Niedringhaus Historic District

The Niedringhaus District is best understood as the residential face of the Granite City professional class during the company-town's peak years from roughly 1895 to 1930. While the Niedringhaus brothers themselves had primary residences in St. Louis, their managers, foremen, attorneys, physicians, ministers, and merchants lived in the district they had laid out, in houses that reflected their economic position within the company-town hierarchy. The largest and most elaborate houses are on Niedringhaus Avenue itself, with progressively more modest (but still substantial) homes radiating outward to the boundary streets.

The H. C. Stoecker House at 2105 Niedringhaus Avenue, built in 1903 for the chief engineer of the Niedringhaus Steel Works, is widely considered the most architecturally significant house in the district. The three-story Queen Anne features a rounded corner turret with a witch-hat roof, multiple gables with decorative bargeboards, leaded glass throughout, and a wraparound porch with original turned-wood columns. The house is privately owned but has been featured in several regional architectural surveys and is the most-photographed building in the district. The Stoecker family lived in the house until 1962.

The James A. Schermerhorn House at 2208 Niedringhaus Avenue, built in 1899 for a partner in the original Niedringhaus enamelware operation, is the second architectural standout. The two-and-a-half-story Colonial Revival features a classical pediment over the front entrance, fluted Doric columns, dentil molding around the cornice, and an elaborate side garden that has been continuously maintained by successive owners. The Frank A. Adams House at 2317 Cleveland Street, the William P. Smith House at 2410 Niedringhaus, and several others around the district are similarly distinctive and worth walking past.

The Niedringhaus Public Library at 2005 Niedringhaus Avenue is the architectural and civic anchor of the district. The 1908 Carnegie-funded building is a single-story Beaux-Arts structure with a rusticated stone base, brick upper walls, a low pediment over the front entrance flanked by classical columns, and a copper-clad roof. The interior preserves the original 1908 reading room layout, with high ceilings, ornamental plasterwork, and the original library tables and chairs still in use. The library holds an extensive collection of Granite City local history materials, Niedringhaus family papers, and a complete run of Granite City newspapers dating back to the 1890s.

The library is open to the public during regular hours - Monday through Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 5pm, closed Sunday - and is the best starting point for visitors wanting to research the district's history. The library staff is unusually knowledgeable about Granite City history and will help visitors find specific houses, look up architectural records, and identify former residents. The second-floor Niedringhaus Library Gallery hosts the rotating arts exhibitions of the Granite City Art and Design District, providing another reason to visit even for travelers without research interests.

Other civic anchors include the original 1903 Granite City High School building two blocks east, which has been converted to a community center and senior center but retains its original Romanesque Revival exterior and many interior features. St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church on Cleveland Street, a 1910 Gothic Revival structure with notable stained glass, holds occasional tours during the warmer months. The First Presbyterian Church on Niedringhaus Avenue, a 1907 Colonial Revival, is the longest continuously operating Protestant congregation in Granite City and welcomes visitors during Sunday morning services.

The Niedringhaus District walking tour brochure, available free at the Niedringhaus Public Library and at the Granite City Chamber of Commerce, highlights 28 architecturally significant buildings throughout the district. The full self-guided tour covers roughly 2.5 miles and takes two to three hours at a walking pace. The route begins at the library, proceeds west along Niedringhaus Avenue to view the most elaborate houses, turns south on 22nd Street, and continues through a circuit that returns to the library. The streets are flat and the sidewalks are in reasonable condition, though some sections of older brick are uneven.

The best times to visit are spring (April through May) when the tulips, dogwoods, and redbuds bloom along Niedringhaus Avenue, and fall (mid-October through early November) when the hardwoods turn brilliant colors. Summer is warm and humid and the foliage hides some of the architectural detail. Winter offers the clearest views of the buildings but is cold and the days are short. The district takes on a particular charm during the December holiday season, when many residents decorate their Victorian-era porches with traditional displays of greenery and lights.

For Route 66 travelers, the Niedringhaus District is a worthwhile extension of a Nameoki Village visit. The two districts are immediately adjacent and can be combined into a single 4-mile walking tour covering both neighborhoods in roughly four hours, or driven through in 30 to 45 minutes with stops at the most architecturally significant buildings. The Granite City Public Library is the best starting point for any historical research; the Chamber of Commerce can connect serious researchers with members of the local historical society for deeper inquiries.