New Orleans

Obviously not a carbon copy, but the architectural details sure are similar, aren't they?  Both houses were designed by Samuel Jamison, so perhaps the details on both houses were something of a "signature" of his as well as New Orleans as a whole?

There are a lot of houses in New Orleans that are structurally similar to 1239 First Street.  Even the Soria Creel house has similarities that stand out, and no doubt made it possible to be used as the Mayfair house in the AMC series.  I've always had an eye out for anything that could possibly give a better idea of the layout of the second and third floors of the Mayfair house.  Several key things happened on the upper floors of the Mayfair house that being able to visualize its layout helps to better picture and understand.

Have a Look at Mona Mayfair

On the Mayfair Witches page, only two of the portraits were still images.  Now, there is only one.  This is Mona Mayfair's portrait as its been up until now...

...and now, click the link to see what her portrait does...The Mayfair Witches: Mona Mayfair

Witches In History--Salem and the Mayfair Witches

I've begun the process of researching for a new special page to add.  This new special page will be about the Salem Witch Trials.

I'm surprised I haven't at least done some kind of discussion on this piece of history before, to be honest.  I want to really look further into its history, also something I'm surprised I haven't gotten to yet, considering my relatives who were victims of it.  It was a bit jarring to learn John Proctor was my great uncle, but that, to me, just makes it more important for the Parlor to give the Salem Witch Trials more attention.  

The focus is, of course, on what parallels can be drawn between this historical ghastly event and the Mayfair Witches.  The only way to do that is to really look at the history, the facts of the Salem Witch Trials.  I am going to look and see if I can find anything Anne Rice might have researched, because it's been many years since I've looked.  Understandable that I can't remember if I did come across it years ago.  So, I think I will begin there.

I hope this new special page, when added, will be informative and interesting.  In the meantime, I do indeed plan to develop the page about the Soria Creel house a bit more.  I approach that topic with the understanding that this is private property, a private home, so I will be choosy as to what information on the house I provide as an historic property.

There is much to see on Come Into My Parlor, so please drop by and explore, have fun!  If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached at comeintomyparlor1995@gmail.com.