Florissant’s first City Hall sits unnoticed to most people traveling up and down St. Francois Street. Tucked back from the streets edge at 619 St. Francois, the little white brick building was once the center of activity for the City of Florissant. The City Council authorized the construction of the building in the spring of 1876 to serve as the City Hall and Calaboose, or local jail. Throughout its more than 130 years, it has been used for a variety of purposes, adjusting to the needs of the town. The first time the building was altered was in 1919, when the Florissant volunteer fire …

 The Castello House, the gray brick building at 755 St. Francois Street, is named after one of Florissant’s more prominent early families. It is well known that Charles Castello was mayor of Florissant from 1865 until 1890. This home was not named for him, however, but for his grandfather Michael. Michael was the first of his family to leave Ireland and come to America in the very early 1800s, marrying and settling in Pennsylvania. Prior to 1820, he moved his family to Florissant and purchased this property from Antoine Riviere. The records are unclear whether the house was on the property at…

The Douglas House at 801 rue St. Francois adds a different sense to the Old Town Florissant area as its gone from residence to businesses. This stately Missouri German building, built prior to 1860, was originally a private residence. The Historic Florissant Archives show that the Michael Powers family it owned the property from 1869 until 1894, and the yard encompassed all of Block 22 of the city. It’s best known as the Douglas House, partly due to the picturesque memoir written in 1968 by Antoinette Douglas Schmitz. Mrs. Schmitz’s parents, Walter and Fannie Kimball Douglas, bought the …

Similar to last week’s historic home, the August Aubuchon house at 1002 St. Louis Ave. has been said to be one of few French Colonial houses in the county area. It’s also a prime example of the Missouri-French architecture. Built in the 19th century, the original house sat as a French-style log cabin with two rooms and a loft area. The notes on the home also note that the yard of the home produced a number of fruits, such as pears, cherries, peaches and apples. In the early 20th century, its owner, Mrs. Belcher, extensively remodeled the house at the time. According to the Florissant Historic…

One of the oldest surviving homes in Florissant and some consider in St. Louis County is the August Aubuchon-Herbst House at 695 N. Jefferson St. The house, which sits at the corner of Jefferson and rue St. Louis, has undergone a number of changes and owners, but it has remained a staple in the heart of Old Town Florissant. According to the Florissant Historic Building Survey Inventory, the house dates back to the mid 19th century and appears on a map of Florissant in 1878. In the description of the original house, it’s noted that it “consists of a simple one-story rectangular with an east-…