While most St. Louisans may not recognize the name Gale E. Henderson, they’ve most likely seen—and admired—his work. If you’ve stepped inside St. Ambrose Catholic Church on The Hill, or appreciated the early 20th-century homes surrounding the Missouri Botanical Garden, you’ve beheld the artistry and craftsmanship of this talented and prolific architect.
Now, one of his grandchildren, Catherine Kerr, is hoping to cement Henderson’s legacy and imprint on St. Louis with a new book dedicated to his impressive body of work. Gale E. Henderson, Prominent St. Louis Architect, which is available to pre-order, is a must-read for St. Louis history buffs and fans of historic design and architecture. Henderson’s 55-year career spanned from 1908 to 1963, with many of the homes he designed now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During his early career, Henderson worked with now-famous architects Raymond Maritz and Ridgely Young of Maritz & Young, as well as Angelo Corrubia of Cann and Corrubia. Over the course of more than five decades, Henderson built homes for many famous St. Louisans, including the Anheuser family and James Howe, the pharmacist who invented Tums.
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Design STL spoke with Kerr about her book and the legacy of her grandfather.
What do you know about your grandfather’s early life?
He was very hard working. He was a self-made man. He came from nothing. And I think that motivated him to make nice houses—because [he] didn’t have a nice house growing up. He was the oldest in the family and I think took the brunt of that. However, his father, who was born from nothing, ended up being the fire chief for St. Louis. He was hard working as well. I think he was an example to my grandfather of hard work and perseverance.
What are some of your earliest memories of your grandfather?
My memories of him are that he was very hard working and an extremely talented, very artistic man. He was an artist, so I remember him oil painting. He taught me how to paint when I was little.
How did the book come about?
I’m very proud of him and enamored by his work. And some of the [current] homeowners, they’re the ones who have motivated me to want him to be more well-known—because Maritz kind of steals the show in St. Louis. And it’s true. There have been books written about [his early partners], Angelo Corrubia and Maritz and Young, and he’s mentioned in those books, his picture is in those books, but there really haven’t been any books [about] Gale Henderson.
What was he known for?
He became really well-known for his Georgian architecture. When he was with Corrubia and Maritz, they built different styles. He built more French[-style homes] with Maritz; they built a lot of hip roofs. My grandfather also did a lot of stone homes and Tudors, and a couple of them are huge. So his style changed over the years, but he became known for his colonial Georgian architecture, which is [the style of] most of the homes on Westmoreland Place [in the Central West End]. He also worked a lot with Edith Mason, who was instrumental in developing [the Missouri Botanical Garden], particularly the rose garden, herb garden. She worked exclusively with my grandfather, and his homes are well-known for [their] patios, gardens, and fountains. The outsides of the homes are as beautiful as the insides.
Where can we find examples of his best work in town?
Most of his work is really in the Central West End—Lindell Boulevard, Kingsbury Place, Westmoreland Place, Portland Place—and on Flora Place down by the [Missouri Botanical Garden]. He [built] a lot of the Ames [Place] homes in University City, and then of course a lot in Ladue and Clayton. I think the first church he built was St. Ambrose [on The Hill].
Tell us about some of your grandfather’s famous clients.
My grandfather designed and built a home for William Robertson, who originally hired Charles Lindbergh to be a mail carrier and also funded the Spirit of St. Louis and his transatlantic flight. [Robertson] was one of the main funders of it. He owned Robertson Aircraft Company.
What were some surprises you learned along the way?
His architectural signature is putting a window in the chimney. He became known for this, and I met with the lady [who now lives] in the home he built for the Switzer Licorice [Co.] family. I was talking to the homeowner, and she said, “You know he was known for his windows in the chimney.” And I went, “Windows in the chimneys?” And sure enough, when I went to St. Louis, I was driving down Fordyce Lane, and I knew he had built most of the homes there, and I went, “Oh, there’s a window in that chimney!” So I did some research, and sure enough, he had built [that house].
Any other quirky discoveries along the way?
Down on Flora Place, there are two homes across the street from one another—and across the original entrance to [the Missouri Botanical Garden]—that were built by Maritz and Henderson. It was the place to live at the turn of the [20th] century; these homes were built in 1912. I went to meet the people [who live in those two houses now], and they brought the progenitors of the original Maritz and Henderson clients. Apparently these two brothers [lived in those homes], and there was a tunnel underneath the street, and during Prohibition, they used to shuttle booze in and out of there. So we went down to the basement and found the tunnel. And these homes—and others on Flora Place—had these incredible speakeasies down in the basements, with great big mahogany bars, and my grandfather helped design all that.
Kerr’s book, Gale E. Henderson, Prominent St. Louis Architect, is now available for pre-order. Learn more: https://www.galeehenderson.com/
