The Samuel Cupples House is a historic

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, constructed from 1888 to 1890 by

Samuel Cupples Samuel Cupples (September 13, 1831 – January 6, 1912) was an American businessman and entrepreneur based in St. Louis, Missouri. Early life Cupples was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to James and Elizabeth (Bingham) Cupples. His parents ...

. It is now a museum on the campus of

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1976.

History

Originally designed by Thomas B. Annan in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

, construction of the house and stables began in 1888, before being completed in 1890 at an expense of $15 million in 2020 dollars. Originally, the home was the residence of wealthy St. Louis entrepreneur

. In 1946, the house was bought by

for $50,000

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

and converted to serve as a student center (complete with a bowling alley and bar in the basement) and an office for academic advising. In 1973, Maurice McNamee, S.J. was tasked with restoring the mansion to its original appearance. Since its restoration, the house has been converted into a museum.

Exhibits

Today, the Eleanor Turshin Glass Collection is shown throughout the house as a permanent exhibit showcasing

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

glassware. The basement of the building houses the McNamee Gallery, which hosts art exhibitions of SLU students and faculty, as well as visiting artists.

References

External links

Official website
(Saint Louis University) Houses in St. Louis Saint Louis University Museums in St. Louis Historic house museums in Missouri University museums in Missouri Landmarks of St. Louis Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Missouri Art museums and galleries in Missouri Decorative arts museums in the United States Midtown St. Louis Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis 1976 establishments in Missouri Tourist attractions in St. Louis Gilded Age mansions {{StLouis-struct-stub

History

Exhibits

See also

References

External links