Gittemeier House

The Gittemeier House is a historic building in Florissant, Missouri, built by Franz Gittemeier in 1860. The house has been preserved and now serves as the headquarters of Historic Florissant, the local historical society.

Description
The Gittemeier House is a red-brick, two-story farmhouse sitting on 0.4 acres. It was built in the Federal style, noted for simple design with Southern influences. It is located on what is now Dunn Road in Florissant.

History
Franz Gittemeier was born in Westphalia, Germany, in 1826. He immigrated to the United States in 1850. Franz was hired as a farmworker near Bridgeton, Missouri and soon decided to mine for gold in California. He mined gold for seven years and came back to Florissant, Missouri with enough gold to purchase 50 acres of farmland and build the two-story Gittemeier House in 1860.

Franz and his wife, Gertude, raised ten children in the house. They prospered and he eventually owned 500 acres of land. According to family legend, each of Franz's children received a farm and $10,000 upon his death on September 7, 1891.

In 1938, Mae Pondrum purchased the property. Mae and her descendants occupied the house until 1990.

In May 1990, Shell Oil Company acquired the property for $175,000 to build a convenience store, gas station, and car wash. Shell was planning to destroy the house, but instead donated the property to the non-profit Historic Florissant for restoration due to the community's desires to preserve the house.

A ceremony was held on July 30, 1991, where Shell presented the keys and deed to Rosemary Davison, president of Historic Florissant. Shell made the stipulation that the exterior of the house would be renovated within a year. Historic Florissant convinced a bank to lend them $65,000 to restore the house.

Today, the Gittemeier House is used by Historic Florissant as an office, resource center, and archive. It is also available by appointment for small events and gatherings.