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"Dear Louisianians & Visitors, Alice and
I would like to welcome you to the Louisiana Governor's Mansion." -- Governor's Mansion Tour Brochure Welcoming the People Published on August 17, 1997 By Cynthia V. Campbell
"I love the idea that the mansion is open for tours," said Alice Foster in a brief telephone interview. "I guess I'm used to it (people touring the house), because my home in Franklin, Oaklawn, is open for tours daily," she said. The Fosters have chosen to keep their historic antebellum home -- a landmark property in St. Mary Parish -- open for tours. Sharing both their private home and the Governor's Mansion with others is now a matter of personal policy. "It's fun to fix it (the mansion) up and show it off to the people of Louisiana and to people from other states," said Mrs. Foster. "It's part of the great pleasure of living there and sharing it with others." Tours of the Governor's Mansion are conducted Monday through Friday, by appointment only. Mansion coordinator Susan Afeman said, "Mrs. Foster always wanted to do this. We started immediately after the recent painting was finished." Afeman and Mrs. Foster researched tours given in governors' mansions in other states. "In Oklahoma, the governor opens the entire mansion -- bedrooms and all -- on Wednesdays. Anybody can come for a visit," said Afeman. "We even went to Jackson, Miss., to see how they conduct their tours. Mississippi has a very established program. The mansion is more controlled by a board, and the docent program continues from administration to administration." In Louisiana, the policy on mansion tours and functions is determined by the governor and his spouse. Afeman said people have to realize that the mansion is the residence of Gov. Foster and his wife. "They do live here during the week. We try to accommodate everyone who wants to see the building, but we do have to meet the governor's needs." Tours are scheduled and presented by assistant mansion coordinator Melissa Riser. At times they are also given by Afeman and Jane Ross, coordinator of research and development. The mansion is not an antebellum home although it looks like one. It was completed in 1963, and is patterned after Oak Alley Plantation in St. James Parish. The Greek Revival style was popular in the state after the 1830s. The structure is designed with white Doric columns on three and a half sides. Just inside the front entrance of the mansion, the State Police maintain a 24-hour security office. Here, Riser greets people and welcomes them into the entrance hall. Riser tailors tours to meet people's specific interests. Some want to know more about furnishings or paintings; others are more interested in the governors who have lived in the mansion. "Each group is different," said Riser. "When people come in, you begin to get a feel for what they really want to know about the building."
Mrs. Foster is responsible for the mansion's recent refurbishment. Shortly after her husband's inauguration, she established the Louisiana Governor's Mansion Foundation. The nonprofit group conducts fundraisers, and purchases items, such as rugs and furniture. The items actually belong to the foundation, and are on loan to the mansion. Also, the foundation's design committee makes interior decorating recommendations. Furnishings don't reflect any one historical period or one administration. Instead, they speak of Louisiana. Nel Fetzer, the Baton Rouge interior designer who assisted Mrs. Foster with initial design plans, said, "The mansion is very traditional. You just have to go with materials that were used in the those days (the 1800s). A judicial use of color pulls together the mansion's many elements, creating an elegant eclectic mood. Walls are now painted Georgian cream. Entrance hall columns, along with crown and floor mouldings, are a high-gloss white. Floors have been stripped and rewaxed. Windows are treated with tone-on-tone ivory and gold silk damask swags and jabots, detailed with tassles and fringe. They hang from wooden rods that have been antiqued gold. The impressive 25 by 45-foot drawing room is a massive space. To solve the problem, three seating areas have been created each with a Persian rug in shades of deep blue and red. Focal points of each area are Louisiana paintings from the Ogden Collection. The paintings are a gift by Roger H. Ogden to the University of New Orleans' Ogden Museum of Southern Art, which is scheduled to open in New Orleans Lee Circle in 1998. "We have been assured that the paintings will be on loan to the mansion as long as Mike Foster is in office," said Afeman. The south end of the drawing