Silversmith Antoine O'Neille Home 1820

"Antoine O'Neillc House. 150 South Main Street, c. 1810-1820. Property type: Anglo-American timber-frame house. With its recessed front gallery porch, this five-bay, timber frame, I-house shows the influence of French vernacular design on non- French buildings. The porch, which rests on a limestone rubble foundation, has a roof supported by wood box columns. A central door is sheltered by the porch and is flanked by paired, six-over-six, double hung, sash windows. The facade wall is stuccoed while the remaining walls are sheathed in clapboard. A limestone chimney adjoins the south gable end. A possible former rear porch has been enclosed. The roof is sheathed in wood shingles. [C] UMC architectural survey number: 94.O'Neille purchased the lot on which the house was built in 1810, and the house is first mentioned in an 1820 deed. The house was damaged by fire in 1982. Examination of the structure by University of Missouri researchers after the fire indicated that it was originally a five-bay, single-story building to which an upper half-story was later added." NPS Form, National Register of Historic Places

One of the first houses we saw driving into downtown Ste. Genevieve over a year ago was the Antoine O'Neille Home. At the time, we had no idea of its history, although work had already started on it. Now, we own a home on the same street--Main--and many mornings I pass by and admire it during my walks. The Presbyterian Church did a wonderful restoration of the outside. 

On September 14, we attended the grand opening and toured the interior, where it is more modern in keeping with the needs of the Church but beautifully done.

From the Ste. Genevieve Herald: "The Antoine Oneille house, significant for its location in the heart of the town’s historic district, was preserved by the First Presbyterian Church next door. They’re hosting a grand opening Saturday.

“It’s been a long journey,” said Becky Millinger, chairwoman of a church task force for restoring the building. In addition to private donations, the church got a $100,000 grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation Ltd. of Wisconsin. The church raised $200,000 to get the grant.

The church held rummage sales, sold jewelry and ornaments inspired by Oneille’s work, and let people sign cedar shingles in exchange for a donation. Those shingles now cover the roof, with messages of “You’ve got this” and “I (heart) Antoine Oneille!” hidden from view.

The one-and-a-half-story wood-framed home, built in an Anglo-American style, had always served as a private home. It had endured at least two floods, a fire and termites before the church bought it in 2006.

The building made headlines a few years later when a town preservationist, Tim Conley, accused the church of letting it deteriorate so they could knock it down for parking. Church leaders vehemently denied it and asked for patience and time to restore it.

And they did. The basement will be used for storage for the food pantry, said Millinger, and the first floor has the food pantry, a kitchen, bathroom and two large classroom spaces. A restored original stone fireplace opens into the space. The firebox had been sealed with concrete at one point, and when they removed it, they found a partially burned newspaper from 1913.

The upstairs half-story is one big room and will have sofas and a craft area for youth to use for sleepovers, which they often do at the church, said Millinger.

And while the house won’t be open as a museum, they will open it to the public a couple of times a year and have a small historic display about ONeille."