Anne Rice opens up about her return to New Orleans, her supernatural writing roots

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• The “Schitt’s Creek” mansion in Toronto is for sale (again). But you’d need Rose family money to afford it
• Holt Cemetery
• New Orleans landmarks to see in 'Interview with the Vampire' series, starting Sunday
• See inside a $4.5M Victorian mansion once owned by Anne Rice
• Queen of contemporary Gothic literature might have appreciated Saturday's violet sky, mist, rain
• Anne Rice’s house served as inspiration for Mayfair Witches

Rice's alluring antihero, Lestat, is among New Orleans' favorite fictional archetypes, right up there with Stanley Kowalski and Ignatius J. Reilly. Her tomb, on Lake Lawn's oak-lined Avenue Bell, stands amid other ornate burial chambers bearing real-life Crescent City icons with names such as Fertel, Schwegmann and Besthoff. At the end of the block lies Al Copeland, founder of the Popeyes Fried Chicken chain, with whom she once famously feuded. The day before the funeral, three Rice fans arrived at the 150-year-old cemetery to behold her crypt.

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But at one point, she herself gave up vampires, saying she wanted to focus on religion. Rice said on CBS in 2006, "I went back to the Catholic Church after 30 years of being an atheist. And I realized that I wanted to write just about Jesus Christ." That home is located at 3711 St Charles Avenue and Anne lived at the property for 15 years. Moving in in 1989 and only leaving in 2004 when, according to velvetropes.com, she relocated to California to be closer to her son. Anne’s previously mentioned New Orleans home, Rosegate Mansion sits at 1239 First Street in New Orleans and, as we know, features heavily in the Mayfair Witches book series with much of the action taking place there. Thanks once again to the production crew, we know that the exterior shots of the mansion were indeed filmed at the house.

The “Schitt’s Creek” mansion in Toronto is for sale (again). But you’d need Rose family money to afford it

The home at 3711 St. Charles Avenue features several restored stained glass windows, including this one in a wide stairwell. But that’s not all – the tour also includes a stop at the Mayfair set house used in the TV adaptation of Anne Rice’s books. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the locations that brought her stories to life.

Holt Cemetery

Four first-floor columns frame out the front porch, supporting a second-floor gallery that boasts its own quartet of columns. She credits the haunted history of New Orleans for her fascination with all things supernatural, but it's about more than just ghost stories. "To me, vampires ... witches ... werewolves are great metaphors for us -- for the outcast in each of us," she said.

Peek Inside Anne Rice's Former New Orleans Mansion

As a sort of pop culture exorcism, the novelist resided in the old mansion for years and never claimed to see Pamela’s ghost during the 15 years she spent in Rosegate House. Built in 1857 for a “nouveau riche” family by architects, the imposing mansion is one of those neoclassical hodgepodges that borrow a bit from every architectural style. Its Greek revival colonnades, Italianate flourishes, and a hexagonal window all mix with surprising elegance that matches the other luxury estates of the Gardens District.

That included a unique concave mansard roof, as well as a mass of arched windows, copper gutters and a two-story, plantation-style front porch. The prolific “Vampire Chronicles” author lives on as one of the great writers in a city filled with them, her legacy every bit as immortal as the vampire Lestat. The home at 3711 St. Charles Avenue offers five bedrooms, but it's the master bedroom that features this expansive, well-lit closet. The home at 3711 St. Charles Avenue features a study on the first floor, the entirety of which benefits from 14-foot-tall ceilings. The master bedroom of the home at 3711 St. Charles Avenue features an expansive bathroom and closet.

See inside a $4.5M Victorian mansion once owned by Anne Rice

Upstairs, you’ll find the massive master suite and en-suite, which features a gorgeous mashup of marble, crown molding, and a cozy fireplace to stay warm when you’re soaking in the bath or enjoying a shower. Elsewhere in the sizable home is the bonus room that comes with its own kitchenette, home theater, and bathroom.

Queen of contemporary Gothic literature might have appreciated Saturday's violet sky, mist, rain

But if there’s one building that embodies Rice and her work, it’s the old St. Elizabeth’s Orphanage building at 1314 Napoleon Ave., where she lived, worked and threw lavish parties while at the peak of her storytelling powers in the 1990s and early 2000s. The mansion is one of Rice's "earlier homes," of which she bought several in New Orleans, according to listing agent Eleanor Farnsworth, who noted Rice did pen some of her novels while living there. The home at 3711 St. Charles Avenue features several restored stained glass windows and doors. The master bathroom of the home at 3711 St. Charles Avenue features stained glass inside the marble shower.

‘Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches’ has that New Orleans magic — or just enough of it - NOLA.com

‘Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches’ has that New Orleans magic — or just enough of it.

Posted: Sun, 08 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Among other things, the author used the neo-classical structure to house her expansive, melancholic collection of handmade dolls. Join us on this unique and exclusive tour as we delve into the life and works of one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century. You’ll explore the charming streets and grand houses of the Garden District, where Anne Rice grew up and found inspiration for her iconic characters. Those who tune into Mayfair Witches on AMC, an adaptation of Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels, will be treated to views of a gorgeous historic home in New Orleans.

She fostered the dark imaginations of so many throughout the years and helped create the modern vampires in fiction that we see today. Despite being long dead, people still occasionally report sightings of the pair to this day. To add a touch of mystery to this legend, both bodies of the brothers mysteriously vanished from their family’s funeral vault long ago. The kitchen is slightly more contemporary than much of the first floor, featuring updated cabinetry, recessed lighting, and stainless-steel appliances. The wall of glass doorways and windows that overlook the backyard provides plenty of natural lighting and creates a warm, inviting space overall. While most of the home has been kept the same, there have been a few pretty nice upgrades to the residence that help it stay functional in the present day.

In one of her novels, Lestat had famously gazed at his image in a window at that address, and Rice felt the glitzy décor of the restaurant was therefore inappropriate for the locale. Through the 1980s, Rice became the world's queen of Goth literature, earning an army of devoted followers. “Interview with the Vampire” and the subsequent film adaptation starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise forever changed the popular image of vampires from unknowable monsters to self-aware, psychologically complex characters.

There is a wealth of local real-life New Orleans buildings visited by the characters of her dozens of novels. The home, built in the 1880s and designed by William Fitzner, still features its original millwork, which makes for ornate detailing throughout. Some of its stained glass has been restored, while other pieces contemporary have been installed in its latest renovation. Fourteen-foot ceilings are throughout on the first floor, and 12-foot ceilings are found upstairs.

According to property records, Anne Rice lived in a 3,400 square foot home in La Quinta, California! The author relocated to CA a few years after her husband’s passing in 2002 in order to be closer to her son, Christopher. Below are her five homes – you can scroll or click the link below to scroll to each home. She said she makes pilgrimages to Rice sites every time she visits New Orleans. In the hours before the funeral, other Rice fans left small tributes at the entrance to the tomb, including a palmfull of pebbles, a ring, a photograph and a Carnival mask. An image from the AMC series ‘Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches’ shows the two-story house at 3102 Prytania St. where it was filmed - not far from another of the late author's former homes, on First Street.