Founded by French fur traders in 1764 above the banks of the Mississippi River, St. Louis was named after the French King Louis IX. The United States acquired it as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; Lewis and Clark set out from here in 1804 on their expedition westward. A major port for shipping and commerce, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the country by 1870, a “gateway” for travelers seeking their fortunes in the American West. The Union Train Station, built in 1888, was the largest and busiest train station in the world at the time.
GETTING ORIENTED
In fact, I recommend staying right at the Union Train Station, which is now a wonderful hotel that retains intricately tiled mosaics, stained glass, and decorative plasterwork arches and columns. (And a good restaurant.) stlouisunionstation.com
Begin your expeditions with a tram ride up the Gateway Arch, the 630-foot monument designed by architect Eero Saarinen and built between 1963 and 1965 as an ode to westward expansion. Do plan ahead and buy tickets online, as the wait to ride up can be lengthy. gatewayarch.com/buy-tickets
Denne historien er fra November - December 2019-utgaven av Old House Journal.
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Denne historien er fra November - December 2019-utgaven av Old House Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Navigating the Lumberyard - Here's some lumber lingo you should know before you venture into a lumberyard.
Here's some lumber lingo you should know before you venture into a lumberyard. Almost everyone fixing an old house will end up at a lumberyard-whether it's a local supplier or the organized aisles of a big-box home-improvement store.
a farmhouse renewed
Sensitive renovations and restoration work preserved a house that dates to 1799.
AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING
METAL ROOFS ARE RESURGENT, FOR GOOD REASONS.
ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE
Now back in the family who had been here since 1830, the old farmhouse is again ready for generations to come. Additions dating to 1840 and the 1950s were preserved.
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE
Owners and their designer celebrate the unique features of a 1912 Arts & Crafts Tudor.
For a Wet Basement Wall
If there's problem common to old houses, it's a wet basement. I'm not talking about occasional flooding, but rather a basement that apparently seeps or leaks after even a rain shower or during snowmelt. Several approaches are available; sustainable solutions will get to the root of the problem.
Patching a Plaster Wall
Fix a hole in the wall with a few common tools and some drywall supplies. Practice your technique!
Roofing & Siding
Make note of these historical and unusual materials for the building envelope.
The Riddle of the water
When water incursion happens, the roof isn't necessarily the culprit. Maybe snaking a drain line, or clearing debris from a clogged gutter, temporarily will stem a leak. But a recurring problem usually means other forces are at work. It takes persistence-and a team with the right skills and patience—to identify the source and apply a solution.
Light-filled Craftsman Redo
For a dark kitchen in a 1914 Illinois house, the trick was anchoring white expanses with woodsy warmth.
