If John Albury Bryan was the father of the restoration of Lafayette Square, it might be fair to ask who the mother was. The answer is most likely Ruth Kamphoefner, and rightly so. However, there were movers before Ruth moved to the Square in 1972. Consider the fascinating lady that lived about 100 feet from Bryan on Benton Place. She died eight weeks before him, and the passing of these two must have resonated in the neighborhood. Let’s take a time trip back and look in on Henrietta “Retta” Strantz Reed.
Continue reading “1960: Retta Reed – ‘Mayor’ Of Benton Place”Category: Historic People
1938: Zeitinger Can’t Beat The System
A 1938 Post-Dispatch obituary noted the death of Christian J. Zeitinger – inventor, promotor and hydraulic engineer. He was 73 years old and died from “the infirmities of age.” It recalled his frequent appearances in bankruptcy court, the result of financial scheming in the development of a gravity flour mill invention.
In 1946, Retta Reed, who lived for years at 35 Benton Place in Lafayette Square, bought and razed the abandoned house across from hers. Curious about 40 Benton Place, I began an expedition backward through the newspapers.
1916: Frederick Gardner – Coffin King
The hot market for St. Louis coffins
St. Louis was once preeminent in the manufacture of shoes and booze, white lead, bricks, and crackers. Less famously, it was home to a coffin trust, with a hammerlock on the funeral supply business. Here is the story of Frederick Gardner and the St. Louis Coffin Company.
Continue reading “1916: Frederick Gardner – Coffin King”1835: Sol Smith – Father of St. Louis Theater
It’s not everyone who gets to create the first permanent theater west of the Mississippi River, make out like a bandit on Lafayette Square residential acreage, and keep Missouri in the Union as the Civil War loomed. But Sol Smith did.
A recent essay in this space featured Adelina Patti, opera diva of the late 1800s. As a child phenomenon on nationwide tour at the age of 12, she played dolls with the granddaughter of Sol Smith. He owned the St. Louis Theatre, where she performed. Over the years, many stage luminaries visited with “Old Sol,” who was known as the father of St. Louis theater.
1884: The Opera Diva And Lafayette Park
Adelina Patti, the opera diva reminds me that I’ll read nearly anything put in front of me. This includes ingredient lists on food boxes, consumer warnings for everyday products, and clothing labels. I like to steal a glance at anything printed out for someone else to read, or printed on a consumer product to avoid legal action.
Continue reading “1884: The Opera Diva And Lafayette Park”1876: Keevil, The Hatter
Continue reading “1876: Keevil, The Hatter”“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I can’t take more.”
“You mean you can’t take less,” said the Hatter: “It’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
1975: A Felonious Bldg. Commissioner
The photo at top, left is of 1926 Hickory Street in April, 1970. It is a ‘before’ example of the kind of property recognized and restored in Lafayette Square back in the brave days. This story is about these empty hulks, and about what you can lose when you trust that your government works always in the public interest.
Continue reading “1975: A Felonious Bldg. Commissioner”1874: The Cattle Call From Lafayette Square
In the list of St. Louis City ordinances from 1861, there appears a provision for the handling of dead animal carcasses, and a prohibition on raising hogs within the city limits. There is even an ordinance banning the flying of kites. But is no mention of the movement of cattle through city streets.
Continue reading “1874: The Cattle Call From Lafayette Square”1949: John Albury Bryan Reboots Lafayette Square
Deciding where to start in a story can be challenging. The Lafayette Square saga provides several options. Perhaps 1836, when the St Louis Commons was set aside as an area for the public to graze livestock. Or 1851, when the 30 acres of Lafayette Park were formalized. Maybe 1896, when the whole place was upended by a definitive cyclone, or 1923, when zoning laws changed to allow commercial development in this residential area.
Continue reading “1949: John Albury Bryan Reboots Lafayette Square”1849: The Benton Statue – East and West
There stands a neoclassical bronze statue of Thomas Hart Benton, complete with toga and sandals, in Lafayette Park. I recently put the compass of my iPhone in a line from the Benton statue’s nose. West 270 degrees bang on. There’s a reason for this.