View Full Version : And now for something different
iris lilies
4-29-21, 11:23pm
These houses are For sale in my neighborhood.
The first one was owned by Jim King who died recently. He was a nice and eccentric and quiet guy. I used to talk to him about iris. But never got a glimpse of his house it was locked up tight and he had shutters affixed to the front so no one could ever see in. Now I see why. He lived here longer than I have. He left my neighborhood association a nice chunk of change.
His house is yowza! Wowza! Eccentric artist here.
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1204-Half-S-18th_Saint-Louis_MO_63104_M97561-71655 (https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1204-Half-S-18th_Saint-Louis_MO_63104_M97561-71655)
Then, a nice little stone church, finally renovated from top to bottom. We have been watching this little place deteriorate for decades, so when the current owner, a real estate developer, bought it we all breathed relief because they have a reputation of doing difficult renovation projects very well.
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1320-Mackay-Pl_Saint-Louis_MO_63104_M85868-10098
I would post a few interior photographs of these places except that my Internet is so slow tonight that I can’t get JPEG’s to load.
sweetana3
4-29-21, 11:30pm
There was a show about a church in England that was done very much like the church above. Smaller scale but same design. I cannot even compose a comment about the first house. Kept him busy.
Teacher Terry
4-29-21, 11:59pm
Guess he never heard that less is more:)).
rosarugosa
4-30-21, 5:38am
Wow, the first house was really cool, but so much going on visually that it gives me a headache. The price is crazy to me. In my middle-class town, $325K would get you a teardown on a decent lot.
The church is a nice restoration, but there is something about the interior that lacks charm and warmth.
I really liked the artist's house (although I would decorate very differently!--but an amazing house, with incredible spaces, and cheap) and really hated the church reno. Ugh to the church. Yay to the artist's house.
Thank you, IL, for posting these listings, so different and so interesting in the contrasts.
I loved the church reno; the serene colours, the space, the layout, the openness. I have seen other church renos that struggled in design to convert to family living space. Such a pretty building!
The artist's house makes me wish that I could have walked through with him letting him share the story of each piece. Very turbulent colours. The garden area was interesting for such a small space.
Love these!!!
The artist's home: Boy, that gives me such hope for sticking to color and quirky!! Why, oh, why can't Hilary Farr and Joanna Gaines be as inspirational?? It makes me realize that no matter what, you have to be true to yourself in your home decor. Screw the trends. Not saying I could live in the level of "stuff" that he has, but I know who he is when I see his house, and that's awesome.
The church: razz, yes, it is a serene adaptation for the church, but I have mixed feelings on it.. I do think they did a great job of modernizing it while paying homage to its roots. SO glad they kept the stained glass--all of it, it seems--and I would pray that whoever buys it keeps it. The dove above that mantel is gorgeous. And I like the way they framed parts of the stained glass. I guess my problem with it is the color?? That all-too-popular grey? I'm trying to decide if it's too much of a disconnect with the architecture or not. But all around, really beautiful homes--both of them.
Thanks for posting them. That neighborhood looks beautiful, IL.
I know who he is when I see his house, and that's awesome.
Interesting thought. Do we see our homes expressing who we are? Or, are the contents simply a collection of stuff reflecting our interests over the years?
That is the impression that I got of the artist's home - just a pile of stuff, almost a hoarding life. I am not denying his creativity and interests but why so much squeezed in the space and impossible to maintain. I wondered who went through cleaning, removing cobwebs and dust before putting the place on the market.
Using this home, not to disparage anyone but as an example to trigger discussion, do our homes express who we are?
I have never seen anything quite like the first. St Louis has the most interesting architecture.
iris lilies
4-30-21, 9:24am
I have never seen anything quite like the first. St Louis has the most interesting architecture.
That’s why I’m here!
iris lilies
4-30-21, 10:10am
Bob Cassily also came out of this neighborhood. He is the mad genius behind City Museum and he was The most enthusiastic and important salvager of architectural elements ever born.
https://www.citymuseum.org/about-us/gallery/
Bob’s ex-wife Gail, another artist, was close friends with Jim King;they lived half a block from each other.
there’s so much artistic energy and talent born my neighborhood. I get nostalgic and weepy thinking about those people of my generation now moving on to artistic endeavors in the sky.
Edited to add: I can’t get images load these days
, I guess our Internet connection is crappy.
catherine
4-30-21, 10:12am
Using this home, not to disparage anyone but as an example to trigger discussion, do our homes express who we are?
