This Italianate mansion on Meramec Street in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood is a rare surviving example of this particular type of Italianate design, which features a multi gabled roof. Italianate mansions were popular between 1850 and 1880, and took on a variety of styles, ranging from designs like the Tower Grove House, to this design, to designs more similar to the Lemp Mansion. The area to the south of Gravois and east of Grand was opened up for development in the late 1850s and early 1860s, and many of the German settlers of St. Louis began to move there due to the cheap and abundant land. The earlier developments in the area were usually either small settlers homes, or mansions with large tracts of land, as was the case with this house. This particular house was likely built between 1865 and 1870, with the historic register listing putting the date as 1870. Between 1890 and 1920, the neighborhood was filled in with urban development as the streetcar lines brought people into the area, and enhanced the business districts along streets such as Meramec, Chippewa, and Jefferson. However, by the 1960s, streetcar lines had been discontinued, and many people moved to the suburbs. The effects were felt the most in neighborhoods like Soulard, Benton Park, and Lafayette Square, but as these neighborhoods were restored, the neglect and decline just moved further south. Today, the area is still experiencing decline, but efforts are being made to restore many of the buildings. Despite the decline, many of the historic buildings in the area have survived, and the area is listed as a National Register Historic district.
