County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: N 5th St. & Monroe St, NW corner, St. Charles
Built: 1902-1904
Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Folk Victorian
Original Occupant: Koeller, Martin and Anna
Map
"59. 303 North Fifth Street; Folk Victorian; circa 1903; Contributing
Partially obscured by large trees, this 2-story, frame Folk Victorian house has a coursed, rusticated stone foundation, weatherboard walls, and a gable-on-hip roof. An interior end brick chimney with corbelled
cap is on the south slope and a plain chimney straddles the ridge. In the front gable end is bargeboard with scrollwork and spindles and in the south gable end over the 2-story canted bay is a scrollwork gable
ornament. A 1-story, full-width, hip roof porch wraps slightly onto the north elevation since the entrance is recessed in the north bay of the 2-bay façade. At the north end of the roof is a gablet with sunburst pattern in the gable end. The gallery has a wood deck, under which are wood lattice panels; turned half posts and square replacement posts; a plain wood balustrade; and bead board ceiling. The 2 matching doors at the north end of the façade are separated by a paneled mullion. Each door is a half-light, 3-horizontal panel wood door with a leaded glass transom. To the south of the entrance is a large 1/1 wood window. The paneled mullion between the doors is repeated in the mullion between the paired windows in the south bay of the second floor. In the north bay, above the doorways, there is no window, but the wall has been decorated with applied scrollwork that may be a recent addition.
a. Garage; 1986; Noncontributing
The combination carport and garage was built in 1986. The north end of the gabled structure is an enclosed 1-car garage finished with vertical board siding and the south end is an open carport." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1902-1904
Style/Design: Folk Victorian
The Martin and Anna Koeller House was built at a time when this entire block had yet to be developed. According to research completed by the owners and included in a plaque on the front of their business (the Koeller House Bed and Breakfast, which opened in 2005), on April 23, 1902, Martin Koeller bought the lot for $600 and built the house between 1902 and 1904. Martin Koeller was a foreman with the American Car and Foundry Company. At times, Koeller was spelled Keller in the city directories.
Even though Martin Keller was still listed in the 1918-1919 directory, in various years, others were also listed in the house: in 1908-09 only Henry Merx was listed, in 1910 Alfred H. Gruer was listed along with Koeller; in 1916-17 M. T. Martin was also listed with
Keller; in 1918-19 Waldo G. Boedeker was listed along with Keller. Starting in 1910, there were two separate addresses 303 and 303 ½ associated with this house (Koeller lived in 303 ½), indicating it was converted into an up-and-down duplex early in its history. City directories listed Boedeker again in 1921-22 and noted that 303 ½ was now vacant. According to the owners research, on February 19, 1921, Koeller sold the home to Frank Buerges, Jr. for $4,750. Frank A. Burgess, Jr. (note different spelling) was listed in the next city directory in 1925-26 along with Carl A. Bruns, but apparently Buerges moved out of the house by 1927-28, utilizing it simply as a rental income property since it was listed in 1927-28 through 1939 as the home of Isaac McCormick. Leon M. McCormick is listed in the second unit in 1929-30 and Charles Gibbs is listed in the second apartment in
1931-32. In 1941, Ben H. Ritter and Leo A. Schwendemann were listed in the duplex. Schwendemann stayed through 1950, but the other apartment changed to Edward W. Griewe in 1942 and then Joe Austerschmidt in 1945, who resided in 303a through 1950. In 1952, Roland H. A. Koenig lived at 303 but 303a was vacant when the city directory canvassed the neighborhood. By 1955 Frank X. Ludwell had moved into 303, remaining through 1959 but 303a was still vacant in 1955. In 1957 Vincent J. Duello lived in 303a but the apartment was again vacant in 1959. Mr. and Mrs. Nickeson bought the house in 1959 and remodeled it into
apartments in 1960. Extensive renovations began in 1985 to convert the second story as a personal residence again. Chuck and Roberta Couch bought the house in 2002 and completed some remodeling in 2003.
"This two story, gable-on-hip roofed, frame house has weatherboard siding. There are scrollwork vergeboards and kingpins in the
front gable end and in the smaller gable-on-hip roof over the two story canted bay along the south elevation. There is a full width
hipped roof porch which wraps slightly onto the north elevation since the actual entry doorway is recessed in the north bay of the
two-bay wide façade. Over the entry in the north bay, there is a pediment with a sunburst pattern. There are two matching entry
doors separated by a paneled mullion. Each door is a half light, three-horizontal panel wood door with a leaded glass transom.
The porch post next to the door is a turned post seeming to indicate that it is the original while the posts across the façade of the
porch are simple square posts, probably replacements. The porch railing is an appropriate height wood railing, but it is likely that it is a replacement railing as well. The porch floor is wood and the ceiling of the porch is beadboard. Below the porch floor is
latticework. The paneled mullion between the front entries is repeated in the mullion between the paired windows on the second
floor of the south bay on the façade. On the first floor below, is a large 1/1 sashed window. Above the doorways in the north bay of
the façade there is no window, but it has been decorated recently with some scrollwork. There are two interior brick chimneys with
corbelling near the top. The southwest corner of the house was originally an open two story porch, but it was enclosed after 1947
with vertical board siding. Also after 1947, a large, two story, shallow-pitched shed roof sleeping porch was added to the back of
the house with banks of what were probably screened windows above railings on both levels, now partially enclosed with windows
on the second floor and newer railings on the lower level screened openings. The walls are also clad with vertical board siding.
Given the known history of the house includes renovations undertaken to convert the duplex into apartments in 1960, it is likely
that these alterations date from that time period. Windows on the house have been replaced but were probably 1/1 sashes originally. The soffits have been enclosed with aluminum and full light security storm doors have been added to the front doors.
Despite these minor alterations, the house retains much of its original Folk Victorian appearance both in form and detail and as
such is a contributing building in the historic district.
"The small yard has numerous trees and shrubs. A large evergreen and other trees in the front yard make it difficult to photograph
the house. At the rear of the property is a combination carport and garage. The north end of the gabled structure is an enclosed
one-car garage finished with vertical board siding, and the south end is an open carport. The medium gable roof is topped by an
octagonal cupola. The structure was built in 1986. Noncontributing." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey Phase I, PDF pages 673-677