House of Patterns: Architectural Plans for First Street

 

"Be very careful. It's old and it's gloomy and it's...it's not perhaps what it seems...It's not a grand house at all. It's some sort of domicile for something. It's a trap, you might say. It's made up of all sorts of patterns. And the patterns form a sort of trap." 

~Gerald Mayfair's words of warning to Rowan, WH pg. 805, Mass Market 1993 and Amazon Kindle Editions 

While browsing, I came across these plans for the First Street house in Lives of the Mayfair Witches.  It is known in New Orleans as the Brevard-Clapp-Rice house and is about as old in real life as it is in the books.  Take a look...

 

The Brevard-Clapp House

Anne Rice bought the Brevard-Clapp house, reputed to be haunted, upon her return to New Orleans in the late 1980's.  The house that was initially to be the setting for The Witching Hour was originally blocks away, but upon Rice's taking up residence at First Street, this changed.  The house, in its real history, has changed owners throughout the years, but during Rice's residence, it was featured in Lee Bailey's New Orleans, a cookbook of recipes that are part of what makes New Orleans famous for its cuisine and entertainment.

The house is sometimes called "Rosegate", supposedly for the rose patterns worked into the iron curlicues in the gate.  A fitting name for such a beautiful home, I think.

The Front of First Street

The First Floor of First Street

I have never been able to find a floor plan for the second and third floors/attic space of 1239 First Street. Hopefully, the images of the house's interior that are up include photographs of at least two of the bedrooms. If not, there will be soon!

The Keyhole Doorway

It is here, at the keyhole doorway, that a vital clue to Lasher and the true legacy of the Mayfair Witches lies.  Rowan is the key and the house is the doorway through which Lasher will "come through", making his goal of being in the flesh a reality.  Michael Curry is puzzled by the bas-relief of this same door way on the Mayfair Crypt and realizes, perhaps too late, that the twelve crypts with the doorway as the thirteenth portal, is a symbol of Rowan's twelve ancestresses and of Rowan as the thirteenth witch, the Doorway of Lasher.

The Garden Side of First Street

The side facing the garden where Antha "jumped" to her death, but we now know she was pushed by Carlotta in a desperate attempt to stop Lasher.

By far, Mouldings One has the largest sizes of the plans of the house, and in excellent quality. The detail is very clear. For those of you who build or create 3D models and graphics, the size and quality of the plans on this site will be extremely helpful.

Brevard-Rice House on Mouldings One

See the Library of Congress Public Domain collection for more on the history of the Brevard-Rice house here.  You will also see historical documents related to other houses in New Orleans and the Garden District.  Some of them are very similar in floor plans and structure.  Since these architectural plans are all that seem to be available, we do not know what the exact layout of the second and third floors of the Brevard-Rice house actually are.  However, the material in the Public Domain collection can at least give us an idea of it.