Spring House Tours 2014 - WEW

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LAFAYETTE SQUARE SPRING HOUSE & GARDEN TOUR June 7 & 8 • 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. $16 in advance • $20 weekend of tour Kids free when accompanied by adult Tickets online or by phone: www.layfayettesquare.org (314) 772-5724 MARTY S ALADIN Senior Mortgage Banker Direct (314)-361-4455 • Cell (214)-448-5071 • Toll Free (866)-949-7979 [email protected] NMLS # 319959 Home Financing That’s Fast, Easy and Affordable. A Central West End resident celebrating 20 years in mortgage banking - www.iberiabankmortgage.com The 2014 Central West End Association House & Garden Tour, to be held May 31 to June 1, will feature five historic homes on Portland Place, one of the city’s most exclusive private streets. “This public viewing of Portland Place is a great way to celebrate the city’s 250th anniversary,” said Doug Teasdale, president of the CWEA. “Our 44th annual house tour will let visitors glimpse the tree-lined blocks of this World’s Fair-era private street.” Portland Place, along with neighboring Westmoreland Place, are two gated streets across from the Chase Park Plaza which have hosted kings, queens, ambassadors and U.S. presidents. With its wide boulevard, landscaped median and stone mansions, Portland Place epitomizes the “Meet Me In St. Louis” style of elegance on display at the annual house tour. Last year’s tour featured the homes of Westminster Place and the Holy Corners Historic District. The tour kicks off with a special preview party Friday, May 30, from 6 to 10 p.m. The evening will feature cocktails and dinner in one of the mansions, entertainment, and a “sneak peek” at the homes on tour. Tickets, $75, are available at www. thecwe.org or by calling 367-2220. The regular tour will be held Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 1, from noon to 4 p.m. Park at the Washington University parking lot near Forest Park Parkway and Skinker boulevards and take the shuttle. Access to the lot is from Hoyt Drive off Forest Park Parkway. Limited street parking will also be available on Union Boulevard and on Kingshighway Boulevard. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 the day of the tour, and are available for purchase at Pulaski Bank branch offices, Coffee Cartel, 2 Maryland Plaza, and Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid. Tickets are also available online at www. TheCWE.org or by calling 367-2220. The Central West End Association was founded in 1958 and is committed to preserving the neighborhood’s history and celebrating its diversity. Proceeds from the house tour will benefit the CWEA, a not-for-profit corporation. Tour Central West End’s Portland Place Grand residences of private street featured May 31-June 1 by Fran Mannino P ortland Place, one of the Central West End’s most impressive private streets, will be showcased this month during the 44th Annual Central West End House and Garden Tour. The event kicks off with a preview party on Friday, May 30, and continues with tours of five elegant homes on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1 (see box at right). This is the first time in a decade that the homes of Portland Place have been featured on the Central West End tour. Portland Place Imagine a time in St. Louis when Lindell Boulevard was an unpaved dirt road and there was more countryside around than commerce. In the late 1800s, the fresh air and wide open spaces west of St. Louis were a siren song to those looking to escape the noise and filth of the industrialized city. Following the establishment of the 1,300-acre Forest Park in 1876, when the city of St. Louis extended its western boundary past the park, homes began sprouting up all around it. The Forest Park Improvement Association was formed in 1887, and civil engineer Julius Pitzman was retained to plat both Portland Place and Westmoreland Place. The sister streets sit just to the north of Forest Park. The plan for the two private places was appropriately called the “Forest Park Addition.” At the time, Pitzman was well known for his work on Benton and Vandeventer places. His private place plans followed his belief that neighborhoods should be created in a park-like setting, with gated traffic barriers, a central parkway with green space, and uniform setbacks of houses. The ground beneath Portland Place was once the Cabanne dairy farm until development began in 1888. Impressive stone gates were designed by architect Theodore Link. Those gates still delineate the borders of the private place to the west at Union Boulevard and to the east at Kingshighway. A nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Mercury by sculptor and one-time St. Louisan Frederick Wellington Ruckstuhl watches over the street from the median at Lake Avenue. The sculpture is thought to have been donated by a prominent resident. The statue, “Mercure s’amuse,” was completed in 1891 in Ruckstuhl’s Paris studio. It is also known as “Mercury Leading the Eagle of Jupiter.” (View a period photo with this link: http:// tinyurl.com/lkn5slc). Another of Ruckstuhl’s works, the sculpture “Evening,” is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Still a quiet enclave amid the hustle and bustle of the city, Portland Place has endured economic downturns great and small, two world wars, and the subsequent migration of city residents even farther west to the suburbs. It remains one of the most grand private places in St. Louis. House & Garden Tour Some of St. Louis’ most prominent families had homes constructed on Portland Place. Among them were familiar names like tennis great Dwight F. Davis, and William Orthwein, a swimmer and water polo player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. This year’s Central West End House and Garden Tour will feature five Portland Place homes with a wealth of history attached. Twenty-three Portland Place is an Italian Renaissance home of yellow brick with ornate embellishments. It was designed in 1892 by the architecture firm of Eames & Young for William H. and Florence Plimpton Thornburgh. William Eames and Thomas Young also designed the mansions of Vandeventer Place, which have not survived. Twenty-nine Portland Place (garden only). This home was designed in 1891 by Theodore Link. CWEA House & Garden Tour cont. p. 10 The Italian Renaissance home at 23 Portland Place is among several homes on display during the Central West End As- sociation House & Garden Tour. It was designed in 1892 by the architecture firm Eames & Young. photo by Diana Linsley West End Word | Page 9 May 9 - 22, 2014 2014 SPRING HOUSE TOUR GUIDE

