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"We don't like symmetry and manicure. We love the features and the colors," Lynn Smith says of the English-style garden in the 1888 Lafayette Square home she shares with her husband, Houston. The Smith Garden is one of 11 gardens featured in the annual Lafayette Square Garden Tour on 3 June.
After buying the house in 1999, the couple spent more than 20 years lovingly renovating it, as well as developing and cultivating the garden.
“We grow perennials and let them grow. If something goes wrong, we dig it up and plant it somewhere else,” says Lynn. "We all want different textures and there will be a time when we will have many different shades of green."
In addition to perennials, annuals and various small trees, including dogwoods, mushrooms, Japanese maples, oak hydrangeas and Harry Loder's cane, the Smiths have a vegetable garden and grow mushrooms.
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The house itself is a three-story German Baroque house designed by local architect Otto Wilhelmi and is located on a quiet street a block from Parc Lafayette. Park said the Smiths fell in love with the area when they first encountered it while house hunting when they moved from Georgia to St. Louis.
"We were walking alone and the park was so beautiful on an October day," recalls Leanne.
Their realtor in the area didn't even know the site existed, and the Smiths discovered it after seeing an ad for another home in their price range.
"There was scaffolding around a lot of the houses, so we knew people were rebuilding," says Houston.
In the foyer, Houston worked with a carpenter to recreate the home's original door and windows from photographs provided by a neighbor. He also replaced the cracked marble and slate floor with a new black and white marble floor. The antique Russian chandelier was purchased from the now-closed Jon Paul Designs & Collectibles store in Richmond Heights.
When they bought the house after a major renovation in 1983, it was habitable but horribly run down, unfortunately retaining many of its original features. An antique blue rug adorns the entire home with peach accents on the walls and matching peach and blue linoleum in the kitchen.
Over time, the Smiths renovated it again to bring it back to its original charm. With the help of two talented carpenters, Houston painstakingly added crown molding, wall panels, ceiling medallions and other period pieces. The blue carpet has been removed and replaced with new hardwood floors in the main living areas. They replaced the cracked and broken floor and marble in the lobby with new black and white marble floors.
At one point, the back of the house sank five inches to the foundation. In reclaiming it, the Smiths found and restored the original sliding doors that separated the brick living room and dining room. They then used them as models to create a new panel to separate the living room from the foyer.
Light pours into the living room from a large arched window which has been restored to match the original. The marble fireplace surround is said to be the only original feature left in the house when the Smiths bought it. The ground floor is decorated in warm shades of gold and red, with antiques and heirlooms.
Working from a photograph of a former neighbor, they also restored the front door and surrounding windows to resemble the originals. The white marble fireplace in the living room is said to be the only original feature left in the house.
The main floor is decorated in gold and red, with antique furniture and heirlooms, such as a wooden dining set that belonged to Houston's parents and a dresser in the living room that contained a closet in the living room. Lynn's childhood. Chickens are a recurring theme throughout the house. Lee Ann has been collecting decorative chickens for years, and the colorful creatures adorn artwork, pillows, figurines and garden sculptures.
The Smiths restored the carriage house built in 1889 and turned it into a garage. It also serves as a background in the garden. The quaint backyard is one of Lee Ann's favorite things. Behind the fence, Harry Loder's tree has been cut down and its top raised, revealing climbing branches.
Originally from Texas and moving south to St.
"I come from South Georgia, where there are no seasons," says Leanne.
Lee Ann (right) and Huston Smith pose with their eight-year-old dog Fiona on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Place Lafayette. Photo: Michael Klubb, mclubb@post-dispatch.com
