Francois Valle II House Renovation Project Phase 1

The Francois Valle II House in Ste. Genevieve, MO.

Geoffrey Giglierano

François Vallé II was a son of François Vallé, a merchant who served as Ste. Geneviève's commandant (the chief local magistrate under Spanish rule) for a number of years. François II served as a militia officer during the American Revolution and traveled to St. Louis to participate in the battle of Fort San Carlos (May 26, 1780) when St. Louis was attacked by the British. Like his father, he also served as the town's Commandant during the 1790s. Only part of his former home still survives, but this remaining portion is of considerable significance, having been erected in the distinctive French Creole "vertical timber" style in about 1792-1794.

The east wall before restoration

The deteriorating cellar entrance before restoration

This surviving section of the house was acquired by French Colonial America in 2020. Subsequently, the house was "mothballed" until funds could be raised to make it usable for public education programming and exhibits. The property also was the site of a major archaeological dig in 2017, which produced evidence about the missing half of the house, and artifacts associated with colonial and pre-contact Native American activity in this vicinity. This has allowed French Colonial America staff to work with consulting archaeologists and architectural historians to develop preliminary plans for preservation of the site and making it usable as a heritage tourism attraction and educational resource.

The east wall after restoration

As a result of their LMDI grant, French Colonial America was able to correct the deterioration of the outer layer of the foundation and adjoining elements including the cellar entrance, and the walkway and steps going up to the rear porch. In addition, in the course of fixing the outer layer of the foundation, large sections of clapboard siding proved to be rotting, and had to be replaced. If this situation had not been corrected, then the future survival of this structure -- as well as its functionality as an interpretive element of the French Colonial America museum campus -- was very much at risk. The house is now stabilized and ready for the next elements of the overall rehabilitation project, including replacement of deteriorated windows, installation of new electrical service, interior repairs, and installation of a new HVAC system. Once that work is carried out, French Colonial America plans to install interpretive exhibits including elements addressing the role of Francois Valle II as town commandant in the 1790s, and the story of the house and how it was built (and how it changed and survived). They plan to open the house for interpretive programming in mid-to-late 2025.

The Francoise Valle II House after Phase 1 renovation, including the newly restored cellar entrance.