Whether your interest is in interior design, history, architecture or an intersection of the three, historic properties have a way of commanding attention. The making of a home, after all, is not a task completed but a journey shaped by time, care and the many lives lived within its walls.

The cover of the February 1972 issue of The Register featured a sketch of Magnolia Mound by John Desmond, a fellow of the American Institute of Architecture. That year, the Foundation for Historical Louisiana launched a fundraising drive to restore the antebellum structure dating back to 1790. Known to most Baton Rougeans at the time as the Prince Murat, and only a few years prior purchased by the city of Baton Rouge from private owners, the fundraising efforts were set squarely on restoring the structure to its original beauty and function.

“Magnolia Mound is perhaps more unique than many of the local restorations in that it represents the earliest of the architectural styles found in this city and the immediate area,” the original article states. “This particular house is a rarity to find in such good state of repair, for so many have been lost to fire or to the encroachment of land speculators and the industrial sweep along the river.”

The fundraising efforts proved successful, and in the decades since, the Friends of Magnolia Mound Museum and BREC have continued to ensure the preservation of the property, support historical research and memorialize the enslaved community at what is known today as Magnolia Mound Museum and Historical Site.

Whether lovingly preserved or thoroughly transformed, homes with history stand as living archives of craftsmanship and culture that invite us to slow down, take a closer look and consider what it means to build something that will last.