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(Photograph by Lake Douglas)
Crockery merchant John Gauche supervised the construction of his large, square house. Exceptionally fine cast ironwork adds a light and delicate touch to the weighty qualities of the stuccoed brick house. Putti (or miniature figures, possibly representing Bacchus) cavort among the grapevines adorning the second-story cast-iron balcony; at eaves level, a projecting cornice supported on paired iron brackets is edged with a cast-iron frieze with anthemion cresting. The building’s finest feature, and one unusual for New Orleans, is the light gray granite pedimented Doric portico; its severity makes a splendid foil for the lacy cast-iron decoration. The house is set back slightly from the property line and enclosed by a cast-iron fence and granite gateposts. To the rear, a lower two-story service wing faces the carriage entrance on Royal Street. The house has a central-hall plan, with a stairway located in a side opening to the rear, and full-length casement windows. Richard Koch restored the house for Matilda Geddings Gray after she purchased it in 1937 and Koch and Wilson undertook further restoration in 1969 for Matilda Stream when she inherited the house from her aunt.