The Salon on Thora: Catholic Women Educating and Entertaining Their Community in the Early 20th Century

“Mrs. Haddad’s lovely home was aglow with myriads of soft lights in hand-wrought iron lamps that cast their mellow light on the deep rich Persian rugs and Oriental pearl-inlaid chairs, stools, desks, and screens. Bright chrysanthemums filled the reception suite. The rich, varied hued created an atmosphere of mysterious beauty …”

BY KATE RHEA

On any given day in the early 1930s, the society page of The Shreveport Journal and The Shreveport Times would be lined with announcements advising the public of the time and location of various club, organizational, and society meetings. The Y.W.C.A., American Legion, Junior League, and Women’s Department Club posted notices about luncheons and fund-raising, but among these ubiquitous socializing-as-charity events, one location would stand out for years as a hub for something more progressive.

The house on the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Thora Boulevard is remarkable in design and curb-appeal; fitting in with while simultaneously standing out among the flat-front colonials, pitched-roof Tudors, and massive Greek revival manors with which South Highland’s cup – then and now – runeth-over.

In a popular section of The Times in the early 20th century entitled, “Shreveport: See It Grow Day By Day,” construction on the house was publicly announced, listing $18,571.00 [roughly $301,079.42 in today’s money] as the cost for permits and building supplies and now-famed Shreveporter D. A. Somdal as the architect. The Haddads were faithful practicing Catholics of Marionite descent, but being from “Assyria” or present-day Lebanon, they would have been culturally influenced by Islamic architecture. Undoubtedly, this blend of influences resulted in a home designed to honor the Haddad’s lineage and assimilate to the functional and stylistic design of surrounding homes. There are no grand statues or garish exterior fixtures. The façade resembles Mission Revival architectural design, popular during the time, with its front-facing arcade or corredor featuring a series of contiguous arches. Blending that with the Louisiana style Spanish Colonial architecture, [think LSU’s main campus in Baton Rouge or A.C. Steere Elementary in Shreveport] the home is topped with rounded clay roof tiles. The middle-eastern influence is gracefully displayed; each of the three arches forming the arcade are pointed into a sinuous ogee arch, popular in Islamic architecture. Smaller trefoil keyhole arches along the second story add to the structure’s distinctive quality.

George and Rosalie Haddad began hosting events at their home soon after its completion. Rosalie, an avid horticulturist, was praised for her beautiful garden and landscaping. Typical events such as wedding showers and tea parties were celebrated at the Haddad’s new home, but the Haddads took it further by offering more educational events including progressive art pilgrimages, philosophical lectures with titles such as, “Woman’s Place in Economic and Civil Life,” and meetings of the Delphian Society, a national organization dedicated to the education of American women. These meetings advanced the high-society atmosphere by fostering progressive intellectual engagement, the latter of which resembles the post-enlightenment salons of the 17th and 18th centuries.

The modern salon bears little resemblance to its antiquated namesake. Over the last one hundred years, a trip to the salon has almost exclusively referred to the maintenance or enhancement of beauty; hair-cuts, manicures, spa treatments, and more. But, in the much longer historical context, a salon refers not to a location, but a meeting of minds and hearts for leisure and learning, the idea of which sought to honor legendary Roman lyric poet Horace’s definition of the rationale of poetry; “aut delectare aut prodesse,” which translates to, “either to please or educate.”

The concept – one of meeting to broaden the mind through education and exposure to different cultures and perspectives - has long been studied and haughtily debated among historians, anthropologists, and politicians who have attempted to create a singular definition of a salon.

The Haddads and their circle of friends may not have consciously thought of these events at the house on Thora in those exact terms, but it is clear that they had a different objective to their event than that of more typical societal club offerings of the time.

The support for these experiences was widespread within the Catholic community in Shreveport. George Haddad was a dealer of fine rugs from western Asia and was often featured in local news for his ventures. Rosalie Haddad’s sister, Louise Yazbeck, was a gifted musician, and performed in many variety programs, offered musical theory instruction, and gained notoriety for her band, “Miss Yazbeck’s Rhythm Orchestra;” even arranging and hosting radio programs featuring her piano pupils. Matriarchs of well-known Catholic families such as the Josephs, the Ferrises, and others - many of whom now rest at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery.

As the years went by and TVs entered American homes, the progressive, educational programs would wane and the Haddad home on Thora would more often host social or honorary events like dinners honoring Gold Star Mothers of the World Wars for the American Legion. The Haddads’ home, which still stands at the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Thora Boulevard, was, in its prime, a place where love of learning was celebrated. A remarkable description of a meeting of The Delphian Society is detailed in November 14th, 1929 edition of The Shreveport Journal, stating,

“Mrs. Haddad’s lovely home was aglow with myriads of soft lights in hand-wrought iron lamps that cast their mellow light on the deep rich Persian rugs and Oriental pearl-inlaid chairs, stools, desks, and screens. Bright chrysanthemums filled the reception suite. The rich, varied hued created an atmosphere of mysterious beauty … The stairway was most unusual, each portion of the hand-wrought iron railing forming Arabic characters. These designs when transcribed proved to be a verse or proverb praising the home in loving tribute.”