Urban Review STL gets in on the action

Famed Saint Louis blogger Steve Patterson decided to toss in his thoughts on the mound http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/?p=4359. Steve is my co-agent on another historic property, South Side Tower. I have no idea how I fell into the niche of listing properties that are on the National Register for Historic Places, but I love it! South Side Tower is the art deco gem once known as the South Side National Bank Building at Grand and Gravois.

The old building has been turned into 13 luxury condos by The Lawrence Group. There are only 5 remaining units in the building. I believe that this building has some of the most unique and spectacular views of Saint Louis City. To view some great pictures taken by another Saint Louis blogger click this link http://www.romeofthewest.com/2008/11/view-from-top.html

For the fist time Circa is offering a "First Time Homebuyer Seminar" scheduled for January. Educating people about the process is what we love to do. We are not trying to "sell" anything to you. If you have been thinking about buying a house, but you aren't quite ready to sit down with a lender and real estate agent yet...Then this is perfect for you! There will be a brief overview of the entire process, you will be introduced to the key players, what a lender is looking for, and tips and tricks for a successful purchase.Two dates are available January 17 & 24 from 12-2 pm. You have been hearing that now is the time to buy. Now, come out and find out what it takes to get there. Home prices are low, and so are rates. Start the New Year off right and become a homeowner!

You can also RSVP by emailing me at Lmaibes@gmail.com please include name, how many people are attending, which day, and a contact number so we can call with a reminder!

Open House December 7, 2008

Last open house of the year at Sugar Loaf Mound! Please stop by and join us for the last open house of the year at Sugar Loaf Mound this Sunday December 7, 08 from 1-3 PM.

Anyone ready for another open house?

I have been debating another open house at the mound house. The last open house was such a huge success. We had nearly 150 people in attendance. Part of the reason that I had the open house was to encourage curiosity seekers to come view the mound when someone was at the property. Recently, I have had to put up "No Trespassing" signs to discourage people from entering the property when a real estate agent was not present. I would love for people to be able to view the mound...That being said, I think I am going to have another open house. I am going to wait until tomorrow to view the weather report for the weekend. If it is nice I will schedule one. Keep posted!

South County Hoosier writes about mound house

Another link just popped up about the mound. I would like to meet this person......Most people that write about the mound I have met or know who they are. Did you come to the open house? Shoot me an email....I would love to get you in there and take a look at the view.

http://socohoosier.blogspot.com/2008/11/sugar-loaf-mound-house.html

Interesting site tracks Sugar Loaf Mound

The following is from a website whose link is at the bottom of the page. Non of the material below is wrotten by the author of this blog......

"Artificial Mound in Saint Louis County, Missouri.Sugarloaf is the last remnant of the Saint Louis earthen mounds. It was one of the southern most mounds in the area and lies on a ridge directly above the Mississippi River's west side, and south of the modern city's original center.Sugarloaf has been drastically reduced in size from two homes built directly on the mound and a major highway having clipped the side of the original structure. No focused excavation has ever been made, and even the age of the mound is unknown.Saint Louis's nickname, Mound City, came from a large Mississippian era mound complex, dating to the same era as the larger Cahokia city and mound complex (1050 - 1200 AD). These mounds on the west side of the river were destroyed over the years to make way for city of Saint Louis - most of the structures were used for fill dirt. Sugarloaf, an out lier that may not have been directly associated with the Mississippian complex, may date from the earlier Woodland era.The mound is on the National Register of Historic Places. "

http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=22228&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Open house a success! Would you like to see another one?

The first open house for the Sugar Loaf Mound House was a huge success. We must have had at least 100-150 people. I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people that day. Some of Walter's friends came by and told more colorful stories. The neighbor who had lived there since she was 7 years old stopped over for a minute. Archaeologists, preservationists, and photographers all were there. I was never in need of company. I was truly excited to see so many people with so much interest on the mound.

Many people had viewed the mound house from the highway on their way to work every morning and had always been curious. Another large majority of people were those who have always favored a river view. There are so many possibilities for the property in the future. Someone could renovate the house and enjoy an urban getaway, build a new house, or turn the property into a park. I would love to hear every one's ideas!

I have found a flickr site for photos that were taken that day. The link is published here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerkinhead/sets/72157608816255131/

NOTE: The photo used for this blog was taken by a visitor (Mark Scott Abeln) to the mound and sent to me via email. View his blog here http://www.romeofthewest.com/

That is it for now..........

Leigh :)

Landmarks Association provides great history

Andrew Weil has posted a great article/blog about the history of the mound on the Landmarks' website. I was shocked to learn that people have been interested in preserving Saint Louis' mounds as early as the 1880's. I thought preservation was something that always started as an afterthought, many years later. There was also a call for Sugar Loaf to become a park in the 40's...

Another thing I was astonished by was when someone referred to the mound as "Saint Louis' oldest standing man made structure." Amazing! I had never thought of it like that.

click the link to read the whole article

http://www.landmarks-stl.org/news/the_last_standing_mound_in_mound_st_louis_city_is_for_sale/

Sugar Loaf Mound in the news today!