room is dominated by a large painting titled "Degas No. IV" by George Schmidt. In the Victorian drawing room scene, a woman arranges a vase of red gladiolas. Visitors will find this scene repeated a little later on in the tour. Nearby is a massive mahogany George III secretary, ca. 1780. It contains the first lady's newly acquired set of hand-painted Herend china in a flower and butterfly pattern. The Sheraton-styled sofa in the central portion of the room is upholstered in a ScalamandrŽ gold-and-red stripe silk damask. It is grouped with occasional chairs in red with a laurel-leaf pattern. Additional Louisiana paintings are grouped above a sitting area at the rear of the room. The sofa here is covered in a French tapestry that repeats shades of blue, gray and green found in the paintings. Nearby, a Steinway grand piano holds an informal grouping of Foster family pictures, all framed in silver. In the mansion's formal dining room, visitors see the recently refinished 21-foot, six-pedestal 18th-century mahogany table. The table can be broken down into six small individual tables for less formal dinners or lunches. One of the most prized items in the room is Gov. Foster's personal silver service. The service once belonged to the governor's grandfather Murphy J. Foster when he served as governor of Louisiana. The engraved inscription on the silver reads: To "Murphy J. Foster, Governor of Louisiana, from his General and Personal Staff, January 1, 1893." Among the foundation's new acquisitions in the dining room are a pair of Baccarat crystal candelabra and a massive secretary that will contain a new set of fine bone china to be used for state dinners. Altogether three new sets of china are being acquired for the mansion. The first lady's china will be used for special luncheons. An everyday china, decorated with scenes representing Louisiana agriculture, industry and tourism, will be presented to the mansion by Chef John Folse. In keeping with Mrs. Foster's policy of maintaining a Louisiana theme in the mansion, the entrance hall now boasts two handsome game tables designed and made by Rupert Kohlmaier of New Orleans. Made of cypress and macacauva wood, the tables feature intricate inlay and marquetry and easily compare with Old World museum pieces. Just steps away in the rotunda, at the rear of the entrance hall, visitors see the Louisiana State Seal centering the Italian marble floor. Above, placed along the curving stairwell, are portraits of governors who have lived in the mansion. The windows here will soon be decorated with pale celadon silk drapery, selected to blend with a matching cream and celadon striped wallcovering. Turning back toward the entrance, visitors then see a new portrait of Mrs. Foster painted by G.R. Nordyke. In the painting, the first lady is wearing a deep garnet evening gown. She's standing in front of the Schmidt painting in the formal drawing room. While talking with the mansion staff, the front doors opened and 45 youngsters from BREC's Parklawn Day Camp walked in with their counselors. Wearing casual summer outfits and putting on their best "indoor manners," the campers followed Riser's directions to sit comfortably on the Persian rug in the Drawing Room. Here, she gave them a brief talk about the design of the mansion and how the new refurbishment came about. "You know how sometimes you sell candy bars to raise money for your school?, she asked. "Well, Mrs. Foster isn't selling candy," said Riser. "Instead, the foundation does that sort of thing by having special events to raise money for the mansion." Riser asked the day campers if they had any questions. Certainly. Can you fish in the lake? Are we going to be able to see Mike Foster? Is he (the governor) nice? Does he sit in these chairs? Riser answered every question. You can't fish in the lake. The governor's busy, but you never know when he might walk by. Yes, he's nice. Yes, he sits in those very chairs. The group followed Riser to the rotunda and listened to her explain about the symbolism of the state seal. Then, after viewing the dining room, they were given a peek at the mansion's kitchen and butler's pantry. Timothy Foshee, 10, said, "I think it's great. Yes, I would like to live here." Nicholas Chauvin, 10, said, "It wouldn't look like this if I lived here. I wouldn't have all these old-timey paintings." His sister, Lacy Chauvin, 8, joined in. "I'd put up paintings of my life," she said. "This is my first time here, and I'd like to come back." That is the entire purpose of having the mansion open for tours. The doors open, and people are always welcomed to come back. |
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