Lafayette Square Homes Tour - Volume Two

 In 1884 this home, 2332 Whittemore Place,  was built and it's first occupant was a female doctor who used the front room as her office.  Over the years it suffered neglect and, after a period of time as a rooming house, was purchased in 1976 by the current owners.  They demolished interiors down to the brick, furred, insulated and dry walled for a new beginning.  Original moldings were replaced with exact duplicates.  After the garden shot below, I have included some of the sights and homes between this house and the next one on the tour.

                                      Above, church which has been converted into apartments.

Lafayette Square Homes Tour - Volume 1

 This year's tour coincides with the 250th birthday celebration of St. Louis symbolized by the "cake" above.   Their were vendors set up all along two sides of Lafayette Park with all sorts of interesting things.

 Above... a very large mirror reflecting the home across the street.

 The first house I'm profiling is at 2114 Lafayette, built in 1870 in the Second Empire Victorian style with a distinctive Mansard roof.  The current owners purchased the home in 1983 and have spent thousands of hours in restoration.    The first floor was open for touring.

 The owners have also invested a lot of time in creating their garden, which was also on tour.

Lafayette Square Park, St. Louis

This is the first in a series of posts on a trip I took to St. Louis to visit my daughter and her boyfriend and to see the Lafayette Square Homes Tour.  First in the series is Lafayette Square Park.  

Land was set aside in 1836 for the park and it was dedicated in 1851.  After the park was created many new, exclusive, homes were erected around it.  Swan boats sailed the lake, carriage rides were par for the course and there was a parade ground for the militia to practice and perform.  Above is a replica of the curved bridge built in the first park.  

 On the day of the Tour there were complimentary carriage rides through the park.  Below, the Park House which contains a bust of the Park's namesake, Lafayette.

                             The pond has geese and swans as well as a complement of ducks.

 Above, men in period costumes playing baseball... this field was originally the parade ground for the militia. Below, these guns are from the British Man O'War Acteon, sunk in an attack on sullivan Island in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina on June 28, 1776.  The were installed in the Park on October 20th 1897.

 Senator Thomas Hart Benton, who may have had a hand in arranging for the land set-aside that created Lafayette Square Park.  We have our own tribute to the Senator in the center of the round-a-bout at St. John Avenue and Benton Boulevard in Northeast Kansas City.

                                  Fairy house on the island in the lake with swan and geese below.

                         Above, not sure of course, but this swan looks to be "sitting" on a nest...

                                                              Above and below, George Washington

Kessler Park Sunset