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Something’s always cooking at the ‘Magic Chef’ house

Designed by architect Ernst Janssen in 1908 for Charles Stockstrom, founder of the Magic Chef Stove Company, this 12,000 square-foot mansion remained in the family until 1990. It is perhaps the grandest of all houses in south St. Louis. Set on two acres, the elegant 30-room French Renaissance Revival style home may have been modeled after a castle in Germany. The home’s grand entry hall is paneled in quarter sawn oak, and features original ceiling stencils. Leaded glass adorns the oak staircase. The kitchen features a Magic Chef stove, a 1930s Westinghouse refrigerator, glazed white brick walls, and restored floor pattern. This unique home contains many features not found in most houses, like a bowling alley, a phone booth, a receiving room, a music room, a conservatory, and a retiring room. In 2005 the mansion was selected for one of 11 “Most Enhanced Building” awards by the Landmarks Association of St. Louis. It’s also been featured in several movies, including the 1998 TV miniseries, “Will of Their Own.” The owner rents the home out for events like weddings and receptions, and it can play host to 150 people for cocktail parties.


A Link to the past

This home was designed by Theodore Link in 1895, the year after he had completed St. Louis Union Station. Both are designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Built for Otto Bollman, a musician and composer, the house features a large music room suitable for recitals. Musical motifs are found throughout the room, including in the plaster mouldings and in the stained glass windows.

Sound quality is enhanced by maple floors and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The home contains a number of interesting features, including a unique double staircase in the first floor central foyer. The library boasts a hand-carved mantel, built-in bookcases and a window seat. A built-in china cabinet, oak wainscoting, and a crystal chandelier grace the dining room. There is also a ballroom on the third floor.


Meet us after the Fair

The dining room of this vintage home features a table from the 1904 World's Fair, and a French door that leads to a sunroom. The butler's pantry boasts original built-ins, and new art glass decorates the transom. The stairwell mirror is framed in hand-carved Black Forest wood. The library boasts massive ceiling beams, paneling, built-in bookcases, Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper, plus transoms and pocket door that had been rediscovered upon renovation by the current owners.

The third floor stairwell features a hand-painted mural of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, as well as a guest room and exercise/music room connected by a Jack and Jill bath. The ballroom features an original maple floor restored from former bedrooms.


Mayor Slay slept here

Built in 1915, this home is an example of the Craftsman style home popular in the Midwest. Of note are the stained glass windows in the living room, dining room and the staircase landing. The windows’ simple pattern, with little ornamentation, perfectly illustrates the Craftsman eye to lines and angles. The glass-front built-in living room bookcases with “cutout” pattern is another Craftsman feature of the home.

Among the home’s previous owners were St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay’s grandparents. Mayor Slay lived in the home while attending Saint Louis University Law School. The architect, Ernest Preisler, designed numerous homes in St. Louis, and also worked on the Story Mansion in Chicago and the Texas State Capitol in Austin.


Stephen Walker  2913 Sweet Flag Court  O'Fallon, MO 63368  (636) 978-8907  (636) 293-5626                 

                  Email: WalkerStudio@charter.net


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