Administration Building, U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, Carville
Indian Camp Plantation, Henry Howard, Architect, Built 1859, Wood, Masonry & Steel, Sq.Ft. 17,042
Facing River Road in a prominent position at the entrance to the grounds is Indian Camp Plantation, the most important single architectural feature of the hospital complex. Constructed in 1859, for sugar planter Robert C. Camp (1805-c. 1875) the house was designed and built by the well-known New Orleans architect Henry Howard (1818-1884). Indian Camp was designed for ease of living and frequent entertaining. Howard also built Nottoway Plantation directly across the Mississippi River. Indian Camp is a "raised cottage" style mansion featuring a central mass with a double gallery and flanking 2-story wings. The 1st, or bottom floor, was used for plantation offices and storage. The second floor was the principal living area. At the time of the house's construction, there was most certainly a staircase in front, leading from the 2nd floor gallery to the ground. The facade is well detailed and features Corinthian column capitals fashioned from leaf and scroll motif.
When the Daughter of Charity arrived to care for the leprosy patients in 1896, the structure was generally dilapidated, if not abandoned. The Sisters found only 2 rooms habitable. These were converted into a dormitory and community room. When the State of Louisiana purchased the site in 1905, they did substantial restoration to the plantation. It was repaired again after a major hurricane struck Carville in 1909. The property changed hands again in 1921 when the federal government purchased the hospital and it became the National Leprosarium. The plantation was renovated to function as the center of Administrative activities. It provided staff with their own medical, dining and recreation areas and continued to provide housing for the Daughters of Charity. In 1941, the Daughters of Charity moved into their new house, Building II, next door. Today, Indian Camp Plantation continues to be the administrative hub of the Carville Historic District.