Before we leave the Compton Hill neighborhood, I have to show you a mansion left over from a more elegant time in the South Grand area – the Erastus Warner Mansion.
Originally built in 1888 by architect, Theodore Link, for lumber baron Erastus Warner and family. Link was more famously the architect of the beautiful Union Station here in St. Louis. This home was one of many beautiful mansions in the then Tyler Neighborhood. It’s one of the few to survive today, however.
While Link designed of the house was a graceful blending of styles, also incorporating the amazing three-story tower, the interior has intricate and delicate master woodwork throughout the home, thanks to Mr. Warner. The grand staircase was hand-carved in Germany and features large flowers throughout the design and reflected in other woodwork in the home.
The house has been many things over the many decades since it was the Warner residence, including a funeral home and livery and a storage facility. But nearby hospitals and healthcare organizations saved it and used it for graceful offices over the years. While I would love to see the inside, it is currently the offices of Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri. I would feel weird walking in and asking for a photo-op tour. But, it’s a beautiful home to see from Reservoir Park and gives a glimpse into the what the area was like in days long gone.
(I would love for you to come back to visit, so please SUBSCRIBE using one of the buttons I have up there at the top on the left. And be sure to find me on Facebook for behind the scenes stuff and general goofiness. I’m on Twitter, too, but be warned – I have been known to accidentally tweet-bomb during baseball season!)
