Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-21

lana members of Congress have recently
received assurances from the supervising
architect at Washington that the Worh
will be taken uD at once.
The old st. Louis Hotel, or Hotel ROYAL
as it is sometimes called. the most famous
building in old New Orleans. stands oppo-
site the new courthouse. II ha g had check
cred history. 1t has been a palace. the
capitol Of a state. fortress and hotei
al various times, and before the war
the great barroom under the rOtunda was
4 slave market You can now see the
pens in which the victims We're kept wlile
waiting for the market, and the piock
Of the auctioneer is still there me 81
Louis Hotel cost S1.500,o0O at time
when money went three times as far as
1t does now, and it was the most magnin-
cent building in the south.
The home OF Bienyille the first French
governor of LoIi lana Us gone. 1t was
torn down several years ago
On Annuncia,ion square. at the corner
of Orange street. is a comfortable man.
sion which was once the home or Henry
NJ Stanley, cotton merchant OF wealth
and benevolent disposition. who adopted
a destitute waif named John Rowlan Is
and gave him his own name. That hoy
afterward became a newspaper reporter
and correspondent and an intrepid ex-
plorer. was made British SUBJECT
Westminster Abbey None OF the STAN
ley family remain here.
Home of a Bourbon King.
At the corner of Elysian Fields and the
levee is the site Of the mansion of
grand se:gneur.' Philippe Vaudeville de
Marigny. one of the greatest OF the old
time "grandessmees. who retained his
relations with France long after the
Louisiana purchase by the United States.
until his death, gave home to King
Louis Philippe and his Bourbon brother
when they were eXiles in New Orleans.
He entertained all the famous Frenchmen
who came TO this city, and was magniti-
cent in his hospitality.
knew every bird was born upon his
plantation in Vaudeville, not far from
the city.
On Chartres street. corner of St. Louis.
Is an old house with a cupola, which
was erected In 1920 by Nicholas Girod. a
millionaire. fer the use of Napoleon the
great Girod organized an expedition for
the purpose of rescuing him from ST.
Helena Dominick Hue and select crew
Of smuggers and oystermen were TO
sail for St Helena. effect a landing at
night kidnap The imperial prisoner and
bring him 10 New Orleans, but he died be-
fore the preparations We're completed. 1t
is evident from letters and memoirs writ
ten by Napoeon's confidants that the
scheme was known and approved by him
The French population of Louisiana We're
nearly all loyal to the emperor and Girod
spent more than half a million dollars in
the erection OF this house and other prep
arations for his rescue and enter ainment.
The Oldest Building.
The Oldest building i'll the Louisiana
purchase stands in the center of square
between Hospital and Ursuline streets,
and is entered through a quaint old door
defended by double gates a porter $
lodge II was erected about 1871 as a
nunnery. and occupied by the Ursuline
sisters for a hundred years until they
removed to their present convent in the
lower part of the city. 1t was then leas-
several years used capitol. When
the government returned to Baton Rouge
the nuns presented it TO the Roman
Catholic diocese Of Louisiana and it has
since been the chancelliere of the arch
i.i.shen tie resided here until 1891, when
new residence was erected for him on
E,spianade avenue. but the archives and
the offices of The diocese are still retain
ed in the old building.
Until q few years ago an ancient palm
tree grew III the woodward at the corner
of Bourbon and Orleans streets which
was the theme Of one Of the most roman
tic stories of the city. 1t has passed into
poetry as well as history, and has been
the theme Of many sentimental writers.
Pcre Antoine. a Spanish monk. who came
from Europe toward the close of the
eighteenth centuiy. was followed by a
compishments. re bought the house, and