All the iron on Earth originated in large stars that existed before our Sun even formed. Iron is the final product of a star’s radioactive decay, which fuses hydrogen atoms to form ever heavier elements. When the hydrogen fuel is exhausted and sufficient mass accumulates in the core of the star, it no longer supports its own gravity, and explodes; or so I’m told. In that supernova explosion, huge chunks of iron can be thrown many light years into space. Such a chunk came to land in eastern Missouri’s St. Francois County and became Iron Mountain.
Much later, on Earth
Iron Mountain was the single largest deposit of iron known to exist in the late nineteenth century . By 1885, with its river and rail connections, St. Louis became the center of cast and wrought iron production in the United States. It hosted nine major architectural firms, of which Christopher and Simpson Company was a standout.
There is an outstanding collection of locally produced structural cast iron at the National Building Arts Center in Sauget, Illinois. The center is responsible for the renovation and placement of an entire iron storefront in the new Gateway Arch museum. This is one of over 100 such storefronts in their collection, many of which were the product of Christopher and Simpson.
Moving in together
Jacob Arthur Christopher was an Alsatian French immigrant. He settled in St. Louis in the 1850s, and took a job as an iron foundry man. He served as superintendent with Pullis Brothers Iron Company for twenty years. By the late 1870s, he owned an ornamental iron company called the Christopher Company. Several local storefronts from that era still have the original cast iron columns bearing the company name.
In 1888, he and his partner and brother-in-law William Simpson bought the Edward Bredell estate. It stretched from Simpson Place to Geyer Ave, south of Lafayette Park. They hired the architectural firm of Grable and Weber to design their houses.
Brief architectural note
Alfred Grable and August Weber designed many mansions in St. Louis, in addition to commercial, church and civic structures. Their firm is credited with the introduction of mill construction. This increased fire protection by eliminating hollow spots in walls and floors supported directly by girders and brick walls. In the early 1890s, they devised a unique variant on an architectural style called Richardsonian Romanesque. The Christopher and Simpson homes in Lafayette Square are perhaps the best remaining examples of this style.
When the brothers-in-law finished their homes in 1893, the Christophers vacated an earlier home at 2108 Lafayette Avenue. This home, built for Christopher in 1876, was a 12 room stone front house facing the park just west of Waverly Place. Christopher sold it to Henry Ruckert for $15,000 in 1893. Longtime Square resident Kirby Greene rescued it from a failing rooming house state in 1974. The Simpsons resided at 2006 Lafayette Avenue during construction, several doors away from the Christophers.
Christoper and Simpson were reported to have paid $47,500 for the famed two story, 16 room Bredell Mansion, a local landmark built half a century earlier.
The Simpsons razed the Bredell mansion, and took up residence directly across the street from Jacob and Harriet Christopher. Harriet’s sister Annie Simpson lived with the Christophers at their newly created address of 1703 Simpson Place. This street centered the district’s last subdivision in 1902. William Simpson soon began building rental housing on its east side. Only one of these remains, following the creation of I-44, which truncated Simpson Place.
Getting down to business
The two partners were aces at diversification, and prospered in business. A story from 1914 relates the story of two other men who owned much of what was just west of downtown St Louis in 1840. Colonel Chouteau and Judge Lucas subdivided property there at about $25.00 per linear frontage foot. By 1914, the same land was selling for $4,000.00 per foot. In late 1891, Christopher, Simpson, and another longtime Lafayette Square neighbor, Gustavus Schuchmann leased this property for 99 years. It became the site of the Chemical Building at Eighth and Olive Streets. The land beneath it sold for $500,000.00 in 1914 ($12.5 million today.) Architect John Maurice designed 1425, 1427 and 1431 Missouri Avenue for Jacob Christopher, who built them on spec in 1882.
While overseeing iron work on the new Planters House in 1893, Christopher fell 25 feet into the cellar. He was knocked unconscious and sustained a severe scalp wound. His mix of constitution and disposition had him back to work in short order.
Keeping the air clean in the Square
Christoper and Simpson joined Given Campbell (an early superintendent of Lafayette Park) and newspaper publisher Carl Daenzer in an 1891 lawsuit against two local railroads. This was an attempt to restrain them from releasing “smoke, cinders, dust, ashes, soot and gases” from their power plant at Geyer and Missouri Avenues. The litigants were unsuccessful in this case, after a two year battle. They promptly signed onto another suit and continued slugging. In 1894, the Union Depot Railroad were ordered by the court to put abaters on their boilers within 30 days, or face a $50.00 fine (!) Embracing a little fossil fuel output themselves, both men were early driving enthusiasts, and Jacob Christoper built a heated garage (still there today) to house his new Packard automobile.
