One of the most famous people that ever lived in O'Fallon was movie star William Holden, who lived in the house at 319 N. Cherry St. until he was three years old before the family moved to Pasadena, California. Holden's real name was William Franklin Beedle Jr., and he was born in this house on April 17th, 1918. The house was then the property of his paternal grandfather, Walter Beedle. After signing to Paramount Studios in the late 1930s, William Jr. changed his name to William Holden. He continued to reside in California and act for the rest of his life and won the Best Actor Academy Award in 1954. The house continues to be a private residence and has been designated a local landmark by the City of O"Fallon Historic Preservation Commission.
This stately brown brick house with a two-story porch was built for Ernst J. Tiedemann in 1884. St. Louis architect Henry E. Peipers designed the structure and the ten-room house features a ballroom on the second floor. This may have been the first house in O'Fallon to feature a bathroom with indoor plumbing. The Tiedemann House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2019; the Italianate style home reflects the transition to the Queen Anne style.
The building at 104 South Cherry Street was built in 1903 as a one-story building to hold a bank. When the bank didn't move into the new building, it became a combination saloon/ restaurant/ meat market. A rear wing and a second story was added in 1908; the massive space with no post supports became a dance hall. The dance hall was used at times for public meetings and basketball games. When the U.S. went "dry" the saloon became a pool hall and then a bowling alley. New owners on the 2000s have restored the building, which now houses Peel Brewery and Pizza. The building was designated a local landmark by the City of O'Fallon Historic Preservation Commission.
Constructed in 1905, this brick building in O'Fallon housed the First National Bank within the east end of the structure on the first floor. The second floor above the bank originally held a telephone exchange. The rest of the building was originally one story and housed a barber's office in the center and a Post Office on the west end of the building. The rest of the second floor, and a new front facade were added around 1922, and that addition to the second story of the building held professional offices. The O'Fallon Public Library occupied the second floor from 1930 to 1945 and once again from 1962 to 1995. Since 1996, the building has contained the museum of the O'Fallon Historical Society and there is no admission charge for the museum in the city-owned building.
O'Fallon's old City Hall was built in 1890 as the Town Hall and Opera House, and held the township's offices, the fire department, and a jail on the first floor. A bell tower once signaled the alarm for the community's volunteer firefighters. The second story was a large space with a stage for meetings and performances. Around 1920, the building became the O'Fallon City Hall and the fire department remained at the east end of the first floor. The City Hall is now located a few blocks to the south and this building now serves as the offices of a behavioral health practice. O'Fallon's Historic Preservation Commission has designated the Old City Hall as a local landmark.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walk through the heart of O'Fallon begins at the former town hall and opera house. The tour then moves to a former downtown bank that now serves as the community's historical society and museum before moving on to other historic buildings and local landmarks which are all within a few blocks of the starting place.
