Friends of Eliestoun

07/22/2021

Dear Eliestoun enthusiasts,

It has been quite a while since we contacted you. Please know that we at Friends of Eliestoun have quietly continued to work and pray to keep the renovation of the Eliestoun house and grounds moving forward.

The first update for you is that the Principia Board of Trustees has not yet approved a major renovation. However, we are very happy to report that some outside work has been done, and a small group of volunteers has been allowed to work on the interior first floor. We are cautiously optimistic as we realize that all the efforts to date could prove pointless if the Board does not eventually approve the project. We ask for your continued prayerful support of a right resolution, whatever that may be. We know that whatever blesses one, blesses all.

Principia has provided safety equipment and many supplies, and Friends of Eliestoun has contributed tools and materials, as well as volunteers on most weekends for the last year – for a total of approximately 400 hours.

For those of us who have been cherishing the idea of renovating Eliestoun, what has been accomplished in the last year is nothing short of amazing. Here is a list of achievements, plus some items currently in process:

Eliestoun was reconnected to city water.
The half bath on the main floor is now usable.
The kitchen sinks both have running water.
The area around the front (roadside) door has been brought back as close as possible to its original state.
All paint has been removed down to the original wood, sanded, repaired, primed, and repainted the closest to the original color as we could match.
The Dutch door is now fully functional.
Shingle siding has been replaced on this section of the building.
Four leaded windows have been completely rebuilt and reinstalled.
The carpeting has been removed on the lower level and the staircase, including hand removal of the glued and stapled carpet padding that did not come up with the carpet.
The wall of the house that is in the corner where the outside downspouts had damaged the wall, has been repaired, in addition to the inside wall in the staircase at this area.
Temporary longer downspouts have been added to take water away from the house.
A positive ground level has been created against the house so that water will flow away from the building.
Latex paint has been scraped from the library ceiling and back hallway walls.
Ceilings on the main floor are being painted.
The main floor wood paneling has been washed down, and we are now repairing and refinishing it.
Lead paint has been removed from the dining room plaster walls and cabinet doors and drawers, and the walls are being prepared for painting.
A special primer that will allow paint to adhere to the older plaster walls is being applied to the back hallway and library ceiling.
The center fireplace has been uncovered, and the brick and mortar are being repaired.
Holes in that center fireplace hearth have been repaired, filled in, and painted to match the deep burgundy tile color.
A temporary furnace has been installed to help prevent pipes from freezing in the winter.

Friends of Eliestoun is deeply grateful for the progress that has taken place. We thank Principia for making this possible – by providing materials, for labor performed, and for permission to allow volunteers to work on the building.

Warmly, The Friends of Eliestoun

01/16/2020

Please enjoy some photos from Historic Elsah Foundation's Home for the Holidays house tour that took place on December 7, 2019.

Historic Elsah Foundation welcomed more than 600 visitors to Elsah on December 7, 2019. The tour included 11 private homes and many businesses and public buildings. HEF is grateful for all the visitors who made the trip, and especially for village residents who opened their homes.

Please enjoy some of the photos from the 2019 tour.

Photo credit: Kim Howland Photography

03/27/2019

During Christmas break, Principia installed, at its expense, an eight-foot-high security fence, set in concrete, around the perimeter of the main Eliestoun building. We on the Board of Friends of Eliestoun understand that the fencing will serve to protect community members and also secure the structure from potential damage by trespassers.

We have offered to have an evaluation made to identify the most immediate needs to preserve the building, with a focus on the shell, and we are ready to support this endeavor financially. We know that the Principia administrators have multiple projects that make compelling demands on their time. However, we are optimistic that we will receive a response to our offer shortly.

You may always visit http://www.friendsofeliestoun.org for more information about this project.

03/01/2018

Friends of Eliestoun is happy to present our video showing the completion of the project to preserve the Japanese maple tree at Eliestoun.

Ben Chu, an expert craftsman from Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, installed special supports to the large branches, extending up to 30 feet from the base of the tree.

This completes the work begun earlier by Skip Kincaid and his crew from Hansen's Tree Service of O'Fallon, Missouri.

Special thanks to Diane and Monte Powell who generously funded this preservation effort, stemming from their love for Eliestoun. This video was funded from an anonymous donor who shares their appreciation for Eliestoun and its grounds.

Ben Chu, from Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, installed supports to the major limbs of the Japanese maple tree at Eliestoun. Phase One: https://www.y...

12/22/2017

Friends of Eliestoun presents our video of an exciting event that took place on October 19th – pruning of the Japanese maple tree on the grounds of Eliestoun. Skip Kincaid (Director of Urban Forestry at Hansen’s Tree Service, O’Fallon, Missouri) and his crew spent several hours that day doing this work. Two generous donors, Diane and Monte Powell, prompted this because of their love for Eliestoun and appreciation of this special tree. Another donor lovingly and anonymously provided funds to create and share with you the video we’ve included here, plus another that will come later. Thanks so much to the pruning team, to the donors, to Larry Charlston for recording the activity, to Principia for granting permission to do this – and to you, our supporters. Enjoy the video!

