In a city with no shortage of wonderfully different architecture, the Steamboat Houses of the Lower Ninth Ward truly stand out. Built in the early 20th century by the Doullut family, a clan tied to working steamboats, these houses are wedding cake fantasies. They combine 19th century Victorian grandeur with actual boat-inspired 'decks' as balconies and – why not – a roof arch that emulates the top of a Japanese pagoda. These are private buildings, but they're lovely to look at.
The two steamboat houses are located in the Lower Ninth Ward, at the point where Egania St meets Douglas St. The houses look to the levee and the river beyond.