The Christopher and Simpson foundry at the corner of 8th and Park Avenue was heavily damaged by the tornado of May, 1896, and quickly repaired.
Founders end but the foundry remains
In April of 1908 Jacob Christopher died at age 81 from a heart attack at his home in Lafayette Square. In addition to his lifelong business activity, he served as a volunteer fireman and Lafayette Park Commissioner for years.
William Simpson, also president of the Ohio Society, died less than a year later, at the age of 62 from the same approximate cause. Both mens’ funerals were held at Lafayette Park Presbyterian Church. In 1920, Jacob’s son Arthur moved his family to a beautiful summer home on Christopher Drive in St. Louis County. It was later sold to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and is today known as the Jesuit White House Retreat Center.
The Christopher and Simpson company continued to thrive after the deaths of both principals. This remains evident in the widespread examples of their signature iron storefronts.
World War I led to large government contracts and fast growth. In 1920, the firm moved from its original Park Avenue iron foundry (razed in 1952). They completed a new steel plant in Maplewood, eventually capable of producing 40,000 tons per year. It was the largest mill west of Pittsburgh, and furnished the 6000 tons of steel needed for the Missouri State Capitol building. The enterprise was merged into the Decatur Bridge Company in 1922. Control of the company moved East. Without the durable friendship of their fathers, the families fell into suits and countersuits over money in the partnership, even leading Harriet to sue her son Arthur, and winning a judgement of nearly $50,000 in 1918.
Conclusion
Both of the lovely houses survive today. It’s a tribute both to the endurance of their construction and the neighborhood in general. I’ve always found it interesting that these two men, business partners and relatives by marriage would choose to build their homes facing each other, rather than Lafayette Park. The two houses are the only ones that decided against the obvious charms of a park view. This becomes something of a metaphor for the strong relationship between partners and families. Or maybe just keeping an eye on each other to make sure each got to the office at the same time.
Next time you’re out wandering Park Avenue, or Lafayette Avenue, Soulard, or Old North, Carondelet, Lacledes Landing, or any old commercial part of St Louis, take a look at the sturdy iron storefronts. It took a lot of strength to support all the brick above, and iron continues to provide it. Christopher and Simpson’s supernova product is still all around you.
Resources
Troy and Sarah Doles for access to photographs of the Simpson Family
For more about the other iron men of Lafayette Square, the Pullis Brothers, see my earlier essay lafayettesquarearchives.com/1878-iron-men-the-pullis-brothers/
The National Building Arts Center – founded by former Lafayette Square resident, the late Larry Giles; http://web.nationalbuildingarts.org
Lafayette Square Holiday house tour booklet, by Trace and Lynn Shaughnessy
Sale of Bredell Estate “A Vanishing Landmark” from St Louis Post-Dispatch; June 18 1890; Page 5
Lafayette Square Holiday house tour booklet, by Wayne and Julie Padberg-White
Also from the website for local web designers Studio 2108; (https://studio2108.com) originally in the St Louis Star; 1893.
Sale notice of Bredell Estate from St Louis Post-Dispatch; November 15 1890; Page 3
For more about smoke and abatement in Lafayette Square, check out my earlier essay http://lafayettesquarearchives.com/1934-john-a-bryan-on-clearing-the-air/
William Simpson died on January 29 1909 and funeral held from Lafayette Park Presbyterian Church
Christoper Injured from St Louis Post-Dispatch May 7 1893, Page 30
Old Foundry Razed For Third Street Highway; St Louis Post Dispatch September 11 1952; Page 38
Suit against Scullin Line Power House; St Louis Post-Dispatch; October 10 1892; Page 5 and October 16 1893; Page 6
Chemical Building sale history; St Louis Post-Dispatch; January 15 1914; Page 1
Harriet Christopher sues her son; St Louis Post-Dispatch; June 9 1918; Page 25
Historical notes on Simpson Place from Mimi Stiritz’s memorable submission to the National Register Of Historic Places in 1985.
Lafayette Square by John Albury Bryan; Landmarks Association; 1969
The various addresses for both Christopher and Simpson cross checked against Gould’s Directories of 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1890, 1893 and 1894.
Photo of Chemical Building from St Louis Magazine; courtesy of Restoration St Louis; April 15, 2019;
Amazed at all the info you come up with! Always enjoy reading the history. Thank you.
Thanks for reading, Mary Beth. The fun part is kicking over some rock with a compelling story underneath. It gets me moving.
Excellent article, as usual! I did notice what appears to be a typo; the Simpson house is at 2126 Lafayette (at least according to the city website), not 2102 as noted in the photo caption. Thank you again for sharing all of your research with us!
Sharp eye there, Adam. Thanks for the catch; I got a little off line on that reference. Change made as suggested.