Mansard help!

This is 2162 Geyer in the McKinley Heights neighborhood at the intersection of Geyer and Missouri.  Waverly Place Associates (maybe affiliated with YEHS?) has owned the place since 1985.  This mansard looks to be well-secured and dry; someone seems to give a semi-shit about it.  

I think this place would be a fan-freaking-tastic if rehabbed.  Looks to be about 4000 square feet.  Nice little corner lot with part of an extra lot.  Intact cornice, brackets, molding, etc.  Anyone know more about this house or its owners?  What's with the little side door?  Sorry, J'ai plus questions than answers.  It's an intriguing grande mansard.  

Jefferson trois

The third bad mansard on Jefferson, the Jefferson Animal Clinic.  This is just south of Russell.  I've never gone here even though it is close to my house.  I drive all the way out to Millis on Hanley in Richmond Heights.   It's where we brought my childhood animals and my mom dated Dr. Rick in high school.

J'adore Hickory

I love Hickory in Lafayette Square between Mississippi and 18th.  I *think* I've been in this house.  Unfortunately, as with some 1980's rehabs, a previous owner punched out part of the second floor to create this mezzanine type area.  Total bummer if you need the square footage.  I guess it would be easy enough to replace.  

Now that I think of it, our old house had this STUPID circular wrought iron staircase which took you to the exact same point where the front stairs took you.  We removed it and had part of the floor replaced.  It wasn't that big of a deal (structurally) but was a PITA.  By the way, vodka + wrought iron stairs = broken foot, circa 1999.

Mansard d'avocat

This mansard is in downtown Hannibal.  It was a single family home rehabbed into a law office.  I took a deposition here once:  the witness was an aggressive hypochondriac accident faker.  

Mansard enfant de Soulard

A cute little baby mansard in Soulard on 12th between Gravois and Allen. I've never been too crazy about purple trim, but I'll still classify this mansard as good. School starts on the 24th and then I'll get back to bad mansards.

I've had some great reader submissions and I'm going to feature two new categories: Mansard help! (mansards that need rehab) and Unusual Mansard Uses.

Sidney Street shout-out #2

Here's another great mansard on Sidney.  Mark my words:  Sidney will soon have the same hip factor as McPherson in the CWE or Park Avenue in Lafayette Square.  Sidney goes from the Mississippi River and dead ends at Grand.  Its best parts straddle Soulard and Benton Park.

This storefront recently won an award for its excellent rehab.  I think it's great:  the cute little storefront, the french blue and yellow, etc. 

The problem with Sidney:  a bunch of crap rental absentee owners plaguing Sidney between 12th and 13th.  More on that later.  I'm being positive this week.  

Mon ami P.A.K.'s house

Continuing our series on mansards that make me happy, this is the maison of my friend P.  in the Shaw neighborhood.  Of note, the eastern blocks in Shaw tend to have the older houses and therefore may have a smattering of 2nd Empire or Queen Anne Victorians.   

P. and I both started out in Lafayette Square and moved around the same time- me to Soulard and she to Shaw.  Which is ironic because her kids go to school in Soulard and my kids go to school in Shaw.   

Un autre duo

These are some big mama mansards on Park Avenue in Lafayette Square. The folks that built these houses in the 1880's had beaucoup bucks.

Note the center hall plan with the wrapping mansard. These are not shot gun style homes that are so prevalent in Lafayette. You can walk in the front door and go left OR right. (in case you'd never thought of it, in most of the 2nd Empires, you walk in the house and access each room in a straight line)

Which one do you like better? I prefer the bleu. There is no wrong answer. Both of these houses are terrific and their owners have done a wonderful job with upkeep, paint, landscaping and mansard-ing.

petit. GRAND!

Little and big 2nd Empire neighbors in Benton Park.

Hanging out on the corner in Soulard

I love this corner of 12th and Russell in Soulard.  It embodies the diversity of Soulard.   The four corners are St. Joseph of Croatia Catholic Church, John McGurk's Irish pub, a retirement apartment complex and this building which used to be Clinicia, a hispanic outreach health clinic. 

La Clinicia is gone and this is now an art place.  I was originally a little skeptical of the paint colors but I love the paint job here.  Well done earthy edgy hip artist types!

Deux Semaines de Bonnes Mansards

Ete is almost over and I am wilted like mes fleurs- tired and peaked.  It's all I can do just to keep clothes clean and dinner on the table.  Trop going on!  Until les enfants start lysee on Aout 24, I am going to liven my mood by focusing on lovely mansards on the south side.  No bad mansards for a while.  They bring me down.  

First up!  Well, I guess this is almost depressing.  We may as well all pack up and go home.  This is about the most beautiful house I've ever seen in St. Louis.  None of us will ever live in a house this gorgeous.  This is the Magic Chef mansion on Russell in the Compton Reservoir neighborhood.  

I am including a picture of the water tower because 1.  it's pretty and 2.  it makes me giggle because it is so phallic.  It looks like a penis space shuttle.

Straight outta Compton- 2

A Compton Heights lovely.  My novice impression of the architectural style:  Richardsonian (stone front) meets Spanish  (tile roof) meets 2nd Empires (mansard roof).   One day people- 63104mom will pack up the badmansard husband and children and move to Compton Heights.  I wouldn't even have change my 63104mom handle.

Mansard bleu

This is kind of a reverse screwed up mansard.  Usually the building itself is good and the roof is bad.  I love what happened here:  the mansard looks great, but the building is goofy.  In Kirkwood on Monroe near Kirkwood Road.

Depressing Hannibal Mansard

Hey St. Louis- you think you have problems with your old buildings going to hell? Go to Hannibal and prepare to be say "pour quoi." This is Hannibal's former federal building. Lovely cresting, tower and mansard. Built in the 1880's in the 2nd Empire Style and designed by Mifflin Bell. Read its application for National Register of Historic Places here.

This building has been mostly empty since a new federal facility was built. The courtrooms are still intact and evidently you can get a tour if you ask the right people. And, the bottom of the building is what every historic sight should have- a tacky bar. The Down Under Lounge, where according to the cheap signage, you can got to taco OR pasta night and drink some Baccardi rum.

I love Hannibal. It's a nice town with lovely buildings. Someone please help this mansard.

I would like to point out Hannibal's regular courthouse was renovated about 7 years ago and it is drop dead gorgeous. I'm not sure of the exact date of remodeling, but I do remember the dockets were moved to the courthouse in Palmyra where cell phone coverage was so spotty that I had to use the payphone on the corner. I must have looked like Palmyra's only prostitute hanging out on the corner making phone calls.

This is the dome of the Hannibal courthouse. Locals tell me the dome was covered by a drop ceiling and was relatively intact when remodeling started.

Last random thought: the Hannibal courthouse is one of the cleanest in the state. Also, it is one of the few courthouses with a ladies lounge in the bathroom with electrical outlets (in case your carrying a Medela Pump in Style).

Nice trim....