Archive for the ‘Architecture’ Category

A secret driveway leads to this 1.2-acre, two-house haven on Lookaway Drive, on the edge of the bluffs near Riverview and Glasgow Village.

In most cities, a house with a hilltop location and a beautiful water view would be considered real estate gold. But as we all know, St. Louis is…special. That’s why one of the area’s best-kept secrets remains just that, and why, if you told someone you were moving to Riverview, they would probably think you’re nuts. But ah, what treasures await in this gorgeous little corner of North County.

Perched high on a bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi, the vintage homes on and around Lookaway Drive are truly architectural gems. Most date from the 1920s and 30s, coinciding with the growth of the Riverview Gardens and Glasgow Woods subdivisions, but some – like 11152 Lookaway, which is currently for sale – date back to the 1800s.

Resting on more than an acre of lush, very private property that was originally deeded to one Isabella Chitwood before the Louisiana Purchase, the house is like a place lost in time. Built just prior to the opening of the Chain of Rocks Water Works (those cute little buildings in the river), it’s surrounded by land once owned by Dr. William Carr, the first mayor of St. Louis, and Amadee Valle, a Missouri legislator and close friend of Abraham Lincoln.

A Glasgow Village brochure from the 1950s. Credit: Lori Campbell

Of course, from 1927 through 1977, the house shared its lovely bluff view with the Chain of Rocks Amusement Park (later known as Fun Fair Park), a once bustling destination whose rides, roller rink and massive swimming pool many St. Louisans still fondly remember. But during the 1950s, it was nearly swallowed by redevelopment, as William Glasgow’s adjoining “Bienvenue Farm” gradually became the sprawling collection of modest ranch homes known as Glasgow Village.

Much has changed in the area since then. Though most of the houses on the bluff still radiate their unique charm and a handful of Glasgow Village’s original homeowners still remain (and remain active), white flight has opened the door for an increase in poverty and rentals, spurring St. Louis County to identify the community as “changing” – essentially stable but with “emerging signs of trouble in specific areas.”

I hope I’m not alone when I say this, but man, we are crazy to let this happen. The Riverview bluff’s quaint winding streets, tucked with enchanting, one-of-a-kind homes, remind me of the fabulous canyon hillsides in Los Angeles – except that here, you also get a view of one of the grandest rivers in the world.

I think it’s a crime to let this area deteriorate, especially when you consider that exceptional older houses and estate-style properties can be found all around the Bellefontaine/Chambers/Riverview corridor. Talk about an opportunity for some bold, creative redevelopment, building on the area’s existing assets and potential for eco-tourism! (Green homes, anyone? Bob Cassilly’s wondrous recycled Cementland is right next door.)

It was natural beauty that attracted early landowners here in the first place, inspiring them to build such captivating houses. With a little focused effort, particularly from those who claim to love this area so much, why couldn’t it draw a new wave of progress now? Why walk away from a part of town that still has so much to offer?

Click any image for a larger view, and navigate with the arrows beneath it.

Talk about a LOT of house for the money. This 1920s Ferguson charmer on a 1.5-acre private lot is being sold for a steal!

One of the perks of the poor economy (if you choose to look at the bright side) is the opportunity to buy real estate for incredible prices. Sellers are often desperate. Banks are swimming in foreclosed properties. And lo and behold, treasures like this are bound to pop up…

An amazing 1928 brick farmhouse sitting on 1.5 private acres in Ferguson, 714 N. Florissant Rd was listed earlier this year for more than $250,000. Today, following a foreclosure and a string of not-terribly-eager real estate agents, it’s being sold for the unbelievable price of $99,900.

Yep, less than 100 grand for four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a large addition with a two-car garage, and even a separate back house that would make a perfect office or studio. Seriously, folks. When I walked around this property earlier today, I was ready to put my own house up for sale!

From the looks of it, this home has had a number of updates, including newer windows and some decent looking vinyl on the addition. It also sits far enough back from Florissant Road and offers so much potential in the way of gardening and landscaping that the busy street hardly seems an issue.

Besides this super cute back house and shed, 714 N. Florissant also has an additional outbuilding and a beautiful brick barbeque pit and grotto.

If you wanted to grow vegetables here or set up an entire mini farm, you would have more than enough room. Another bonus: the property is almost entirely fenced, and it offers a fabulous view of January Wabash Park. In the winter, you can even see the lake.

I was able to view the inside of the house once, and though I didn’t take photos (darn), I do remember that a lot of the original woodwork was intact and the place still had loads of vintage flavor. With some TLC, it would definitely shine.

