County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: Jefferson St., 2nd house W of N Benton St., N side, St. Charles
Built: 1888
Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Italianate
Original Occupant: Jefferson Street Presbyterian Church Parsonage
Map
"252. 556 Jefferson Street; Old Jefferson Street Presbyterian Church Parsonage; Italianate; circa 1888;
Contributing
Resting on a coursed rock-faced limestone foundation, this 2-story, red brick, asymmetrical Italianate
style house is crowned by a truncated hip roof with intersecting cross gables. A small, square, hipped
belvedere rests on top of the roof; 2 interior end chimneys are on the east slope and 1 is on the west; and
an exterior end chimney is on the rear. The roof is trimmed with an elaborate crenellated brick detailing
that references the wooden brackets seen on many Italianate residences. The 3-bay façade has a cross
gable over the eastern 2 bays and in the gable end is a round single-light oculus. The front-gabled wing
projects only slightly from the entry bay and has 2 segmental-arched 1/1 wood windows on each floor.
In the western bay is a half-light wood paneled door with 8-light wood storm door and above is a
segmental-arched, single-light transom. The door opens onto a 1-story, single-bay portico with truncated
hip roof with an intersecting gablet centered on the front slope, and within the gablet is a decorative
kingpost. Paired chamfered posts on pedestals are on each side of the stair and there is a matching single
pilaster on each side against the brick wall. The posts have molded capitals and bases, as well as corner
brackets, and the roof is trimmed by an elaborate pierced frieze and geometric-patterned porch railing.
The wood deck rests on short stone piers. On the second floor, above the porch, is a 1/1 segmental arched window. The windows have radiating voussoirs and stone sills. Hipped 2-story wings extend
from each side elevation and on the south elevation of each is a 1/1 window on each floor. The house
was built circa 1888 and served as the Jefferson Street Presbyterian Church parsonage.
a. Garage; Contributing
The garage is a side-gabled frame structure with asbestos shingle siding. It has 2 sliding vertical board
doors that face west. The garage appears to be more than 50 years old. " ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1886-1890
Style/Design: Italianate
This is a wonderful example of a brick Italianate house, one designed without the elaborate cornice and window hoods, but it still retains the small front entry porch with its elaborate detailing. The house not only contributes to the historic district, it may be individually eligible for National Register listing (if the interior also retains the same level of historic integrity) for its architectural significance to the community. Although the county parcels database gives the data of construction as 1894, the Sanborn maps show that it was built between 1886 and 1893 and this property was listed in the 1891-92 city directory (addressed at that time as 521 Jefferson) with A. S. Hughey as the resident. The house was built on a lot shared by the Jefferson Street Presbyterian Church and served as the parsonage. By 1906 when the next city directory was published, Reverend Robert Ely and his wife Jennie resided in the parsonage. City directories continue to list them at this address through 1929-30 and in 1931-32 the house was listed as vacant. The next directory, in 1936, Rev. John C. Inglis had taken up residence, but from 1939 through 1945, Rev.
Lloyd B. Harman was living here according to the directories. From 1948 through 1952, Hugo Bauer is listed at this address. By 1955, Homer G. Gray had moved into the house, the first resident listed in the directories as the homeowner, indicative of the fact that the Presbyterian Church had relocated by then. The Gray family was still living in the house when directory research stopped in 1961.
"This two story, red brick, asymmetrical Italianate house has a rock faced, coursed limestone foundation that forms a raised
water table. It has a truncated hipped roof that has a platform on top that looks like it might have originally had a large cupola, but
today it has only a small square hipped roof enclosure that is barely visible from the ground. This appears to be the only major
alteration to the house, but it is possible that it never had a cupola. While the roof does not have wide eaves, it does have an eave
overhang with a cornice detail and an elaborate crenellated brick detailing that references the wooden brackets seen on many
Italianate residences. The three bay façade has a cross gable over the eastern two bays that has a porthole window highlighting
it. The east two bays project very slightly from the entry bay (mere inches) and have two segmental arched, 1 over 1, arched top,
wood sashed windows on both levels. There is a matching window over the front entry porch. The entry porch has a mansard roof
incorporating a small gable with a decorative kingpost centered over the steps. The bracketed porch posts are paired on either
side of the steps and there is a matching single pilaster on each side against the brick walls. Between the porch posts is an
elaborately pierced frieze and elaborately designed porch railing. The wood porch floor rests on short stone piers and there is a
single step down to the sidewalk. The segmental arched doorway retains the historic transomed, half light, wood paneled door,
covered by a wooden storm door.
"The same segmental arched openings and arch topped, wood sashed, 1 over 1 windows are used on the other elevations as well,
generally vertically aligned. On the east elevation there is a bay of windows near the south façade and then the brick walls are
unadorned back to the projecting bay since it is probably the location of fireplaces inside, given the large interior chimney. Mid-elevation there is a broad brick two story bay with single windows on the sides and two windows on the east face of the bay.
Behind this bay, there is a one story, shed roofed porch nestled into the interior of the ell, but it has been enclosed in recent
years. On the west elevation, there is another hipped roof, two story bay but the second floor of the west face of the bay has only one window, instead of the two as the first floor has. There are chimneys piercing through the roofs of both bays. The rear has
another two story hipped roof wing, with an end wall chimney. In the ell created on the west side of this wing, there is another rear
doorway, with a hipped roof supported by brackets over what was probably a transomed doorway originally (although the transom
has been boarded in and a storm door installed).
"Originally there was an outhouse directly behind the house, according to the fire insurance maps, and between 1893 and 1900 a
carriage house was built, positioned north of the church, which is now a separate property. By 1929, the Sanborn maps show that
the outhouse had been removed and the carriage house had been converted into a garage, and by 1947 the next map shows the
old carriage house had been demolished and a new garage constructed directly north of the church. Since the Jefferson Street
Presbyterian Church quit using the church building and parsonage around 1955, and the house sold to a homeowner at the same
time, it is likely that the new garage was built around that same time, especially given the construction detailing. It is a side gabled
frame garage with asbestos shingle siding. It has two sliding vertical board doors that face west. In 2000, a shed roofed, carport or
covered patio was added on the south side facing into the yard. Both the siding and doors are characteristic of mid-1950s
construction and the garage appears unaltered except for the carport and as such it is contributing to the historic district." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey Phase I, PDF pages 269-273