Gonna get Derby

My friend Sarah 's Derby Party (or, as Gus calls it, a Dirty party), is what I like to call a triple threat. Sarah and I went to undergrad and law school together. She also lives in the same neighborhood as many of my friends and thus I have three groups of fun people to mingle with. Here we see the backside of her neighbor's mansard.

Mimi in a jockey cap.

Audrey and her friend G.

Gus going for more of a Cinco de Mayo theme.  Kay at age 11 was all like "totally bored mom.  I want to go home and don't take my picture.  "

Badmansard weekend

Scenes from the badmansard weekend. Friday night we had a pool party for the 2nd and 4th grade GirlScouts atthe LafayetteSquare Bath and Tennis.

In our garden, the

Southern Magnolia re blooming. The bloom is lovely, but with the bloom comes shedding of big, crispy brown magnolia leaves. I pay the kids a nickel a leaf

to pick them up. THe other plant picture is my tree lawn (the strip of plantings betwe

en the sidewalk and

street). White Shasta daisy, purple sage, knock out roses.

Saturday featured a Crawfish boil. Good times were had by all. Fortunately, we put our collective parenting foot down and told the kids there would be no crawfish pets taken home from the party. And imagine my surprise when we arrived home- not soon thereafter the naked bike ride went by our house. In fact, there was a collision pile-up of nakeds!

Finally, Sunday was learn to play hock

ey at Affton, the only time we left the city limits. Gus calls this his hockey face.

Bad Mansard v. Alabama twister

Here's what's left of a bad mansard apartment? Office building? John's second cousin Jessica H. took these photos in her town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. John has a large extended family in Alabama and fortunately they are all ok.

Having grown up in St. Louis, I am quite used to tornado sirens. Seems like they go off all the time now, perhaps due to tornadic (is that a word?) in adjacent counties.

Sometimes I am a bit nonchalant about getting down to the basement when the sirens start howling, and then talking. They do that now- talk- like the teacher in Charlie Brown. Scenes like this and our own Good Friday Tornado and the Tornado of 1896 are a reminder to me that I should get myself into the basement.

Our first house in Lafayette Square didn't have a 3rd floor. Its 3rd floor was ripped off in the 1896 tornado. The roof and then bricks were peeled from the masonry home and went flying, likely into windows and people. That brick cyclone must have been horrifying and terribly dangerous.

Lesson- get in the damn basement.

Disturbing images, City of St. Louis

Disturbing yes, but also very funny.

Look closely at the trash truck. There is a baby face sticking out of the bumper. I've also seen a refuse truck with an Elmo affixed to the front grill. I am going to start collecting pictures of trash trucks.

The second picture is the message board at the Lafayette Square playground: "Have fun kids. You could die tomorrow." Brutal!

What up shortie?

A pair of oddballs on 18th Street in Benton Park. Mini-mansard Permastone craziness to the right, and an infill (?) to the left. I hate that red mulch and the overgrown yew shrubs in front of the mansard. The little place to the left is kinda cute.

Trivia: Name a street found in Benton Park, Soulard and Lafayette Square. Answer: 18th Street.

Graffiti- I'm cute!

This is a trash container on the Lafayette side of Lafayette Park installed when I still lived on Mississippi, perhaps 8 years ago. Almost as soon as this receptacle went in, someone wrote "your cute" [sic] on it. I so badly want to add an apostrophe so it reads "you're cute." I do appreciate the kind words and I am glad the message is still there. Quite motivating- running Lafayette Park (4 laps = 3.5 miles) and reading that I'm cute.

Kewt!

I have a mild obsession with the mini-mansard. This is a two story on 13th Street in Soulard. There are two different types of 2-story Second Empires.

Houses like le mansard enfant were designed to only be two stories, thus the fancy details on the second floor roof, windows,etc.

Others are two stories only because their third stories were destroyed, likely by the tornado of 1896. Homeowners just roofed over the 3rd story flooring material and that was it. My first house in Lafayette Square had a lost 3rd story. Because the mansard is missing, the only Second Empire details remaining are the brackets and dentil work. I've said it before, but I hate the paint color the new owners picked. YUCK!

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.

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.

Lafayette Square

Love the color patterns in the mansard itself.  Houses on Lafayette near the Highway 44 on-ramp.  

Jefferson deux

Welcome to Lafayette Square!  Here is a bad Mansard on Jefferson #2 at Lafayette and Jefferson which I would imagine the neighbors don't like very much.  I believe, but don't quote me, that this was to be the site of the Mary One Johnson commercial retail development.  

