Explore this home and two other outstanding examples of New Orleans’ Mid-Century Modern design at the 2026 MidMod Home Tour & Happy Hour on June 17 from 5-8 p.m.
For Drayton and Leslie Holley, the move back to New Orleans began with a practical purpose. After living on the Northshore, they returned to the city so their son could attend High School in Orleans Parish.
Then they found the house at 5801 Bellaire Drive.
Built in 1964, the custom contemporary home offered the sort of checklist that makes a Mid Mod enthusiast’s pulse quicken: a corner lot, one-story living, oak-lined streets, 24-hour security and skylights — glorious skylights — bringing the outside in without asking anyone to leave the air-conditioning.
The Holleys were drawn to the home’s contemporary design and to the neighborhood’s quiet, tucked-away feel. But what made the house feel right was its livability. The couple especially loves its corner location, its single-story layout and the way natural light moves through the interior.
As they put it, the house now works beautifully for their lives. “As we age,” they said, “the house is more like a resort.”
That resort feeling has only increased since the Holleys moved in. Much of the renovation work had already been completed by Brook Andry, whom the homeowners credit with renovating the house. The Holleys’ own additions have been intentional: they added a pool and a vanity, letting the home’s architecture remain the star while making the property more comfortable for the way they live now.
The pool, in particular, gives the home a new sense of leisure. Behind it is what the Holleys describe as a fire wall, adding a bit of drama to the outdoor space. In true Mid Mod fashion, the line between house and getaway begins to blur. It is not hard to imagine the home in party mode: lights glowing, water shimmering, the skylights doing their quiet magic overhead.
Inside, Leslie Holley’s flair guides the decorating, though the house does not appear to need much coaxing. Its strongest design elements are built in: the skylights, the easy flow, the one-story plan and the relaxed confidence of a 1960s home that knows exactly what it is.
And, because every good house story deserves one odd little secret, this one discovery gave them a secret agent feature that would make James Bond and Q do a double take — a hidden safe tucked into an air-conditioning return. No ghosts were reported. No urban legends were offered. But a concealed safe in the A/C system? That will do nicely, Ms. Moneypenny.
The Holley home is a reminder that preservation is not only about grand old mansions, ornate plasterwork or century-old porches. Sometimes it is about a 1964 contemporary house with good bones, good light and just enough mystery to make you look twice.
For the Holleys, it is home. For one evening on the MidMod tour, it becomes something else, too: an invitation to see how modern design can age gracefully, live comfortably and still keep a secret or two.
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
Photo by Liz Jurey
