Campbell House Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Campbell House Museum
|
|
 |
|
 Location in St. Louis
Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 1508 Locust St., St. Louis, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Built | 1851 |
| Architectural style | Early Victorian, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 77001560 |
| Added to NRHP | April 21, 1977 |
The Campbell House Museum is a cool place to visit in St. Louis, Missouri. It opened its doors on February 6, 1943. This museum helps us learn about the past. It shows what life was like for a wealthy family in the 1800s.
The house itself is very old and important. It was recognized as a special landmark in St. Louis in 1946. Later, in 1977, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a really important historical site for the whole country! A group called the Campbell House Foundation runs the museum today.
Contents
What's the Campbell House Museum About?
The Campbell House Museum celebrates the home and lifestyle of Robert Campbell and his wife Virginia Kyle Campbell. They lived a "Victorian" life. This means they lived during the time of Queen Victoria in England.
The house was first built in 1851 by John Hall. Robert Campbell bought the house in 1854. He and his family lived there for a very long time. They stayed until his last child passed away in 1938. The house was originally at 20 Lucas Place. This was a new street made around 1850.
How the House Changed Over Time
Robert Campbell paid about $18,000 for the house. That was a lot of money back then! Soon after moving in, he made the house bigger. He added a larger kitchen and dining room. He also added more bedrooms for the servants.
In 1867, the Campbell family made more changes. They combined two front rooms into one big space. They also added a three-story bay window on one side. Three extra rooms were added on the third floor. In 1885, an outdoor porch was closed in. This created a new "morning room." Around 1900, Lucas Place became known as Locust Street. The house address changed to 1508 Locust Street, which is its address today.
How the Museum Was Created
The last Campbell child to live in the house was Hazlett Campbell. He died at home in 1938. After his death, it wasn't clear what would happen to the house. Experts looked at the house and everything inside. They were amazed by how well-preserved it was. They said it was a unique collection of Victorian furniture. Everyone agreed the house and its story needed to be saved.
A local history group, the William Clark Society, decided to help. They wanted to turn the house and its contents into a museum. Important historians and art experts joined their committee.
Saving the Campbell Family's Belongings
The Campbell family's cousins inherited the house's contents. They decided to sell everything at an auction. The auction happened in February 1941. The William Clark Society quickly raised over $6,500. They used this money to buy most of the furniture. Many other Campbell items were donated by buyers after the auction. The Campbell House Foundation was officially started later that year.
In 1942, a local department store, Stix, Baer and Fuller, bought the house. They then gave it to the people of St. Louis. They did this through the Campbell House Foundation. The oldest Campbell son, Hugh, had left the house to Yale University in his will. He did this to honor his youngest brother, James, who had attended Yale.
Making the Museum Ready (1943–1973)
When the foundation got the house in 1942, they started raising money. They wanted to fix up the inside with new wallpaper, paint, and carpets. This redecoration was based on how people in the mid-1900s thought Victorian homes looked. It wasn't exactly how the house looked in the 1800s.
The Campbell House Museum officially opened to the public on February 6, 1943. In the 1940s, it was one of the only museums focused on Victorian America. The museum was even featured in famous magazines. It appeared in Life in May 1945. It was also in National Geographic in March 1946.
The museum's rooms were redecorated again in 1967. In January 1973, the Campbell House was shown in Architectural Digest magazine. Later that year, something very important happened. The museum received an album with 60 photographs. These photos were taken around 1885. They showed the house's interior, room by room. They also showed the outside and the neighborhood. The album was found in the trash of a law firm!
These photos are the most important item in the museum. They helped the museum restore the house accurately.
Bringing the House Back to Life (1973–2005)
The discovery of the Campbell House photo album was a game-changer. It allowed the museum to restore the rooms exactly as they looked in the past. The first room to be restored was the morning room in 1980. In the mid-1980s, the dining room was also partly restored.
In both rooms, special painting was done to make wood look like real wood grain. In the morning room, new wallpaper was made to match the pattern in the old photos. In the dining room, an amazing painted ceiling was recreated.
Big Restoration Project (2000–2005)
In February 2000, a huge restoration project began. First, all the museum's items were carefully packed away. The outside of the house was finished by mid-2001. This work made the house look like it did historically. It also fixed the building's structure to protect it for a long time.
The inside restoration started in spring 2001. It was finished in 2005. The goal was to make the house look as close as possible to the 1885 photographs.
New Additions to the Museum (2019)
In 2019, the museum started a big expansion project. This project cost $1.8 million. It included building a new entrance at street level. This new entrance makes the museum easier to access for everyone.
The expansion also added two new education spaces. There's a new gift shop and a lobby. An elevator was also installed. This means visitors can now tour the house without using stairs!
