This rare, board and batten, or “Carpenter” Gothic Revival house sits on the northern edge of Carondelet, a survivor from long ago. It was brought to my attention by David Conradsen and Lynn Josse.
Simplifying the Gothic arch with two boards, instead of curved wood, this house is elegant, but not as complex as much of the Gothic style. I know of three other examples, one that will be featured tomorrow, and this one, and this one, both in North St. Louis.
I couldn’t find much information on the house, because the City’s date of 1892 is almost certainly wrong. The other board and batten, on Shaw Boulevard, appears in the 1876 Compton and Dry View. Such an elaborate wood frame house would not have been allowed in the City of St. Louis–it would have been brick. I suspect it is from at least the 1870s, if not much older since Carondelet joined St. Louis in 1870. Also, it sits on the lot in a weird angle, alluding to the house being built before the surrounding neighborhood was subdivided with a regular street grid.
