By jdubble07
(2018-11-14)Hôtel de Pontalba was completed in 1855 and was the residence of New Orleans-born Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, a wealthy aristocrat and real estate developer. After her death, 19 years later, the property was sold to Baron Edmond James de Rothschild. During WWII, the property was requisitioned by Nazi Germany as an officers' club for the Luftwaffe. After the war, the property was acquired by the U.S. Government and underwent significant renovations, later becoming the official residence of the U.S. Ambassador to France in 1971.