County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: Jefferson St. & N 4th St., NW corner, St. Charles
Built: 1892
Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Queen Anne
Original Occupant: Unknown
Map
"238. 404 Jefferson Street; Queen Anne; 1892; Contributing
Built in the Spindlework mode of the Queen Anne style, this 2-story red brick house has a gable-on-hip
roof with cross-gabled wings spanning the eastern 2/3 of the façade and the rear half of the east elevation.
The vergeboard in the cross gables is composed of alternating embossed bullseye and ribbed panels, and
the ends are rounded. A tall interior end corbelled brick chimney is on the east slope of the roof and a
corbelled exterior end chimney is on the fish-scale-shingled wall of the gablet on the rear slope. The
foundation is coursed rock-faced limestone and the brick walls are in a running bond. In the western bay
of the 3-bay façade is a half-glazed, 3-panel wood door with a single-light transom. To its east are two
1/1 wood windows and in the second story are three 1/1 windows. The door and windows are topped by
flat jack arches and the windows have cast stone lug sills. In the gable end is a pair of quarter-round attic
windows (currently boarded) with fluted mullion with plinth blocks. The façade is highlighted by a 1-story, full-width gallery with shed roof intersected by a pedimented gablet at the west end. In the
tympanum of the gablet and in each end wall of the shed roof are sunburst ornaments. Under the gablet
is a segmental-arched spandrel with sunburst panels and a drop pendant, while the remainder of the porch
is trimmed with a spindlework frieze with scalloped base. The porch has a wood stairway and deck with
framed lattice panels below, turned porch posts with decorative cutwork brackets, and a balustrade with
turned balusters.
a. Garage; circa 1896; Contributing
This 1-story, frame building with low gable roof appears to have been built between 1893 and 1900 as a
stable/carriage house that was later converted into a garage. The walls are sided in asphalt Bricktex
rolled siding that was probably added in the 1930s. On the north façade are sliding doors of vertical
board, while the south elevation has 2 large man doors with 2 high single-light windows between." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1892-1893
Style/Design: Queen Anne
This brick Queen Anne house was built around 1892-1893. In 1893 it appears on the first fire insurance map for this part of St.
Charles, but it is not listed in the 1891-92 city directory. The County Parcels Database 1890 estimate for the date of construction
but it seems it was completed slightly lighter given the lack of city directory listing. At one point, the address of this house was
401, but by the time the next city directory had been published in 1906, it was already listed as 404 Jefferson. It was the home of
the John and Kate Pfaff family. He was a carpenter. Other members of the household were also listed: Alice Pfaff was a domestic,
Carrie Pfaff was a seamstress, and Julius Pfaff was also a carpenter. Alma and Dora Pfaff were also listed, but without
occupations, probably indicating they were still young girls. The house is interesting both for its unusual Late Victorian detailing,
possibly indicating that the carpenters in the family helped embellish the porch and vergeboards, and for being one of the few
houses in the area to retain what was originally a small stable or carriage house that was later converted to a garage. The Pfaff
family continued to live in the house at least through 1959, although Carrie Pfaff was listed as the homeowner and head of the
household starting in 1936.
"This two story, red brick house has a gable-on-hip roof with cross gabled wings spanning the east two-thirds of the façade and the
rear half of the east (side street) elevation. On the façade, the cross gabled wing has paired quarter-round attic windows
(currently boarded in--but clearly visible in the 1988 survey photo) with a decorative mullion between. On the second floor of the
façade there are two 1/1 sashed windows in this wing and one in the west bay of the façade. The vergeboard in the cross gables
is composed of alternating embossed bullseye and ribbed panels with the ends of the vergeboards rounded. There is a shed
roofed, full width porch on the façade that has a cross gable in the west bay over the broad entry steps leading to the front door.
In the pediment of this gable is a sunburst panel. There are spooled spandrels with scalloped bases between the turned porch
columns that have decorative cutwork brackets under the spandrels. Over the porch entry, there are rounded quarter sunburst
brackets that form an arched opening. The porch railing has turned balusters and there is a wood porch floor with latticework
below. The front door is a half light, three panel door with a single light transom. To its east are two 1/1 sashed windows.
"The east cross gabled wing has clipped corners accentuated by the paired, quarter-sunburst panels connecting the two sides of
the gabled roof with a finial drop at each corner. The vergeboard of this cross gable matches the decorative façade vergeboard.
Recessed under the eaves, there is a sunburst in the gable end above the paired window openings (missing sashes) with a
scalloped sill and with fish scale shingles on the remaining gable end. On the first and second floor of this wing there are paired
sashed windows facing east and single sashed window units on each angled side. In front of this wing, there is a bay of 1/1
sashed windows on both levels, with a corbelled brick interior wall chimney in front of this bay of windows. Behind this wing, in the
shed roofed, 1.5 story extension on the back, the east wall has two bays of windows, one on each level next to the gabled wing
and one on the first floor near the rear. On the rear elevation the gable on hip roof has fish scale shingles which are split by a
brick chimney. The rear wing has a shed roof extending down to the first floor level and there is a hipped dormer with fish scale
shingle siding and paired 1/1 sashed window framed by decorative pilasters. Over the rear door is a small shed roof extension
that is supported by massive knee braces. There is a transomed, multipaned door. There is another cross gabled wing, at the rear
of the hipped roof section that faces west. It is much simpler, with a single sashed window on each level and paired quarter-round attic windows. Most of the windows on this house have flared brick lintels and stone sills. The walls are laid with running bond
brick. The only noticeable alteration are the metal storm windows, but the vines growing on the house and the missing attic
windows indicate that the house is being neglected and could deteriorate rapidly if unattended.
"Paralleling the alley on the north side of the property, this low gable, frame building was either built between 1893 and 1900 as a
stable/carriage house that was identified as being two stories high, or it was built between 1917 and 1929 as an early auto
garage. Given the high fixed window on the south side of the building that faces into the yard, which looks like many of the early
stable windows, and given the vertical board sliding doors along the alley, it is likely that this was originally built as the stable that
was later modified to serve as a garage. Since the garage was shown on the fire insurance maps as 1.5 stories high, it is
possible that the two story designation was simply an interpretation to show an internal loft space. There are at least two large
man doors also facing the back yard. The current asphalt shingle, Bricktex rolled siding probably represents an early twentieth
century replacement siding since this material became popular in the 1930s. Contributing." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey Phase I, PDF pages 193-197