The Franz Arzt House

This unique home, which blends French Second Empire and Italianate styles, was constructed in 1876 for the Austrian physician, Franz Arzt, who immigrated to St. Louis in 1867. The house stands out from others in Soulard because it is set back from the street and has considerable space on each side, unlike most of the Victorian town-homes and narrow row houses in the densely built neighborhood. The house is also distinctive because it was surfaced with white marble, in a city that was primarily built with red brick. At the time of its construction, the home contained modern features not usually seen in the city’s residential architecture during this period, including a radiator, water heater, and natural air conditioning system. Along with his professional role as a physician, Dr. Arzt devoted himself to several avocations: he was a linguist fluent in five languages, a botanist of rare plants, and a geologist whose interest in mineralogy led him to construct a rocaille grotto or ornamental cave underneath his house.

Franz Arzt, an Austrian physician, arrived in St. Louis in 1867. His home in the Soulard neighborhood became one of the most distinctive anywhere in the city. Adjacent to a carriage house on the property, a lavish mansion was constructed in 1876 using steel beams repurposed from railroad tracks. The French Second Empire design featured a mansard roof with Italianate details. It contained the first residential water heating system in St. Louis, as well as the city's first residential radiator and natural air conditioning system, relying on a matrix of ducts and vents to pipe cold air throughout the home. A tunnel that ran throughout property allowed Arzt to move between the main house and the carriage house undisturbed.

In a conservatory attached to the home, Arzt grew citrus trees and other tropical plants, while studying botany as an avocation. When he was not otherwise occupied with tending to his patients at his home office, he spent time in this conservatory tending to his plants, which he occasionally exhibited. He is also reputed to have kept parrots and a pet goldfish. In addition to growing lemon and orange trees, often found in Victorian greenhouses during this era, he grew a rare night-blooming cereus that attracted attention. The desert flower only blooms for one night each year, prompting neighbors and fellow naturalists to visit the plant during the brief period of time when it was on display.

By far the most unusual feature on the property was the cave or grotto that Arzt built below his home. In keeping with his interest in geology and mineralogy, he filled the subterranean cavern with stalactites and stalagmites imported from abroad. In his native Austria, the creation of ornamental rocaille grottos, or artificial caverns constructed from rock and decorated with seashells or other natural materials, was a measure of status at palaces and grand estates. Once electricity became available, Arzt added electric lighting to the cavern to illuminate the interior displays of quartz, while the grotto's entrance was ornamented with pebbles and shells.

A skilled linguist, Arzt was fluent in German, Slovak, English, Hungarian, and Bohemian. He was a member of the St. Louis Naturalist Club and also attended St. John Nepomuk Church, a Bohemian Catholic congregation in Soulard. His son, Frank Arzt II, became a physician, attending Washington University's School of Medicine and practicing as an obstetrician in the Central West End. Eventually, the family's Soulard home changed hands, and the conservatory attached to the house was covered over with brick. However, a recent renovation by the home's current owners has successfully restored it to its original appearance. A small, new wing was also added to the building's north side, resembling a historic service entrance and matching the original style and character of this unique home.

Fox, Tim. Where We Live: A Guide to St. Louis Communities. Missouri Historical Society. 1995.

Naffziger, Chris. "A Look at One of Soulard's Most Lavish, Historically Intact Houses", St. Louis Magazine. September 30th, 2015. Accessed February 16th, 2023. https://www.stlmag.com/history/a-look-at-the-renovation-of-one-of-soulards-most-lavish-and-historically-intact-houses/.

"Haunting St. Louis", St. Louis Tourguide. October 25th, 2010. Accessed February 16th, 2023. https://stltourguide.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/haunting-st-louis-ii/.

The Franz Arzt House, St. Louis History and Architecture Facebook Page. December 10th, 2018. Accessed February 16th, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/stlhistoryandarchitecture/posts/the-franz-arzt-mansion-in-soulard-is-one-of-the-most-architecturally-unique-hous/307557670089927/.