THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN ST. LOUIS 2021
NEIGHBORHOOD: Central West End ARCHITECT: Frederick Gunn LANDSCAPE DESIGNER: Matthew Moynihan, Moynihan & Associates SIGNIFICANT STATS: Designed in 1948 and completed in 1952. About 4,000 square feet; three bedrooms, four baths
WHY WE CHOSE IT: Built for philanthropists and ardent art collectors Howard and Isabel Baer, this Modernist structure has always stood out from the neighboring Beaux-Arts manses on the block. Built in the International Style, it makes a statement with its white brick-and-glass façade and front-facing second-floor terrace with wood louvers. Inconceivable today, the bricks on the home and guesthouse were once pink. Nearly 20 years ago, the current owner, acting on a hunch that the architect would’ve preferred white-painted brick, consulted MoMa architectural curator Terence Riley. “[Terry] agreed with me,” says the owner. “He [also] felt that the architect’s original intent would have been that the building be painted.” The landscaping is just as showstopping: A U-shape allée of pleached hornbeam trees affords privacy for the homeowner and delights passersby. “People respond differently to different elements of the house,” the owner says. “Some find the gardens magical.” Indeed, the front and back yards—featuring boxwood and holly that change colors with the seasons—have been designed as outdoor rooms. Says the owner: “I always liked the contrast between this house and its surroundings.”
Lafayette Square George Ingham Barnett, a St. Louis architect who also designed the Missouri Governor’s Owners Built in 1878 for William Huse, a wealthy local businessman; 8,000 square feet; six bedrooms, five and a half baths
