Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, George I Barnett, and Nagel & Dunn. Exterior, Selma Hall, Crystal City, Jefferson County, MO. Missouri Crystal City Jefferson County, 1940. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph.
Selma Hall, or Kennett’s Castle, was built according to designs by George I. Barnett in 1854 along the bluffs south of St. Louis in Jefferson County.
Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, George I Barnett, and Nagel & Dunn. Stairway, Selma Hall, Crystal City, Jefferson County, MO. Missouri Crystal City Jefferson County, 1934. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph.
I rarely only show historic photographs, but the house is so far back in a huge estate and is never open to the public that it is impossible to take pictures of it.
Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, George I Barnett, and Nagel & Dunn. Interior of Entranceway, Selma Hall, Crystal City, Jefferson County, MO. Missouri Crystal City Jefferson County, 1940. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph.
It was built for Ferdinand Kennett, before it passed to Robert Brookings. It was gutted by fire in 1939, before being restored by its next owner William Schock.
Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, George I Barnett, and Nagel & Dunn. Drawing Room, Showing Columns, Selma Hall, Crystal City, Jefferson County, MO. Missouri Crystal City Jefferson County, 1934. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph.
The house is typical of houses in the United States seeking to emulate the design of Italian country villas, and the tower perhaps harkens back small castles’ keeps or the tall edifices built by wealthy families in medieval cities in Italy, of which the ones in San Gimignano and Bologna are the most famous survivors.
Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, George I Barnett, and Nagel & Dunn. Interior of Bedroom and Dressing Room, Selma Hall, Crystal City, Jefferson County, MO. Missouri Crystal City Jefferson County, 1934. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph.
Of course, formal gardens are a key component, as well.
Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, George I Barnett, and Nagel & Dunn. View of Garden from Terrace, Selma Hall, Crystal City, Jefferson County, MO. Missouri Crystal City Jefferson County, 1940. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph.
Thank you for posting. What a teaser, wouldn’t it be grand to see what it looks like inside now?
Wonder who lives there now?
These historic photos are magnificent – so crisp as only old B&W ones are. The Schock family are fascinating people in their own right.