I cannot say enough fabulous things about this beautiful venue and Ms. Linda Novak, its proprietress and event coordinator. I approached Ms. Novak with less than one (1) months’ notice and an unusual request to propose to my girlfriend there after discovering that the Swoop-Duggins House was open for private events – years ago, my girlfriend (now fiancée) and I had our very first date “Cellar Door” (bar operated by previous tenant/owner), but I had been advised that it had been shut down in Hurricane Ida. I was so thrilled to see that Ms. Novak was now hosting events in the space again and invited myself over for a walk-through as soon as I got in contact with her. Despite my paltry budget (much less, I’m sure, than she normally agrees to rent the space for); an insanely complicated plan for a proposal (I had to lead my girlfriend in through a side entrance that she’d not recognize, then ask Ms. Novak to herd in in 30 guests to the front room within a 5-minute window before bringing my fiancée out to propose to her on the balcony where Ms. Novak had provided a perfect “hiding spot” under a tablecloth for my friend to photograph the proposal, after which I brought her down the courtyard steps where she coordinated the timing of my friend’s dad’s trumpet-playing); an ever-changing number of guests and menu items (from 12 to 35 and then back down to an eventual 30); and two highly-invested mothers participating in the surprise, Ms. Novak graciously and seamlessly pulled off an engagement event that most people that I was crazy for even attempting. Ms. Novak spent weeks working with me and my friends and family to ensure that everything went right in this multi-layered plan that likely would take the award for “venue’s worst nightmare event” – from coordinating walk-throughs in the week leading up to the event, to actually playing a part in the surprise herself (she went so far as to make fake signage and decorations for another “event” that was to take place that night; and put her acting skills to work to make my charade more believable), she was beyond incredible. All of my guests asked whether she was a career wedding coordinator that we could hire, given her flawless facilitation of the entire evening – if only she were available to handle my wedding! Needless to say, my fiancée was thrilled and said yes. I would have loved nothing more than to have my wedding reception there, but we have an insanely large invitation list, so unfortunately, our capacity was a bit beyond what the venue could comfortably accommodate. As for the venue itself, Ms. Novak has done an impeccable job of decorating the space down to the very last detail – it is New Orleans through and through, and captures the essence of the Crescent City through its décor and ambiance. It Is not only a perfect place for a celebration, but also a venue that is rich with beautiful history. Cocktails and appetizers were of course fabulous, as well. My guests were raving about the food afterward. No way to go wrong with this venue and Ms. Novak. Thank you for everything