439-441 Royal St.

704 St. Louis St.

Square: 63 Lot Number: 11276

Property Images

Street Images

Square Images

Vieux Carré Commission Evaluation:

Main building -- green; courtyard infill -- brown. The Tremoulet-Pavie House, an altered 2-story masonry building which, when it was designed and constructed in the late 1700s, possibly by Barthelemy Lafon, had an entresol, a wooden balcony at the second level, a flat terrace roof and ground floor arches. Original appearance of building has been obscurred by later modifications.

Green
Portion of Building Main
Material Masonry
Brown
Portion of Building Courtyard infill
Material Masonry

Dimensions

Frontage 32′ 0″ 0‴
2 85′ 0″ 0‴
3 32′ 6″ 0‴
4 20′ 5″ 0‴
5 0′ 6″ 0‴
6 59′ 7″ 0‴

Chain of Title

Last Updated: Tuesday, March 9th 1982
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Wednesday, July 2nd 1958

Record Source COB
Volume 623
Page 17
CDC# 348-364
Authority Civil District Court ( Court )
Record Type succession

To:

Mary M. Tortorich ,   Frances Tortorich ,   Anna Tortorich ,   Mary Tortorich ,   Marion Joseph Tortorich ,   Joseph August Tortorich

From:

Anthony M. Tortorich

An undivided 1/2 interest. Property valued at $42,500. Lot measures 32' front on Royal St., 80' 1" 6''' (actual) 85' (title), front on St. Louis St., 32' 6" width in rear by a 1st depth on side nearest Conti St. of 59' 7", thence on a line parallel to Royal St. and running toward Conti St. a distance of 6", thence a 2nd depth of 20' 6" 6'''. Survey by Gilbert and Kelly, Dec. 5, 1940.

Tuesday, December 10th 1940

Record Source COB
Volume 515
Page 268
Authority F. T. Doyle ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $14000.00

To:

Anthony M. Tortorich ,   Mary M. Tortorich

From:

Homeseekers Building and Loan Assocation

Sale for $14,000, terms.

Tuesday, December 10th 1940

Record Source COB
Volume 515
Page 268
Authority F. T. Doyle ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $14000.00

To:

Homeseekers Building and Loan Assocation

From:

Anthony M. Tortorich ,   Mary M. Tortorich

Sale for $14,000 cash.

Monday, May 26th 1930

Record Source COB
Volume 454
Page 380
Authority H. Racivitch ( Notary )
Record Type dation en paiement

To:

Mary M. Tortorich

From:

Anthony M. Tortorich

Consideration: Dation en Paiement in the full sum of $5100. His interest in 2 properties.

Wednesday, March 31st 1920

Record Source COB
Volume 322
Page 147
Authority F. J. Dreyfous ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $15000.00

To:

Anthony M. Tortorich

From:

Louis C. Tortorich

Monday, July 23rd 1906

Record Source COB
Volume 210
Page 58
Authority F. J. Dreyfous ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $15000.00

To:

Luigi C. Tortorich

From:

Josephine Judlin

Tuesday, January 22nd 1901

Record Source COB
Volume 183
Page 120
Authority M. C. Soniat ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $3500.00

To:

Josephine Judlin

From:

Emma Eliza Judlin ,   Peter Judlin

2/3 interest in 2 lots. Purchasing with her own separate funds.

Tuesday, January 1st 1901

Record Source COB
Volume 183
Page 427
Record Type mortgage

Monday, August 15th 1892

Record Source Court
CDC# 36473
Authority Civil District Court ( Court )
Record Type succession

To:

Josephine Judlin ,   Emma Eliza Judlin ,   Peter Judlin

From:

Elise Vatter

1/3 each of decedent's 1/2 interest in property.

Tuesday, January 6th 1891

Record Source Court
CDC# 31837
Authority Civil District Court ( Court )
Record Type succession

To:

Josephine Judlin ,   Emma Eliza Judlin ,   Peter Judlin ,   Elise Vatter

From:

John Baptist Judlin

Judgement Record Book 8, p. 337. 1/3 each of 1/2 interest.

Saturday, April 18th 1885

Record Source COB
Volume 123
Page 60
Authority Felix J. Dreyfous ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $9000.00

To:

John Baptist Judlin

From:

Henry Muzeau

Monday, December 22nd 1884

Record Source COB
Volume 119
Page 876
Authority Amedee Ducatel ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $7500.00

To:

Henry Muzeau

From:

Mary Baliman

Monday, May 23rd 1881

Record Source COB
Volume 115
Page 412
Authority A. Hero Jr. ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $7100.00

To:

Mary Baliman

From:

William S. Benedict

Wednesday, May 18th 1881

Record Source COB
Volume 115
Page 402
Record Type sheriff's sale

To:

William S. Benedict

From:

Josephine de Moisy

Agent / Single Party Act / Other:

Alfred Marchand

Alfred Marchand vs. Josephy de Moisy.

Monday, November 26th 1860

Record Source Court
Court# 17199
Authority 2nd District Court ( Court )
Record Type succession

To:

Therese Josephine Rivolet

From:

Etienne Rivolet

Property valued at $16,000.

Wednesday, February 16th 1842

Record Source COB
Volume 32
Page 128
Authority Felix Grima ( Notary )
Record Type sale
Price $16800.00
Currency Piastres

To:

Etienne Rivolet

From:

Nicholas Girod

Lot measures 32' front on Royal St. by 80' in depth and front on St. Louis St., A.M. " ...together with buildings and dependencies."

