BocageBringing Back

a restoration saves a national historic landmarkby Lisa LeBlanc-Berry : photography by Chad Chenier

When Dr. Marion Rundell, a well-respected Houston pathologist,

discovered that the hauntingly beautiful Bocage Plantation and its one

hundred acres of surrounding land were up for sale last year, he bought

it “on a lark,” he says. “I had never seen it. I grew up in Louisiana, I live in

Texas, and I had never restored a plantation before.”

Never before open to the public, Bocage is considered the most original interpretation of American Greek Revival in the nation and is now a bed and breakfast.

A plush causeuse, circa 1860, and 19th-century wicker furniture adorn the rear gallery on the second floor.

The second floor double parlors showcase a 12-piece set by J and J

Meeks, circa 1855, named Stanton Hall after the palatial antebellum

home in Natchez. The mantel is decorated with Old Paris porcelain vases and a Tiffany clock from M.S.

Rau. The turtle-top center table is by Prudent Mallard.

Bocage was once used as a

Hollywood movie set and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places.

A 1907 Steinway player piano graces the double parlor on the first floor, along with a nine-piece heavy carved Italianate Revival parlor set, circa 1880.

delphia artist Rembrandt Peale, circa 1812, over the mantel. An Austrian mirrored cabinet showcases cut crystal that complements the cut and frosted shade French chandelier, circa 1895, and the English walnut dining table. A multi-tiered étagé by J and J Meeks makes a stately presence in the room.

“It makes you feel like you’re in a castle,” says Dr. Rundell of the living room furniture he acquired in Massachusetts for the double parlor adorned with a nine-piece heavy carved Itali-anate Revival parlor set, circa 1880, and a round claw-foot table. A 1907 Steinway grand player piano invites guests to linger and visit in the opulent area. “It was in my house in Houston until three years ago,” Dr. Rundell points out. As I played the keys, the piano was perfectly in tune and a dream to perform on.

The dramatic bedroom just off the parlor (named the Italian Venetian bedroom) is fur-nished with an elaborately inlaid rosewood and ivory bed and armoire, circa 1880, a bronze doré mirror, and a provocative painting of a woman by Hungarian artist Paul Fried. All bedrooms have elegant private baths and all the modern amenities. “This home built in 1837 will have 2009 technology and beyond. The bedrooms will have LED TVs that will be framed to look like art,” says Dr. Rundell as he begins packing to leave for Houston to get back to his three-year-old son, Alexander.

This national historic landmark filled with treasures, now open to the public, is worth vis-iting for the collection of furnishings and accessories alone, but the mansion is also a marvel to behold. Bocage is located about an hour from New Orleans and 20 minutes from Baton Rouge, a short distance from I-10 (turn off I-10 at Highway 22; www.bocageplantation.com; 225-588-8000). F

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A collector of antiques and accessories for more than 20 years, Dr. Rundell resides in a four-story house in Houston, and keeps his treasures in a 14,000-square-foot air-conditioned warehouse. Since he is continually acquiring fine art and antiques, Bocage is a “work in progress” and is filled with important pieces from great furniture makers such as Mallard, Belter, Roux, C. Lee, and Meeks as well as grand Baccarat and Water-ford chandeliers. “We have paintings by famous artists such as Rembrandt Peale and Thomas Sully, and even a fine clock signed by Tiffany,” he says of the clock from M.S. Rau that adorns a mantel in the double parlors. “We are also proud of our fine collection of Old Paris porcelain vases.”

Considered the most original interpretation of American Greek Revival architecture in the nation, Bocage was once used as a Hollywood set and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between Houmas House and L’Hermitage plantations on scenic River Road in Darrow. As you turn the bend and encounter the beautiful mansion set far back from the road, it is easy to imagine the extravagant lives of the landowners who lived in the sprawling plantations along River Road (many were related, including the original owners of Bocage and nearby L’Hermitage). “The family was related to 40 plantation owners up and down River Road,” Dr. Rundell explains.

The Greek Revival structure was designed by famous architect James Dakin in 1837. Dakin also designed the Old State Capitol building, a Gothic masterpiece. He drew many of the architectural elements of Bocage that are found in the 1835 book Beauties of Modern Architecture by Minard Lafever, an influential American architect in the early 19th century.

Dr. Rundell’s restoration of the water damaged Bocage was painstakingly accom-plished to restore the structure as it was built 202 years ago. “Tommy Lachin did all the molding in the house,” Dr. Rundell says of the elaborate moldings found throughout the home with 16-foot ceilings. “He asked me, ‘What do you want me to do?’ and I told him that he could replicate any of Dakin’s drawings in the book, Beauties of Modern Architec-ture,” he remarks. “We brought back the original colors throughout the house,” he adds.

Never before open to the public, Dr. Rundell has just opened Bocage. The breathtak-ing plantation is now available as an elegant bed and breakfast, for tours, and also for private events including weddings. “I plan to have outdoor weddings here, and we will

have a circular driveway in front for horse-drawn carriages and limousines,” he says. Second-sto-ry grand bedrooms appointed with fine antiques overlook the levee that fronts the Mississippi River.

