Victoria Mansion is an outstanding example of nineteenth-century American architecture and design. With remarkably intact original interiors and decorations, it survives as a unique example of the princely palaces created for America’s wealthiest citizens in the pre-Civil War era.
Also known as the Morse-Libby House, the Mansion was built between 1858 and 1860 for Ruggles Sylvester Morse and his wife, Olive Ring Merrill Morse. A native of Maine, Morse made his fortune as the proprietor of luxury hotels in New Orleans during the 1850s. His experience as a hotelier shaped his taste in design, and when the time came to build a summer home, he sought out some of the nation’s leading designers.
