Hebert Street Second Empire Mansion

This Second Empire house in Old North St. Louis is among the most extravagantly designed houses in the neighborhood. The house was built in 1884 towards the end of the popularity of Second Empire houses, and it was also one of the later developments in Old North. Unlike many of the later examples of Second Empire architecture, this house has an angled mansard roof instead of a more vertical one that is more typical of mid to later 1880s examples of the style. It also features an Italianate style cornice and elaborate limestone lintels above the windows, adding to the ornate design which was in style at the time. In 1899, the house was owned by the Teuteberg family, who were prominent members of the Christian Science Church in St. Louis at the time. The neighborhood surrounding the house had been one of the most densely populated areas in St. Louis into the early 20th century, and this can be seen by the close proximity in which the neighboring Chateauesque house was built in the 1890s. The area still had approximately 38,000 people in 1919, although beginning in the 1930s, people began to move further west. This was exacerbated by the construction of the highways in the 1950s, and by 1980, Old North was largely abandoned and falling into disrepair. Beginning in the early 2000s, the neighborhood began to experience a revitalization and people began moving back into the neighborhood, although this property had been restored in the 1980s, amidst the decline. Today, the neighborhood is still being restored, and many of the historic structures have been saved from near complete destruction. The Teuteberg house managed to remain intact, however, and it features many of the original architectural elements inside.