The powerful Mississippi River, just beyond the back of Oak Alley Plantation in St. James Parish, Louisiana, is just one feature of the 25-acre antebellum property that distinguishes it as interlaced with nature. Most distinct is its long, canopied path, or alley, featuring two rows of immense southern live oak trees planted in the 1700s. And to the east and west of the house are expansive ornamental gardens.
Completed in 1839, Oak Alley Plantation is also a novel showplace because of its Greek Revival architecture, instead of the fashionable Creole-style architecture favored by 19th-century affluent planters. Greek Revival style is evident in Oak Alley’s two-story classical columns and grandiose porticos. In contrast, Creole style focuses on architectural design incorporating open, airy spaces and steeply pitched roofs because of the state’s hot, humid summer climate.