Two very popular publications/news outlets featured the mound today.

Saint Louis Posit Dispatch wrote a lovely article. To read it follow the link below

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/C0638F0B7471B539862574F70016C0CD?OpenDocument

The blog Ecology of Absence written by Michael Allen also featured the mound. See link below

http://ecoabsence.blogspot.com/

I stand corrected...It can't always be that romantic

In an earlier post I had stated that the first owner of the Sugar Loaf House had been a river boat captain. I had gotten that information from both Walter and the next door neighbor who had lived there since a child. So, naturally when telling the history of the house to people I repeated what I had heard. Tonight I received an email from Andrew Weil of Landmarks Association Saint Louis, Inc. telling me that my information may have been incorrect.

"I have some interesting news for you regarding 4420 Ohio. It turns out that the home was built by a man named Frederick E. Adams (of Ohio) and his wife Nellie (From Arkansas). Adams was a molder at an iron foundry, not a riverboat pilot. I found them in the Gould's Red and Blue Book in 1929 and then looked them up in the 1930 census. Sorry, I know it is not as romantic as riverboat captain, but it appears to be the truth." -Andrew

Landmarks is a local non-profit that helps preserve Saint Louis' historic places through education. Andrew is a researcher there who has been very helpful with helping guide me through the history of the mound.

Who I am to change history? It was an honest mistake and I am sure that Walter and the neighbor might take issue with this news. However, for my part in this I apologize and kindly defer to the researchers. I encourage any readers of this blog that are interested in Saint Louis history and historic places to check out Landmarks' website http://www.landmarks-stl.org/

Thanks again Andrew!

Why did Walter want to live there?

I was fortunate enough to be able to talk with Walter for a bit before he left town. I was curious about why he wanted to live there. Did Walter always want to own a Native American Mound? Did Walter even know that is was a mound when he bought it? I wanted to know what the draw was for him. After all, there weren't that many neighbors and there were other houses that were much larger. So I asked, "Walter why did you want to live there?". The answer I received was a marvelous one related to more of Saint Louis' nearly forgotten history.

Walter as a young man belonged to what he called "the poor mans' rowing club". Walter had belonged to the Saint Louis Rowing Club, a club that had teams of rowers that raced competitively. These competitions were called regattas and they were held on the Mississippi River. Walter love to row and so began his love affair with the river.

When it came time for Walter to purchase a house he knew it had to be on the river. The large mansions that dotted Broadway were a little out of his price range so he went on a search. When he came across Sugar Loaf House he knew he had to have it. He approached the current owner and asked if he would like to sell. Unfortunately for Walter he wasn't quite ready to move at the time. Walter gave the man his phone number and 10 years later his phone rang with the opportunity to move to the river. Without any hesitation Walter purchase the home at 4420 Ohio in 1962 and has lived there ever since until a couple weeks ago.

Walter was told by the previous owner that he was now owner of Sugar Loaf but he didn't recognize the importance until people started showing up at his door. Walter over the years has graciously been allowing people access to the mound for various reasons, and keeping an ever watchful eye.

I tried to do some research about the rowing clubs but was unable to find much. If anyone has any information or pictures I would love to view them!

Open House Sunday

The Sugar Loaf Mound House will be open this Sunday November 9, 2008 from 12-4 pm. Please feel free to stop by even if you are just a curiosity seeker. I will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have about the property and house. Please park on the side of the road opposite from the house if at all possible. Hopefully, it will be a lovely day and we will have tons of fun.

The house is located at 4420 Ohio St. Saint Louis, MO 63111 near highway 55 and Broadway. Please feel free to post questions here!

Sugar Loaf Mound:A brief history

The house on Sugar Loaf Mound has been the Strosnider family home for nearly half a century. Walter Strosnider and his wife Eileen waited nearly 10 years for the home on the river that they had always admired to become available. The Strosniders purchased the house in 1962.Since the houses construction in 1928 it has had 3 owners. The first owner was a river boat captain who had the house built into the side of the mound.

Sugar Loaf Mound is the last surviving prehistoric Native American mound in Saint Louis. Saint Louis used to have lots of mounds. In fact, it had so many mounds that it used to be called "Mound City". One by one the mounds were brought down in the interest of expansion and development. Surprisingly, the very thing that saved this mound was the very thing that brought all the others down. When Captain Adams built his house into the side of the mound so he could enjoy the best views of the river he prevented it's likely demolition.

The mound is probably 1,000 or more years old. There is much speculation about what the mound was used for. Some say it was a signal mound, while others say it was used for a temple or burial. Whatever the original use was it is beautiful and so are the views.

I encourage people to come view this property while it is on the market. This may be the only time for another 50 years that you will be able to take in the scenery from the top of this mound. The first open house open to the public will be November 9, 2008 from 12-4 pm.

This blog will be updated with more rich stories and history about the mound, its owners, and Saint Louis history. Please keep checking back!

Sugar Loaf Mound in the Suburban Journal

Sugar loaf mound was mentioned in the Suburban Journal this week.

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2008/10/28/south/life/1029ssj-mound0.txt

Click the link to see what they are saying!