Transcript of Spring House Tours 2014 - WEW

Page 1: Spring House Tours 2014 - WEW

LAFAYETTE SQUARESPRING HOUSE & GARDEN TOURJune 7 & 8 • 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.$16 in advance • $20 weekend of tourKids free when accompanied by adult

Tickets online or by phone: www.layfayettesquare.org(314) 772-5724

MARTY SALADINSenior Mortgage Banker

Direct (314)-361-4455 • Cell (214)-448-5071 • Toll Free (866)[email protected]

NMLS # 319959

Home Financing That’sFast, Easy and A�ordable.

A Central West End resident celebrating 20 years in mortgage banking -

www.iberiabankmortgage.com

The 2014 Central West End Association House & Garden Tour, to be held May 31 to June 1, will feature five historic homes on Portland Place, one of the city’s most exclusive private streets.

“This public viewing of Portland Place is a great way to celebrate the city’s 250th anniversary,” said Doug Teasdale, president of the CWEA. “Our 44th annual house tour will let visitors glimpse the tree-lined blocks of this World’s Fair-era private street.”

Portland Place, along with neighboring Westmoreland Place, are two gated streets across from the Chase Park Plaza which have hosted kings, queens, ambassadors and U.S. presidents.

With its wide boulevard, landscaped median and stone mansions, Portland Place epitomizes the “Meet Me In St. Louis” style of elegance on display at the annual house tour. Last year’s tour featured the homes of Westminster Place and the Holy Corners Historic District.

The tour kicks off with a special preview party Friday, May 30, from 6 to 10 p.m. The evening will feature cocktails and dinner in one of the mansions, entertainment, and a “sneak peek” at the homes on tour. Tickets, $75, are available at www.thecwe.org or by calling 367-2220.

The regular tour will be held Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 1, from noon to 4 p.m. Park at the Washington University parking lot near Forest Park Parkway and Skinker boulevards and take the shuttle. Access to the lot is from Hoyt Drive off Forest Park Parkway. Limited street parking will also be available on Union Boulevard and on Kingshighway Boulevard.

Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 the day of the tour, and are available for purchase at Pulaski Bank branch offices, Coffee Cartel, 2 Maryland Plaza, and Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid. Tickets are also available online at www.TheCWE.org or by calling 367-2220.

The Central West End Association was founded in 1958 and is committed to preserving the neighborhood’s history and celebrating its diversity. Proceeds from the house tour will benefit the CWEA, a not-for-profit corporation.

Tour Central West End’s Portland PlaceGrand residences of private street featured May 31-June 1

by Fran Mannino

Portland Place, one of the Central West End’s most impressive private streets, will

be showcased this month during the 44th Annual Central West End House and Garden Tour.

The event kicks off with a preview party on Friday, May 30, and continues with tours of five elegant homes on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1 (see box at right).

This is the first time in a decade that the homes of Portland Place have been featured on the Central West End tour.

Portland PlaceImagine a time in St. Louis when

Lindell Boulevard was an unpaved dirt road and there was more countryside around than commerce. In the late 1800s, the fresh air and wide open spaces west of St. Louis were a siren song to those looking to escape the noise and filth of the industrialized city.