Forest Park v. Tower Grove Park: We're all winners here

End of year kindergarten trip to playground.
Kay vogue-ing after soccer practice last fall.
Children's Concert Series, Piper Palm House, last summer.
Swimming in Victorian wading pool. Free admission. Lifeguard on duty.

Tennis lessons. Park also features St. Louis' only grass courts.
You know those green gates that keep cars off some of the streets? Don't run under one because you may bang your head like Audrey here and need stitches in your scalp.
Audrey climbing.
Gus on ruins about a year ago.
Kay, Mimi and I at St. Margaret Easter egg hunt.

Stupid to even debate which is better- how lucky are St. Louis is to have these two wonderful parks. Actually, St. Louis has many wonderful parks anchoring its neighborhoods. John and I first lived in an apartment at 4504 Laclede at the intersection of Taylor and Laclede. Forest Park was our pre-child playground. I'd start the day with a 5-10 mile run (!). Amy Z. and I would ice skate on Sunday nights. Beer fests, softball, picnics, Boathouse happy hours (even before it was rehabbed), Jewel Box weddings- all were in our backyard. Now that I think of it, in high school John and I would drink vodka and Mountain Dew in Forest Park on Art Hill, so our Forest Park days go way back.

We bought our first house about 10 years ago on Mississippi in Lafayette Square. Lafayette Park is about 1/50th of the size of Forest Park. Even though it is much smaller, it felt more 'ours.' We worked in the rock garden with neighbor Rebecca who refused to use Round Up (she still won't- I do, albeit sparingly). I ran the .9 miles around the park numerous times to eek out a decent run. More drinking- sometimes at the summer concerts, but mostly just cocktails and walking the dogs. RIP Bear, our 110 pound dog that pulled me like a water-skier over Lafayette Park's pebbly roads.

I'll always remember my friend Colleen R., whom I did not know at the time, pulling up and asking, "Hey, were moving here from Kansas City- are there any kids that live in this neighborhood?" To which I replied that I sure did hope so because I was pregnant with one. When Kay was born we pushed her through the park and met up with the handful of other moms at the playground. Colleen still lives in the same house she bought 10 years ago and is a hostess supreme and is one of my favorite people. By the time I was pregnant with Audrey, the Lafayette Square house was on the market and we were on our way to Soulard.

Soulard has no single central park- there are three smaller parks- Market Park, Pontiac Park, and teenie-tiny Aboussie Park on 13th. I go to all of them. Kids love exploring Aboussie Park on evening walks. The Pontiac playground and nearby garden are newly renovated and worth the trip. When I run, I usually loop the brewery a few times and do a few loops of hilly roller-coaster park, Lyon Park.

We're getting to the end and it is this: Tower Grove Park is my grown up park. Originally plotted along with the Missouri Botanical Garden, it is a privately maintained park available to the public. The groundskeepers are so considerate that they turn off their equipment when you walk by so as not to disturb you.

We're in TGP at least once a week: School field trips, tennis lessons, school picnics, soccer, t-ball, Easter egg hunts, family bike rides, brunch at Cafe Madeleine at Piper Palm house. The beauty of TGP is that while I'm doing my mommy thing in TGP, other folks are happily doing their things. Old dudes resting on benches. Birdwatchers. A gay kickball league. Bosnian and Mexican kids playing soccer. Weekend Farmers Market. Urban family reunions. Good times for all- just the way Henry Shaw must have hoped for.

Rome of the West has a lovely post on TGP and its history. Click here.

Dos de Mansard de Rue Lafayette

This is the backside of a Lafayette Square mansard on Lafayette.  Lovely, isn't it?  This was the backdrop of a birthday party/BBQ I recently attended (I was in the neighbor's backyard).  Note the mansard and brackets wrap around the side and back of the house.  

Most St. Louis 2nd Empires feature the decorative roof and bracket only on the front of the house facing the street.   I suspect the original Victorian homeowners of this maison could afford to show off with the all-the-way-around expense of the roof/bracket combo.  

I appreciate that 125 years later I was able to enjoy their hard work and money spent at a nice Memorial Day party drinking beer and watching kids play.  

zut alors!

This seems so wrong when viewed from the side.  It feels dirty.  

Jumeau (twin)

This Lafayette Square house on Lafayette is the twin mansard of mon mansard.  Non, the houses look nothing alike.  However, each was rehabbed by City Lights/Randy Middeke, city rehabber extraordinaire.  

I was able to view this house prior to it going on the market.  The interior color palette, bathrooms, fixtures and finishes were exactly like mine.  Which is a good thing because my house rocks.  

