Designed by master architect, A. Hays Town, this house sits facing Bayou LaFourche in Golden Meadow, Louisiana. Behind the house is a bricked courtyard entered through an arched brick wall, one of the trademarks of Mr. Town. His use of heart of pine floors, old growth cypress, thirteen foot ceilings and brick interior walls are some of the things that make his work unique. Rather than fight nature and the lush greenery in southeast Louisiana, Mr. Town encouraged the growth of vegetation so his houses seem to rise out of the landscape. Slate courtyards, tree alleys, shuttered doors, pitched roofs, separate structures such as pigeonnaires are all hints of Mr. Town's work.
Mr. Town believed in recycling long before it became popular and most of his Louisiana houses contain reused cypress from New Orleans warehouses, recycled New Orleans brick and barge boards that came down the River as ballast. A client waited five to ten years for Mr. Town's expertise and most of his houses took two years to build.
He always matched the house to the environment, such as the Cheramie house being raised and set back from the bayou.
Born in Crowley, Louisiana, in 1903, Mr. Hays contributed greatly to southeastern Louisiana with his adage of "new is not always better". When he died only a few years ago he was hailed as one of Louisiana's finest sons. His houses were built to last and his work will live on for generations.