Following the establishment of the 1,300-acre Forest Park in 1876, when the city of St. Louis extended its western boundary past the park, homes began sprouting up all around it.

The Forest Park Improvement Association was formed in 1887, and civil engineer Julius Pitzman was retained to plat both Portland Place and Westmoreland Place. The sister

streets sit just to the north of Forest Park. The plan for the two private places was appropriately called the “Forest Park Addition.”

At the time, Pitzman was well known for his work on Benton and Vandeventer places. His private place plans followed his belief that neighborhoods should be created in a park-like setting, with gated traffic barriers, a central parkway with green space, and uniform setbacks of houses.

The ground beneath Portland Place was once the Cabanne dairy farm until development began in 1888. Impressive stone gates were designed by architect Theodore Link. Those gates still delineate the borders of the private place to the west at Union Boulevard and to the east at Kingshighway.

A nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Mercury by sculptor and one-time St. Louisan Frederick Wellington Ruckstuhl watches over the street from the median at Lake Avenue. The sculpture is thought to have been donated by a prominent resident.

The statue, “Mercure s’amuse,” was completed in 1891 in Ruckstuhl’s Paris studio. It is also known as “Mercury Leading the Eagle of Jupiter.” (View a period photo with this link: http://tinyurl.com/lkn5slc).

Another of Ruckstuhl’s works, the sculpture “Evening,” is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum

of Art in New York.Still a quiet enclave amid the hustle

and bustle of the city, Portland Place has endured economic downturns great and small, two world wars, and the subsequent migration of city residents even farther west to the suburbs. It remains one of the most grand private places in St. Louis.

House & Garden TourSome of St. Louis’ most prominent

families had homes constructed on Portland Place. Among them were familiar names like tennis great Dwight F. Davis, and William Orthwein, a swimmer and water polo player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis.

This year’s Central West End House and Garden Tour will feature five Portland Place homes with a wealth of history attached.

• Twenty-three Portland Place is an Italian Renaissance home of yellow brick with ornate embellishments. It was designed in 1892 by the architecture firm of Eames & Young for William H. and Florence Plimpton Thornburgh. William Eames and Thomas Young also designed the mansions of Vandeventer Place, which have not survived.

• Twenty-nine Portland Place (garden only). This home was designed in 1891 by Theodore Link.

CWEA House & Garden Tour

cont. p. 10

The Italian Renaissance home at 23 Portland Place is among several homes on display during the Central West End As-sociation House & Garden Tour. It was designed in 1892 by the architecture firm Eames & Young.

photo by Diana Linsley

West End Word | Page 9May 9 - 22, 2014 2014 SPRING HOUSE TOUR GUIDE

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Louis B. Tebbetts and family were the first owners. Tebbetts was in the farm equipment and carriage manufacturing business.

• Thirty-two Portland Place, built in 1898 by the architecture firm Weber and Groves, has an unusual story attached to it. In 1931, then owner Dr. Isaac D. Kelley was kidnapped by gangsters and held for ransom for eight days before he was subsequently release unharmed.

• Thirty-eight Portland Place is another Theodore Link-designed home, built in 1905 for Irene and Oscar Johnson Sr. Oscar Johnson was president of International Shoe.

• Thirty-nine Portland Place was designed in 1891 for the Culver family by architect Albert Knell. Knell

also designed Zion Lutheran Church in Old North St. Louis.

• Forty-two Portland Place is the “youngest” house on the tour. Built in 1908 by the architecture firm of Mariner & LaBeaume, its first owners were George Patterson and Ellen Reilly Doan. Louis LaBeaume helped design the 1904 World’s Fair.

In 1988, Julius K. Hunter, broadcast journalist, author and native St. Louisan, wrote “Westmoreland and Portland Places: The History and Architecture of America’s Premier Private Streets, 1888-1988.” Facts from Hunter’s book, along with a past history written by Central West End resident Mary Bartley, provided great detail for this article.

This circa 1904 photo by George Stark shows the west entrance to Portland Place looking east from Union Boulevard. Note the unpaved, dirt roads.

photo courtesy Missouri History Museum

The home at 39 Portland Place was designed in 1891 for the Culver family by architect Albert Knell.

photo by Diana Linsley

Portland Place from page 9

May 9 - 22, 2014Page 10 | West End Word 2014 SPRING HOUSE TOUR GUIDE

10 House Tours

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Page 3: Spring House Tours 2014 - WEW

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The 45th Annual Lafayette Square Spring House and Garden Tour cele-brates 250 years of St. Louis June 7-8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This is not “just” a house tour. The Square will be buzzing with activity on tour weekend. The event will fea-ture carriage rides, trolley rides, a Saturday night concert, plein air art-ists, free snow cones and costumed historical characters. To top it off, An-tiques Around the Fence is back, much to the delight of bargain hunters.