I definitely see homes as a form of self-expression. I think that's why I hate shows on HGTV: they are ALL beige, the furniture is ALL out of Wayfair or a place like that. The owners/buyers only want to strip the homes of any interesting architectural feature. I've often said to DH that I'd hate to have an HGTV designer come in and strip out all my stuff and replace it with a bunch of crap from HomeGoods. And they always leave that one personal item: a framed wedding photo, or a letter from a dead grandparent to give it a shred of sentimentality.
My son tells me about a girlfriend he had who told him once, "Your apartment is so YOU." He took it as a compliment: his one-bedroom apartment is simple, in an old Victorian house with dark moulding, with walls covered with beautiful paintings and drawings and photos and other ephemera given to him by friends. I would hope someone would say the same thing about me. I want my home to be my form of self-expression. Kind of a happy, warm coat made of 4 walls to wrap around me.
iris lilies
4-30-21, 10:26am
I’m sad that the new kitchens of my friends all use the same material: white shaker cabinets. Check. Subway tile. Check.Quartz countertop that mimics marble. Check.Two of the three of these guys are Design aficionados. Design is important to them.
One of these friends who has wonderful decor had stunning, absolutely iconic red lacquer kitchen cabinets that were on a track so they moved back-and-forth. There was no real point to the movement except that it was cool. This red kitchen was many years ago and now he installed the standard kitchen that everyone must have. Sigh.
This and two other kitchens just like it caused me to stay away from white cabinets. I was mindful of someone here who commented : if you avoid a trend for something you really like, you are still allowing it to influence you.This is astute, granted.
I cannot bring myself to install white shaker kitchen cabinets even though I do like them, and they are so fresh looking.
happystuff
4-30-21, 10:46am
Interesting thought. Do we see our homes expressing who we are? Or, are the contents simply a collection of stuff reflecting our interests over the years?
Using this home, not to disparage anyone but as an example to trigger discussion, do our homes express who we are?
I think my home "used" to express who I was... "was" being the key word here. I've changed but my home no longer feels like "me"... if that makes sense. I've changed through the years, but my home has not and I'm ready to move on.
Bob Cassily also came out of this neighborhood. He is the mad genius behind City Museum and he was The most enthusiastic and important salvager of architectural elements ever born.
https://www.citymuseum.org/about-us/gallery/
Bob’s ex-wife Gail, another artist, was close friends with Jim King;they lived half a block from each other.
there’s so much artistic energy and talent born my neighborhood. I get nostalgic and weepy thinking about those people of my generation now moving on to artistic endeavors in the sky.
Edited to add: I can’t get images load these days
, I guess our Internet connection is crappy.
The lady who bought my house in SC was close friends with Bob Cassily.
iris lilies
4-30-21, 11:08am
As for our home reflecting who we are: I like to think I am a Chamaeleon who can live in many styles of house and I will create an interior that is appropriate for that house. The decor is about me but it is also about the basic structure.
This is what I like to think but who knows if it’s really true.
I’m looking forward to moving out of my Victorian townhouse Which I love due to DH is carpentry work into a country cottage as well as a tiny sophisticated city condo. To me these are three very different spaces.
iris lilies
4-30-21, 11:41am
The lady who bought my house in SC was close friends with Bob Cassily.
It’s a small world! I,used to half way believe that lafayette Square,my neighborhood, was the center of the universe. I think it’s not far off. Egotistical? You bet! Haha.
I think my home "used" to express who I was... "was" being the key word here. I've changed but my home no longer feels like "me"... if that makes sense. I've changed through the years, but my home has not and I'm ready to move on.
HS this is SO me, too. I could have written the title of the "I Hate My House" thread. My house does not reflect me whatsoever. However, maybe it does. It's not pulled together, not organized and not tranquil. So maybe it IS me, but not who I wish to be. How much of that affects who I am right now (reversing the thought).
The St Louis City Museum is an amazing place. Thanks for the link to have fun exploring its history.
Having given more thought to 'does my home express me", I agree with Catherine. It does and it was fun walking the dog and thinking about it.
Happy Stuff is correct that because none of us stands still, it is to be expected that our house will evolve as well.
Looking at the two properties in the original post and examining my reaction to them and comparing to mine, my house needs to be clutter-free ( I wish it was usually but I love it when it is).
I see my house has NO curtains as IMO they are messy dust collectors, intrude into the space and limit the light coming in. I have outdoor roll-up shutters for privacy, temperature control and security for large windows and simple blinds elsewhere.
