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Children have romped at Danneel Place since 1906, when Rudolph Danneel bequeathed the Uptown property to the city to be used as a public park.

Photo by Gigi

Hey Blake,
The information in the March 19 Gambit is of great interest to me. As a child I spent many happy hours in Danneel Park, as did my children. I have often wondered when the house was demolished and if a photograph of the 5511 St. Charles Ave. home exists.

My grandfather mentions in his diaries attending "Progressive Euchre Parties," evening dances and "Streetcar Socials" at the Danneel residence. Apparently it was a beautiful place. I would like to know more about the home and the family.
Avery Bassich

Dear Avery,
Rudolph Theodore Paul Danneel, the kind and generous man who left money for schools and a park in memory of his parents, was born on Jan. 29, 1857. When he died on Feb. 4, 1906, he left an estate estimated at $135,000. He also left the city of New Orleans the property and the buildings on it, including his house. The land that included the lower half of the square bounded by St. Charles, Octavia, South Rampart and Joseph would become, according to his will, "Danneel Place." Rudolph and his brother Henry, who had died in 1905, had decided on the park in memory of their parents. Within a short time after his death, the city gratefully accepted the donation, and the house and other buildings were demolished to create the beautiful park that you and your children and hundreds of other New Orleans children have enjoyed for many years.

Rudolph's father, Hermann, a native of Mecklenburg, Germany, came to our city in 1850 and became a wealthy cotton merchant in the brokerage firm of Danneel and Francke. He acquired the property on St. Charles Avenue in 1861, and on it he built a home for his family. The three-story, L-shaped frame house was well furnished and contained many rooms and two stables behind it, but there do not appear to be any surviving photographs.

Hermann and Maria Louise Grace had four children -- Rudolph, Otto, Henry and Grace. The elder Danneel died in 1880 at age 60, his wife in 1883, and Otto in 1890.

Rudolph graduated from Boys' High School. He wanted to enroll in the United States Military Academy, but his parents sent him to school in Switzerland and Germany. Back in New Orleans, Rudolph joined his father's brokerage firm, and after his father's death, he and Henry did very well. They were so successful that by the time Rudolph was 30 he was able to retire and devote his life to his investments and artistic and intellectual pursuits. He was an avid reader, fluent in French and German, and admired for his musical talent, playing the piano, violin, cello, and several brass instruments.

Thirteen years older than Henry, Rudolph was devoted to his brother and practically raised him. When Henry died at age 36, Rudolph was devastated and his health began to decline. A bachelor, Rudolph lived alone in the house on St. Charles Avenue, so no one knew exactly the circumstances of his death. One of his servants found him, and the doctor stated that heart disease was the cause.

In his last will and testament, he also left generous gifts of money and property to friends and employees. It may be of interest to you that three men -- Cyril, Raymond and Joseph Bassich -- were given gifts of revolvers, target rifles and pistols, and a Gagliano violin and bow.

With Rudolph's death, the Danneel family came to an end.

Since you asked about the family, I would like to add an interesting note. I have said that Rudolph's father was a native of Mecklenburg, Germany. So was Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, incorporated in 1768, was named in her honor; and its county, Mecklenburg, was named for her homeland. Today, Charlotte is known as the "Queen City."

During the Revolutionary War, the British General Cornwallis called Charlotte a "hornet's nest of rebellion." So Charlotte gained the nickname "The Hornets' Nest" and named its NBA franchise in honor of its Revolutionary forbears. And, as you know, it is this basketball team that now calls New Orleans home.

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