So what are you waiting for?! This awesome 2,800-square-foot house is a true score, an unexpected bright spot in an otherwise dismal economy, and it’s within easy walking/biking distance to January Wabash, Jeske Park and the Ferguson Farmers Market. Check it out today before I buy it myself!

Founded in 1823, St. Stanislaus Seminary covered nearly 1,000 acres in the Howdershell/Charbonier area. Here it is in 1928, with the river to the north.

It’s a hard life to imagine these days – building your own home, growing all your own food, and doing so in a vast wilderness populated by natives who may or may not want you there. That was the life of early Jesuit missionaries, who arrived in North County in 1823, intent on sharing Christianity with local Indians.

Residing on 212 acres in the “common fields” of Florissant, the Jesuits constructed various log buildings and ran a small school for Native American boys, who they hoped to train as interpreters. When the school closed in 1831, St. Stanislaus Seminary opened in its place (at what’s now 700 Howdershell Road), and within ten years, it began to resemble the entirely self-sufficient monasteries of medieval Europe.

The Rock Building at St. Stanislaus, built by the Jesuits in 1840. Photo: Rome of the West

In addition to farming their land, the brothers and seminarians at St. Stanislaus quarried massive limestone blocks from the Missouri River bluffs, building themselves a new stone residence in 1840. All of the doors and woodwork were fashioned from walnut trees on the seminary grounds. The Jesuits also fired their own bricks on the spot.

Over the next 100 years, their property would grow to include multiple buildings and nearly 1000 acres, encompassing apple orchards, wheat fields, vineyards, beehives, a butcher shop, a chicken ranch, a creamery, a bakery and even a winery – the only Missouri winery allowed to operate during Prohibition. At the height of St. Stanislaus in the 1930s and 40s, the “priest farm” (as it was known by local residents) was something of a self-contained city, sprawling all the way from Howdershell Road to the Missouri River, including parts of Charbonier Bluff.

By 1971, with seminary enrollment declining and the Jesuits’ land increasing in value, St. Stanislaus was closed, and most of its buildings, except the 1840 limestone “Rock Building,” were sold to the Gateway College of Evangelism. Father Claude Heithaus, a Jesuit professor of archaeology, recognized the historical significance of the Rock Building and the many unique artifacts contained within, and he fought vigorously for their preservation.

On display at St. Stanislaus Museum is the original cross (or an exact early replica) that Father DeSmet gave to Sitting Bull.

As Heithaus knew, many early priests and brothers at St. Stanislaus had played key roles in educating Native Americans and establishing Catholic parishes and universities. Some, like Father Pierre DeSmet, were even renowned figures in frontier history, writing influential books, creating early maps, and documenting Native American customs and culture.

In 1976, with the help of his brother William, Heithaus established the nonprofit St. Stanislaus Historical Museum Society, aiming to preserve and display items from the seminary’s past as well as artifacts related to the frontier history of Florissant and Hazelwood. Operating out of the three-story Rock Building, the museum society carefully tended to its large and diverse collection, which included rare antique books, Renaissance paintings, Navajo rugs, Colonial tools, and garments worn by Father DeSmet himself.

Like a place stuck in time, the Rock Building was also preserved, looking much as it had when the Jesuits lived there. Visitors could see the priests’ dining hall and spartan bedrooms, along with tools, furniture, cigars and other items that they used in their daily lives. For 25 years, “The Museum of Western Jesuit Missions,” as it was known, offered a rare and fascinating glance at monastic and missionary life in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. It was a true North County treasure – until 2002.

Father Pierre DeSmet, who was said to travel 200,000 miles over the course of his missionary journeys, posing with men from four Native American tribes

That was the year Father Lawrence Biondi decided that the museum’s collection belonged not at the Rock Building, where it had genuine historical relevance, but at the Jesuit-run St. Louis University. Though the St. Stanislaus Historical Museum Society had been solely responsible for the collection’s preservation, Biondi wanted to showcase the artifacts at SLU, so he compelled the Jesuit order to sue the museum society, and unfortunately, the Jesuits won.

In 2003, approximately three-fourths of the museum’s holdings (including its most valuable pieces) were moved to SLU. That same year, the remains of Father DeSmet and other frontier Jesuits were removed from their graves at St. Stanislaus and reinterred at Calvary Cemetery.

By all accounts, it was a sad time for the museum society, and some questioned whether the group would continue. For a while, they displayed some of their remaining artifacts at St. Ferdinand Shrine in Old Town Florissant. But in 2007, they were kindly gifted with a new home: a pre-1860 farmhouse on Charbonier Road, adjacent to rolling fields that were once part of St. Stanislaus. The museum still operates there today.

