The stately five-bedroom home on Ladue Road built by Maritz & Young has quite the history, which only adds to its wow factor. Originally built as a horse farm in 1927 by Martin Lammert Sr. (founder of the former Lammert’s Furniture), it was modeled after a similar style of house he admired in England.
Many years later, his granddaughter gifted the home and surrounding property—except for two structures turned into a Colonial home just down the road—to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and it was the residence for our city’s cardinals for nearly three decades. “The cardinals turned the screened-in porch into a chapel, which is now our den,” the homeowner explains. “Mass was said there every day. It has beautiful stained-glass windows made by Emil Frei out of Kirkwood, an extremely well-known family company.”
The home has countless special features. “When I first saw the beautiful terrazzo floors that are original to the house, I thought, ‘I’ll never have to refinish another wood floor again,’” says the homeowner. Their biggest renovation was the master bedroom and bath, although, she notes, they have refreshed many of the rooms. “We tried to return it back to an old English home,” she says. “Everything we’ve done, we thought of how the home was originally, and we approached it from that angle. Popular St. Louis architect Randall Comfort worked with us on the den, where we opened the ceiling to reveal the wooden beams and added stucco archways.”
She notes the large, open rooms make it ideal for entertaining, and caterers can set up on the side porch or laundry room, both attached to the kitchen. “We have hosted numerous events for the art museum. And we hosted a holiday fundraiser for Beta Gamma,” she says. “We decorate to the nines for Christmas anyway, so that was fun.”
The kitchen and adjoining breakfast room are popular hangouts for Sunday dinners with their six children, spouses and grandchild. The sunroom serves as a retreat for Bible studies and reading, and the expansive rec room was perfect for Westminster students’ lip synching practice. “Although it’s a great size, it’s very warm and cozy,” the homeowner notes. “Once you get halfway up the driveway, you come into this wonderful, private compound, even though we’re off Ladue Road. You feel like you’re in your own world.”
listing price | $1,795,000
listing agents | ben patton and wayne norwood, gladys manion real estate
Photos: Steven B. Smith Photography and Virtuance
Cover photo: Peaks View Photography