Beyond The Wall – Inside The Most Unusual Home In Louisiana
The year was 1960, when Curtis and Davis Architects’ Nathaniel C. “Buster” Curtis Jr. and his wife, Frances, bought some land in Uptown, New Orleans, because the current home was too small. They originally lived in the Lake Vista subdivision of New Orleans, but with seven children, they simply needed more room. Buster Curtis Jr. came from an architectural dynasty that had designed over 400 buildings in the United States and nine countries worldwide.
What began as a home designed to accommodate their nine-member household and love to entertain became a mid-century NOLA landmark. The family moved in on April 3, 1963. In 1995, Buster Curtis, in a newsletter, described his home's 1960s vibes and the inspirations behind one of its most unique features: The brick wall. Curtis said, "The neighborhood was densely built and somewhat congested," and the brick wall provided a private environment.
NOLA.com reports the New Orleans Historic Landmarks Committee designated the house a city landmark in 2010. Remarkably, the NOLA treasure would become the first construction by Curtis and Davis Architects and the first modern house to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Take a look inside this architectural wonder. Enjoy!
Buster Curtis Jr. created a contemporary masterpiece with seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, and three pavilions. Two are in public areas: one near the living room and the other off the dining room and kitchen. The third pavilion features a split passageway constructed around an oak tree that leads to the bedrooms.
Curtis and Davis architect Bill Blackstone is credited with saving the tree, renamed The Blackstone Oak in his honor. The home features fantastic terrazzo floors, Formica countertops and cabinet doors, slates in the corridor, textured vinyl-covered walls, and simple contemporary Knoll and Herman Miller furnishings.
Buster Curtis Jr. created a contemporary masterpiece with seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, and three pavilions. Two are in public areas: one near the living room and the other off the dining room and kitchen. The third pavilion features a split passageway constructed around an oak tree that leads to the bedrooms.
Curtis and Davis architect Bill Blackstone is credited with saving the tree, renamed The Blackstone Oak in his honor. The home features fantastic terrazzo floors, Formica countertops and cabinet doors, slates in the corridor, textured vinyl-covered walls, and simple contemporary Knoll and Herman Miller furnishings.
Buster Curtis and his wife remained in the house until he died in 1997 at age 79. Frances moved out in 2013 at age 93, and Ledbetter and Meffert took ownership shortly after. Meffert said of the house, “When I first saw it, I was awe-struck,” He continued. “So much of the house is open for something so hidden.” Mrs. Curtis passed away two years later, in 2015.
The first time they saw the home was looking down from a neighbor's balcony during a party. Ledbetter said, "We loved where we were living, but this house was the epitome of perhaps the best mid-century modern home in the city. And that it is in this neighborhood is especially nice, as there are only a handful in Uptown."
Ledbetter said they renovated the NOLA landmark in the "spirit of the original architecture.” New appliances were installed in the kitchen, and white Formica was replaced with white Caesarstone. The original Toastmaster warming drawers remain, and the original walnut cabinets were refinished.
Their biggest change was converting the seven-bedroom home into a three-bedroom with individual ensuites and adding a gym. To learn more about how they did it, the reno job was featured in Ledbetter’s new book, The Art of Place: Lee Ledbetter Architecture and Interiors.