If you think a small lot means a lousy yard, you鈥檝e clearly never been to the Lafayette Square Garden Tour. The annual springtime event brings visitors to the historic neighborhood in the city鈥檚 central core, demonstrating how beautiful even small city lots 鈥� and the homes around them 鈥� can be.
This spring, the garden tour is paired with the return of the antique fair in Lafayette Park, as well as an 1860s baseball game, trolley rides and an evening concert by the Jeremiah Johnson Band.
On Friday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air, Lafayette Square resident Sharon Stockmann explained that the tours date back to 1969, a time when adventurous pioneers were purchasing long-abandoned homes and beginning the laborious process of restoring them to their former glory. Stockmann鈥檚 husband, Dick, bought an abandoned shell of a Victorian in 1974 for $2,000 鈥� then the price, she joked, of a brand-new Chevy Nova.
The couple moved in after a year and a half of intensive labor, but the house remained a major project.
鈥淲e worked at it every weekend for seven years and in 1981, we were on the house tour for the first time,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n that time we had two children 鈥� so, living under construction all that time with two small kids. But we were supported by all of our neighbors who were doing the same thing.鈥�
In 2017, with their children long grown, the couple downsized to a smaller, brand-new house 鈥� but even then, they chose to stay in the neighborhood. They aren鈥檛 alone in that. 鈥淲e counted it up the other night, my husband and I,鈥� Stockmann said. 鈥淲e know of 30 households who have been there as long as we have.鈥�
And those longtime residents poured their sweat equity into the neighborhood.
Said Stockmann: 鈥淚t was essential to be part of the neighborhood association. It was not really a choice of like, 鈥極h, I'll be on this committee or that committee.鈥� It's like, 鈥榃e're going to do it all. Everybody's got to do everything.鈥欌��
Jill Peckinpaugh is now the chair of fundraising for the Lafayette Square Neighborhood Association. She promised a wide variety of gardens on display on this year鈥檚 tour.
Peckinpaugh noted that the tours are a major fundraiser for the nonprofit.
鈥淭he holiday tour and the garden tour have been bringing in money for the restoration of Lafayette Square,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t goes into new historic signs, repairing [old ones], security. There's a lot of things that a lot of people don't think of that take care of a national historic area.鈥�
They also serve as an advertisement for the neighborhood. 鈥淚t will bring and cheer people that love gardens or are even thinking of maybe moving to the city that might think, 鈥極h, I really want a creative space.鈥� This will show you how to do it.鈥�
Related Event
What:
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4
Where: 2023 Lafayette Ave., St. Louis, MO 63104
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . Avery Rogers is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
