Historical records for this stately raised center hall cottage date back to at least the 1890s. Residents around the turn of the century included a bookkeeper for a New Orleans-based poultry dealer and, several years later, a local physician. In the early 1920s, the property was managed by real estate brokerage firm Ernest A. Carrere’s Sons. On the upper level, a five-room furnished apartment rented for $75, including hot water and electricity. The residence was later home to a senior naval architect for the U.S. Maritime Commission and his wife, both originally from Virginia, along with their children.
Prior to purchasing the Toledano Street home in the summer of 2009, current owner Dr. Troy G. Scroggins, Jr. spent weekends at his Lower Garden District pied-à-terre, while maintaining his primary residence on Trianon Plaza. After enjoying more time in the neighborhood while repairing his Katrina-damaged Fontainebleau-neighborhood home, Dr. Scroggins decided to look for a larger residence in the Uptown/Garden District area. After a six-month search, he found the ideal house for his personal style of comfortable entertaining. Dr. Scroggins always admired raised center hall cottages that allow for an open flow throughout while maintaining the home’s historic architectural integrity. He loved the house after first seeing it at a Realtor’s open house, but requested the floor plan and designed layout changes for weeks before making an offer. Angelo LaMartina served as the general contractor, while Dr. Scroggins assumed the roles of designer and interior decorator, sourcing furnishings, wall coverings and artwork from Eclectic Home, Source, Julie Neill Lighting, Katie Koch Home and his friend Cole Pratt’s gallery.
Dr. Scroggins has many personal connections to the impressive art collection that hangs on the sandy-hued walls of his beautiful home. He was first drawn to a photograph of Bill T. Jones taken by American fashion photographer Herb Ritts after seeing the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company perform in New Orleans. “The performance featured dancers with nontraditional body styles and dealt with issues such as cancer,” said Dr. Scroggins, who is chairman of Ochsner’s Radiation Oncology Department. His collection also includes works by Southern landscape painter John Stanford, artist David Harouni, glass sculptor Carlos Zervigon, and New Orleans natives Carolyn Evans, George Dureau, Gustave Blache III (whose painting of Chef Leah Chase was acquired by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery). The collection also includes a William Hemmerling painting inspired by nurses who cared for the artist after he was diagnosed with cancer. A John T. Scott and Martin Payton monoprint of a panel of their Spirit House sculpture, part of the DeSaix Circle Project that celebrates the many contributions of unnamed African-Americans to the building and culture of New Orleans, hangs in the dining room.
Expanded parlor casements and spacious front and back porches allow for seamless transitions between comfortable indoor and outdoor living spaces. Dr. Scroggins considered moving the staircase in the center hall, but ended up simply removing a small closet underneath it to accentuate its beautiful lines. Exquisite tile in the home was chosen with the help of Peggy Stafford of Stafford Tile & Stone. The kitchen features Calacatta Gold marble countertops offset by a rustic farmhouse table which seats six for intimate entertaining. Building a double oven into a chimney and installing Brookhaven cabinets by Wood-Mode from Cabinets by Design smartly maximize space. The light-filled center hall opens onto a shady back porch overlooking a gorgeous pool and lush garden landscaped with the help of Luis Guevara Landscapes. Amid the greenery, Dr. Scroggins uncovered a stone fountain that had lay hidden beneath vines and gone unnoticed when he purchased the home. In 2013, Dr. Scroggins renovated a structure previously used for storage into a swanky pool house, complete with a kitchenette and sleeping loft for extra guests.
Photos by Sara Essex Bradley