Annie Brahler and Charles Smith had already started to renovate and restore one historic St. Louis church when the opportunity to purchase another came to their attention.
“Charlie instantly said, ‘We have to go see it,” Brahler recalls. “And I was like, ‘Are you totally out of your mind?’”
The couple, who are also business partners, had a similar exchange before purchasing the first church, Westminster Presbyterian, at the corner of Delmar and Union boulevards, for their award-winning design firm, Euro Trash. Smith saw the English Gothic-style building as a solution to consolidating the business under one roof. At approximately 30,000-square-feet, the church was large enough to hold the firm’s studio and corporate offices, as well as its sizable warehouse containing art, antiques, and furniture. After an initial site visit, Brahler saw the vision, too…