Hotel Saint Vincent: Culture Beyond the French Quarter

It all started in 1861…

When you think of New Orleans, perhaps you think of Mardi Gras, spring break, or beads. Maybe thoughts of this southern jewel bring to memory gumbo, shrimp, and booze on a hot, humid summer night.

Beyond the glimmering lights and busy, touristy foot traffic of the French Quarter, however, lives a more refined, relaxed, and captivating part of the city’s history. It is this lesser-known personality of New Orleans that Zach Kupperman and Jayson Seidman are bringing to the surface with the opening of Hotel St. Vincent—a luxury hotel with historic heritage.

St. Vincent’s has a history as rich and full of character as the city itself. It all started in 1861 with a story that rings with the truest of the American spirit. It begins not with a businessman, but a woman—an Irish immigrant woman…and an illiterate one at that. Orphaned at the age of five and widowed after losing her husband and daughter to malaria, Margaret Haughery started her American life with—almost—nothing. 

Widowed and penniless in New Orleans, she possessed exactly two things: a wild work ethic and passion for serving the needy. She labored in hotels for years, donating two-thirds of her earnings (and all her free time volunteering) to local orphanages. 

Eventually, she developed a mind for business and became a financial success by running a dairy company and bakery—all with a focus on helping orphans. From penniless to wealthy, she became one of America’s first philanthropists, helping to build St. Vincent’s as a home for orphans. 

Today, St. Vincent’s is in good hands. Zach Kupperman has been praised by the city as an energetic entrepreneur. Riding on the success of opening a previous hotel in the city, Kupperman has turned his eyes to restoring Margaret Haughery’s orphanage into something special again, in partnership with Jayson Seidman of Sandstone Development.

Hotel Saint Vincent, a luxury boutique hotel complete with 2 restaurants, 3 bars, a pool, several lushly landscaped outdoor areas, and a reception hall is set to open in late 2020.

St. Vincent’s location on Magazine Street is just as interesting as its history. Get away from the touristy French Quarter and walk through the hotel’s Magazine Street neighborhood. A gorgeous blend of shops, cafés, restaurants, and bookstores all beaming with antebellum charm; the area around St. Vincent’s is a refreshing break from the city’s overly trod party streets.

The next time New Orleans is calling, leave the Mardi Gras masks downtown and open your mind to a lesser-known part of the city’s heritage. Swing by St. Vincent’s and, while you’re there, check out the nearby statue in town dedicated to Margaret Haughery—the second woman in all of American history to have one made in her honor.

Wildcatters Network is a happy investor in Hotel St. Vincent!