Come Into My Parlor...Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches

HOUSE RULE: This is a private residence. For purposes of privacy, the general rule is that the names of current and previous owners will not be listed here strictly because they did or do live there. The only exceptions are, of course, Anne Rice, those whose names appear in the actual construction history of the house, and, if widely available, media resources that name them in conjunction with whatever they're reporting on.

If you do happen to go on a tour of New Orleans' Garden District and one of the stops is this house, please use your good manners by remaining on your side of the property line and by not hassling or otherwise disturbing the occupants. Thank you.

Inside First Street...

On this page are various photos of the Mayfair House and all things Mayfair that came from www.annerice.com and from around the Internet. The video you see above is a realtor's video of the house recommended to me by Richie in Philadelphia. It has other shots of the house and grounds not seen in the photos. Thank you, Richie!!

I am researching the photo credits for the older photos. Again, if they are copyrighted or if I have misused them in any way, please let me know. In the meantime, enjoy!

The Double Parlor

The Double Parlor

The Double Parlor in 1964

Stella's Dance Floor...

Double Parlor Entrance 1964

The Double Parlor in the 1930's

In this room is where Stella was shot to death, where Rowan declares her decision to claim the house and the legacy, where her wedding reception is held, and where she willingly comes to Lasher for the first time...

The Swimming Pool

Stella's Pool

Angel on the limestone balustrade...

The Pool

Drowning Pool

The pool that Stella had installed during the "Roaring Twenties". She once filled it with champagne for one of her wild parties. When Rowan returns sixty years later, the pool is a dank, murky swamp that defies restoration. However, Michael Curry's restoration project reveals that it is quite intact, and Michael himself has a vision of ghostly party guests with a panicked Arthur Langtry shouting, "Come away from there, man!" just months before he nearly drowns - for the second time - in this pool.

The Dining Room

The Dining Room

The Dining Room 1964

A Gathering of Family...

In this room is where Rowan has her "interview" with Carlotta Mayfair, who taunts and provokes Rowan into killing her, where Rowan sees the trees outside moving by Lasher's will, and where family meetings are convened in the First Street house after Rowan's disappearance.

~Deirdre~

Deirdre's Oak

Deirdre's Oak

Tree in the First Street Garden

Deirdre's Oak

The Side Porch

The Side Porch in the 1930's

The Upper Window of the Side Porch

The side porch as it appears today

Deirdre's World

The top of this side porch is where Evelyn Mayfair (Ancient Evelyn by the time of Lasher) climbs to Julien's attic room to couple with him, and from where Antha is pushed to her death by an enraged Carlotta. From 1976 to 1989, the first floor deck is where Deirdre (Antha's daughter, Stella's granddaughter, and the mother of Rowan Mayfair) languishes in a rocking chair, unable to defend herself or her daughter against Lasher. Nor does she seem to want to. In a vision of Deirdre's thoughts, she seems to be glad for Lasher's company during her convalescence. According to Carlotta, she "writhed like a cat" under Lasher's touch despite being otherwise comatose from the Thorazine.

The steps in the photo are the steps Michael Curry cleared from the brush and overgrowth during the restoration of the home, proving that the side porch was originally designed to be open (see the pictures of the plans).

Deirdre's Oak was where Rowan's mother would swing and play with Lasher as a child, and it was she who carved the name "Lasher" into the trunk of the massive oak tree. Note the garconniere (sic?) in the background in one of the photos.