Opera Guild Home, New Orleans

Some Garden District homes choose one architectural style and stick to it. This one clearly preferred a richer social life. Designed by architect William A. Freret in 1858, the house began with strong Greek Revival bones, then later acquired Queen Anne flourishes, including the octagonal turret added in the late 19th century.

Its first owner was a wealthy merchant, but the Civil War did what wars tend to do: rearranged fortunes with very little concern for personal comfort. Unable to meet his financial obligations anymore, the owner lost the house, and in 1867, Freret himself bought it back at auction for $30,700.

Decades later, in 1944, Dr. Herman Seebold and his wife Nettie acquired it for just $12,500, which in this day and age sounds less like a real-estate purchase and more like a typing error... The Seebolds were well-off, well-traveled, and deeply fond of art and music, and so they filled the house accordingly, surrounding themselves with fine furnishings, decorative objects, and the kind of interiors that radiate the quiet confidence of something best admired from a respectful distance.

When the Seebolds died without obvious heirs, Nettie’s handwritten will settled the matter. She left the house and everything inside to the Women’s Opera Guild, with one very clear condition: the 18th- and 19th-century treasures were not to be sold off or carried away. Thanks to that instruction, the residence still preserves much of its old-world atmosphere.

Today, the house supports the New Orleans Opera Association and can be rented for weddings, dinners, luncheons, and even film shoots. So yes, this mansion has moved from merchant wealth to auction drama, from private collecting to opera fundraising—and somehow still looks ready to host a very elegant argument over dessert.

For a closer look inside, visit the official website and reserve a tour before you go.