The Baroness and Her Buildings
A spirited account of Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, who during the mid-1800s, weathers a bad marriage, an attempt on her life by her father-in-law, the wrath of the patriarchal Napoleonic legal codes, and the mildew and malaria of early New Orleans. Narrated in part by the late Senator Eugene McCarthy, this documentary also depicts the Baroness’ construction of the famous Pontalba row houses in Jackson Square, their subsequent decline by the turn of the century, and their preservation and restoration beginning in the 1920s. Copyright 1984. Director: Christina Vella
