County of building: St. Charles County
Location of building: N 4th St. & Decatur St., NW corner, St. Charles
Built: c. 1865
Architectural Style: Italianate
Classified: C
Frenchtown District Map
"Late Victorian, circa 1865-1905, Coded C
Represented in this chronological period are 62 buildings
(about 30% of the total) whose forms and detailing frequently mix
various related Picturesque styles, including Italianate, Mansard,
Gothic Revival, and Queen Anne. Eighteen of the total are frame and
the remainder are brick. The majority of these buildings express
stylistic influence primarily in ornamental detailing, new roof forms and in irregular plan shapes in houses. Italianate examples are
limited to two, 1860s large brick houses featuring prominent bracketed
cornices and to a couple of commercial/residential buildings which employ bracketed cornices, and in one case, an ornamental cast Iron storefront. New picturesque roof profiles are found in houses exhibiting dormered mansard roofs (and Italianate
bracketed cornices), or prominent gable-front facades; separately,
roofed, spindlework wood porches are also typically found sometimes in more conversative side-gabled houses. Gable front-and-wing designs as well as cross-gable extensions from hipped roofs create irregular plans or several small houses and also as a few two-story Queen Anne houses which feature decorative surface patterning on gables. One two-story commercial building at 900 N Second employs a Mansard roof.
" ... Among the few houses which rose two full stories or more are two atypical Italianate villa mansions, situated on spacious grounds. One of these, 305 Morgan was constructed circa 1865 by Prussian-born Christopher Weeke, who operated a mill in the SCO block of N. Second Street. 709 N. Fourth was the home of William Alexander, a Virginia-born lawyer who built the house circa 1869, just before becoming mayor of St. Charles in 1870." ~ NRHP Nomination Form, page 32
"Built: c. 1865
Walls: brick-painted
Foundation: stone
Roof: gable / asphalt
Architectural Style: Italianate
Bracketed wood cornice; front door with side lights and leaded glass fan light.
Appears on the 1869 Bird's Eye View of St. Charles. Identified by R. Vinson as built by WM. Archibald Alexander, Mayor of St. Charles from 1870-1871, and later owned by physician Benedict P.P. Wentker. In the 1860 census Alexander is listed as age 33, a Virginia-born lawyer." ~ St. Charles City Historic Survey pages 230-231
"St. Charles Italianate residences, few in number, date from the 1860s through the 1890's and are generally large houses built by prosperous middle-class German-born and native Americans. Their primary characteristic is an enriched cornice, usually bracketed. Roofs vary from low-pitched hipped to gabled and hipped combinations. Typically round-headed windows are found, but segmental arches and even cast-iron pedimented lintels or ornamental hood moldings occur. Three fine early examples (1865-70) are located at 305 Morgan, ...; at 709 N. Fourth, the home of W. A. Alexander, a Virginia-born lawyer, mayor of St. Charles in 1870 (Fig.17); ... " ~ Final Report, St. Charles City District page 9