Samuel Cupples House

Samuel Cupples House
3671 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
Directions: Frost Campus of Saint Louis University, directly next to Pius XII Memorial Library (one block west of Grand and one block south of Lindell)
Admission: Free (Self-Guided Tour)
http://www.slu.edu/x27031.xml


Samuel Cupples, born in 1831, is a true American rags to riches story. In short, he ended up in St. Louis selling woodenware (ax and broom handles, baskets, etc). Through savvy business practices over the next 40 plus years he accumulated an immense wealth. At the time of his death in 1912, his estate was valued at a little over $1.5 million dollars (roughly $50 million today) not including $7.5 million ($225 million) he had established as gifts to Washington University and other beneficiaries.
Cupples began construction on his home in 1888 and was complete by 1890 at a cost of $500,000 ($15-20 million today). According to a PBS special, in 1890, 11 of the 12 million American families lived on less than $1200 per year. The money was spent constructing a Romanesque Revival style home more typically used on churches and public buildings than private homes. In his will, Cupples stated the home could not be sold for 8 years or to Saint Louis University. In 1919 the house was sold to the American Railroad Telegraphers' Union and served as their headquarters to 1946. They sold the building to Saint Louis University for $50,000. The university used it as a student union and office space until 1970 when it was renovated and eventually being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The house has three floors and is in great condition. All of the original woodwork, which can be seen in some of my photos, was never painted over after the house was sold. The first floor contains the more public rooms: dining room, music room and library. The second floor contained the family's bedrooms and servant's quarters. The third floor is a break from the traditions of the time. Typically, the third floor would have been a ballroom but as a strict Methodist Cupples turned the floor into apartment-like rooms for guests to stay. Today, the third floor houses the Eleanor Turshin Glass collection. Turshin, who operated a jewelry factory, collected interesting and rare glassware from the United States and Europe during her sales travels. Overall, the home is a great example of how the very rich lived in the late 19th century.

If you are looking for a place to visit a bit off the beaten St. Louis path, I would highly suggest the Samuel Cupples house on the campus of Saint Louis University.