This historic gem is located at 2610 Tennessee Avenue in the independent city of St. Louis, Missouri. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 2000.
The William Buehler Home carries the architectural style of Late Victorian: Romanesque. It has a limestone foundation and the walls are obviously brick. The architect was Herman Lemm. According to the Redfin real estate website, this house was last sold in January 2000.
Construction began on this two-and-one-half-story house in 1894 and was completed nearly two years later. It's styled in Richardsonian Romanesque and was considered a single-family home. It has a three-story square tower and the property includes a two-story brick carriage house.
The residential area surrounding this home is the Tower Grove East neighborhood. The Buehler House is on the east side of Tennessee Avenue and stands out with its tower. It's not far from the Compton Heights Historic District or the Shaw Neighborhood. At the time the house was nominated for the National Register, both the house and carriage house had been vacant for a couple of years.
The Buehler House is important because of its architecture and it's the only known example of Lemm's designs still existing in St. Louis.
William Buehler
This historic home was built for William Buehler. Buehler's profession was a cooper. After he moved into his home, it was used for his barrel-making business. It's believed that Buehler was working independently and even at his old home, he was working out of the back of it. He must have been successful as he was supplying local breweries.
As his new home was larger, it possibly represents the level of success achieved. Supposedly, the neighbors remembered a beer barrel weathervane on the tower which was eventually removed.
Buehler's house was the first one built on the block and not surprising that it still provides an impressive view. The house is also closer to the street than others on its block. The area where the house is located on Tennessee Avenue had not developed into a neighborhood at the time the house was being built.
Interestingly, 1896 marked the first year lots were given house numbers for their respective street addresses.
The Buehlers lived in this home until 1907. A man by the name of Frederick Gaisler moved into the home and he resided there until around 1916. At that time, the house was also an office or it was subdivided. A doctor named Emma Howe was living in the house in 1915, and Gaisler was still a resident there as well.
In 1917, the house was office to the Paule Real Estate and Building Company, and in the following year, that company was joined by the president of the B.J. Charlevill Building and Investment Company, namely Benjamin Charlevill. By 1922, the real estate company and Charlevill were replaced by William Albrecht.
Albrecht owned a delicatessen and lived in the house with his family until the 1930s. With the house being divided, boarders also lived there. The house changed hands often after the Albrechts sold it. Owners of the house from 1955 to 1961, John H. and Esther J. Scheibe, never occupied the house. They rented it out. This continued to be the case with other owners. At some point, an owner started converting the house back to a single-family residence but didn't complete the work.
The Buehler House still visually has the neighborhood's attention. It also serves as a reminder of how a once vast agricultural area developed into the Tower Grove East neighborhood.
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