
Archibald Montgomery house, New Orleans architecture
Jun 9, 2015
Henry Howard: Louisiana’s Architect, by Robert Brantley with Victor McGee, published by Princeton Architectural Press and The Historic New Orleans Collection (2015).
Henry Howard was a New Orleans architecture giant, responsible for designs such as the Pontalba buildings and Robert H. Short house. In fact, he was behind some of the most iconic buildings across Louisiana. But for some reason he faded from history, becoming retrospectively eclipsed in stature by other 19th-century architects; some of his designs were even attributed to other people.
But no longer!
Released on June 9, Henry Howard: Louisiana’s Architect, by Robert S. Brantley with Victor McGee, is not only the first book to cover the whole of Howard’s career, but the first to credit him with some of the buildings previously ascribed to others. Published by Princeton Architectural Press and The Historic New Orleans Collection, the book contains hundreds of photographs, sketches, drawings, and plans, both contemporary and archival.
The publishers have allowed us to post some of the photographs of Henry Howard’s iconic New Orleans architecture. Author Robert S. Brantley told us:
“During the years of his practice Howard was the most prolific architect in the region. The variety of his designs over his career of forty years is startling. This amazing versatility is present within all his designs—humble and opulent houses, plantations homes, warehouses, churches, commercial and civic buildings. They reveal the hand of a gifted architect entirely dedicated to his art and the advancement of his profession. Henry Howard is truly one of the great architects of the nineteenth century.”
So next time you’re barreling through the French Quarter or strolling around the Garden District, keep an eye open. The architecture in New Orleans can be as alluring as the city’s other, more obviously sensual, delights.
Note: All photographs are by Robert S. Brantley and Jan White Brantley.
You can buy the book Henry Howard: Louisiana’s Architect direct from the publisher. (And yes, it is on Amazon, too.)
And for the full scope on The Big Easy, check out AFAR’s New Orleans Destination Guide.
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