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The Franz Arzt House. Photograph courtesy of Joy Grdnic
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Dr. Franz Arzt. Photograph courtesy of Joy Grdnic
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Photograph by Chris Naffziger
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Photograph by Jason Gray
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Photograph by Jason Gray
Everyone has wondered about that house on 12th Street in Soulard. In a neighborhood of relatively humble but beautiful rowhouses, this one stands out. This house sits right in the middle of the lot, breaking up the street wall of red brick. But the mystery surrounding who owned the house, and why it seemed to always be shrouded in scaffolding, proved tantalizing to both residents and visitors to the Soulard neighborhood. The mystery and the house behind the scaffolding are now being revealed, as new owners, Joy Grdnic (The Fountain on Locust) and Ron Stevens (OnStl.com), have embarked on an ambitious and sensitive renovation and expansion of the Franz Arzt House.
Dr. Franz Arzt (1844-1923) would be an interesting character even without having constructed one of the most unique houses in the entire city. An immigrant from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he arrived in America in 1867. Dr. Arzt jumped right into a lucrative and prominent career in the city, feeding off the economic explosion in St. Louis after the Civil War. A speaker of several languages, the doctor seems to have modeled himself in the image of the influential Prussian philosopher and scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. Humboldt was one of the last of the great “Renaissance Men” of the early 19th Century, and espoused a philosophy of being educated and publishing professional research in a variety of subject matters. Dr. Arzt’s interests in architecture, botany, and other sciences fit Humboldt’s Romantic Age lifestyle of the gentleman philosopher-scientist.
Consequently, the masterpiece of Second Empire architecture Dr. Arzt constructed between 1874 and 1876, less than a decade after his arrival in America, represents much more to St. Louis history than simply an impressive architectural remnant of the city’s post-Civil War era. Breaking from the prevailing housing type in Soulard—the rowhouse—the doctor instead constructed a house more in line with the Italianate style country houses being built further west near Grand Boulevard. Interestingly, just like his less prosperous neighbors in Soulard, the doctor first constructed an alley house in 1874. But the main house is firmly rooted in the Second Empire style, with its lavish Mansard roof, which typifies the style. The large entrance tower also sports a Mansard roof, which is incredibly rare in St. Louis. As new quarries opened up outside of the city, high-quality marble that could serve as ashlar (thin stone cut used to face buildings) became available to offer an alternative to red brick for the façade.
Moving inside, the visitor is greeted with what might be the best-preserved Second Empire house in the city, representing a style of architecture whose opulence could once be found throughout St. Louis, particularly in Midtown. Most of those houses have since been demolished or gutted, so the original woodwork, never covered in paint, represents a window into the craftsmanship of the mid-19th Century in the city. The original mirrors likewise still possess the rich stained wood as Dr. Arzt had originally intended. The main floor actually consists of only the two main parlors; to the south, original pocket doors open to what was originally one of the first residential greenhouses in the city. Here, the doctor could pursue his interest in botany, exhibiting a variety of plants that he had collected. Unfortunately, the original greenhouse was severely altered, but Grdnic and Stevens are now planning, having received approval from the Cultural Resources Office of St. Louis, to rebuild the greenhouse according to original plans and photographs.
Interestingly, the house, since it sits on a hill, has another floor that should not be considered the cellar, under the main floor, commonly referred to as a “slope house.” Down in the first floor of the house, the dining room and kitchen were located under the two parlors upstairs. But then, through a doorway, the most unique and magnificent hidden feature of the house is revealed. Dr. Arzt constructed a grotto, complete with real stalactites and stalagmites, their minerals glittering in the light, displaying his interest in speleology and geology. The doctor almost certainly remembered the grand rocaille grottos of the Rococo era in Austrian palaces, and now having become a wealthy man in his adopted country, fitted his house with the accompanying status symbols. Later, with the advent of electricity, the doctor added lightbulbs to illuminate the sparkling quartz details. Likewise, to demonstrate his interest in engineering and new technology, Dr. Arzt installed the first radiators in his house; the “fireplaces” always contained the network of pipes that snake around his residence. Additionally, he introduced the use of a steel support structure to the house; the doctor also devised his own venting system and working indoor toilet. A tunnel from the house to the carriage house allowed him to move throughout the property without coming into contact with patients.
Now, in 2015, the owners are in the midst of a painstaking renovation of the house, utilizing the original Crescent and Messing Planning Mill machines, now owned and operated by woodworker Eric LaVelle. Part of the renovation will include a sensitive, unobtrusive and historically accurate addition in the rear of the north elevation, keeping the original street view virtually identical to its 1876 appearance. This addition will provide for modern kitchen facilities and more space in what is ironically a relatively small house despite its sumptuous detailing. This author fully supports this addition, as it is very much in common with many other “service wings” found on many historic houses in the city. Actually, it is very possible that Dr. Arzt had originally intended to further expand his house to the north anyway, as it was typical in Second Empire houses to have an additional wing on the other side of the entry tower. That new wing will make the house functional for 2015 sensibilities. And next year, the Franz Arzt House will be reborn as one of the most intact and fascinating Second Empire residences in the city.
Chris Naffziger writes about architecture at St. Louis Patina. Contact him via e-mail at naffziger@gmail.com.