Monday, January 29th 1816

Record Source Original Act
Volume 8
Page 29
Authority Marc Lafitte ( Notary )
Authority Date Monday, January 29th 1816
Record Type sale
Price $32700.00
Currency Piastres

To:

Nicholas Girod

From:

Joseph Pavie

Lot measures 59' 2" front on Royal St. by 120' on St. Louis St., F.M., with several two story brick buildings.

Wednesday, January 11th 1797

Record Source Original Act
Volume 29
Page 6
Authority Pedro Pedesclaux ( Notary )
Authority Date Wednesday, January 11th 1797
Record Type sale
Price $6600.00
Currency Pesos

To:

Joseph Pavie

From:

Bernard Tremoulet

Corner property on Royal and St. Louis Sts., measures 59' front on Royal St. by 120' on St. Louis St.

Wednesday, October 17th 1792

Record Source Original Act
Volume 15
Page 307
Authority Francisco Broutin ( Notary )
Authority Date Wednesday, October 17th 1792
Record Type [sale?]

To:

Bernard Tremoulet

From:

Henrietta Reguier

Henrietta Reguier, widow of Juan Soubie, Last Will and Testament, to Bernard Tremoulet, her son-in-law. Lot measures 59' front on Royal St. by 120' on St. Louis St.

Thursday, January 1st 1728

Record Source Map
Authority Broutin Map ( Map )
Record Type land grant

Agent / Single Party Act / Other:

Fazende

Lot No. 132 granted to Sr. Fazende.

Citations

439-411 Royal Street
Pavie House (Tortorich's Restaurant)
Erected 1795
Architect, possibly Barthelemy Lafon
Builder, possibly Barthelemy Lafon
Erected at the same time as the adjacent structure (437 Royal Street) its original appearance is also shown in the Buisson sketch of 1842. It was described in January 1816 as "belonging to the estate of the late Joseph Pavie --- a brick house on the corner of Royal and St. Louis Streets with a large two story brick store fronting on St. Louis Street and now occupied by Mr. Francois Seignouret." There was also a brick kitchen in the interior of the lot.
At the sale of the Pavie property in 1816 Nicholas Girod bought this as well as the adjacent house (437 Royal Street). His heirs sold it in 1842 to Etienne Rivolet. It has been owned by the Tortorich family since 1906. It is doubtful that Joseph Pavie ever lived in either of his adjacent houses, as in 1805 he lived on Orleans Street, and at the time of his death in 1814 he lived in a suburban house at Camp and Julia. Pavie was a native of La Rochelle in France.

— VCS Binder
Author: VCS staff

Mortgages [more recent than 1958, but no dates given]:
COB 664/433
COB 662/596
COB 660/317

— VCS Binder
Author: VCS staff

439-441 Royal Street
Pavie House (Tortorich's Restaurant)
Reference List (brief recapitulation of chain of title entries)

— VCS Binder
Author: VCS staff

"Tortorici's Restaurant"

— Newspaper article

Lease

Flavius Le Besque, agent of Widow J. de Moisy, leases for the term of one year from October 1, 1879 to 13 September 1879 [1880?] corner of St. Louis and Royal streets...known as the Stonewall Jackson Store...to A. A. Bechet...interior of store painted white and the walls of same calcimined and a new floor put in during the month of August, 1879.

[N.B. See also Conveyance Office Book, Vol. 110/788.]

— Notarial Act (New Orleans Notarial Archives)
Date: Friday, April 18th 1879

Quarter Site Work Okayed

[1964?]

— Times-Picayune
Date: Wednesday, July 22nd 1964

"Tourists in the French Quarter are now training their cameras on a new "sight" to bring back to show the folks at home: the two plaques adorning the outside walls of the renovated Tortorichi restaurant at Royal and St. Louis.

Seems grandfather Louis Tortorichi founded the Contessa Antonini Society of New Orleans - and decorator Charlie Gresham, who did the restaurant over, hit upon the idea of the colorful plaques, each bearing the head of a woman, as symbolic of the Contessa.

"They're not the Contessa, of course," he's quick to point out. "But they look as if they could be. Actually, the are headboards and footboards of 150-year-old twin beds from a castle in Angers, France, which I was lucky enough to obtain from Arnold Granet, the antique dealer."

Anyway, the plaques, as well as the tasteful New Orleans décor of the interior, were the topic of animated conversation at the preview cocktail party hosted by Anthony and Joseph Tortorichi and their wives, after Mayor Schiro cut the ribbon."

— States-Item
Date: Monday, February 22nd 1965

Ad for Tortorici's Restaurant

— Times-Picayune
Date: Monday, May 3rd 1965

Ad for Tortorici's Restaurant

— States-Item
Date: Wednesday, May 5th 1965

Dining: The Tortorici's of Royal Street

— New Orleans Magazine
Author: Eliot S. Levin Date: Saturday, March 1st 1969

[Advertisement]

Tortorici's Restaurant.

— Vieux Carre Courier
Date: Friday, May 16th 1969

Three generations of Tortorici's have owned the Nationally famous Tortorici Restaurant.

Louis Tortorici left his native Italy for New Orleans and founded the Contessa Entellini Society, and on September 8, 1886 he became its first president.

His son Anthony opened Tortorici's Restaurant in 1900 with his father. His sons Anthony and Joseph became the proprietors in 1946.

— Matchbook
Date: Thursday, January 1st 1970