9 Washington Terrace

9 Washington Terrace is one of the most elaborately designed houses in St. Louis, and its design style inspired many of the building designs for the 1904 World’s Fair. The mansion was designed in 1895 in the Beaux Arts style by the architectural firm Barnett, Haynes, and Barnett as one of their earlier works. In the years following the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, many St. Louis architects, including Barnett, Haynes, and Barnett, began to prepare for the World’s Fair that would be coming to St. Louis, and built mansions in the Beaux Arts style, with 9 Washington Terrace being one of the examples. The mansion features elaborate artwork and sculpting around the whole mansion, complete with stone lions out front and Corinthian columns at the entryway. The interior features elaborate woodwork and many fireplaces, like many of the mansions built at this time, and the third floor features a ballroom, which would have been used during lavish parties that were often thrown by wealthy families in the late 19th and early 20th century. The mansion was built for Eugene F. Williams, who was an executive with the Hamilton Brown Shoe Company. Along with this over 9000 square foot mansion, Williams also owned the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company, which is headquartered in St. Louis, although it has its main ranch in Texas. The mansion remained in the Williams family until at least after 1920, as Washington Terrace was still one of the most exclusive private places in St. Louis at the time. Despite losing favor in the mid 20th century to areas like Clayton and Ladue, the Terrace was made a city landmark in 1973, and the area rebounded as revitalization took place in the Central West End. Today, the mansion remains as one of the most expensive in St. Louis, and as one of the show pieces of St. Louis architecture. The Pitchfork Cattle Company is still owned by the Williams family, ran by Eugene F. Williams III.

HABS survey photo of 9 Washington Terrace