The House
The Architecture
The Longue Vue house you see today was the second home built for the Stern family on this site. The first house was moved (it still stands at the intersection of Garden Lane and Metairie Road, about 100 yards away) to make room for the current, starkly different home. A crew of donkeys spent several weeks pulling the house on logs, just a short way each day.
How this odd scene came about is as surprising as the move itself: Having built what they thought was their dream home in 1921, Edith and Edgar Stern later became convinced that this first house did not live up to the splendid gardens emerging around it through the talents of landscape architecture visionary Ellen Shipman. While traveling through Europe and Africa in 1936 and 1937, the Sterns were struck by many house-and-garden sites they visited and came home eager to create their own, more integrated indoor-outdoor design.
Edith and Edgar first approached Shipman, at the time serving exclusively as their landscape architect, about designing the new house as well. Shipman had no experience in built architecture, however, and recommended architects William and Geoffrey Platt, the sons of her mentor. The Sterns agreed, especially once Shipman consented to do the interior design.
The Art
Edith began to collect modern art in the early 1960s, with her first acquisition being a Wassily Kandinsky painting she hung in the Blue Room. She soon sought the guidance of her friend, artist Lillian Florsheim, and son-in-law Thomas B. Hess, a respected art scholar, to help develop her collection.
On art excursions to Denise René’s Parisian gallery, Florsheim introduced Edith to artist Victor Vasarely. The Longue Vue collection contains many works by Vasarely, a testament to the friendship that he and Edith enjoyed and an indication of the personal nature of this collection. Edith’s love of art and this collection is also about the act of creating more than who created, as can be seen in the room where the work of her grandchildren hangs beside the work of more known individuals.
The Gardens
A world away, right in New Orleans
Longue Vue’s gardens are the mature masterpiece of 20th-century landscape architect Ellen Shipman: a visionary designer, intrepid female entrepreneur, and dear friend to Longue Vue founders Edith and Edgar Stern. In 1968, Edith opened the gardens of Longue Vue to the public, so the entire community could experience them. Our job today is simple: continue sharing Shipman’s design legacy with new audiences, from expert horticulturists to local families.
What’s in Bloom?
Bartlett Tree Mapping
At Longue Vue, we are stewards of an invaluable living plant collection. The Bartlett Tree Experts inventory system meets national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land development and maintenance laid out in the national Sustainable Sites Initiative. The creation of this site-wide tree inventory and management system positions Longue Vue as a local leader in the use of new technologies in tree conservation and maintenance.
The Inventory System:
- Increases staff efficiency in that tree care can be prioritized without leaving the office
- Streamlines contractors’ access to tree statistics, conservation histories, and site maps
- Creates a regularly updated maintenance history of all trees for use by the staff, garden committee, granting organizations, and donors
- Creates a digital archive of Longue Vue’s tree collection for use by researchers, horticulturalists, and the general public
- Deepens Longue Vue’s connection with its visitors and stakeholders by providing remote access to tree images and data
Volunteer in the Gardens!
Thursdays from 8:30 to 10:30AM and
Second Saturdays from 9:00 to 11:00AM
For decades, volunteers have worked alongside the gardens staff on projects vital to Longue Vue’s survival! Whether you’re in need of service hours or just searching for ways to give back to the community, volunteering at Longue Vue is a relaxing, impactful way to roll up your sleeves and make a difference.
Please register to volunteer by date using the link below. For general questions and information, including “no stooping” or low-impact volunteer opportunities like seed packet stuffing, please email info@longuevue.com or call our main line at (504) 488-5488.