The other video that will be coming in a few weeks shows another important part of the tree preservation project – supporting the heavy branches of the Japanese maple tree. Ben Chu, a highly skilled craftsman in charge of the Japanese gardens at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, did that work.

October 19, 2017 Skip Kincaid and Ben Chu

09/13/2017

Japanese Maple Tree at Eliestoun, and More

Thank you for your patience while we continue to make progress – where and when we can – with the effort to preserve Eliestoun. At this time, Principia’s administration is continuing to work to reach an agreement with Friends of Eliestoun. Meanwhile, Principia remains responsible for emergency repairs. And we still expect that the effort to renovate Eliestoun will move forward.

There is progress of a different sort that we are happy to report to you. A selfless and generous donor, who cares deeply for Eliestoun, has agreed to fund rehabilitation of the Japanese maple tree. This historic and majestic tree, familiar to many Principia alumni and friends, is noted for its longevity and stunning color. We contacted the Missouri Botanical Garden and had some experts examine the tree and assess issues that these trees face. Work will include pruning to remove dead wood, and installation of supports for several main branches. We are grateful to the donor and look forward to enjoying this lovely tree for many years to come.

This summer, two severe storms passed through this area, the last of which caused a great deal of damage to trees on the Eliestoun property, even closing the road to vehicle and foot traffic for a month. But we are happy to report that the buildings suffered no serious damage. And none of the historic and notable trees appeared damaged. Also, a large group of Principia School students helped to clear the debris.

One photo is the Japanese maple tree in bloom a few years ago. The other (panorama) photo shows the same tree today, and its proximity to Eliestoun.

We look forward to sharing updates about the main project when possible. In the meantime, we appreciate your continued prayerful support for the project.

12/23/2016

Happy Holidays from Friends of Eliestoun!

We would like to express our gratitude to you for your prayerful and financial support through the last three years.

In November, Friends of Eliestoun board members were invited to present details about the project, including fundraising plans, to Principia’s Board of Trustees. We continue to finalize our agreement with Principia which needs to be in place before work on the project can begin.

We look forward to a productive 2017. All the joys of the season to you and yours,

Friends of Eliestoun

Helen Wills, Jonathan Hosmer, Jeralyn Lewitz, Stephanie Alioto, Ben Robinson

09/27/2016

We are pleased to share with you the video produced at the Principia College Reunion July 2, 2016 to a packed room of over 100 individuals. You will meet our Friends of Eliestoun president Helen Wills, our colleagues at Metropolitan Build, and our fundraising expert Gary Dollar. The video, which is about an hour long, includes an excellent timeline of Eliestoun, beginning with its centuries-old origins, presented by graphic artist Kristin Serafini. We thank Larry Charlston for his professional production of this video.

Please note that the three month period that Gary Dollar refers to in the video will start when we have word of approval from Principia about future proceedings.

More information may be found at http://www.friendsofeliestoun.org Donations may be made at http://www.friendsofeliestoun.org/donate Find us on Facebook at h...

08/17/2016

Things have been very busy here. Much has been accomplished. And please accept our apology for not communicating about our recent progress.

On April 30, we met our final milestone set by Principia, and it was received well. Milestone #5 was the culmination of all the hard work of the previous year, which included highest and best use evaluations, critical success factors, facility planning, financial feasibility assessments, timeline and next steps, as well as a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), initial concept architectural documents, and a position statement from our fundraiser consultant, Gary Dollar. Gary has more than 30 years experience including 12 years as President and CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis.

All things look positive!

In May, after taking a breath and with a great deal of gratitude for our progress thus far, we began making preparations for a Friends of Eliestoun update for Alumni Weekend. The entire presentation on July 2 was recorded, and we will be posting it to our website soon. It’s about an hour long and very informative. We think you’ll enjoy it. The recording is titled “Eliestoun Preserve: history – conservancy – sustainability.”

“The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible.” (S&H 199:21-22)

You will be hearing from us again very soon.

07/01/2016

If you made the trip back to the Principia College campus to celebrate Alumni Weekend, welcome! You are warmly invited to attend a presentation about the emerging concept of the Eliestoun Preserve. You will have the chance to learn about Eliestoun's remarkable historical context and chat with the preservation and development team about ways you can get involved in the restoration process right now. Discover how Eliestoun Preserve will be able to connect Principia to regional and national conversations about historical preservation, sustainability and conservancy. There will be opportunities for you to ask questions and share comments.

See you there!

School of Government Room 201 • Saturday, July 2, 2016 • 3:30pm

And … in the event you are not in attendance at Alumni Weekend, there’s still good news. The event will be professionally video documented and edited for viewing on the Friends of Eliestoun website in the not too distant future. We’ll follow up with an announcement once it is posted.

06/20/2016

Special thank-you to Julie Hedgepeth Williams for sharing her Father's Day story. We are so grateful for everyone's continued support and for Julie's story!

Hi, Friends of Eliestoun -- Look what my boys and I gave my husband for Father's Day!