The Gittemeier House

1067 Dunn Road
Florissant, Missouri
314-565-1468

Admission is $3; parking is free in lot or on street. 

www.Historicflorissant.com

Opened after 1991.  

The Gittemeier House was built by German immigrant Franz Gittemeier who after working the California gold fields for seven years, returned to Florissant and purchased fifty acres.  On it he built the two-story brick house about 1860 and he and his wife Gertrude raised ten children there. 

Two families and their descendants lived in the house until 1990 when it was purchased by Historic Florissant, Inc. Initially the home was used just by the organization and the three front rooms still serve the organization.  This room is a resource center.  

This room houses, among the other things, a gift shop. 

These front rooms are not period-restored but do include a few items such as this cabinet that displays old barbershop mugs from the Montaigne family barbershop.  The shop opened in the mid-to-late 1800's and closed in 1952.

The room behind the library is one of several that were restored a few years ago expanding beyond using the building as a head office for the organization. The furniture and items in this room were all donated by a local family. 

The room does have one item donated by the Gittemeier family and that is Franz's wooden shoes that he wore when working in the fields. 

Outside this room is a display area.  This wall is dedicated to old Florissant houses that no longer exist. 

Another portion is dedicated to the narrow gauge railroad that made it possible for people living in the city to travel to Florissant for recreation on week-ends or in the summer. 

Going up the stairs to the second floor you are greeted by a display of early sewing items. 

The second floor landing also has a cabinet filled with antique toys. 

A room on the back of the second floor has one of many fireplaces in the house. 

An unfinished needlework by a Gittemeier daughter is on display.

On the front of the house are two bedrooms. 

The bed in the other front room has one of several beautiful quilts on display in the house. 

Even the cradles have quilts. 

Quilts not on beds are stored in a chifferobe. 

This beautiful bedroom piece has two hidden compartments. 

This chair sits very low to the ground and has a rocker.  It was probably used by a nursing mother. 

This beautiful dress and boots are on display. 

The fourth upstairs room served as an office for the organization head for many years and remains as it was then. 

We visited in December and enjoyed the period seasonal decorations including this Christmas feather tree. 

Here one feather got loose enabling you to see how the feathers are used to create the tree. 

The hanging oranges were beautiful! 

A second floor Christmas tree was decorated with strands of popcorn, cranberries and orange slices. 

After visiting this house we had lunch at Hendel's in Old Town Florissant.   A grocery store was established in the building in 1873 and then in 1994 it was re-opened as a restaurant. There is restaurant-seating in the expanded front porch as well as, when weather permits, on the beautiful patio. 

This menu item was EXCELLENT! Pears and Brie Flatbread with mixed greens and balsamic glaze!  YUMMY! 

This meal of  a vegetable quiche, a mixed salad, and a cup of soup was only $10 and was enjoyed by three of our group.  

What every restaurant needs - a throwback candy counter! 

Comments:  We visited this house on Historic St. Louis Holiday Tour Saturday when many groups got together and opened their houses, etc. for tours.  Normally this house is only open on Tuesdays.  It was a busy day and there were others touring the house so I don't know how crowded it would be normally.  We did have tour guides which I understand is the norm.  

The house is in good shape and we enjoyed going through it.  I especially enjoyed the two bedrooms. 

We were told that their library/resource center has a lot of material for historians and genealogists. 

Hendel's was a great restaurant.  Despite limited parking and a wait to get seated, I would definitely return. The menu was interesting, the food excellent, and the service very good.  In addition to the candy counter, they had a fairly extensive drink list.