Mt. Pleasant Winery Historic District - Augusta, MO - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

County of site: St. Chalres County
Location of site: High St. & Webster St., Augusta
Built: 1859

"The Mt. Pleasant Winery Historic District is located at 5634 High Street (Bottom Road) on the west side of Augusta, Missouri. The district consists of five contributing properties. There are four buildings: a ca. 1859 frame house with ca. 1880 brick outbuilding (Property Type: Vernacular Residence and subtype: Outbuilding); and an 1881 brick winery building with an 1881 stone well house (Property Type: Commercial/ Industrial Building) , as well as one contributing structure, a ca. 1865 wine cellar, a portion of which is beneath the winery building. The buildings and the cellar have survived with only minor alterations which do not detract substantially from the overall integrity of design and materials. The district boundary excludes three winery buildings of recent construction which stand directly west of the nominated historic buildings.

"Built by winery founder George Muench, the ca.1859 frame house features half-timber construction with brick nogging; walnut weatherboarding (painted white) covers the building. The plan features a central hall with an open stair to the loft at the end of the hall; there is one room on each side of the hall; a ca.1920 addition extends across the rear of the house (Fig.l). A basement is found only under the west room. The gabled roof features one large dormer. A frame porch extends across the primary (south) facade; a bay window is featured on the east elevation.

"The 1881 red brick winery building measures approximately 24 X 62 1/2 feet with a 15 X 17 foot extension on the north end which houses steps leading to the wine cellar rooms (Fig.2). The gabled metal-roofed building is articulated with segmentally arched openings except for paired lunettes on the gable end; brick dentils trim the cornice line and a wood bargeboard embellishes gable ends. Entrance is gained on the west elevation through a pedestrian door and double wagon doors which are also installed on the opposing east elevation. The ca. 1865 wine cellars, set at right angles to each other (see figure 3) , feature brick floors and brick barrel vaults supported by stone walls. The cellars are counted as a single unit.

"Also standing within the District are two small auxiliary properties. A wellhouse of stone construction features a wood - lintel inscribed with the date 1881 over the entrance on the south elevation; scalloped wood banding (matching the bargeboard on the winery) trims the structure. A small,circa 1880 gabled-roof brick outbuilding (reported to have housed a kiln used to fire bricks for the winery building but possibly a smokehouse) stands on the west side of the rear elevation of the Muench house." ~ NRHP Nomination Form