BURNSIDE, La. -- The titles real estate developer and
preservationist rarely serve to define one individual. But Kevin
Kelly, owner of Houmas House Plantation and Gardens here, is a rare
find.
Happily for those who travel miles to visit Louisiana's
Plantation Country, Kelly, an architecture buff who made his money
in real estate development, is also a fancier of America's grand
homes.
The New Orleans native bought the historical 36-acre River Road
plantation (which takes its name from the Houmas Indians) in May
2003 for $3.1 million, put another $2 million into the renovation
of its 21-room mansion and gardens and spent $5 million on a
collection of art, period antiques, fixtures and furnishings from
the 1800s -- the plantation's "glory days."
Within six months, the project he envisioned was well enough on
its way to reopen the property for tours.
"Purchasing Houmas House was a
project I always dreamed about," said Kelly. "Since I was 12 or 13,
I've enjoyed the grand homes."
Throughout his 20s and 30s, he said, he'd watch the PBS series,
"The Grand Homes of America," then fly out to see them in
person.
Kelly, now 49, said he visited the Houmas House in 1985, took
the tour and felt dismay that the mansion wasn't being
maintained.
"As I was leaving the house, there was a sugar kettle and a sign
saying something like 'Drop a coin in the kettle, make a wish and
it will come true.' I tossed a quarter in the kettle and said, 'I
wish I could buy a plantation house.' "
Over the next decade, Kelly met with financial success. He
bought and restored an old New Orleans hotel to meet historic
building standards, but when that was finished in early 2000, "I
became bored," he said. "The Houmas House went on the market; I
bought it and went about restoring it."
His goal, Kelly said, was to return the property to the grand
style of the 1840s, when the mansion was known as "The Sugar
Palace."
"Sadly, the grand homes here aren't taken care of the way the
homes on the East Coast are."
It's a matter of money, he said -- now that the sugar crops that
built and maintained them are gone.
The Greek Revival mansion, which is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, was built in 1840. The original,
four-room house in the rear dates to the 1700s and bears the
characteristics of both Spanish and rural French architecture. The
rear dwelling was preserved by earlier owners and later attached to
the great house by an arched carriageway.
A large mural, the Houmas House Sugar Cane Field, greets
visitors when they enter the foyer. Such murals, a popular
decorative feature in plantations on River Road in the 1820s to
1840s, are a rare find today.
Among the other pieces of the past on display are an 1848
Louisiana census map, original Paris porcelain china serving pieces
from 1848 with the Houmas name and a French regulator clock made by
clockmaker Bussage in 1832.
The furniture includes pieces by Mallard, Belter, Meeks, Lee and
McCracken, and the art collection features paintings from Louisiana
artists.
Kelly said he doesn't rush his visitors but encourages them to
linger at the plantation for a "leisurely visit," during which they
can "relax, play croquet, have a mint julep and enjoy the beauty of
our home and gardens."
But Kelly's project is not quite finished. For next year, he
envisions a rummery, where visitors will be able to taste -- and
buy -- Houmas House rum, and he's looking for an operator for a
restaurant he has in mind.
In the near term, he plans to construct a Victorian Botanical
Garden with a greenhouse and arboretum (greenhouse cuttings of
exotic plants found on the plantation will be for sale) and a
450-seat pavilion for weddings.
A tavern, set to open May 1, will have tables and chairs inside,
but it will also provide blankets for wine and cheese picnics on
the lawn, "to create a Napa Valley experience," Kelly said.
An antique shop, visitors center and gift shop are slated to
open June 1, Kelly said.
Houmas House Plantation and Gardens is open for tours daily from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 per adult; $15 per person for
groups of 20 or more. The plantation is handicap accessible.
The site is available for special events such as weddings,
corporate outings, dinner parties and holiday celebrations. The
plantation can accommodate groups of 40 to 2,000.
Houmas House is located on the east bank of the Mississippi
River, a 45-minute drive from New Orleans Airport and 25 miles from
Baton Rouge.
For more information, call (225) 473-9380 or visit www.houmashouse.com.
To contact Destinations Editor Margaret Myre, send e-mail to
[email protected].