If you plan on rehabbing a city house, or even just need help with a kitchen, bath or room, call Randy.  He is the best in the area.  Honest, excellent craftsmanship, attention to detail, historically appropriate renovations.  Here is his website with some amazing before and after pictures, many of which are ma maison.  CLICK HERE.

C'est trop grand et trop noir

I feel bad deeming this development a bad mansard but since it gets in my face daily, I have no choice.  It's asking for it.

Here we have the newly built Union Club by Gilded Age at Jefferson and Lafayette on the site of an old Aldi. When I lived in Lafayette Square I actually used to shop there on occasion- it was too cheap to pass up.  And I am nothing if not cheap.  5 cans for $1.00.  Cannot beat that with a stick, but this mansard deserves a beating.

The Bad Union Mansard (BUM) started off well.  The neighbors were happy to replace the Aldi. The developers originally promised "mixed street level retail and residential."  blah blah blah.  Everyone says that.  This usually means residential over some retail- sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

Here's what the plans look like, and specifically the front elevation- link here.  Unfortunately, I seldom drive that part of Lafayette.  I usually see the back side of the Union Club about 5 times a day, as does anyone who travels on highway 44 or Jefferson.  This mansard always has its exophthalmic eyes boring into the back of you skull.  It's such a shockingly large mansard that it's easy to lose focus and drive off the road.

I appreciate the brick facade (although I bet it's just veneer) and the effort made with the turrets. I sense that the developer cared at street level, but clearly checked out early on the mansard.  Such a huge bad mansard is certainly ironic given Lafayette Square's stock of gorgeous 2nd Empire Victorians with flawless mansard roofs.

This roof looks like it was fabricated in a giant's workshop and shoved on top of an unsuspecting dollhouse with Super 77 and shoo-goo.  There's no variety in color, texture or tile. No windows- in fact, there are more windows on one wall of the single family "printemps" mansard below than the ENTIRE southern elevation of this 39-unit development.  Like its subsidized public housing mansard fail neighbors to the east at Lafayette and Tucker, this giant, hulking mansard looks like the Stay Puff marshmallow man and charcoal briquet cross-breed; the unibrow of mansards.

Bad Union Mansard (BUM) does look decent at street level, assuming you don't look all the way to the top of the building.   Get used to this bad mansard- there's no escaping its bulky gaze.  

La Mansard de mon ami

This lovely mansard belongs to my bonne amie J.P.W. and her husband W.  It's about as perfect as a mansard as you'll find anywhere.   I met J+W when our oldest children were infants in the Lafayette Square ad hoc playgroup.  Lafayette Square is crawling with kids now, but back in 2001, there weren't very many of us.  Anyway, for as long as I've known J. she's been doing up her mansard avec some serious skill.  This is her 3rd floor roofline-  check out that detail!  I don't know what the curly-cues are officially called, but they sure are pur-ty.

I also like the restraint she has shown with her paint colors.  Unlike some other houses in Lafayette Square, J's paint colors are tasteful and restrained.  Note to crazy paint people in Lafayette SQ:  don't take the painted lady designation so literally.  Painted lady does not mean crazy Pantone experimental freak-fest.  

Ironically, J's sister teaches French and I should hope she never proofreads my French (as I would hope Madam Mason of WGHS or Madam Muratore at Mizzou never track me down either).

Close, not quite though

This is recent Lafayette Square infill on Park Ave.  Decent looking for a new Mansard, but still stands out as a little odd looking.  I don't think the Mansard is part of a third floor, thereby making it a Faux-sard.  I like to be able to get all up in my Mansard and walk around (the original point of a Mansard- it's a functioning level of the house).  At least these 3 units looks proportionate and attractive.  I like the paint colors too.  Notice the cool Richardsonian Queen Anne to the left of the nouveau Mansard.  

Sans Mansard

This is my premiere Mansard in the Lafayette Square neighborhood.  We weren't its owners for longer than a cup of coffee.  We bought it in 1999 and moved out in 2002 to buy our current Mansard.  Cette maison est sans Mansard.  Pourquoi?  Le tornado of 1896.  A terrible and powerful tornado steamrolled over the neighborhood destroying and damaging many of the dwellings.  Throughout Lafayette Square Mansards like this that are literally missing their tops.  Instead of rebuilding the 3rd floor, the homeowners called it a day and made the flooring of the 3rd floor the roof.  My old house above was rumored to have a roof crafted of nothing more than tar over a pine floor.  It never leaked though.  

I must point out that when I owned this wonderful little house it wasn't so drab looking.  It was a festive vert (green) color avec white trim and a rouge door.  Here's a link to what it looked like when I owned it.  Note the Mansards proper in the middle of the block that were spared by the tornado.  My sans Mansard is the green house to the far left.