5.04.2007

MCM Under Threat

Thank you so much to all of you who have contacted me about this blog. As evidenced by the fact that I haven't posted in several weeks, there are many of you, and I am so thrilled to know that you're all out there and interested in these homes.

Here's a tragedy waiting to happen. This home in Ladue is currently listed at $549,900. But it's in rough shape and needs a total overhaul.


I'm still not sure who the architect was, but there are some wonderful details here. Two oculus' in the hallway let light into what would otherwise be a cave-like path to the bedrooms.


Every inch of wood in the place appears to be in pristine condition. The transom windows in the living room are just spectacular.


But with broken windows and exposure to the elements, it seems it's only going to get worse. I think about this house every time it rains.
















The house has changed hands several times over the past few years, and without going into the sordid history, the current owners don't seem to be budging on their list price.


It's on 3/4 of an acre in Ladue so the land counts for a good deal of the cost, but the money that would have to be put into the house is probably frightening off potential buyers. Home prices in the vicinity are all over the map, from $400,000 to over $1m, but I fear this one is going to take someone with very deep pockets to save.

2 comments:

Andrew R said...

Has there been any change in the status of this house?

I worked on another house with Ladue with some similar features (in particular the circular skylight along the long hallway). I suspect they may have been done by the same architect.

~ Andrew Raimist

Michael R. Allen said...

There is a new owner for this house, the Harry Hammerman House. I am preparing a National Register nomination of the house, built in 1952 and designed and built by Hammerman for his family.