Nine Louisiana governors lived in the Old Governor’s Mansion between 1930 and 1963 and many put their stamp on the residence. After all, it was where they entertained important guests and raised their families.
Governor Huey Long didn’t live in the mansion for long (he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1932), but his vision for the residence remains the most influential. Note the secret staircase Long had installed from his office on the main floor to the hall just outside the master bedroom on the second floor. He would often use it to avoid unwelcome guests! A big fan of roses, Long also championed the English style Rose Garden to the rear of the property. While the roses had been replaced with boxwoods over the years, it has recently been restored to the original landscape design from the early 1930s.
Long also didn’t want a bathtub in the master suite, believing that important men were too busy to take baths. Amid the master bathroom, with its hand laid green and peach tiles, you’ll find a shower only.
Along with numerous bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces, the mansion’s second floor also features a sleeping porch where children could sleep at night before the advent of air conditioning to stay cool. Some kids are also believed to have flown kites from the sleeping porch’s adjoining roof deck, say the mansion’s historians.
Stairway in Old Governor's Mansion
Sam H. Jones, governor of Louisiana during World War II, had two children who reportedly enjoyed sliding down the long, curved banister from the upstairs landing to the foyer below. Governor Richard W. Leche, who served from 1936 to 1939, enclosed a large open porch upstairs to create a solarium. When the newly enclosed room became stuffy, he added copper gutters to help cool the room down.
One of the most popular rooms upstairs is the bedroom named for Louisiana’s singing governor Jimmie Davis, famous for the song, “You are My Sunshine.” The room features a collection of Davis’ recordings and memorabilia. Davis served as governor from 1944 to 1948 and again from 1960 to 1964, and was the last governor to live in the mansion.
The new Governor’s Mansion, a modern structure with air conditioning situated close to the Louisiana State Capitol, opened in 1963.
Contact the Old Governor's Mansion today to schedule an individual or group tour, or to book the venue for a special event.