I see wall colours as the picture frame of the contents so prefer serene neutral shades. The contents provide the colour accents and focus with again simplicity.
Nothing extra or of any great significance in contents but valued just the same.
Maybe that total picture of the house does express me along with my gardens - simple, unique with colourful accents. Fun to explore.
My brother lives in University City and walks to his office in Clayton a few blocks away. Their house is probably in the 4000sf range so way too big for two old people. The doorways are all gothic shaped archways as are all the bathtub enclosures. I love that era of houses and I can understand them not wanting to leave that leafy beautiful neighborhood of stately houses.
iris lilies
5-3-21, 10:23am
Update of the crazy house: it is being picked up in national outlets like “Zillow gone wild” and etc.
someone flew in from California to see it. The owner, a local real estate agent who bought it from the estate for $125,000 cut off showings after 48 hours and stopped answering his phone. I drove by and saw into the hallway, wow.
It is sold. I don’t know how much it went for, but my friend who is a real estate agent had a client who put in a full price offer for cash, but he did not get this house. His client was going to use it as a vacation house! Cool idea.
The house has no central heat or air conditioning, so that is retro. Very few houses in my neighborhood had central heat systems before urban pioneers renovated them. I guess that just was not Mr. King’s priority. :)
Thanks, IL. I find the gray barn floor in the church just dreary...but I am not at all fond of gray. They certainly did make it quite habitable as a home and kept the architectural parts intact...but those gray sliding doors with the pinkish stained glass seem to clash.
So glad the artist's house sold. I really really liked the chapel and the garden. Beautiful spaces.
Curiosity is my second name as an fyi.
Does an estate sale set legal limitations on how an estate is disposed of? Was this property not initially advertised as for sale? Was there a conflict of interest in a real estate person buying an estate sale and then flipping it shortly afterwards? Were you surprised that an agent purchased the property and then put it on the market with wider advertising? Is there more to the story due to the estate issues? I know this thread started regarding the uniqueness of the property so feel free to restrict it to that.
Around here, as I believe is the usual, a real estate agent may purchase property provided there is full disclosure etc. There have also been a significant increase in complaints regarding dubious real estate practices in the news lately - blind bidding and sharing the bids offered https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/analysis-real-estate-bad-things-1.6009035to bid them up for a better commission etc.
iris lilies
5-3-21, 4:11pm
I think most people in this neighborhood think that the real estate agent who bought it for $120,000-ish got too good of a deal. He did make some improvements such as putting in a bathroom downstairs. He did some painting. And I don’t know how extensive that was, but painting that house would’ve been an interesting challenge
I know the people involved in in the estate, they are not unsophisticated people. They are attorneys and so they probably wanted it off their hands. They are also very involved in our neighborhood now because the deceased artist left us money in a trust to do interesting projects and events in his memory. Very nice of him.
Thanks for the additional info, IL.
What exactly does "no central heat" mean in St. Louis? In the western half of California that phrase means that the home has a wall furnace or two that one uses to take the chill off in the morning. Or not, if one doesn't mind it being a little cool before the day warms up. In St Louis does it mean, "a fireplace in every room that has to be kept going most of the winter to keep the pipes from freezing?" Or is there some other regional meaning to it?
iris lilies
5-3-21, 10:47pm
Here, it means the place has electric baseboard heating units.
Gas/forced air furnaces with ductwork for the air to travel through is the most common central heating system here. A few giant Victorians here have their original heating systems, radiator heat where hot water circulates through them. Those were houses of the very rich. Back then, my house was heated with a fireplace in the main rooms and probably a stove in the kitchen.
My 1927 condo has radiator heat and the condo association is always fussing with the big boilers in the basement.
I remember those wall furnaces in houses in New Mexico.
Thanks for the explanation. Electric baseboard heat in that house must cost a small fortune every winter. Here there's a big push to eliminate natural gas anything which is probably fine in the temperate parts of the state because heat pumps are great in places where it doesn't get that cold, but it seems like a dreadful plan for the eastern half of the state. The stove in our house is electric (and practically brand new) but there's a gas hook up in place. I hate the stove. If we ever have to replace it we will get a gas one. Depending on how far in the future that replacement is we may have to drive to Nevada and schlep it back ourselves. Our forced air furnace is gas but original to the house from 1977. We are probably going to replace it this summer with another gas one which would likely last for as long as we live here.
