This beautifully preserved 1,748-square-foot historic English Tudor residence, constructed in 1940, is located at 1620 Grape Ave in the established residential corridors of Saint Louis, Missouri (Zip Code 63147). Offering an extraordinary acquisition baseline priced at just $91,000, this all-brick character home features three bedrooms and one bathroom on a manageable 5,279-square-foot urban lot.
Lovingly maintained by the same dedicated owner for the past 45 years, this property represents a rare find for historic purists. It stands out in the St. Louis market as a home where the museum-grade artisan craftsmanship of the pre-war era has survived completely intact—bypassing the destructive “modernization” trends that frequently strip historic properties of their soul.
The residence exhibits fantastic neighborhood curb appeal, displaying the iconic steep gables, robust all-brick structural framing, and masonry craftsmanship native to traditional English Tudor styling. Step through the front threshold into a welcoming formal reception foyer that instantly sets a timeless, elegant tone.
The primary level is defined by stunning original architectural details that have remained untouched for nearly a century: pristine narrow-strip native hardwood floors, deep baseboards, and gorgeous, unpainted single-panel interior wood doors paired with their original milled trim casings.
🏛️ Main Level Layout & Upper-Tier Versatility
The 1,748-square-foot floor plan flows naturally, dividing social spaces from private living tracks across two finished levels:
The Ground Floor Core: Anchors a grand formal living parlor and a separate dining room wrapped in original natural wood profiles. The main level hosts two large family bedrooms, a rare and highly aromatic cedar-lined hallway linen closet, and a functional rear sunporch/mudroom enclosure that frames quiet views over the backyard grounds.
The Finished Upper Attic Level: A formal staircase ascends to a masterfully finished third-tier attic zone. This expansive, flexible level houses a massive informal family media and recreation hall. Adjacent to the lounge is a large bonus room that can seamlessly function as a private third bedroom with the simple integration of a traditional standalone wardrobe or historic chifforobe armoire.
🛡️ Completed Infrastructure Modernizations & Financial Incentives
While the home’s historic charm has been carefully guarded, its core structural and mechanical bones have been thoughtfully capitalized to align with modern city living demands:
The Structural Envelope: The exterior masonry has been paired with premium vinyl replacement windows across the entire first floor, optimizing energy efficiency and sealing out urban noise. The home features a young, structurally sound roof system.
Core Mechanics: Outfitted with an updated electrical service panel, modernized copper and PVC plumbing waste stack lines, and a full walk-out subterranean basement foundation that offers massive dry storage capacity and clear mechanics access.
Parking and Taxes: Off-street winter vehicle protection is handled by a detached one-car garage outbuilding. Residents also benefit from highly competitive, low St. Louis city property tax rates.
💰 Special Down Payment Capital Incentive: For qualified buyers moving through the transaction conventional loops, this property is explicitly eligible for up to $50,000 in local down payment assistance grants. Depending on your household’s profile and program matching, this incentive offers a rare avenue to acquire a structurally sound, turn-of-the-century brick estate with minimal to zero out-of-pocket cash required at the closing table.
📋 Property Specifications
💰 Price: $91,000 (Down payment grant assistance up to $50,000 available)
📍 Address: 1620 Grape Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63147
📐 Interior Size: 1,748 livable sqft (Plus a full walk-out basement utility tier)
🌳 Lot Size: 5,279 sqft (0.12 Acres / Level city grid)
🛏️ Bedrooms: 3 (2 positioned on the main tier, 1 upper flexible layout room)
🛁 Bathrooms: 1 Bathroom
🏗️ Year Built: 1940 (Pre-War English Tudor Revival)
🧱 Construction Details: Load-bearing solid brick masonry veneer exterior
🪵 Irreplaceable Assets: Untouched unpainted single-panel wood doors, original wood millwork trims, cedar closet, and native hardwood floors
⚙️ Completed Infrastructure: Updated Roof, New Vinyl Windows (1st Floor), Updated Electrical Panel, and New Plumbing Stack
🚙 Parking Infrastructure: Detached 1-car garage outbuilding with a paved driveway track
📉 Operational Overheads: Low St. Louis City property tax indexing
🔍 Key Features & Preservation Value Points Explained
🏛️ Historic Time-Capsule Integrity: Sourcing a 1940 Tudor where the original doors, baseboards, and millwork casings have completely escaped the paintbrush is an extraordinary real estate rarity. The home preserves an authentic, high-equity historic character that adds significant market scarcity.
💰 Incredible $50,000 Financial Leverage: The opportunity to pair a sub-$100k purchase price with a major five-figure down payment assistance program makes this transaction a premier asset. It allows first-time buyers or preservationists to step into homeownership with maximum capital safety.
🛡️ Zero Immediate Capital Expenditure Exposure: Because the previous 45-year steward already funded the highest-cost infrastructure hurdles—replacing the windows, updating the electrical panel, certifying the plumbing stack, and renewing the roof envelope—an incoming owner can completely bypass emergency repair loops.
🧱 Thermal Mass Efficiency of Solid Brick: The thick, pre-war all-brick framing acts as a massive thermal flywheel, muting neighborhood noise and keeping energy bills low by naturally regulating indoor seasonal climates.
📍 Practical St. Louis City Gateway Location: Situated on Grape Avenue, residents enjoy a highly connected urban lifestyle. The estate sits within immediate walking distance of local public schools, public parks, neighborhood markets, and dining districts, while maintaining rapid transit links to primary metropolitan thoroughfares and I-70 for a streamlined, 12-minute commute straight into downtown St. Louis.
Zillow link https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1620-Grape-Ave-Saint-Louis-MO-63147/2976174_zpid/
Listed by: Tamika G Evans 314-384-2440, Elevate Realty, LLC