In 1905, Paul Doullut, a steamboat captain, designed and constructed a home facing

the Mississippi River in what is now known as the Holy Cross neighborhood of New

Orleans. The captain wanted a home reminiscent of the steamboats he and his wife,

who was, also, a steamboat captain, guided up and down the river. He succeeded in

building a unique and beautiful home. In 1913, he had a second, identical home built a

few hundred yards from his, for his son, Paul, Jr. Steamboat features on the two

"sisters" include the surrounding decks; narrow interior halls and stairs; metal

smokestacks instead of chimneys; woodwork reflecting the steamboat era, with

columns graduated in size, strung as rows around the decks or galleries; and a top

floor resembling an open pilot house with commanding view of the river. The two

houses were designated as historic landmarks in 1977. They are landmarks on the

river and are known by architectural historians all over the world. -- Nancy

