1880: Building Styles Of Lafayette Square

Lafayette Square bears historic designations from both the City of St Louis and the National Register of Historic Places. They bestow an enforced permanence to the look of the Square. Recognition of the authentic and increasingly rare Victorian Age style in our buildings ensures their survival. There are various forms and combinations of styles in our architecture, but following are four major types. Let’s say you have relatives or guests in from the suburbs. You want to give them the straight scoop on what the heck is a mansard. Here is a brief field guide. 

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1904: History Of The Lawn Mower

Longtime reader Tom Grady posed a provocative question after reading my recent essay on old time baseball in Lafayette Park. He asked what kind of lawn mowers were used back in the 1860s. The actual games in question were in 1861.

The first patent for a modern bicycle design was first issued in 1866. That design would seem simple compared to one for a lawn mower, but not so. It turns out that the harvesting of crops was more of a practical necessity than say, riding the KATY trail. So the mower got invented first. 

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