County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: Monroe St., 2nd house E of N 7th St., S side, St. Charles
Built: 1884
Architect/Builder: Unknown
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival
Original Occupant: Dietrich Ehlmann
Map
"404. 623 Monroe Street; Gothic Revival influence; 1884; Contributing
This 1½-story brick house is crowned by a steeply-pitched, side-gabled roof intersected by a central front
gable. Interior end brick chimneys with stone caps and brick belt courses are on each end of the front
slope of the roof and at the west end of the rear slope. Above the coursed rock-faced stone foundation
the brick walls are in a running bond on the façade and a 6-course common bond on the other elevations.
Openings are segmental arched, with radiating voussoirs formed by a double row of headers and the sills
are wood. The central 4-panel wood door topped by a segmental-arched, 2-light transom opens onto a 1-bay portico with wood deck, turned posts with corner brackets, jigsawn balustrade and high hip roof.
The corner brackets have pointed arches, quatrafoils and trefoils. To each side of the door are 2
segmental-arched 2/2 windows with arched louvered wood shutters. In the centered front gable is a
round-arched opening with pair of 4-light casement windows.
a. Garage; 1987; Noncontributing
Built in 1987, the 1-story, 2-car, front-gabled frame garage has a paneled metal overhead door." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1884
Style/Design: Gothic Revival
According to the County’s tax parcels database, this house was constructed in 1884. The 1875 atlas map shows that this
property at that time was part of a large area (five city blocks) owned by the Powell Heirs. The first available city directory was
published for 1891-92, and at that time the address was 610 Monroe. From that time through 1910 the home was occupied by
Dietrich Ehlmann. The 1906 city directory indicates that at least during that year Christian and Mina Meyer also lived there, and
he was employed by the American Car and Foundry Co. (ACF). Henry and Alma Renken were the homeowners from 1916
through 1922, and he was also employed by ACF. From 1925 through 1961, when research ended, the home was owned by
Oscar and Nellie Boenker, and he co-owned Boenker Brothers Garage. The historic name of the house is given as the EhlmannBoenker House since Mr. Ehlmann was the first known occupant and the Boenkers owned the house for at least 36 years during
the historic period.
"Situated on an elevated lot, this one-and-one-half story, brick house is crowned by a steeply-pitched, side-gabled roof that is
intersected by a central front gable. There are three interior end brick chimneys with stone caps and brick belt courses: one on
each end of the front slope of the roof and one at the west end of the rear slope. The foundation is coursed, rock-faced stone and
the brick walls are laid in a running bond pattern on the main façade and a six-course common bond on the other elevations.
Openings throughout the house are segmental arched, with radiating voussoirs formed by a double row of headers, and the sills
are painted wood. The five-bay main façade has a central entrance, which is a four-panel wood door topped by a segmental arched, two-light transom, and the door is protected by an eight-light, paneled wood storm door. The entrance opens onto a one bay portico with wood stairway and deck, turned posts with corner brackets, jigsawn balustrade, and high hip roof. The corner
brackets have pointed arches, quatrafoils and trefoils, which display a Gothic Revival influence, like the centered front-gable roof
form of the house. To each side of the entrance are two segmental-arched 2/2 windows framed by arched louvered wood
shutters. In the centered front gable is a round-arched opening with pair of four-light casement windows. The east elevation has
a single opening, and it is a window in the upper half story. There is one window on each level of the west elevation.
"This lot is significantly elevated above the sidewalk that spans the front property line. A concrete closed-string sidewalk with set
of eight steps leads from the street to the portico, and to either side of the stairway the slope of the hill is planted with
groundcover. Shrubs are located to each side of the portico. The rear yard is enclosed by a vinyl picket fence, and at the rear of
the lot is a one-story, two-car, front-gabled, frame garage that was built in 1987. The paneled metal overhead door is on the east
elevation and opens onto a concrete driveway that leads to the alley. The garage is noncontributing." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey Phase III, PDF pages 618-622