Colonel Short's Villa, New Orleans

Built in 1859 for Colonel Robert Short of Kentucky and masterfully designed by Henry Howard, this Italian-Renaissance villa is most renowned for its remarkable ironwork fence, adorned with intricate morning glory and cornstalk motifs. Legend has it that Short's wife expressed her longing for the cornfields of her native Iowa, prompting him to purchase the iconic cornstalk fence, one of only three of its kind in the entire United States. Unlike a similar one on Royal Street, this one has retained its original colors and hasn't been painted over.

During the Civil War, the house was confiscated by federal forces in 1863 and briefly served as the executive mansion for the federal governor of Louisiana before being returned to Short, who continued to reside there for the remainder of his life. After undergoing a painstaking, decade-long restoration, the property was listed for $5 million in 2015, marking it as the most expensive listing in New Orleans at the time. While the villa is a private residence, you can still marvel at the unique fence up close from the sidewalk.