The growth and prosperity of St. Louis in the years immediately follow-ing the Civil War included construc-tion of this picture-perfect neighbor-hood of homes surrounding the city’s oldest park. The neighborhood is St. Louis’ oldest historic district and has been named one of “America’s Pretti-est Painted Places.”

The self-guided walking tour will include a dozen Victorian-era homes and gardens open for visitors with detailed information about the early residents of the homes and their place in St. Louis history.

Costumed volunteers will greet vis-itors as they stroll through Lafayette Park to enjoy antiques, art, children’s activities, specialty St. Louis birth-day drinks and food, vintage baseball games and historic reenactments.

TicketsTickets for the Lafayette Square

Spring House and Garden Tour are $16 in advance, $20 the day of the tour. Children 12 and under may at-tend free of charge. The tour goes on, rain or shine, no refunds.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.lafayettesquare.org. An email confirmation of purchase will be sent and tickets will be waiting at the Park House, 2023 Lafayette Ave., on the day of the tour.

For more information, call 772-5724 or visit www.lafayettesquare.org.

Spring Tour June 7-8In Lafayette SquareA dozen Victorian-era homes will be open to the public

Every year in May, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group hosts a neighborhood-wide house and community tour to show off the warmth of the community, the richness and character of the architecture, the beauty of the community gardens and greenspaces, and the dynamic revitalization in progress.

This year’s tour is scheduled for Saturday, May 17. Come see why Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resources Defense Council referred to Old North as “one of the country’s very best revitalizing neighborhoods,” and why the U.S. EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities selected Old North for the Overall Excellence winner of its 2011 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement.

Old North is developing a reputation as a good model for sustainable community development. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Missouri Gateway chapter presented one of its 2013 Growing Green Awards to Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.

The day’s events also put the spotlight on the local and independent businesses up and down the 2600 and 2700 blocks of North 14th Street, along with some good music and dancing.

The tour features the great diversity of housing styles that make Old North a community where almost everyone can find a place that suits their budget and lifestyle.

Stops on the tour include historically

rehabbed houses that once were abandoned shells, a variety of green/sustainable elements that have been incorporated into new and old homes, community gardens like the 13th Street Garden, and new businesses at Crown Square. The street festival shows off the cool, public space at Crown Square, along the redeveloped former 14th Street Mall.

Ticket InformationTour tickets are available in

advance for $10 and on the day of the tour for $12 per person. Purchase tickets the following ways:

• In advance with a credit card using PayPal. A link is available at www.onsl.org. Tickets will be waiting at the registration tent, at St. Louis Avenue and North 14th Street, on the day of the house tour.

• At the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office with cash/check.

• Send a check in the amount of $10 per ticket to Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, 2700 N. 14th. St., St. Louis, Mo. 63106.

Explore Old North St. Louis Neighborhood On May 17

The Old North tour showcases the di-verse architecture of the neighborhood.

Event includes tour, street festival & more

West End Word | Page 11May 9 - 22, 2014 2014 SPRING HOUSE TOUR GUIDE

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The Landmarks Association of St. Louis, Inc. is holding its annual Pres-ervation Week tours at locations across the St. Louis area May 10 through June 1.

Harris ArmstrongCome see two Oakland homes

designed by Harris Armstrong on Saturday, May 10, 1 to 3 p.m., in Oakland. The homes include one built by Armstrong for his friends, Egon and Dorothea Schwarz, as well as the home Armstrong designed for his own family in 1938.

Tickets are $10 for members, $20 for non-members. Reservations required. Tour begins at 1036 Oakland.

Midtown AlleyThe rise of the area branded as “Mid-

town Alley” continues as more and more buildings in the corridor between down-town St. Louis and Grand Center are brought back to life.

Tour 3201 and 3207 Washington Ave. at Compton on Thursday, May 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tour begins at the front door of 3207 Washington (next door to Urban Chestnut Brewery). Tour ends with a stop at the bar in the private Chame-leon Club.

Cost is $25 for Landmarks members, $45 for non-members. Reservations required.

