Eames & Walsh 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 1991 square feet

The Dean House at 101 Mason Avenue in Webster Groves.

It was built in 1936 for Carlton (not Carleton) M. Dean, who was a chemical engineer with Monsanto. The Webster Groves building permit, Number 5572, dated June 1, 1936, names A. B. Spradling as contractor and an estimated cost of only $5,000.

The printed source for this house being designed by Eames & Walsh is its identification by Alice Gerdine in an article by Robert W. Duffy in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1982, page 5C, “Designing A Whole Building Is Just Too Demanding.” Duffy observes that the house stands apart from its more traditional neighbors in the Webster Park neighborhood. But the house looks more modern now than it did originally because it has been painted white. That has obscured the traditional detailing of its brickwork, including the quoining at the corners and the stringcourse between the floors, and has emphasized the placement of the second- story windows at the corners.

Mrs. Gerdine’s testimony deserves considerable respect. As Alice Meyer, she had known Eames for several years before he designed her own house, and her husband John Meyer’s brother was married to Bob Walsh’s sister. Also, her mental acuity was legendary and remained so into her 99th year.

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