Great topic. I had found a newspaper in my house from the St. Louis Daily Globe dated January 05, 1919.







I have been meaning to do some more research on my house, though haven't had the time. I did get some great information on my house through Edna Gravenhorst of 3NB & Company (Three Nosey Broads). She can research the history of your home and the people that came before you. For me, she quickly found the engineering real estate data card in the basement of city hall. It was stamped on September 02,1915 by the St. Louis Street Commissioner and comes complete with the original owner's name.



I had attended one of her workshops last year and found it very informative. She has provided information for "If Walls Could Talk" on HGTV when they featured some of St. Louis' historic houses. If you can't get to one of her workshops, there is also a great workbook for sale in bookstores that will help walk you through the process of researching homes in the city. Here is more information:



"Historical Home Research In The City of St. Louis"

A step by step workbook using the Three Nosey Broads' research methods.

Look into the windows of the past to discover your home's history.



Available at the following bookstores:



Dunaway R Bookseller

3111 S. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63118

Phone: 314-771-7150

Web: http://www.dunawaybooks.com



Left Bank Books

399 North Euclid

St. Louis, MO 63108

Phone: 314-367-6731

Web: http://www.left-bank.com



Missouri History Museum Gift Shop



Missouri Botanical Garden Gift Shop



Borders Books & Music

(Brentwood, Sunset Hills, and Ballwin)





Edna Gravenhorst

3150 Ohio Ave.

St.Louis Mo. 63118

(Home Phone) 314-762-9192

(Cell Phone) 314-304-7341

Web: http://www.3noseybroads.com

Email: ednagravenhorst@earthlink.net

The condo I just purchased and moved into is in a building that is about 88 years old. 8 stories, 56 units...yada yada. Very nice building with great detail work on the exterior but the dimensions of the units are weird.



Next year I am scheduled to be moving into a loft in the Lucas Loft development. I believe those buildings are over 100 years old.



However, I'm now very intrigued by the Ventana.

I live in the Parkview Building which is at Skinker and Waterman. The Building was built just after the Worlds Fair of 1904. It has 9 units in the building plus one maids unit and one butlers. The building was built to look like something from Paris and house important europeans staying in Saint Louis during that time.

I wish I knew more about my building. It's a 6 family flat on Connecticut, all shotgun style. Great big windows, I love it. Interesting factoid, my Grandparents lived with their parents in a flat just two blocks south (Utah) of where I live now when my grandmother was pregnant with my mom (who was the first born). I'm at 3870, they lived in 3855. I drive by their old place and marvel each time I see it. Trying to imagine the Neighborhood was like when they were there. They were married young, so they would have been in their early 20s. Which mean they lived there in the late 40s. Yikes.

Initial research on my house was done by Edna Gravenhorst of Three Nosey Broads.



Here's the script from the plaque I placed on the house:



"The Slezak House

Circa 1869

Probably built in the 1850s, this house first appears in historical records in 1869 when Bohemian immigrants Joseph Slezak, b1819, and wife, Catharine, b1824, moved here with sons, Frank and Joseph.



Joseph Krivanec immigrated from Bohemia in 1882 with wife, Catherina and son, Joseph and bought the house in 1892. Daughter, Marie, was born in 1895 and her descendents owned the house until 1975.



Work by family members and tenants, some from attached or adjacent buildings no longer standing, included homemaker, tailor, saddler, blacksmith, stonemason, carpenter and fireman.



Joseph, d1890, and Catharine, d1901, Slezak are buried at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery in St. Louis."



There is no record of the exact date that the house was built. My research indicates that the possibility that Joseph Slezak inherited the house upon the death of his bachelor brother in 1869.

The history museum has a few publications devoted to helping research the history of specific dwellings, and will enthusiastically assist anyone interested.

My building in the CWE (the Carleton Apts.) was designed in 1923 by St. Louis/New York architect C. Boazkiel and built in 1925. It was originally built as an upscale men's hotel but during the Great Depression it became a residential hotel for vagrants and undesirables. It wasn't until the late 1950s that the building was renovated as apartments. It declined briefly in the 1970s when it was known to be a flophouse where wealthy businessmen would take their mistresses to f*ck, but was acquired soon thereafter by owners who really cleaned it up. It has been continuously occupied since the day it was built.

My house turns 100 in 2011. That's old.

My home was built in 1862 - civil war history bounds. However, it was a gut rehab 7 years ago - yet this allows me the beauty of new and old.

Thanks to Citylover's tip, I found out that my Southhampton area, four family building was built in 1922.



By the way: Sweet digs, Matguy!

Thanks Farmer!

It is Home Sweet Home.

A lot of Civil War period homes in the neighborhood.... mine built in 1862 - the oldest is next door at 1860 and the Lemp Mansion was also in the early 1860's.

If you were to stand on my porch - you would be looking down over the Mississippi River which is a nicety too.

Our house is just about done and the rehab company provides us with a book of the history of the house. Currenty, I know it is about 130 years old and was built by George Dennison who used to be a judge in St Louis. I can't wait to read about it!!!

Sushiq - I just realized you are ANOTHER DC to St. Louis! I keep seeing that! Congrats! Sorry to put you on the spot, but would you consider going to the Introduce Yourself section and tell about you path from DC to St. Louis? I would love to know.

I think St. Louis should start advertising in DC to lure more residents!

I posted the info!



You are right. I bet you would get a lot of people that would love St Louis. I have started the ads with my friends. I might stand a chance with getting a few once they visit and see the value on the dollar for a house!

Does anyone know if the city has an office of records or archives of some sort where I might be able to find blueprints or specs for my house?



Thanks!

How old is your house? You aren't going to find any blueprints or drawings with the city unless your house is historically significant - even then it is extremely unlikely - or unless your house has been renovated in the last few years. Otherwise, the only records the city would have would be title/transaction/tax related. MSD would have drawings of underground utilities/pipes on your property, but I don't think that is what you are looking for.



Even if your house is historically significant, it is unlikely you will find anything, but you could try the Missouri Historical Society:



http://www.mohistory.org/content/HomePage/HomePage.aspx



Or, you can pay someone to research your house:



http://www.3noseybroads.com/

jlblues wrote:How old is your house? You aren't going to find any blueprints or drawings with the city unless your house is historically significant.

You are correct, you won't be able to locate blueprints at city hall, but you can get your hands on the engineering real estate data card in the basement of city hall. This gives you an outline and dimensions of the exterior of the house. You can also get a copy of the original building permits via city hall.



As mentioned above, 3noseybroads.com is a great resource, but they have also published a workbook that I picked up a few years ago at Dunnaway Books on S. Grand. The workbook walks you through the process of gathering as much history on your house as possible.

From the awesome link to the city database provided earlier, the South St. Louis home I lived in until I was 21 was built in 1931. Brick home with stained glass and the old coal (?) chute fom the outside to the basement.

matguy70 wrote:My home was built in 1862 - civil war history bounds. However, it was a gut rehab 7 years ago - yet this allows me the beauty of new and old.

^ beautiful red brick moma!

urbanstlouis wrote:but you can get your hands on the engineering real estate data card in the basement of city hall. This gives you an outline and dimensions of the exterior of the house.

Are you referring to the plan view of the lot/adjacent lots and building that usually comes attached to your title, or is there something else available? Because I recently asked about a couple of properties and they said they had nothing other than what I already had with the title. Then again, these are very old properties and these were government employees to which I was speaking.