1867: The Lafayette Park House

Crowd management in the park

This victorian home in miniature was built as a single story police station in 1867, around the same time as the fence surrounding Lafayette Park. It was a field office of sorts for the main Soulard Police Station. Police stationed here dealt with the large crowds routinely drawn to events like Thursday concerts. These were held at the bandstand, the ruins of which remain to the northwest of the Park House. In 1873, the Daily Globe reported: “It has been rare that a fine day has called out less than five thousand people to listen to the music.” Historian John Albury Bryan noted,“crowds on Sundays exceeded those of Thursdays.” He quoted the St. Louis Republican from May 23 1877. “Visitors to Lafayette Park on Sunday, between 1pm and 6:45 pm totaled 13,749.” 

The heyday of the park

The building was enlarged in 1870, with funds from the city police and park board. This added water and gas lines,“water closets for male visitors” and a second floor. It became home to the Lafayette Park Board of Improvement. Formed in 1851, this board had administrative control of the park. It was Three residents at a time led the development of both Lafayette Park and the surrounding neighborhood.  Charles Gibson, William Maurice, Stephen Barlow, Edward Bredell, John Rust, Charles Meyer, ES Rouse and Archibald Gamble all devoted years to the park board. The mayor of St. Louis and the city engineer were permanent members. This  conveyed political heft to decisions by the group. It also underlined the importance of Lafayette Park to the city in the late 1800s.

Lying fallow for decades

The police station served as the main military induction office in South St. Louis during World War I. The last reference to it that I can find is in the Police Department annual report for 1919. The city assumed responsibility for the park in 1943. The Old Police Station was then converted to a groundskeeper’s residence, and became known as the Park House.

The structure eventually fell into disrepair, and lay abandoned, boarded up and whitewashed, for twenty years.

New interest within a rejuvenating area

In 1975, the Lafayette Square Restoration Committee (LSRC), sharing the cost with the city, renovated it as a visitor center. The government of France that year donated a bust of the Marquis de Lafayette, executed by Jean Houdon. This was a nice pairing for the same artist that sculpted our statue of George Washington. The bust originally lived outdoors, beneath the Cook Pavilion. Security concerns moved it to the Park House, where it resides today.  

Closer to today

The LSRC performed a second major restoration, using a matching grant from the Whittaker Foundation in 2005-2008. The organization rebuilt the small gazebo in the back of the Park House from scratch. 

A large urn lays in the path just to the north of the Park House. It covers what was originally a circular horse watering trough. Note the gas light near the door still at work.

It appears mighty peaceful today, but remains the true heart of the Square. The Park House hosts the meeting needs of several neighborhood groups. It is the formal address for mail to both Lafayette Square and Lafayette Park – 2023 Lafayette Avenue.  

Note: The references to Jean and Antoine Houdon are to the same person. His full name was Jean-Antoine Houdon.

Thanks to research sources, including:

A Walk Around The Square; Tom Keay; 1985

Report Of The Board Of Improvement Of Lafayette Park; W.H. Maurice;1874

Lafayette Square; John Albury Bryan; Landmarks Association Of St Louis; 1969

The History Of Lafayette Park; Carolyn Willmore; lafayettepark.org/history; Undated

Lafayette Park Police Station Is Reborn; EF Porter Jr; St Louis Post-Dispatch May 21 1975

Architectural Drawing From The Lawrence Group via Marquis December 2007