Constructed in 1894, 3456 Hawthorne Boulevard would have been considered out of date with the architectural styles of the time. William F. Woerner, its owner, was a prominent lawyer in St. Louis, writing this article about murder and inheritance issues in 1924. Perhaps the Greek Revival style, so popular in courthouses, affected the choice for his own house.
William F Woerner owned the dark red brick house next door. This house was built by Charles Gildehaus. He was a Classics and Greek Scholar. The house was intended to look like a Greek temple, and it was designed to be painted completely white. Charles’s wife was the daughter of Judge Werner.