This article just appeared in the St. Louis paper about a house on The Hill which was in pristine 1950's condition. Click here to read the article and see the photos, then use that back arrow to come back. My husband who is not a St. Louis native could not believe that people would live in their basement just to keep the main floor of the house in pristine condition.
Actually, I know of several families who did just that. You had to take your shoes off at the door, walk on a plastic runner to get to the basement not even pausing to sit on the plastic enshrouded furniture. These were people who lived through the Depression and truly valued their "nice" furniture. But, there were other reasons why people in St. Louis lived in the basements.
I reminded my husband that even his family had a living room, kitchen and bathroom in the basement as did many people in the 1950's. People weren't scared of nuclear bombs or tornadoes so much as it was so hot in St. Louis, the basement was a cool place to cook and eat. My family didn't have a kitchen in the basement but we did spend most of our Summer day-light hours down there (or at the pool). I remember ironing clothes and watching the Soaps on TV in the cool of the basement.
Later, when people started getting air conditioners, they still used the downstairs as more of a party room. I am currently writing this from my basement which has several rooms and a bath.
By finishing the basement, we've enlarged our "living space" by 25-50%. Our "finished basement" was originally built for our children to entertain, but now, it's my "office" and the play room for the grandchildren.
I know there are many areas of the country that don't have basements and other areas where they wouldn't think of "finishing" the basement. I think, in St. Louis, it is a remnant of our hot summers, more than the Depression era thinking which led to the house featured in the newspaper being almost a museum piece.
My office---green tubs are my genealogy, file cabinets teaching materials.
I know there are many areas of the country that don't have basements and other areas where they wouldn't think of "finishing" the basement. I think, in St. Louis, it is a remnant of our hot summers, more than the Depression era thinking which led to the house featured in the newspaper being almost a museum piece.
My office---green tubs are my genealogy, file cabinets teaching materials.
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