By Stefene Russell
Photography by Anne Matheis
Ten years ago, the old “Frisco” train station in Kirkwood sat boarded up, vines curling around its steps, the odd bat or two roosting inside its cool limestone walls (which are, no kidding, 24 inches thick!). The station is now fully habitable, and so newly renovated, you can smell the finish on the floors. But developer Agape Construction has not only restored the station, they’ve filled out the floor plan with 3,900 square feet of new construction (bringing the total up to 5,000 square feet).
The original structure included a front porch, a conductor’s telegraph tower and two separate waiting rooms, one for men and one for women (who were whisked from the tracks by carriage and unloaded at the port-cochère). The front porch is now an enclosed foyer floored in shiny jade-colored tiles, with the original limestone columns still visible. The old port-cochère step, which assisted many a dainty lady as she emerged from her carriage, has been integrated into the landscaping.
One of the home’s selling points is the care Agape took to blend the old with the new. They’re right when they claim that it’s tough to tell which columns are 100-year-old limestone and which are fill-ins of 2006 vintage, built with “man-made materials.” In fact, there are many small, thoughtful touches—custom iron handrails, light fixtures, wainscoting and subway tiles—that give the home a 19th-century feel. Yet at the base of the metal spiral stair that leads to the telegraph tower, there’s a Lutron smart-house lighting system; in the master bath, a Bain Ultra light-therapy spa tub; and in the machine room, tankless water heaters, an HVAC system that renders air hypoallergenic and four thermostats that monitor room temperature throughout the house. There are also clever hybrids of the historic and the cutting-edge, such as the remote-control gas flues installed in the original limestone fireplaces.
Five bedrooms, four and a half baths, a game room, a giant kitchen, a three-car garage and two bonus rooms suggest this is a family abode. Then again, it might just make the perfect home for an imaginative single soul with a passion for railroad—or local—history.
address:
1030 Barberry Lane
asking price:
$1,599,000
agents:
Kevin McClure and Lauren Monge, Agape Construction
314-909-9050, www.agapeconstruction.com
