Home Is Where the Money Is

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The years 1902 to 1904 could be considered the peak of Bixby’s business career. In the same two years, coincidentally, Bixby purchased two extraordinary mansions, one in St. Louis and a summer home in Bolton Landing, New York. What drove Bixby to invest in such luxurious houses and how much did he spend on these establishments?

According to the biography, Passionate Pursuits: William Keeney Bixby, by Sally Bixby Defty, W.K. had money burning a hole in his pocket and wanted to please his wife and eventually his children. Below are eight facts that exhibit these desires.

1. In the middle of 1904 W.K. bought the largest house ever constructed in St. Louis, built in 1880 by a retired grain dealer and speculator, John W. Kauffman. He bought the house from Kauffman’s widow at a price reported to be around $600,000 [$12.9 million in 2010]. I believe Bixby made this purchase to really display his newly-accumulated wealth, making a statement by buying such a large and grandiose property.
2. When moving into this new house, Bixby also purchased twenty-two rugs, draperies, portieres, curtains, divans, chairs, tables, sofas, tapestries, pedestals, and cabinets for $14,500. As well as these items, a cow that ensured fresh cream and milk was kept on the property, and an art gallery and fireproofed room filled with an incredible collection of manuscripts were within the house. These extensive purchases once again show the extreme amount of money that Bixby had at the time and his ability to spend it on such frivolous objects and amenities demonstrates the lack of worry W.K. had about financial security.
3. Summer in St. Louis was a nightmare for women during the early 1900s, and Lillian Tuttle, W.K.’s wife absolutely hated the extreme heat. So, Lillian convinced W.K. that they needed a summer house. I honestly think that William accepted this request to make his wife happy and his desire for a new display of wealth/new project.
4. Around the year 1800, shortly after the founding of a town called Bolton located on Lake George in upstate New York in the Adirondack Mountains, Roger Edgecomb built a house in this town right on the lake. In 1850, the structure was named the Mohican House, which became one of the area’s finest hotels. This house would later be bought by Bixby, which I will discuss in my next point. The reason that the Bixbys chose this area to search for a house is assumed to be because Lillian’s family had grown up venturing the Adirondack Mountains and William was attempting to make his wife, yet again, happy.
5. By 1898 the Mohican House had lost its popularity. The property, which included not only the thirty-seven acres surround the hotel but also 250 acres in the surrounding area, was foreclosed in 1899. W.K. bought the whole package and used it as a family vacation home for several years. I think that this substantial acquisition of land once again shows truly how rich Bixby had become but how he still was focusing on maintaining relationships with his family.
6. Bixby eventually made the decision to tear down the Mohican House in October of 1901 when plans to renovate the hotel into a more suitable home proved unfeasible. Although, Bixby wanted to keep this land and keep as a place for his family so he then moved on to another housing project.
7. William picked Wilson Erye, a Philadelphia architect recommended by his friend and artistic mentor Charles Lang Freer to design the new house on Mohican Point (the name of the land that the Mohican House resided on). As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, Freer was particularly influential in Bixby’s artistic interest, so I think that a large reason of why Bixby went along with his architect advice was to impress him with his taste in art and design. This contributes to my inkling that Bixby was at least somewhat concerned of his reputation and making it as memorable as possible.
8. The new house on Mohican Point was completed by October 2, 1902. The cost of its construction, was $30,808.76 [$790,000 in 2010]. Construction costs in the Adirondacks were far lower than in St. Louis. Yet, this new construction provided a grand start to a beautiful summer home that Bixby could claim as his own creation, with of course the help of his architect, Erye.

FUTURE QUESTION TO RESEARCH:

What else did Bixby invest in besides opulent houses and materials for those houses?