Raise the Roof Challenge

Dear Friends,

We are ready to raise the roof! We have an exciting piece of progress for Friends of Eliestoun. We have received an anonymous challenge grant for $25,000! For every dollar donated for the Eliestoun roof project a donor will match up to $25,000 by June 30.   

Before we can do other work on the Eliestoun estate c. 1890, a highly significant regional and architectural masterpiece of shingle-style architecture in the entire St. Louis area, we need to replace the roof, gutters, and downspouts. This will protect the inside of the building and allow us to resume work on the interior.

Eliestoun and the Arts and Crafts Movement is a significant part of Principia’s architectural legacy of East meets West at Elsah on the Mississippi River. Eliestoun’s architect, Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr., known for his East coast shingle-style was a co-founder of the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston. San Francisco’s Bernard Maybeck, architect of 11 surviving buildings on Principia’s campus, brought creative eclecticism inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. Both architects were classically trained at Ecole de Beaux-Arts in Paris, France.

The Eliestoun estate serves as a physical and architectural intersection for the careers of Longfellow and Maybeck, both prominent American architects. Decades after the construction of Longfellow’s Eliestoun estate, Bernard Maybeck and his wife Annie resided at Eliestoun with Mary Kimball Morgan from 1931 to 1935, during the planning and construction of his masterpiece Principia campus. 

For more information on Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr, please use this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wadsworth_Longfellow_Jr.

Please consider donating as much as you can to this worthy project. Please use this link to our website for more information on Eliestoun and use this link to donate: https://www.friendsofeliestoun.org/donate

Eliestoun holds a special place in the hearts of many Principia alums, including the late Professor Emeritus Charles B. Hosmer, Jr. as well as visitors from around the country and the globe. As someone said when he was told about this project, “The sooner, the better!”

Sincerely,

Friends of Eliestoun Board

Jeri Hosmer Lewitz
Phil Smith
Danne Rheasa
Linda Mace
Alice Stanley Dervin

Eliestoun at Thanksgiving 2022

We have just finished a beautiful Thanksgiving weekend. This gives us an opportunity to review our blessings from the past year regarding Eliestoun:

  • We are grateful for the continued interest in Eliestoun and its place in Elsah and Principia history.
     
  • We are grateful for College President John Williams’ support of the Eliestoun project by approving funds for bringing water to the site and providing heating in the building, as well as other improvements.
     
  • We are grateful for the progress we have made on the main floor of the home. Ceilings have been scraped and painted, woodwork cleaned and renewed, a fireplace restored, and the main entranceway off of the driveway rebuilt.
     
  • We are grateful we were able to open the home and give tours to interested people during Summer Session, both Alumni Weekends, and Homecoming. Many people really appreciated the opportunity to see the interior of this gracious and lovely home.
     
  • We are grateful that a brief article on Eliestoun will be included in the next Historic Elsah Foundation newsletter, Issue 121.
     
  • We are grateful for your continued support of our project. It is hard to believe that we began this project eight years ago, but we continue to be hopeful about the future of this property.

You also surely have many blessings for which to be thankful. Thank you for staying attuned to our project. We wish you a happy and blessed holiday season.

Friends of Eliestoun

July 2021 Update

Dear Eliestoun enthusiasts,

It has been quite a while since we contacted you. Please know that we at Friends of Eliestoun have quietly continued to work and pray to keep the renovation of the Eliestoun house and grounds moving forward.

The first update for you is that the Principia Board of Trustees has not yet approved a major renovation. However, we are very happy to report that some outside work has been done, and a small group of volunteers has been allowed to work on the interior first floor. We are cautiously optimistic as we realize that all the efforts to date could prove pointless if the Board does not eventually approve the project. We ask for your continued prayerful support of a right resolution, whatever that may be. We know that whatever blesses one, blesses all.

Principia has provided safety equipment and many supplies, and Friends of Eliestoun has contributed tools and materials, as well as volunteers on most weekends for the last year – for a total of approximately 400 hours.

For those of us who have been cherishing the idea of renovating Eliestoun, what has been accomplished in the last year is nothing short of amazing. Here is a list of achievements, plus some items currently in process:

  • Eliestoun was reconnected to city water.
  • The half bath on the main floor is now usable.
  • The kitchen sinks both have running water.
  • The area around the front (roadside) door has been brought back as close as possible to its original state.
    • All paint has been removed down to the original wood, sanded, repaired, primed, and repainted the closest to the original color as we could match. 
    • The Dutch door is now fully functional.
    • Shingle siding has been replaced on this section of the building.
    • Four leaded windows have been completely rebuilt and reinstalled.
  • The carpeting has been removed on the lower level and the staircase, including hand removal of the glued and stapled carpet padding that did not come up with the carpet.
  • The wall of the house that is in the corner where the outside downspouts had damaged the wall, has been repaired, in addition to the inside wall in the staircase at this area.
  • Temporary longer downspouts have been added to take water away from the house.
  • A positive ground level has been created against the house so that water will flow away from the building.
  • Latex paint has been scraped from the library ceiling and back hallway walls.
  • Ceilings on the main floor are being painted.
  • The main floor wood paneling has been washed down, and we are now repairing and refinishing it.
  • Lead paint has been removed from the dining room plaster walls and cabinet doors and drawers, and the walls are being prepared for painting.
  • A special primer that will allow paint to adhere to the older plaster walls is being applied to the back hallway and library ceiling.
  • The center fireplace has been uncovered, and the brick and mortar are being repaired.
  • Holes in that center fireplace hearth have been repaired, filled in, and painted to match the deep burgundy tile color.
  • A temporary furnace has been installed to help prevent pipes from freezing in the winter.

