Henri Picard, a grocer from France, built his family home at 4125 St. Charles Avenue in 1891, and The Chloe now runs it as a 14-room hotel meant to feel like the family never left.
Picard made his mark on the avenue beyond his own house. He was a major benefactor of Touro Synagogue and Touro Infirmary, two institutions that still stand along St. Charles. He hired Thomas Sully, one of the most sought-after architects of the era, to design the home, and Sully gave it the tall ceilings, plaster moldings, ornate tile work, and winding floor plan common to grand Queen Anne houses of the period. Some of that original millwork survives, along with a few pieces of original furniture.
Restaurateur Robert LeBlanc bought the house as the first hotel for his group, LeBlanc + Smith, which also runs Sylvain, Barrel Proof, and Cavan. Restoration began in 2019, and the pandemic pushed the opening into the fall of 2020. LeBlanc has said the goal was to make the house look as though five generations of the same family had lived there, collecting furniture and art along the way.
New Orleans designer Sara Ruffin Costello carried out that idea. She built the design around the city as a port town, where every new arrival brings news and objects from somewhere else. The public rooms lean dark and moody, with Egyptian blue walls, coffered ceilings, original wainscoting, and a mahogany bar built by a local woodworker. A red carpet printed with an alligator runs up the main staircase. Portraits by photographer Richard Avedon hang among pieces chosen by a local art curator. The 14 guest rooms turn lighter, with clay pinks and earthy neutrals, four-poster beds, soaking tubs, printed robes, and record players. Costello also turned forgotten corners, like a hallway and a half bath, into small places to sit.
The house works as a neighborhood hangout as much as a hotel. A deep front porch lined with rocking chairs faces St. Charles, and a saltwater pool sits in the garden out back with its own bar serving frozen drinks and a list of mezcals. The restaurant serves modern Creole cooking from chef Ben Triola, with dishes like a smoked chicken and alligator sausage gumbo and a shrimp and grits the kitchen calls its signature. Resy named it one of the restaurants that defined New Orleans dining in 2024. Locals fill the bar and porch most evenings, so overnight guests end up sharing the house with the neighborhood.
That social energy comes with one caution. With only 14 rooms, a wedding or private event can book large parts of the property, including the pool, bar, and courtyard. Anyone planning a stay around the common spaces should ask about scheduled events when booking.
The location does a lot of the work. The St. Charles streetcar stops almost at the front gate, which makes downtown and the French Quarter an easy ride away. Magazine Street and its shops sit a few blocks toward the river, and the Garden District’s historic houses are within walking distance. The neighborhood stays quieter at night than anything near Bourbon Street.
Rooms, restaurant reservations, and questions all go through (504) 541-5500. The group also opened a sister Chloe in Nashville, but the St. Charles house remains the original. Book a room facing the avenue, take a drink out to the porch, and watch the streetcar roll past.
