St. Louis’ architecture tells its story through the materials that built it, each shaped by the region’s resources and history. From the city’s rich clay deposits to the limestone quarried across Missouri, every layer contributes to its distinctive look.

Tilt your head back on Laclede’s Landing to see the intricate brickwork, or study the skyline from the stands at Busch Stadium. St. Louis has a look all its own.

Construction After the Great Fire

The city owes its distinctive hue to the Cheltenham Syncline, a geological formation packed with red clay. By the 1800s, more than 50 clay mines operated throughout St. Louis. When the Great Fire of 1849 destroyed $6.1 million in property (equivalent to nearly $250 million today), officials required that new buildings be constructed of brick or stone.

Brick: The City’s Signature Look

In more than 250 years, St. Louis has earned many nicknames, and one of the most fitting is Brick City. Meander down just about any street, and you’ll see brick that is striking orange-red, stamped, or glazed is everywhere, from garden beds to skyscrapers.

Bissell Mansion

Constructed in 1823, the Bissell Mansion is the oldest brick home in St. Louis. Later, it served as a boarding house and narrowly escaped demolition during the construction of Interstate 70. The mansion was declared a city landmark in 1971. Captain Bissell and one of his wives are said to haunt the mansion, which led to it becoming a murder-mystery dinner theater until 2023.

Limestone: A Foundation of Early Construction

Before the rise of brickmaking in St. Louis, limestone was the construction material of choice. There’s even a variety named after St. Louis, known for its fine-grained texture and fossil fragments—a reminder that the region was once beneath a vast inland sea.

Old Rock House

Built in 1818 as a fur-trading warehouse, the Old Rock House was carefully disassembled when the Levee District was cleared to make way for the Gateway Arch, a testament to limestone’s longevity.

Work on dismantling the house began in 1959. Too little original material remained after restoration, demolition, and theft for a true reconstruction. As a compromise, a corner of the Old Rock House was rebuilt and put on exhibit in the Old Courthouse, where visitors can view it alongside historic photographs.

Granite: Elegance and Durability

Beauty and strength are present in the granite that helped shape St. Louis architecture. Iron Mountain, about 85 miles south, is rife with granite deposits that have been mined since the middle of the 19th century. Five varieties – Butler Hill, Breadtray, Missouri Red, Silvermine, Slabtown – are used for everything from paving blocks to monuments.

At the turn of the 20th century, the stately homes on Portland and Westmoreland in the Central West End were owned by St. Louis’ wealthiest, and the grandeur of the houses fit the status of their owners.

Old Post Office

The Old Post Office is a rare surviving example of the French Second Empire style that became popular after the Civil War. Its fortress-like design, completed in 1884, is of red Missouri granite and gray Maine granite. What once represented the height of 19th-century technology now stands as a model of historic preservation, restored to its original beauty and integrity. The Old Post Office is a national historic landmark and became a city landmark in 1971.

Sandstone: Industrial Use and Architectural Detail

The sandstone deposits stretching from Eureka to Festus are fragile and not ideal for construction, but they proved essential to the region’s industrial growth. In the late 19th century, glass manufacturing became a major business in the area, relying on sandstone that was mined, ground into silica, and melted into plate glass. These glass windows brought light into the workplaces of the Industrial Age.

Railroads gave St. Louis access to quarries with higher-quality sandstone, and builders began shipping in varieties from southern Illinois and other locales. This material soon appeared on facades throughout Lafayette Square and other historic neighborhoods.

City Hall

St. Louis City Hall, inspired by the City Hall in Paris, is an ornate structure comprising of pink granite, yellow brick, and sandstone. It opened to city officials in 1898, and construction finished in 1904.

The porous nature of sandstone gave the building its timeworn character, darkening as a result of exposure to coal smoke. City residents were so accustomed to darkened stone that when it was sandblasted clean in 1934, they requested a return to the color, now considered an essential part of this Renaissance Revival gem. In 1971, St. Louis City Hall was designated a city landmark.

Bring Timeless Craftsmanship Into Your Home

Discover the possibilities with Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design, a premier residential architecture firm based in St. Louis, Missouri, that serves clients nationwide. Our firm looks to the city’s architectural legacy and sense of community while designing spaces that reflect how people live today. We blend creativity and technical expertise to create homes that meet the unique needs of each client, and we’ll work with you to bring your vision to life.

To start your design journey, contact us online or give us a call at (314) 576-5888!