When Pat Blackwell and Clebert LeBlanc bought their Eliza Street home in Algiers Point nine years ago, it was after living in what they call “New Algiers“ for a number of years.
“We had moved there from Mid-City so that Olivia, our daughter who was seven at the time, would be free to ride her bike in the street without us having to supervise too closely.”
But once Olivia was out of the nest, the couple turned their eyes to Algiers Point.
“When I walked into this house at the open house, I knew this was the one for us,“ said Pat, a clinical psychologist whose practice centers on children. Clebert is a physical therapist at the VA.
The house had been renovated by Vinnie Pervel whose home on Pelican Street is also on this weekend‘s tour.
“We adapted the house to our own taste,” she said. “We took down the white cabinets in the kitchen and put up shelves instead. We had a range hood made by a local artist. We changed the wall color in the kitchen from green to a neutral color and painted the wainscoting a pale blue.”
Pat's interest in basketry is just one expression of the couple’s fondness for art. There’s a big glass fronted cabinet on the rear wall of the kitchen that displays dozens of large woven baskets. In the living room a highly sculptural basket woven by the Gullah people in coastal South Carolina is one of Pat's favorite treasures.
The home is filled with works by mostly Louisiana artists.
“It was important to me to buy art that was representative of our Louisiana culture,” Pat said.
On the outside wall of the kitchen, a cluster of photographs by Pat’s sister, offers new insights into typical New Orleans scenes.
A pair of artworks by Jon Rappleye in the guest room/study, a photograph by William Greiner in the-couple’s bedroom, an early Louisiana armoire, a wooden Stingray on the wall, a metal table base on the screened porch, are more artful items to see in the house.
But Pat's sister is not the only relative whose artwork appears in the house. Clebert’s grandmother and great grandmother both contributed to a wall of exquisite drawings in the library. The couple is particularly proud of the pot rack that belonged to Clebert’s grandmother, who had a cooking column in Louisiana Life magazine, and of her easel in the dining room area.
Pat likes to call attention to the change in flooring at the end of the kitchen towards the back of the house.
The area at the back of the house where the primary suite and guest room/study are located or built in the early 1870s. But the part of the house where the kitchen, living room, dining room and library are located, was built in the early 20th century and moved to its current location from Delaronde Street.
You can see the transition in the flooring, Pat points out.
The couple's most recent project was the renovation of the primary bath. They replaced a dated spa-like corner tub with a spacious walk-in shower, retiled the floor and installed a double vanity.
We worked with Miguel Villafana of Esplanade Construction and he got it all done in just four weeks, Pat said.
The most notable architectural feature in the house is the vaulted ceiling over the primary bedroom that exposes a Norman truss style structural element that Vinnie Pervel added to support the roof.
Bruce, a small white bichon frisée dog, keeps the couple company on Eliza Street.