Trifter

*I’m going to do some research and use information from other websites to come to a conclusion, but the article itself is written by me*

I just started my research and the first notice I get from the initial question is that, yes, the house did exist. And it looks like it was a whorehouse. The business was opened in 1862, and was occupied by troops of “the Union” (American Civil War) but was closed in 1874 by complaints of the neighbors. The information I have says the brothel was found at 826-830 of Saint Louis street.

Apparently the “House of the Rising Sun” was named after Mrs Marianne LeSoleil Levant (”Soleil Levant” means “Rising sun” in French).

In Louisiana (New Orleans) there are many places which could have helped as the inspiration for the song, but the expression “House of the Rising Sun” is used (sometimes) euphemism (word/s used instead of other/s to make it less offensive or aggressive) for a brothel. But it isn’t clear weather the house existed or not. There is another theory that speculates about “a daughter who killed her father, an alcoholic gambler who had beaten his wife. Therefore, the House of the Rising Sun may be a jail-house, from which one would be the first person to see the sun rise (an idea supported by the lyric mentioning “a ball and chain”).”

But because the song was often sung by women (originally), another theory is that the House of the Rising Sun was where prostitutes were detained while they were treated for syphilis (sexually transmitted disease). Since cures with mercury were ineffective, going back was very likely.

Well, the conclusion (I would say) is that it MIGHT exist/have-existed, and if it DID, PROBABLY it would be prostitute-related, as the theories are pretty convincing.