Lemp Mansion facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lemp Mansion
Front of the Lemp Mansion
General information
Address	3322 DeMenil Place (formerly 3322 South 13th Street)
Town or city	St. Louis, Missouri
Country	United States
Coordinates	38°35′36″N 90°12′58″W / 38.5932°N 90.216°W / 38.5932; -90.216
Completed	1868

The Lemp Mansion is a historic house in Benton Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It's famous for its connection to the Lemp family, who were well-known brewers. Today, the mansion is a restaurant and an inn. You can visit for historical tours, or even for special "haunted" tours!

Mansion History and Design

The Lemp Mansion was built in 1890. In 1911, it had big changes. Some parts became offices for the Lemp Brewery. The brewery stopped making beer in 1922.

Later, in 1950, the mansion became a boarding house. It lost some of its fancy look during this time. A highway, Interstate 55, was built in the 1960s. This construction destroyed some of the mansion's land. It also removed one of its carriage houses.

Even with these changes, some original parts of the house remain. You can see decorative iron gates in the basement restaurant. These gates were once part of an open-air elevator. The ceiling in the parlor is hand-painted. The fireplaces have fancy carvings made from African mahogany wood. The main bathroom has a special glass shower. William Lemp brought it from a hotel in Italy. There are also three vaults in the back of the house. The Lemp family used these to store their art.

Today, the Pointer family owns the Lemp Mansion. It's a popular place for events. These include murder mystery dinners and Halloween parties. Another historic building, the Chatillon–DeMenil House, is nearby.

The Lemp Family Story

Adam Lemp and Western Brewery

The Lemp family's story began with Johann "Adam" Lemp. He was born in Germany in 1798. Adam came to the United States in 1836. He settled in St. Louis in 1838. At first, he ran a grocery store.

Adam Lemp's store, A. Lemp & Co., sold groceries. But he also sold his own vinegar and beer. By 1840, he focused only on making and selling beer. He started Western Brewery at 37 South Second Street. This area is now near the Gateway Arch. Adam Lemp's beer became very popular. Many German people lived in the area. Lemp was one of the first in the U.S. to make German lager beer. This was different from the common English ales.

His business grew a lot. He needed a large space to store his beer. So, he used a cave in south St. Louis. Caves provided natural cooling, like a refrigerator. This cave was located under the Lemp Mansion and the Lemp Brewery. By the 1860s, St. Louis had many breweries. Western Brewery was one of the most successful.

William J. Lemp Sr.

Adam's son, William J. Lemp, was born in Germany in 1835. He worked at Western Brewery. In 1861, he joined the United States Army. He became an Orderly Sergeant. William married Julia Feickert in December 1861.

Adam Lemp died on August 23, 1862. William then took over Western Brewery. In 1864, he built a bigger brewery above the caves. Under William Lemp, Western Brewery became the largest in St. Louis. It was the biggest outside of New York owned by one person. William started bottling beer at the same place it was brewed. This was unusual at the time.

He was also very innovative. In 1878, he put the first refrigeration machine in an American brewery. Then he used refrigerated railway cars. This helped Lemp Beer be sold all over the country. Soon, Lemp Beer was sold worldwide.

In 1892, the William J. Lemp Brewing Company was created. William was the President. His son, William Jr., was Vice-President. His son, Louis, was Superintendent. William Sr. hoped his fourth son, Frederick, would take over the company. Sadly, Frederick died in 1901 due to health problems. William Sr. became very sad. He passed away on February 13, 1904.

William J. Lemp, Jr.

On November 7, 1904, William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., became president of the brewing company. Billy had married Lillian Handlan. They moved to a new home. Lillian was known as the “Lavender Lady.” She often wore lavender clothes. She also had lavender carriages. Lillian and Billy later divorced in 1908. Lillian was given custody of their only child, William III.

After this, Billy built a country home called "Alswel." It overlooked the Meramec River. He lived there full-time by 1914.

The Lemp Brewery faced problems in the early 1920s. This was when Prohibition began. Prohibition made it illegal to sell alcohol. The brewery closed down. The Falstaff brand was sold to a friend. The brewery buildings were sold at auction. The International Shoe Company bought them for $588,000.

William Lemp III

In 1939, William J. Lemp III, Billy Lemp's only son, licensed the Lemp name. Central Breweries of East St. Louis used the name. They changed their name to the William J. Lemp Brewing Company. They started a big marketing plan. This led to more sales of the new Lemp Beer. However, the contract ended in 1945.

Charles Lemp

Charles Lemp was William Sr.'s third son. He was the last Lemp to live in the mansion. He moved in during 1929. Charles had left the brewery in 1917. He worked in banking and finance. He also was involved in politics. Charles never married. He lived in the mansion with his dog and two servants.

Edwin Lemp

After Charles died, Edwin Lemp was William Sr.'s only living son. Edwin was the youngest son. He worked at the brewery until 1913. Then he retired to "Cragwold." This was an estate he built in 1911. "Cragwold" had an observation tower. It also had two houses for servants. Edwin collected many animals there. These included birds, antelope, and buffalo. After retiring, Edwin helped many charities. He especially supported the St. Louis Zoo.

Edwin died in 1970 at age 90. Before he died, he asked his caretaker to destroy his art collection and family treasures.

Haunted Stories

Many people believe the Lemp Mansion is haunted. Local stories say spirits live there. The Missouri History Museum says Life Magazine wrote about the Lemp Mansion. In 1980, they called it one of America’s nine most haunted houses.