“It was built by the Cotton King of New Orleans,” said its new owner, John Houghtaling. In the early 1900s, businessman W.P. Brown and his partners dominated the global cotton market, a bold move that made Brown one of the wealthiest men in the South. He went on to establish what would become Hibernia Bank—perhaps explaining the unusual presence of a walk-in bank vault in the home’s dining room. When Brown married, he vowed to give his bride the most palatial residence New Orleans had ever seen. Master craftsmen were brought in from around the world, and construction began in 1901. Three years later, in 1904, the opulent masterpiece was complete.