James Meagher Mansion

This mansion on St. Louis Avenue in the St. Louis Place neighborhood is one of the largest and most elaborate structures that survives on the street. The mansion was built in 1879 for prominent businessman and grocer, James Meagher. Meagher had immigrated to North St. Louis in 1850, around the same time as many other Irishmen, who populated Old North St. Louis and St. Louis Place in the years before and after the Civil War. By 1870, Meagher had accumulated enough wealth to buy a house on St. Louis Avenue, which was then referred to by many as Millionaires Row. By 1879, he had become wealthy enough that he decided to build this Second Empire mansion on the street to show his prominence, and by 1899, when he died, Meagher was one of the most influential figures in the Merchants Exchange. The building was later sold to a funeral home company in 1910, and in 1921, they commissioned Charles P. Riechers to build a chapel as an addition to the main structure. The funeral home moved in 1929, and for many years, the building was used by a variety of different churches. The building was recently converted to become the George Vashon Museum of Black History, and it is currently open to the public. The interior details of the building are well preserved, although the museum does not allow photos of the inside.