Arnaud’s Creole Cottage

The history of the Creole Cottage dates from May 20, 1809, when Rosetta Young, inherited it from her mother. She held it until 1817 when Charles Victor Mansuy Le Pelletier purchased it. The property changed hands several times before it was sold by Mme. Marie Roi Villerie Ducourneau to Elizabeth Norwood on November 18, 1823.

Records at The Historic New Orleans Collection show that on February 23, 1883, the property was sold at auction. An advertisement for the auction in the Courier Newspaper tempted bids with the description of “a lot of ground at the corner of Bienville and Dauphine Streets” and the house as “6 rooms 5 with fireplace, brick kitchen, servant’s rooms, a shed for horse and gig, a good well and large water cask.”

The Creole Cottage at Arnaud’s, 831-833 Bienville, was purchased September 19, 1946, by the Count. That transaction secured all of the properties down Bienville, from the corner of Bourbon Street to all but one house at the end of the block.

The Creole Cottage today could be a private home with its wet bar and other facilities for special events. It seats 90 for dining and up to 120 for receptions. Part of the charm of all Arnaud’s private dining rooms’ is the extraordinary attention to detail, rarely found in a restaurant.

Excerpt from Arnaud’s Cookbook, by Kit Wohl