The Forgotten History of the Lemp Mansion's Parking Lot and the Reason Why the Lemp Mansion is so Haunted.
- Dr. Mark Farley
- Nov 11
- 2 min read
Before the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the onset of the Great Depression, Thirteenth Street, now known as DeMenil Place, was referred to as a Millionaires' Row. After the start of the Great Depression, this Millionaires' Row quickly became a Skid Row. The Kramer Mansion, once located where the Lemp Mansion’s parking lot sits today, fell into foreclosure. It was bought out of foreclosure and converted into the Marion Hospital. Often referred to as the “Penny Clinic”, the Marion Hospital cared for the poor, the homeless, and the city’s unwanted.
Following the suicide of Charles Lemp and in anticipation of the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act, the State of Missouri purchased the Lemp Mansion with the intent to raze it and clear the way for the future construction of Interstate-55. In the interim period, before Interstate-55 construction began, the State permitted the Marion Hospital to use the Lemp Mansion as additional patient space. The number of Marion Hospital patients who died in the Lemp Mansion is uncertain, with estimates exceeding one hundred.
In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Commerce Act, and the initial route for Interstate-55 was planned to run down Thirteenth Street. This plan would have meant the demolition of the Marion Hospital, Lemp Mansion, DeMenil Mansion, and the Lemp Brewery. However, the DeMenil Mansion was then placed on the National Registry of Historic Places, which forced planners to reroute Interstate-55, saving the Lemp Brewery, the Lemp Mansion, and the DeMenil Mansion. Unfortunately, the new route meant the loss of the Marion Hospital. The final route of Interstate-55 cut the lot where the Marion Hospital stood in half, resulting in the building's demolition.
When you visit the Lemp Mansion, be sure to take note of its triangular parking lot. This oddly shaped lot is the only reminder of the Kramer Mansion and Marion Hospital.
Photo Credit: Missouri History Museum Photo Achieves
