A spacious, elegant bedroom with pale yellow walls features a classic fireplace, a large bed, a chaise lounge, and multiple windows draped with lace curtains, allowing soft light to illuminate the room. Vintage furniture and decor complete the setting.

Williams Residence

Currently closed for repairs, the historic townhouse offers a window into the day-to-day life of HNOC’s founders in midcentury New Orleans.

About Virtual Tour

The Home of Our Founders

An important part of the legacy of Kemper and Leila Williams is their meticulously preserved French Quarter residence. Built in 1889, the townhouse at 718 Toulouse Street was restored by the Williamses in the 1940s and served as their home from 1946 to 1964. Operated today as a house museum, the Williams Residence is filled with the couple’s furniture, artwork, and artifacts of daily life, reflecting their elegant mid-20th-century lifestyle.

An elderly man and woman sit side by side on wicker stools outdoors. The woman wears a long dress with a bow, and the man is in a suit. They are surrounded by plants and appear relaxed.

The Williams Residence offers a unique blend of midcentury elegance with Louisiana heritage in an intimate setting. It is the only French Quarter house open to the public with its original furnishings. The product of a close collaboration between Leila and her interior designer, Mark Antony, the residence combines styles of the 1940s and ’50s with antiques and art reflecting the Williamses’ Louisiana roots and worldwide travels. Window treatments, carpeting, and other fabrics hew to the pastels and florals made popular by society designers Syrie Maugham and Dorothy Draper. Complete with a formal dining room, two parlors, a study accented with Louisiana cypress, and two courtyards, the Williams Residence gives visitors an unparalleled glimpse into the elegance and personal charm of midcentury New Orleans living.

Dining room

Kemper’s study

Living room

Powder room

Kitchen

Williams Residence courtyard

Dining room

Kemper’s study

Living room

Powder room

Kitchen

Williams Residence courtyard

Williams Residence Architectural History

Meet the Williamses

A black-and-white photo of a man in a tuxedo and a woman in a formal dress holding drinks. They are in front of a wall displaying a collection of decorative plates and teapots. The scene suggests a formal gathering or celebration.

Williams Residence Virtual Tour

While we are unable to host in-person tours due to HNOC’s ongoing 533 Royal Street renovation project, we are happy to present a series of short videos exploring some of our favorite highlights and curiosities from the Williams Residence. So, settle in, make yourself a drink, and enjoy these moments At Home in the French Quarter.

Watch this introduction to the Williams Residence featuring Kurt Owens, interpretation assistant.

Within the pickled-cypress walls of Kemper’s library you will find his prized possessions and evidence of his interests and accomplishments. In this video, Cecilia Hock, interpretation assistant, invites you into this room which served as both a workplace and a retreat for the general. She discusses some of the most intriguing objects in the library and delves into details of the his life.

Leila and Kemper Williams delighted in sharing holiday festivities with close friends and family. Their Toulouse Street home was gaily festooned with all manner of Christmas greenery, their dinner table was the epitome of elegance, and their guests were all treated in a royal manner. In this video, Kurt Owens, interpretation assistant, discusses some of the Williamses’ holiday traditions as well as their joy in the season.

From dinner-party prep to cross-country drives, the labor of the staff who maintained the Williamses’ home is an integral part of the Williams Residence story. Although the information we have about these individuals is limited, we are actively seeking to learn more. This video marks the beginning of this effort. If you know about any of the people mentioned in this film, we'd like to hear from you. Please email residencestaff@hnoc.org.

Related Collection Highlights

An antique wooden box with hinged doors, displaying intricate scenes of grand architecture. The box is open, revealing a light green interior. The exterior paintings feature detailed buildings and trees, with a vintage, ornate style.

Leila’s Collectible Boxes

A look inside the Williams Residence offers insight into some of the interior decorating styles of the late 1940s and early ’50s, as well as Leila Williams’s personal collecting interests.

Learn More

A vintage map showing a section of a city divided by a river labeled SIPP. The streets are densely packed with grid-like patterns on either side of the river, and various plots are marked throughout the map.

Zimpel Map of New Orleans

One of the most accurate and meticulous maps of antebellum New Orleans is the work of an eccentric 19th-century cartographer.