Montegut Plantation House, LaPlace Louisiana

Date added: October 25, 2024

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Land survey documents in the owner's possession show that the plantation was owned in 1874 by Norbert Louque and that by 1899 it was owned by a Montegut.

The area which became St. John Parish was fairly well settled by the end of the eighteenth century. Created in 1807, the parish grew to become a prosperous Sugar planting area. Although St. John was part of the so-called German Coast, its dominant cultural influence was French Creole. Presumably there were once a few hundred Creole residences of various sizes in the parish. Today Montegut is one of only eight remaining full-blown examples.

These Creole structures represent the parish's earliest architectural development and are the primary representatives of its well known Creole cultural heritage. It should be noted that in any given French parish in Louisiana, the Creole buildings are generally considered the most important. This is because the French Creole heritage is the major element distinguishing Louisiana from other southern states and in many ways forms its cultural identity.

Building Description

Montegut Plantation House (c.1815) is a raised Creole colombage structure located in the town of LaPlace. Despite some alterations and additions, the house retains its significant Creole features and is still very easily recognizable as an example of the style.

Montegut is raised almost a full story above grade on a brick foundation. It has a five bay front gallery featuring chamfered columns. In this case, the chamfering is very deep and tapered and gives something of the effect of entasis. The plan of the house is symmetrical with three rooms across the front and three across the back. Most of the interior openings feature French doors of ten to fourteen lights. A few interior doors are of the single leaf, solid panel type. These have an unusual panel configuration with two unequal horizontal panels above and two vertical panels below. All of the rooms feature exposed beaded beam ceilings. The two principal rooms are heated by a pair of fireplaces which feed into a single interior chimney. Both mantels are of the French wraparound type and both feature bulbous engaged columns which taper sharply towards the base. While one mantel has a plain paneled entablature, the other is more elaborate, with patera over the columns and a central sunburst. Both mantels are surmounted by an elaborately molded cornice which marks the place where the flue ascends through the ceiling. Much of the original hardware remains, including sets of ram's horn hinges.

In about 1900 a small side wing with a polygonal bay was added, a rear gallery was built, virtually all of the siding was replaced, and a kitchen was constructed slightly to the rear of the house. In about 1920 the kitchen was connected to the rear gallery. Sometime in the early twentieth century, an interior wall on the north side was moved slightly to the rear and the room behind it was subdivided for a bathroom. At about the same time the kitchen was connected with the house, the rear gallery was glazed in and a fireplace was added. In recent years the bottoms of the front gallery columns rotted. Repairing them entailed encasing the lower third of each column in planks. This has not affected the chamfering.