Two Historic Florissant Homes
Needing Donations & Repairs

Florissant has a rich history of landmark homes and historic sites that make it a great place to live and work. Historical landmarks are the jewels of the town and Florissant has two of these properties that need immediate attention; the Bockrath Wiese House and the Ouvre-Bellissime House.

Bockrath-Weise House
(St. Ferdinand Park)
Henry Bockrath, of Osnabrock-Hanover, Germany, built this house prior to 1870. he worked as a shoeshine boy on a steamboat which brought him to St. Louis. Henry married Mary Elizabeth Lott built this German farmhouse and a grocery store at St. Denis and Jefferson (Hendel’s Restaurant). Henry and Mary had 12 children. Henry died at his home on Aug. 21, 1921. Mary Elizabeth Lott died in 1930.
The Bockraths sold the farmhouse to Henry Kirschburg in 1878 who passed it on to Margaret and George Weise in 1904. Their son, Joseph, and his wife Adelaide, lived in the farmhouse and had 9 children. Joseph died on May 24, 1960.
The City of Florissant purchased the farmhouse in 1976 with one of the conditions being the house would be preserved and restored. Due to city budget constraints, the house has slowly fallen into disrepair. Historic Florissant, Inc. has partnered with the City of Florissant to once again restore this beautiful example of a German farmhouse.

While the city intends to budget for basic structural restoration, more immediate funding is needed for plaster, wood, paint, cleaning supplies, lighting, plumbing and furnishings. The public’s help in neded providing much needed funding. Grants are being explored and at this time there are no opportunities for brick and mortar type funding. Consider sending a donation to: Historic Florissant, Inc.
1067 Dunn Rd.
Florissant, MO 63031
To pay by phone or to volunteer please call 314-565-1468. Your time and generosity will be greatly appreciated by all who enjoy this National Landmark in our city park.

The Ouvre-Bellissime House
(359 St. Jean)
This privately owned historic French landmark was first owned by a Revolutionary War hero, Alexander Bellissime. Alexander was a French soldier who came over with Lafayette to fight in the War of Independence.
Bellissime sold the property to settler, Louis Ouvre. Many families who contributed to the formation of the township of Florissant lived there as well. With the level of structural damage and code violations, this property will be very costly to restore.
Historic Florissant is in search of a private investor, investors who may be interested in forming a consortium, or a party interested in purchasing the property Contact Gina Siebe at 314-565-1468 for more information.

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