One of the original beds from St. Stanislaus Seminary is on display at St. Stanislaus Museum, along with other Jesuit artifacts.

Gone are the priceless 17^th-century globes and DeSmet cassock that were highlights of the Rock House. But in their place, the museum society has embraced the pastoral, old-timey feel of its new locale and put more emphasis on the Jesuits’ self-sufficient lifestyle. Within sight of the former St. Stanislaus bell tower, museum board members maintain a working chicken coop and large vegetable garden. They also invite period reenactors to camp on-site and to talk about the tools and skills that were necessary in frontier times.

“I love that we’re promoting the idea of self-sufficiency,” says museum board secretary, Pat Jackson. “We’ve planted fruit trees here, and some of our board members do canning. I think we’re showing people a little bit of what it was like at St. Stanislaus, where the priests did everything for themselves.”

Board members harvest eggs and grow vegetables on the grounds of the museum.

Inside the museum, Jackson and other board members have used a handful of key pieces from the Rock House to fashion exhibits. One room boasts Father DeSmet’s own desk, as well as crosses and relics that he and other Jesuits gave to Native Americans. Another room features an original bed from the seminary, accented by simple wooden kneelers that the priests used for prayer and study.

“The furniture we were left with tells a story,” Jackson says. “And what’s nice about this house is that we can arrange the furniture how it might have been used – a desk in the study, chairs and a table in the dining room. It helps you understand the context.”

Upstairs, the museum’s oldest artifacts – textiles from 400-800AD – crown a room already brimming with Native American treasures, most of which were found in North County. “Because of the confluence, this area drew Native Americans from all over the place,” Jackson says. “It’s easier to say which tribes didn’t come here, there were so many.”

The museum displays Native American pottery, arrowheads, jewelry and other items, including artifacts recovered at burial sites on Charbonier Bluff. It also touches on the Lewis and Clark expedition, with frontier-style clothing and fur trapping gear shown beside Native American artwork and early photos of the area.

St. Stanislaus is not a large museum, at least not now. But it’s definitely worth a visit. Its growing collection paints a vibrant picture of what life was like, both at St. Stanislaus Seminary and in frontier North County. And if you come this Sunday, period reenactors will add another layer of interest to this already interesting place, setting up camp outside the museum during Florissant’s Christmas House Tour.

St. Stanislaus Museum, 3030 Charbonier Road, is open every Sunday, 1pm – 4pm. Except for this Sunday, when house tour tickets are $10, admission is free. For more info, call (314) 837-3525.

The entrance to St. Stanislaus Museum is through the back door of this charming pre-Civil War farmhouse at 3030 Charbonier Road.

The charming Laramie house on rue St. Denis is one of 15 historic buildings featured on Florissant's upcoming Christmas House Tour.

If you’re like me, every time you drive through Old Town Florissant, you look at the beautiful old houses and think, “I wonder what that one looks like inside.” Now we all can find out. This Sunday, November 29, Historic Florissant Inc. is hosting its annual Christmas House Tour, and the tour is the biggest one ever!

Stop by Herz Jesu Schule, built in 1889, for a special display by Historic Florissant.

From 3-7pm, ticket holders can view fifteen historic buildings all across Florissant, including three museums, a church, and multiple private homes. Taille de Noyer and the Old Cold Water Schoolhouse are both on the tour, as is Hendel’s Market Cafe, where you can visit the new wine bar and enjoy a free wine tasting.

St. Stanislaus Museum is also a tour stop, and period reenactors will be setting up camp there for a day of fun frontier history. I’ll be writing more about St. Stan’s this week, so stay tuned!

Tickets for the tour are just $10, and you can buy them at the Gittemeier House, 1067 Dunn Rd, 10am – 4pm through Saturday or 1pm – 4pm on Sunday.

Two weeks later, Ferguson is also hosting a Holiday House Tour, sponsored by the Ferguson Caring League, with all proceeds benefiting local children and their families during times of crisis. Six private homes are on the tour, including an 1887 Victorian, a loft in the retro Streetcar Lofts building, and the home of CORK Wine Bar owner, Mike Lonero.

This circa-1914 home at 111 Wesley is one of six houses featured on the Ferguson Holiday House Tour.

I have done the Ferguson tour numerous times, and I’m always amazed at how quirky and interesting the houses are. Personally, I would love to see more of our commercial buildings and mid-century/unusual gems featured, including homes in Black Oaks, the Knolls, Hunter’s Ridge and even Forestwood. But until then, I still appreciate the chance to see any of our gorgeous architecture up close, so count me in.

The tour will be held Sunday, December 13, 4pm – 8pm, and you can purchase tickets for $14 at various Ferguson businesses starting later this week. I’ll post a list of those locations ASAP.

