History
of Petunia's
Petunias is housed in a 3
story Creole Townhouse erected in the 1830's by Barthelemy Bacas, a noted
cabinetmaker of the time. The interior is especially fascinating for his mastery
of intricate details of the all cypress millwork including the mantels
surrounding the original coal-burning fireplaces.
The dining rooms are located in the building's double parlor: the dividing, sliding (pocket doors) are still operable. The ceiling fans were among the first installed in the city: made by Hunter, they have been in continuous operation for nearly 85 years.
The second floor originally contained the family dining room, master bedroom, and the nursery. These three rooms have been converted into three wonderfully intimate private dining/banquet/meeting rooms available for your special functions.
The older children's bedrooms were located on the third floor.
The support foundations for the building are about 8 - 10 feet deep, consisting of pyramids of soft porous brick which formed the base for the load-bearing walls. Since the bricks were not kiln dried, and the city is below sea level, moisture often creeps up into the plaster walls - a common occurrence in old New Orleans houses - then the walls seem to weep.
Behind the main building is a two story dependency separate from the main building, frequently referred to as a slave quarter, in which the cooking for the family was done because of the ever present danger of fire. In the 1920's for convenience the two buildings were connected.
Mr. Bacas lived in the residence until his death in 1864, probably from apoplexy, when Union officers moved into the widow Grimma's house across the street during the Civil War when New Orleans was an occupied city. His daughter then lived there another 8 years, except for a 10 month period in 1871 when reconstruction carpetbaggers reigned in Louisiana.
The Fornaris family bought the home in 1872 and several generations lived here until 1925 when it was purchased by Joseph E. Macera, whose widow remained in the premises until her death in 1973.
A few years later, the structure became the St. Louis Street Crepe Shoppe. In 1984 the present management changed its name to PETUNIAS when a full-service menu was added which features Cajun and Creole dishes and other New Orleans favorites.