A Vanishing STL reader informed me that this beautiful 5,000 s.f. home designed by the esteemed firm of Maritz & Young is currently for sale as a potential tear-down. The home at #2 Dunlora Lane, which was constructed in 1935 in Huntleigh, features 4 bedrooms including a 1st floor master suite, 3 full baths and 2 half baths. There are two separate real estate listings: One that includes information about the house and one that describes the property as a building site which happens to have an existing house "which can be deleted"! Maritz & Young designed over 150 homes for the who's who of St. Louis between WWI and WWII. For more about the Maritz & Young, read this story about a monograph of the firms work.
The spacious main rooms of the first floor feature beautiful polished terrazzo floors, something almost never found in newly constructed homes. A home of these quality materials would cost $250-$300 a square foot to construct today, meaning that if someone does demolish this home they would be flushing upwards of $1,500,000.00 down the toilet! Unfortunately this kind of blatant waste is not unprecedented. In 2006 another colonial revival home by Maritz & Young at 35 Brentmoor in Clayton was demolished to build a Mediterranean style McMansion.
A view of the dining room shows off the homes plaster crown molding, arched doorways and large windows. Photographs above from the first listing.
An aerial view of the property which also features an large pool and a separate 2-bedroom cottage with kitchen and living area. People seem to forget all too often that if a home (or any other building for that matter) doesn't suit your present needs, it can be renovated, remodeled, added onto or reconfigured to your liking. Clearing the site and starting over is not always the best option.
Also, if you have a horse or two, you are in luck. The area is zoned for equestrian use, so you can add a barn to the property of you want.
In an estate auction was held at the house. The video from the auction gives a broader overview of the house. Ignore the frumpy stuff that was sold and focus on the house. Note the coffered ceiling in the basement. Typical of homes of this size and time of construction, the entire first floor of the house is a cast in place concrete slab, which goes hand in hand with the wall to wall terrazzo floors.
As of yesterday, property status is "pending." We'll have to assume the worst and hope for the new owners to keep the house intact. It would be a shame to see someone attempt to raze this home, attempting to replicate "the Spelling mansion" (or Real Housewives of New Jersey) as others have done with homes in Huntleigh Woods. Mind you, most of the tear-downs in Huntleigh Woods were very dated 1960's McMansions and not quite Maritz & young structures. And Huntleigh Woods is in the Ladue school district so... Good on tax hungry Ladue for getting the taxes on $5M mini-mansions from residents who most likely patronize price schools.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: from residents who most likely patronize PRIVATE schools.
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