An 1893 Romanesque Revival 26-room Victorian on Lafayette Square's Benton Place, operating as St. Louis's longest-running bed-and-breakfast with phenomena attributed to original owner Edward S. Rowse.
10 Benton Place, St. Louis, MO 63104
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Bed-and-breakfast room rates apply; see lehmannhouse.com for current rates and booking.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story Victorian mansion with stairs throughout
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1893 · Lafayette Square Historic District · Benton Place private residential street · Romanesque Revival residential architecture · Edward S. Rowse — Lafayette Square developer
Edward S. Rowse, a St. Louis financier and real-estate developer, commissioned the 26-room Romanesque Revival mansion at #10 Benton Place in 1893. Rowse was instrumental in developing Lafayette Square as one of the city's premier residential neighborhoods and laid out Benton Place itself as a gated private street. He envisioned the house as the residence in which he and his wife would spend their later years, but, according to Ladue News and STLtoday accounts, he died of a painful illness within roughly a year of moving in.
The property's second owners, Frederick and Nora Lehmann, lived in the house for 31 years and gave it the name by which it is still known. Frederick Lehmann was a prominent St. Louis attorney; the family's long residence is the reason the address has carried the Lehmann name rather than the Rowse name even though Rowse built and first occupied the home.
Lafayette Square fell into severe decline in the mid-twentieth century before a wave of preservation-minded renovations beginning in the 1970s restored many of its mansions. The Lehmann House was rehabilitated and converted to a bed-and-breakfast in the early 1990s and has operated continuously in that capacity since, making it (per the inn's own marketing and regional press) the longest-running B&B in St. Louis. Current innkeeper Marie Davies has given multiple interviews to local outlets (Ladue News, KSDK, STLtoday) discussing both the property's hospitality history and its paranormal reputation.
Sources
According to a 2023 interview Marie Davies gave to Ladue News, the most-discussed presence in the Lehmann House is that of original owner Edward S. Rowse. Rowse, who developed Benton Place and built the house in 1893 as a retirement residence with his wife, reportedly died of a painful illness in the master bedroom less than a year after moving in. Davies has consistently identified him as the personality behind the phenomena she and guests have experienced.
Reported activity, documented across KSDK, Ladue News, STLtoday, and regional aggregators including stlghosts.com, includes footsteps in empty hallways, whispered voices in the night, and the faint sound of children's laughter — the latter unconnected to any documented child death on the property, which means it is presented as folkloric atmosphere rather than tied to a specific decedent. The National Paranormal Society has profiled the property, and the inn's own blog publishes accounts shared by guests.
Because the most specific named identification (Rowse) traces to a single primary spokesperson — the current innkeeper — and because the children's-laughter motif is not anchored to a documented historical event, the lore here is best framed as 'according to innkeeper accounts.' The property is publicly accessible to paying guests, who can form their own impressions during overnight stays.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stay overnight in a guest room within the historic 26-room Romanesque Revival mansion. Current innkeeper Marie Davies openly discusses the property's reputation as one of Missouri's most haunted hotels with interested guests.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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