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New Orleans

Whit Hotel Opens in Lower Garden District

The 15-room hotel opened November 4, 2026, in a restored Greek Revival mansion at Prytania Street and Jackson Avenue.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Hotels

Screen-print poster illustration of a Greek Revival townhouse portico with tall columns and a fanlight doorway beneath a warm ochre sky, framed by a live oak branch.
The 15-room Whit hotel opened November 4, 2026, inside the restored 1858 Harris-Maginnis House on Prytania Street in New Orleans' Lower Garden District. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Whit, a 15-room hotel, opened November 4, 2026, in a historic Greek Revival mansion in New Orleans' Lower Garden District. The Salon at the Whit, a tea-and-cocktail venue with small plates, opened alongside it.

Why it matters

The project converts a landmark 1858 mansion into a boutique lodging and dining destination in New Orleans' Lower Garden District. It reflects continued investment in restoring historic properties for hospitality use in the city.

The hotel has 15 rooms and the renovation cost $12 million, with ERG Enterprises acquiring and redeveloping the property. The hotel bar seats eight, and the Salon's steak sandwich is priced at $48.

The players

ERG Enterprises

ERG Enterprises acquired the property and oversaw its renovation into the hotel.

Amy Mehrtens

Amy Mehrtens is the chef overseeing the menu at the Salon at the Whit.

Brechtel Hospitality

Brechtel Hospitality collaborated on the drinks program at The Whit.

The details

The Whit occupies the Harris-Maginnis House, finished in 1858 and renovated down to the studs. The Salon serves a menu of small plates overseen by chef Amy Mehrtens, with dishes arriving as tiered towers, and the drinks program was developed with Neal Bodenheimer and Brechtel Hospitality.

Timeline

  1. 1858: Mansion is finished and formally known as the Harris-Maginnis House.

  2. November 4, 2026: The Whit officially opens as a 15-room hotel.

  3. Fall 2027: The Pavilion event space is slated to debut on the grounds.

Historic Context

The Whit follows a long pattern in New Orleans of converting antebellum mansions in the Garden District into hospitality and institutional uses. The property has previously served as a newspaper-era setting tied to Walt Whitman's 1848 work in the city and as a World War II American Red Cross site.

Visitors booking a stay can now choose a 15-room boutique option in the Lower Garden District, with the bar seating eight guests. Travelers interested in the Salon's tea-and-cocktail service should expect small-plate pricing, with the steak sandwich at $48.

The takeaway

Historic mansions in New Orleans can support boutique hotels when restored with significant investment. Visitors seeking a smaller, historic-property stay now have another option in the Lower Garden District.

What happens next

The Pavilion event space is slated to debut in fall 2027, and expanded morning hours are coming soon for the Salon at the Whit.

Further reading

For more on lodging options across the city, see Hotels in New Orleans travel coverage.

Source note: This article includes information reported by NOLA.

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