Stairs on the broad front gal-lery, torn out in 1930, were recon-structed by Texas builder Adrian Trevino to resemble the original stairs. A perfectionist, he worked alongside Dr. Rundell during the restoration. “He refused to paint them for six months because he told me, ‘You can’t paint treated lumber,’ when I kept asking him to finish the stairs,” exclaims Dr. Rundell. “Adrian is from Mexico, and he swam the Rio

Grande 30 years ago to get here. He is very determined. He has five children with college degrees. Adrian has been my contractor for 20 years.”

Dr. Rundell’s extensive restoration to the mansion included modern engineering prin-ciples that resolved many complicated issues that had wreaked havoc on Bocage until 2008, when he began reviving the storied plantation with Trevino. Formerly a chemical engineer, Dr. Rundell was instrumental in solving the issues that occurred secondary to water dam-age. “We started with the roof, which was saturated in water. Originally, they started putting on a metal roof,” he says. But many problems were discovered with the instal-lation, including the fact that the W-shaped roof could fly off during a hurricane, so a rub-ber roof was installed. “It is an impenetrable EPDM rubber roof with a 30-year guarantee made by the 2001 Company,” he notes. The harder the wind blows, the tighter the rubber roof holds down.

“Although I was told the problem was rising damp, Adrian said to me, ‘There is no rising damp in this house, it is falling damp,’ and he showed me how the water had pooled in the marble floorboards like an aquarium.” Dr. Rundell points out, “The people who restored the house in 1941 saved it from being destroyed but they did not use today’s engineering. The marble floors from the St. Charles hotel were stained badly and we could not get the water out at first. We tore out all the walls and termites were everywhere,” he says. “Every time you turned a light on, they flickered,” he says. “It was God’s will that I bought this house.”

A voice-activated system is being installed in the house, which has Cat 6 wiring. “I use a voice recognition program; it gets converted to radio frequency. I’m in the process of ap-plying for a patent for it,” says Dr. Rundell, who designs computer programs. “We also use it in our offices and as a result we use no transcriptionist,” he discloses.

The furnishings reflect Dr. Rundell’s passion for beauty and history. “I shop all over the world, and I like to collect interest-ing things,” he says while gingerly opening a drawer designed to accommodate wig para-phernalia in a cabinet with a crown of crotch mahogany in the center, circa 1840. The lav-ishly appointed upstairs bedroom has a pair of Italian chairs, circa 1870, and a three-quarter tester bed signed by C. Lee.

Waterford crystal chandeliers grace the bedrooms on the second floor. The bedroom across the hall is furnished with a three-quarter tester bed by Prudence Mallard, an

American Empire mahogany armoire, circa 1840, and a marble-top dresser signed by Alexandre Roux, circa 1850. In the master bedroom, perfect for couples and newlyweds, Dr. Rundell transformed a former closet into a wet bar with a mini-fridge. “It’s great for champagne,” he says.

In the large upstairs double parlor between the bedrooms is a pair of large, stun-ning 19th-century Baccarat chandeliers and a beautiful 12-piece set of furniture by John and Joseph Meeks, circa 1855 (named Stanton Hall). “I found that fabric for the set in Houston,” Dr. Rundell points out. Two turtle-top center tables are attributed to Prudent Mallard. Sconces with mermaids holding flames add a touch of whimsy to the space. A 19th-century game compendium on a marble-top table and a late 19th-century engineer’s kit with a compass and telescope invite conversation among guests. “I like science,” he rejoins. A meritienne window seat by famous New York furniture maker Henry Belter, circa 1850, adds to the inviting aura. A contemporary painting of a blue heron by Cami Thompson graces the room.

“It was Jimmy Blanchard’s idea to put tempered glass on the French doors so you can look straight through Bocage from the road,” says Dr. Rundell as we stroll on to the gallery outside. “He helped with all the colors in the house.” Blanchard is a decorator and an artist in New Orleans.

In the rear gallery adjacent to the second floor double parlor is a plush, round red velvet causeuse, circa 1860, purchased at an auction in Pittsburgh. “It was used in the 19th century for the chaperoned dates,” points out Dr. Rundell of the circular sofa. “They also made great seating for bordellos.” It is easy to envision gentlemen waiting for ladies, not wanting to be seen by each other on the causeuse. Views from the second floor are splendid from every vantage point.

The dining room on the first floor has an intriguing portrait of Napoleon by Phila-

An upstairs bedroom features a three-quarter tester bed signed by C. Lee and a night table by Alexandre

Roux, circa 1855.

Dr. Rundell’s collection of antiques includes a pair of Italian chairs, circa 1870. Each of the second floor

bedrooms has stunning Waterford crystal chandeliers.

The Venetian bedroom on the first floor, located near the parlor, has an elaborately inlaid rosewood and ivory bed and armoire, circa 1880.

A portrait of Napoleon by Philadelphia artist Rembrandt Peale, circa 1812, resides over the mantel in the dining room. A French chandelier with cut and frosted crystal shades, circa 1895, illuminates the English walnut dining table, circa 1840. An Austrian mirrored cabinet, circa 1850, embellishes the stately room.