Louisiana Houses of A. Hays Town

Town established a successful commercial practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1939, but in the 1960's, at an age when many people are considering retirement, he turned to his abiding passion - residential architecture. Throughout this chapter of his career, he perfected and expanded his inimitable style and emerged as one of the most prominent architects in the South.

Town's residential designs are perceptibly influenced by the diverse culture of south Louisiana. His synthesis of the classic Acadian cottage (with its raised front porch and exterior stairs), Spanish courtyards, and exterior French doors with Creole-influenced full-length shutters achieves an original confluence of seemingly disparate yet elegantly balanced themes and forms. Other Town trademarks include pigeonniers or dovecotes, sugar kettles, tree alleys, thirteen-foot ceilings, heavy use of such woods as cypress and heart of pine, plantation-style separate structures, and brick floors with a special beeswax finish. Twenty-five original Town homes documented. Color photography throughout. 162 pages.