A Historic Host for Martinis at the Mansion 🍸

This year’s host for Tower Grove Park’s Martinis at the Mansion is a stunning historic residence in the Portland and Westmoreland Places area—an enclave that became a haven for prominent St. Louisans by the late 1800s.

In 1897, George Warren Brown, founder of Brown Shoe Company, joined the neighborhood’s development boom by building his dream home. He hired noted architect Frederick Bonsack to design a Richardsonian Romanesque Revival–style mansion. Bonsack had earned his reputation as the general contractor for the Bell Telephone Building on Olive Street.

Richardsonian Romanesque homes are rare, as the style was more commonly used for large public buildings such as Boston’s Trinity Church and Washington D.C.’s Old Post Office. In St. Louis, we see this style in Theodore Link’s Union Station.

The style is characterized by substantial staircases, massive fireplaces, paneled interior walls, thick stone exteriors, round arches, sturdy pillars, barrel vaults, large towers, and decorative window arcading. It conveys structure and solidity, yet remains warm and expressive. The mansion features original tile and wood floors, stained glass throughout, hand-painted wallpaper, original chandeliers, and countless other exquisite details.

Though nearly 12,000 square feet, the home was built for a childless family. The second floor includes a small bedroom with an adjoining bath and two grand suites, each with its own bedroom, bath, dressing room, and sitting room. The third floor was designed for live-in staff.

A highlight of the property is the solarium, illuminated by a large art-glass skylight—part of a major addition completed in 1908.

The entire home and its grounds will be open to guests of this year’s Martinis at the Mansion.

For more information on our 2025 Martinis at the Mansion event, click here.