Former St. Mary’s OrphanageConstructed as St. Mary’s Orphanage

for Girls in 1899, the building at 5341

Emerson Ave. in Walnut Park is soon to undergo a major rehabilitation and begin a new life serving veterans as a residential care center.

Don’t miss this chance to explore the orphanage building, learn about its history, and hear about the plans for its future.

Tour will be held Saturday, May 17, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Parking reserved on the fenced complex grounds. Cost is $25 for Landmarks members, $45 for non-members. Reservations required.

Most Enhanced AwardsFor the last 20 years, Landmarks As-

sociation has been honoring the best of the best in historic rehabilitation in St. Louis with a high profile award ceremo-ny. This year’s event will be held Thurs-day, May 22, 6 to 8:30 p.m., in the re-cently renovated Sun Theater in Grand Center, 3627 Grandel Square.

Cost is $20 for Landmarks members, $30 for non-members (and for tickets at the door). This includes a reception and a chance to explore the theater. Reservations are requested.

Picnic at Kuhs FarmOn Sunday, June 1, from 11 a.m.

to 1:30 p.m., tour the former country estate of prominent north St. Louis businessman Edward L. Kuhs in Spanish Lake. Situated on the bluffs high above the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, this remarkable property boasts stunning views, two Native American mounds, a working

farm and animal rescue operation, a pioneer cemetery and an enormous terraced garden that was designed by Kuhs in the 1920s and 1930s.

Cost is $50 for Landmarks members, $75 for non-members, and includes a catered box lunch and beverages. Reservations required.

To register for any of the tours, email Andrew Weil at [email protected] or Susan Tschetter at [email protected] or call 421-6474.

Preservation Week Events Include Tours, Awards Ceremony

The recent renovation of the Sun Theater will receive the “Most Enhanced Award” from the Landmarks Association of St. Louis. The award ceremony will take place Thursday, May 22, and will include an exploration of the theater.

Sun Theater to receive “Most Enhanced Award”

Tours of two Harris Armstrong homes in Oakland will be available on Saturday, May 10.

May 9 - 22, 2014Page 12 | West End Word 2014 SPRING HOUSE TOUR GUIDE

12 House Tours

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Charm and Savoir Faire make this Pied a Terre a no-brainer. Recently established homeowners association makes this an exciting time to become an owner and be a part of this West End Renaissance! The home is quaint but stylish. Walkability score of 10 with our fair City’s finest restau-rants, clubs, retail and cultural venues less than a mile away. Spaciousness of these upper crust finished rooms will sur-prise and enchant you. This is a happy home where life is easy and cleaning takes a mere couple of minutes a day. You will be enthralled. You won’t be disappointed. Why pay rent? Buy a place and enjoy the satisfaction of owning in what most believe to be the midwest’s finest neighborhood where history, charm, funk and frolic coexist. $64,900

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Page 5: Spring House Tours 2014 - WEW

Russell Blvd. borders the Compton Hill Reservoir Park to the south. The Mansion is at the southeast corner of the park on the south side of Russell. Parking on Russell is free.

Tours are scheduled in conjunction with most Saturday afternoon Compton Hill Water Tower Openings.

• 2014 SCHEDULE •

Adults • $15 | Seniors 65 and up • $12 | Children 6-12 • $8Children under 6 Free

(all children must be accompanied by an adult)

Tour schedule subject to change. For more information visitwww.MagicChefMansion.com

May 17 Noon – 4 p.mJune 7 Noon – 4 p.mJuly 5 Noon – 4 p.m.

Aug. 2 Noon – 4 p.mSept. 6 Noon – 4 p.mNov. 1 Noon – 4 p.m.

Tour the

Magic Chef Mansion3400 Russell Blvd. • St. Louis

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Preservation Week Events Include Tours, Awards Ceremony

The former St. Mary’s Orphanage, located in the Walnut Park neighborhood of St. Louis, will be available for tours on Saturday, May 17.

Midtown Alley properties on Washington Avenue will be open for tours on Thursday, May 15. The grand brick residence at 3201 Washington was constructed for Dr. George Ashe Bronson in 1885. Next door at 3207 is the unique Mission-Revival office of the Central States Life Insurance Company.

West End Word | Page 13May 9 - 22, 2014 2014 SPRING HOUSE TOUR GUIDE

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An exquisite 1908 St. Louis man-sion, previously seen only by private party guests or a rare neighborhood tour-goer, is now being opened to the public on select Saturday afternoons this spring, summer and fall.

