1883 Italianate mansion designed by architect Thomas Sully for tobacco merchant Simon Hernsheim, now a boutique hotel on the St. Charles streetcar line where guests report a Woman in White, a Gentleman host, and a child near Room 21.
3811 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Boutique hotel with on-site bar/restaurant; check booking for current rates.
Access
Limited Access
Historic 1883 mansion with multiple stair-only floors; limited accessibility.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1883 · Only surviving Italianate work by architect Thomas Sully · Built for tobacco magnate Simon Hernsheim · Filming location for Louis Malle's 'Pretty Baby' (1978) · On the St. Charles streetcar line
The Columns was constructed in 1883-1884 as a private residence for Simon Hernsheim, a wealthy tobacco merchant whose Hernsheim & Brothers cigar company was one of the largest in the post-Reconstruction South. Hernsheim commissioned architect Thomas Sully—one of New Orleans' most prolific late-19th-century architects, responsible for many of the grand homes along St. Charles Avenue—to design the three-story Italianate mansion. It is now the only surviving example of Sully's Italianate work, the others having been lost over the 20th century.
Two of the home's most striking surviving interior features are the mahogany stairwell, which rises three stories to a square-domed stained-glass skylight, and the dramatic porch overlooking St. Charles Avenue.
Following Simon Hernsheim's tenure, the building changed hands several times during the early 20th century, transitioning into an upscale boarding house during World War I. In 1953, a local family converted the building into a hotel. The porch became a popular gathering place; the building's exterior was used as a key setting in Louis Malle's 1978 film 'Pretty Baby.'
Long-time owners sold the hotel in 2020 to a developer associated with the Drifter Hotel, and the property underwent a comprehensive restoration before reopening. As of 2026, it remains an operating boutique hotel and bar/restaurant.
Sources
According to Ghost City Tours and Haunted Nation, the most consistently reported entity at the Columns is a benign Woman in White seen floating silently through the ballroom and main public spaces. Guests describe her as serene and unthreatening.
A second figure, often described as a Gentleman in a dark suit and hat, has been reported walking the upper halls at night. Multiple guest accounts describe him asking after guests' comfort or appearing at room doors as if to play host—a behavior tour operators connect to the building's transition from private home through boarding-house and hospitality eras. The historical identity of this figure is not established; Simon Hernsheim is sometimes named, but no documented connection exists.
A third report centers on a young girl seen on the third-floor balcony and in the corridor around Room 21. Common environmental reports across all three sources include cold drafts in stair landings, flickering lights, and disembodied footsteps in upstairs corridors.
These stories have been consistent in regional ghost-tour literature for at least two decades. The current ownership does not officially promote the paranormal reputation but does not deny it.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stay in the only surviving Italianate mansion by architect Thomas Sully along St. Charles Avenue, with porch dining, restored interiors, and reported encounters across multiple floors.
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