Fresh flowers and plants now line the grounds of the Bockrath-Wiese House in St. Ferdinand Park, the result of a small but symbolic volunteer effort at one of Florissant’s oldest surviving structures. A volunteer named Lynn, affiliated with the Gardeners of Florissant, planted the new greenery, with all of the plants donated by Handyman True Value Hardware.
The news came via a Facebook post from the City of Florissant, which shared photos of the newly planted beds outside the farmhouse. The post also noted the home’s federal pedigree: the Bockrath-Wiese House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior, and the structure has a maximum occupancy of 49 people. According to Missouri State Parks, that federal listing became official on February 2, 1979.
A Farmhouse Older Than the City’s Historic District
Federal nomination records describe the Bockrath-Wiese House as a classic example of Missouri German vernacular architecture, a one-and-a-half-story rectangular brick structure topped by a steep gabled roof, per Missouri State Parks. The home was built in 1870 by German immigrant Henry Bockrath, according to the City of Florissant’s post. Bockrath went on to construct a general store in 1873 that still operates today as Hendel’s Restaurant in Old Town Florissant, as reported by Flo Valley News…