Random question, was coal a popular heating energy in St. Louis? In Denver almost every house built before WWII used coal. Our house, like most, had a coal chute at the back of the house that had been turned into a small window that opened to a coal room in the basement that had been converted to a bedroom when the house was switched to a gas central furnace. Our furnace was gravity based, so no fan. The ducts were huge (maybe 10 inches diameter) and the vents were all in the central part of the house, not by the outside walls as is standard with a forced air system. It worked ok but the edges of the rooms that were far from the vents were a little chilly on cold days/nights. My high school was still steam radiators heated with coal boilers when I was a student there in the early 80's. They had to have a janitor shoveling coal full time on cold days to keep the boilers boiling. I assume that in the intervening years that it has at least been switched to natural gas fired steam boilers.
iris lilies
5-4-21, 6:05pm
Yes, Coal would have been burned in St. louis houses. The pollution back then was awful.
I hate my electric baseboard heating. Our electric bill was $500 a month for 4 months. And this house is less than 700 sq. ft, AND we use our wood stove every day in the winter. It's ridiculous. I would love to do a mini-split eventually.
Yes, Coal would have been burned in St. louis houses. The pollution back then was awful.
I assume the pollution in Denver was equally bad back then. Our house also had a brick trash incinerator in the back yard that was maybe 6x6x6. I can’t imagine how awful that was if everyone was burning their trash that way. But the pollution number didnt start being a part of the weather forecast until the late 70’s/early 80’s when everyone could see the ‘brown cloud’ blocking the view of the mountains most days all winter long.
I hate my electric baseboard heating. Our electric bill was $500 a month for 4 months. And this house is less than 700 sq. ft, AND we use our wood stove every day in the winter. It's ridiculous. I would love to do a mini-split eventually.
Is the mini split also electric? I am curious about these for our house, too. It would be nice to get air conditioning, as the older we get, the more difficulty we have breathing in the summer.
Is the mini split also electric?
It is, but the operational costs are much lower than electric baseboard heat. or window A/C. We have one on our insulated porch. Its powerful enough to keep the entire downstairs of our house comfortable if I keep the door open. We live in an area with high electric costs, this adds maybe 15-20 dollars to a 120 dollar bill. Using the window A/C which only handles the bedroom runs more than that.
Wow! What brand is it, and where did you find it? That sounds really promising.
We have baseboard heat and a small house. The winter bill runs about $300 for the worst months and once we got air conditioning the summer bills are not more than $150. We keep it at 65 or 70 during the day for heat, 60 at night unless it's windy, then we keep it up. AC runs at 74. We chose not to put heat with the AC unit as it would be forced air...from the ceiling. I'm in central-western Maryland.
My mini split is Mitsubishi. I use the a/c more often than heat but I like having the heat in spring and fall. We don't use the porch in winter months so I can't speak to those costs.
iris lilies
6-14-21, 11:49am
You all remember the insanely imaginative artist house, subject of this thread. Well two sales have fallen through. Hummmm imagine that. The owner/listing agent held it open for neighborhood people to take a gander since we are all very curious.
Here’s my proof that we were in the house on Saturday. This is a picture of DH standing in the dining room.
when you’re in it you see what a hazard it is. There’s lots of chatter about making it a tourisT destination Airbnb unit, but I can’t imagine the liability of having strangers stumble around in that house. In every room is an opportunity to drop down to another story. Yikes.
But it is an awesome experience, absolutely fascinating, and wonderful.
3833
Teacher Terry
6-14-21, 12:20pm
How nice that it was opened up for you guys to see it.
It will take an unusual person to deal with all that excess and still stay sane. It is one of the dwellings that is good to visit but not to stay.
IL, if 3/4 of the contents were removed, would it become a normal dwelling or is it too cut up for that kind of a future?
iris lilies
6-14-21, 12:38pm
It will take an unusual person to deal with all that excess and still stay sane. It is one of the dwellings that is good to visit but not to stay.
IL, if 3/4 of the contents were removed, would it become a normal dwelling or is it too cut up for that kind of a future?
Interesting question. Even removing so much attached-to-walls-and-ceilings “stuff” leaves cavities in the floors. Rooms are ceilinged in weird angles that some people would have to stoop under.
The building has no central air and no central heating. That is pretty extreme for the year 2021 in my neighborhood.
And the kitchen is just hilarious. There is an electric cooktop perched on a well decorated pedestal. I don’t think there’s an oven in the kitchen. The countertops are copper and fabulous.
I would’ve snapped it up at $125,000. I would then regret it! Haha. Which seems to be happening to the buyers, they are backing out after having second thoughts.