You will not believe this listing price on this sweet old Ferguson farmhouse.

UPDATED, 1:55pm: If you’ve ever looked with wonder at Ferguson’s gorgeous old houses, dreaming of the day when you can buy and restore a vintage property of your own, have I got a deal for you! The cute little Victorian that sits right next to the Ferguson post office is for sale, and the price is truly stunning, even considering the poor economy.

Built in the 1890s, 231 St. Louis Avenue sits on land originally owned by William Ferguson himself, and except for some recent vinyl siding, it’s still very original. Basically, it’s one of those elusive, wonderful vintage houses where a little old lady lived forever and changed almost nothing. A true diamond in the rough, with 9-10-foot ceilings and gorgeous original millwork. And get this…as of tomorrow, it’s selling for just $12,000.

The listing says the house needs “extensive rehabbing,” but it is occupied, so the basic systems must be intact. I just heard from the real estate agent, and she says necessary updates include plaster repair, kitchen and bath remodels, sump pump repair, and installing new HVAC throughout. There are also wide-plank hardwood floors ready to be revived.

If I owned the house, I would plant a nice long row of golden bamboo to shield the post office. And because I’m a glutton for punishment, I would probably also restore the original siding. But at $12,000, I could do all that and still have a 1500-square-foot bargain on my hands.

Of course, the neighborhood around St. Louis Avenue doesn’t get the same attention as some of Ferguson’s other historic areas, but it is up-and-coming and safe, with a number of longtime residents. It’s also a block from the Ferguson Farmers Market and directly adjacent to the Ted Jones Bike Trail…the perfect central location from which to walk or bike nearly anywhere in town.

Backing to a creek, with Vincenzo’s and the police department just beyond, 231 St. Louis has a deep lot that’s just waiting for a nice, big garden. And besides the post office, it has only one neighbor, so it could be made into a lovely private oasis.

But hey, that’s for you to dream up. Take a look at 231 St. Louis, and who knows, you might find the historic house of your dreams! Just note that the property is part of an estate, so the sale will have to be approved by St. Louis County probate court.

Located at 250 rue St. Catherine, this National Register home in Old Town Florissant home is ready for a new owner - residential or commercial.

In a community as old as Florissant, finding the balance between historic preservation and modern progress is always a challenge. Land is sold, new buildings are erected, things change. But hopefully, a little slice of history can be maintained.

That’s the case with the Henry Albers house, a circa-1860-70 National Register property that still radiates historic charm, despite being nearly gobbled up by newer development all around it. Also known as the Tebeau house, the quaint brick dwelling was built in classic Missouri German style and still retains many of its original features. Unfortunately, its surrounding property has changed dramatically over the years.

Where there used to be an orchard and a grape arbor is now a post-war bungalow. And on the land where there once stood an outhouse, a chicken house, a garage and a well now rests a parking lot for a bank.

With only two neighbors, including a bank, the Henry Albers house actually feels like a private oasis. Across the street from it is a cute little park.

In 1998, as the bank was being built, the Albers house was almost demolished. Thankfully, Historic Florissant, Inc. stepped in, bought and restored the building (with the help of Scott and Jane McClurg), and sold it to a preservation-minded buyer, Kitty Smith.

Smith thought the house would make a wonderful tea room, and for a while it did. She installed colorful garden beds all around the property and built a tranquil courtyard in the rear. She also updated the electrical and plumbing systems and added parking spaces near the street, allowing the house to serve as a commercial site.

Today, it’s on the market for sale or lease, and Smith is hoping to find a buyer/tenant who either wants to live in the house or use it for a commercial operation. In my opinion, the place is best suited to a low-traffic service business, like a lawyer’s office, an architectural firm, or perhaps a massage and wellness center.

Given the zoning, it could even serve as a unique live/work/exhibit space for an artist. The rooms are bright and spacious, and that lovely courtyard would be great for hosting a small art show.

But hey, that’s just what I see. Decide for yourself on November 29th, when the Henry Albers house will be one of fifteen local landmarks featured on Historic Florissant’s annual “Christmas in Old Florissant” house tour – the biggest tour ever! Get your tickets for just $10 at 1067 Dunn Rd, or along along rue St. Francois at Dooley’s, Korte’s, Village of the Blue Rose or the Silver Moon Stencil Shop.

Just don’t blame me when you get a sudden, overwhelming urge to buy a 140-year-old house!

Henry Albers was a successful merchant who sold shoes, fabric and other dry goods out of his store at 305 rue St. Francois. His family occupied the house on St. Catherine from roughly 1877 to 1943.