The Magic Chef Mansion, 3400 Russell Blvd., with 30 rooms and 120,000 square feet of elegant Edwardian decor and period furnishings, will be on view Saturday, May 17, from 12 noon to 4 p.m., and on the first Saturdays of the month through November (except October).

Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for children ages 6-12. Children under 6, accompanied by an adult, are free. Free parking is avail-able in front of the mansion, along Russell Boulevard, immediately east of South Grand Boulevard.

Proceeds will benefit programs of the Compton Hill Reservoir Square Neighborhood Association. Nearby, the 179-foot Compton Hill Water Tow-er will also offer tours on the same days and hours as the Magic Chef Mansion (see related story).

Tour dates are: May 17, June 7, July 5, Aug. 2, Sept. 6 and Nov. 1.

Magic Chef HistoryWealthy from building kitchen

cookstoves, industrialist Charles Stockstrom selected Compton Hill — then the highest point in the city of St. Louis — for his showplace. The all-brick home, trimmed in terra cotta and topped with bronze and copper finials, cost $49,500 and became the center of the Stockstroms for three generations.

In 1990, when the last resident Stockstrom descendent sold the prop-erty, new owner Shelley Donaho be-gan what’s become a 24-year restora-tion project. Tackling water-damaged ceilings and walls, corroded plumbing, ruptured boilers and decaying electri-cal systems, she achieved a complete restoration.

Now a designated City of St. Louis Historic Landmark, it glistens with original crystal chandeliers, carved wood cabinetry, graceful patios — and even a regulation-length bowling al-ley in the basement. In every room, the home depicts the elegance of early 20th Century St. Louis living. And it shows what a dedicated home restorer can achieve.

More information is available on-line at www.magicchefmansion.com.

In the city of St. Louis, a glorious monument to an era when function followed beauty rises above some of the city’s most charming and historic neighborhoods.

Compton Hill Water Tower, located in Compton Hill Reservoir Park along Grand Avenue, is preserved as a mid-19th century engineering masterpiece. Built in the late-19th century on the highest point in the city, it was de-signed as part of the city’s public water supply system.

One of only seven surviving such towers in the United States (two oth-ers are also in St. Louis), it was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972.

The Water Tower is open to the pub-lic on the first Saturday of each month from April to November. Visitors are able to climb to the top of the 170-foot tower and enjoy a spectacular, 360-de-gree view of the metropolitan St. Louis area that stretches as far as Illinois and the Jefferson Barracks Bridge.

Saturday openings are scheduled: for June 7, July 5, Aug. 2, Sept. 6, Oct. 4 and Nov. 1, from noon to 4 p.m.

In addition, “Full Moon” openings are scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to mid-night on Wednesday, May 14; Fri-day, June 13; Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, Aug. 10. Openings are also on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 8, 5:30 to 10; and Thursday, Nov. 6, 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12, and free for children under 5 and for Water Tower & Park Preser-vation Society Members.

Magic Chef & MoreThe Magic Chef Mansion, just a few

hundred yards from the Water Tower at 3400 Russell, will be open for pub-lic tours on the same Saturdays and for the same hours – noon to 4 p.m. – as the monthly first Saturday tower

openings (see related story at left). And selected establishments in the

South Grand business district — Ar-senal Street to Utah Place — will be offering food and drink options on the evenings of the monthly “Full Moon” openings at the tower and the first Saturday afternoon visiting times.

Naked Truth 100th AnniversaryA public celebration in Reservoir

Park on Saturday, May 17, at 1 p.m. will mark 100 years that the bronze “Naked Truth” statue has proclaimed German cultural values and achieve-ments in St. Louis.

Master of ceremonies for the May 17 event will be Robert Duffy, former arts and culture editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a founder of the St. Louis Beacon. Principal speaker will be Esley Hamilton, for more than 30 years St. Louis County government’s historic preservation specialist and acknowledged as the region’s leading expert on historic structures.

For more information, visit www.watertowerfoundation.org.

The circa 1908 Magic Chef Mansion, 3400 Russell Blvd., was fully restored to its former glory by current resident Shelley Donaho.

Elegant 1908 Magic Chef Mansion Open For Tours The Compton Hill Water Tower and

“Naked Truth” statue in Compton Hill Reservoir Park.

photo by Diana Linsley

Compton Hill Water Tower Public Tours Available

May 9 - 22, 2014Page 14 | West End Word 2014 SPRING HOUSE TOUR GUIDE