2815
Russell Boulevard
Single Family Gut Rehab
Fox Park Neighborhood
Renovation began: April 2005
Completed: December 2005
View
photos of
this property
HISTORY: The George
Denison House
This house was built circa 1879 for George Denison, a prominent
St. Louis attorney. Mr. Denison came from Vermont where he was
born in 1831. He graduated from law school in 1857, and
arrived in
St. Louis
the very next year.
In 1864, he married Emma Webster who was a relative
of famous New Hampshire statesman and orator Daniel Webster.
George had his own storied background: his
father, Daniel Denison, was a lawyer who served in the New Hampshire
state legislature; his
mother,
Pamelia
Head, was the
sister of New Hampshire Governor Nathaniel Head; and his
paternal grandfather, Colonel George Denison, gained a reputation
as an Indian
fighter in King Philip's War.
George Denison was twice appointed judge of
the St. Louis police court from 1877-1885, was deacon of the
Compton Hill Congregational
Church, and served as treasurer of the St. Louis Law Library
for 30 years.
The 1880 census shows George, his wife
Emma, their four sons, one daughter, and two servants as living
in the house until 1885. At that time the home was sold
to James Hanley, a vice-president of the Eugene
Papin
Buggy
Manufacturing
Company. In 1924, following
the history of the times, the home was converted into a three-apartment
tenement.
Fast-forward to 1965: as urban decline began
to take hold in the city, the home was converted into an eight-room
boarding
house. In 2002,
the DeSales
Community Housing Corporation
purchased the property for redevelopment and then Millennium
contracted to take on the project in early 2005.
The renovation of 2815 Russell included the
removal of three non-historic exterior stairwells, many
interior
partition
walls, and several double-dropped ceilings. In re-creating
the grandeur that once was this home, Millennium replicated
the grand staircase, the fireplace mantles, the wood entry
door and the windows, including the arched-topped second
floor sitting room casement.
back to top
|
