John Erskin House

This home, built circa the 1880s by builder and first mayor Job Male for John Erskin, a New York City exporter, is designed in the Italianate style. The house exemplifies Male’s typical construction, featuring stucco over brick, and all of his homes were semi-custom. Originally, the house had a front porch, which was removed and repurposed to create a second-floor porch above the side porch. This design is quite common in New Orleans, where double porches are prevalent. The simplicity of the scalloped edging along the rooflines, without brackets, is unusual for his style of buildings. However, he does incorporate a more Eastlake-style bracket on the porch, along with a Gothic-style railing and the scalloped edge. Multiple similar houses can be found on Second Place and Watchung Avenue, each with slight exterior customizations.