If I was living in another life and had money, I would modify it but honor the artist in doing so.A nice thing about it is that it’s a small Victorian house on a wonderful Street in a fabulous neighborhood.Just that alone makes it a fine real estate purchase.
It reminds me of the House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Maybe it should just be made into an attraction for everyone to enjoy. I'd pay to go through it.
https://www.thehouseontherock.com/about/
Interesting question. Even removing so much attached-to-walls-and-ceilings “stuff” leaves cavities in the floors. Rooms are ceilinged in weird angles that some people would have to stoop under.
The building has no central air and no central heating. That is pretty extreme for the year 2021 in my neighborhood.
And the kitchen is just hilarious. There is an electric cooktop perched on a well decorated pedestal. I don’t think there’s an oven in the kitchen. The countertops are copper and fabulous.
I would’ve snapped it up at $125,000. I would then regret it! Haha. Which seems to be happening to the buyers, they are backing out after having second thoughts.
If I was living in another life and had money, I would modify it but honor the artist in doing so.A nice thing about it is that it’s a small Victorian house on a wonderful Street in a fabulous neighborhood.Just that alone makes it a fine real estate purchase.
I love your pic of your DH standing there. I haven't even seen the house and I am enamored with it. I hope someone who really "gets" the artist's aesthetic appears from somewhere and buys it. It could be maybe tempered a little, made safe, and turned into an airBNB.
Kind of related, my son is on his way back from Nashville but needed one night in a hotel because he had to be out of his place the day before his flight took off. Because of my travel experience he asked me if I would book his hotel. He wanted to stay in Nashville his last night, as opposed to staying in an airport hotel.
Well, I found this one (https://www.russellnashville.com). I had to book him in it. He got back to me after he checked in and he's afraid that he'll be hallucinating later on, sitting at the bar with imaginary bartenders. It is unusual, but it's a place I would stay at just for the fun factor. It's an old renovated church--they retained the stained glass windows and they've repurposed the pews into nightstands. When my son was talking to me he was talking really low and he said that he felt he had to because he feels like he's in church. Here's a gallery of photos from the website: https://www.russellnashville.com/gallery-the-russell-nashville
Keep us posted on the artist's house, IL!
That Nashville hotel looks like fun in photos. Was the shower stall a repair truck or simply a repairman providing service?
iris lilies
6-14-21, 7:18pm
The Nashville boutique hotel in a church looks great. Such clean decor in annold building, good choices on their part. That church must have been huge because they’ve got 23 rooms.
The Nashville boutique hotel in a church looks great. Such clean decor in annold building, good choices on their part. That church must have been huge because they’ve got 23 rooms.
Well, I don't think my son is enjoying it after all. He said it's "creepy as hell". :). I'm not surprised.. he's not very religious and doesn't really appreciate that kind of architectural detail. And it's very quiet and he's like his dad: He'd probably prefer sitting at a crowded lobby bar. Oh well. It makes for a good "last night in Nashville" story.
iris lilies
6-14-21, 8:03pm
Well, I don't think my son is enjoying it after all. He said it's "creepy as hell". :). I'm not surprised.. he's not very religious and doesn't really appreciate that kind of architectural detail. And it's very quiet and he's like his dad: He'd probably prefer sitting at a crowded lobby bar. Oh well. It makes for a good "last night in Nashville" story.
i would like it!My number one preference for staying in a hotel is architecture architecture architecture.
I had to stay in a Holiday Inn some days ago that was a perfectly nice Holiday inn, really quite nice. But there it was, one of those motel towers on the edge of the interstate. UGG. No architecture. No setting. But nice rooms, lovely staff.I’ve learned to rate those things a 5 out of 5 because this Holiday Inn cannot help that it has no soul.
But I woild much rather give my five star rating to a place that is interesting.
I have enjoyed the interesting BandBs or other strange hotels far more than an ordinary chain room. Far more to talk about after the visit. Stayed in a Lafayette Park BandB in St. Louis years ago and the Cheshire Inn there. Hubby says it might have been 35 years ago and we still have clear memories of the visits. Also the converted camel stable and the maharaja's palace hotel plus other oddities in India made life long memories.
Seems the chain spots always leave the bad memories probably because they are not given the leniency to be quirky. Still remember the new build that was rented to us without having the toilet completely attached to the floor and a counter height desk with a regular desk chair among other issues. Kind of like stopping at McDonalds for food instead of hunting out an interesting diner.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.