Friends of Eliestoun is deeply grateful for the progress that has taken place. We thank Principia for making this possible – by providing materials, for labor performed, and for permission to allow volunteers to work on the building.

Warmly, The Friends of Eliestoun

Eliestoun Update: New Fence

During Christmas break, Principia installed, at its expense, an eight-foot-high security fence, set in concrete, around the perimeter of the main Eliestoun building. We on the Board of Friends of Eliestoun understand that the fencing will serve to protect community members and also secure the structure from potential damage by trespassers.

We have offered to have an evaluation made to identify the most immediate needs to preserve the building, with a focus on the shell, and we are ready to support this endeavor financially. We know that the Principia administrators have multiple projects that make compelling demands on their time. However, we are optimistic that we will receive a response to our offer shortly.

Japanese Maple Tree Work – Phase Two

Ben Chu, an expert craftsman from Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, installed special supports for the Japanese maple tree at Eliestoun.

This completes the work begun earlier by Skip Kincaid and his crew from Hansen’s Tree Service of O’Fallon, Missouri.

Special thanks to Diane and Monte Powell who generously funded this preservation effort, stemming from their love for Eliestoun. This video was funded from an anonymous donor who shares their appreciation for Eliestoun and its grounds.

Japanese Maple Tree Work – Phase One

Friends of Eliestoun presents our video of an exciting event that took place on October 19th – pruning of the Japanese maple tree on the grounds of Eliestoun. Skip Kincaid (Director of Urban Forestry at Hansen’s Tree Service, O’Fallon, Missouri) and his crew spent several hours that day doing this work. Two generous donors, Diane and Monte Powell, prompted this because of their love for Eliestoun and appreciation of this special tree. Another donor lovingly and anonymously provided funds to create and share with you the video we’ve included here, plus another that will come later. Thanks so much to the pruning team, to the donors, to Larry Charlston for recording the activity, to Principia for granting permission to do this – and to you. Enjoy the video!

The other video that will be coming shows another important part of the tree preservation project – supporting the heavy branches of the Japanese maple tree. Ben Chu, a highly skilled craftsman in charge of the Japanese gardens at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, did that work.

Japanese Maple Tree at Eliestoun, and More

Thank you for your patience while we continue to make progress – where and when we can – with the effort to preserve Eliestoun. At this time, Principia’s administration is continuing to work to reach an agreement with Friends of Eliestoun. Meanwhile, Principia remains responsible for emergency repairs. And we still expect that the effort to renovate Eliestoun will move forward.

There is progress of a different sort that we are happy to report to you. A selfless and generous donor, who cares deeply for Eliestoun, has agreed to fund rehabilitation of the Japanese maple tree. This historic and majestic tree, familiar to many Principia alumni and friends, is noted for its longevity and stunning color. We contacted the Missouri Botanical Garden and had some experts examine the tree and assess issues that these trees face. Work will include pruning to remove dead wood, and installation of supports for several main branches. We are grateful to the donor and look forward to enjoying this lovely tree for many years to come.

This summer, two severe storms passed through this area, the last of which caused a great deal of damage to trees on the Eliestoun property, even closing the road to vehicle and foot traffic for a month. But we are happy to report that the buildings suffered no serious damage. And none of the historic and notable trees appeared damaged. Also, a large group of Principia School students helped to clear the debris.

The photo above is the Japanese maple tree in bloom a few years ago. The photo below shows the same tree today, and its proximity to Eliestoun.

We look forward to sharing updates about the main project when possible. In the meantime, we appreciate your continued prayerful support for the project.

Friends of Eliestoun

Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept. Patience must “have her perfect work.”

Science and Health, p.454:18

Alumni Weekend Video on Eliestoun

We are pleased to share with you the video produced at the Principia College Reunion July 2, 2016 to a packed room of over 100 individuals. You will meet our Friends of Eliestoun president Helen Wills, our colleagues at Metropolitan Build, and our fundraising expert Gary Dollar. The video, which is about an hour long, includes an excellent timeline of Eliestoun, beginning with its centuries-old origins, presented by graphic artist Kristin Serafini. We thank Larry Charlston for his professional production of this video.

[Our apologies, but the video has been removed.]