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Taking the Tuberculosis Cure At Lemp Mansion

Exterior view of the Lemp Mansion. A three-story, white, brick building with dark-framed windows and a flat roof. Two red umbrellas are on a small balcony in front of the main entrance, reached by a set of stone stairs. A stone carriage step with "LEMP" carved into it sits on the sidewalk in the foreground. In the background, a church steeple rises above the trees. Cloudy sky.

This is one of those posts I have updated several times since 2010, partially because digital photography and cell phone cameras keep improving, and partly because Sunday Chicken Dinner is still one of my favorite special treats in St Louis! We always called this "taking the tuberculosis cure," because as we have learned at Enos Sanitarium, back in the day they thought the cure for tuberculosis was plenty of rich food and fresh air.

A sign displayed on an ornamental metal stand announces the family-style, all-you-care-to-eat chicken dinner every Sunday at The Lemp Mansion, available from 11:30 am to 8:00 pm, with holiday hours subject to variation. The menu features pan-fried chicken, pineapple glazed ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, milk gravy, macaroni and cheese, German-style green beans, whole kernel corn, stewed cinnamon apples, marinated vegetable salad, coleslaw, and buttermilk biscuits. A small disclaimer mentions that the chicken dinner includes a variety of white and dark meat pieces and that specific requests may be difficult due to supply chain limitations.

Overhead shot of a table laden Lemp Mansion family style chicken dinner. Bowls and plates are filled with crispy fried chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, sweet corn, cucumber and tomato salad, gravy, and applesauce. A basket of rolls covered by a napkin is at the top left corner of the table. A decorative two handled vase is at the bottom left. Some of the restaurant's menu can be seen in the upper right of the frame. A person wearing a Spider-man t-shirt also sits at the table, with macaroni & cheese on the plate in front of them.

I am really hard to impress when it comes to chicken, and it is always my last choice at restaurants. Lemp fried chicken is my FAVORITE. Sundays are fall you can eat served family style, which means they bring all this food to your table and refill your dishes as much as you want for ~$27 per person. in addition to fried chicken there is a roast beef in gravy, and pineapple ham. The sides are all exactly the same as they have been for the last 15 years: Mashed potatoes and gravy, mac & cheese, corn, German-style green beans, corn, cucumber & tomato salad, coleslaw, dinner rolls and Hawaiian rolls, and applesauce.

This was Lilly's first visit, and she was thrilled to eat nothing but dinner rolls and mac & cheese. When your mac & cheese gets the Lilly stamp of approval, you know you're doing it right. We also brought our friend Deanna with us, and she had a little birthday present for me.


The Lemp Mansion is, of course, our most famous haunted mansion. Personally, I have dined there many times, and have even spent the night, and have never had any paranormal experiences. Lilly quizzed our waiter, though, and he said that while he started out a skeptic, working there has made him a believer. Take that as you will!

An inviting view of a vintage-styled bar. The main focus is on the bar itself, made of dark wood and illuminated by a string of decorative lights along its front edge. Five wooden bar stools are lined up at the bar, in front of it. Behind the bar, the wall is dark green, accented by shelves of liquor bottles, glassware, and decorative objects. Stained glass windows flank the bar, adding a touch of elegance with depictions of people. The overall ambiance is warm and intimate, with a classic, slightly old-fashioned feel.

The bar is still one of my favorite rooms in the house, I think because I lived in a 140 year old house for 10 years, and I like to see how they used the existing space when it was turned into a restaurant and Bed & Breakfast. The stained-glass windows are Lillian Lemp and William "Billy" Lemp Jr, and are modern (early 2000s) additions.

8. An indoor shot of dining room decorated in the Victorian style. In the foreground, there is a long table covered with a white tablecloth, surrounded by black chairs with green seats. A large fireplace with mirrors is against the wall. A portrait of Lillian Lemp, aka The Lavender Lady, is hanging on the wall to the left of the fireplace. The room has an ornate decorative ceiling.

Something interesting that I didn't notice until I was working on alt-text for both this post and the one about our overnight stay in 2013 is that they moved the portrait of Lillian Lemp to the spot next to the fireplace, instead of across the room. I think it looks much better here. I've heard the light blinks if you talk to her, but she lived in a different house for 60 years after she and Billy divorced (QUITE the circus sideshow in the media in the early 1900s). This room was originally the Ladies Parlor, and later Billy's office, where he committed suicide, so maybe it is he who has something to say about her.

A formal dining room features long tables covered in white tablecloths and set with service for dining. Chairs are arranged around the tables. The room has dark wood walls and a striking ceiling. The ceiling features a painted mural of a blue sky with clouds in the center, surrounded by elaborate painting. Light fixtures with globe lamps hang from chains. Mirrors adorn the walls, reflecting the room's details, and windows with sheer curtains soften the light.

The room above was the gentlemen's parlor back then, and epitomizes the agony and the ecstasy of renovating an old house. After Edwin Lemp, the last son of Billy, died in the 1970s, the house became a boarding house, and was sorely neglected until the current owners purchased it. All the wood trim had been repainted countless times, and a significant percentage of renovation in this house has been stripping wood, something that was eventually too daunting for us when we owned an old house. But the ecstasy part is this ceiling, which was discovered when a canvas ceiling was pulled away. Can you imagine? We had nothing so amazing to keep us going at Franceth Manor.

View through a partially open doorway into an upscale dining room, the former aviary of the Lemp Mansion. The room features mural wallpaper depicting a tropical rainforest scene, ornate chandeliers, and tables set with white tablecloths. The ceiling is painted with a sky motif. The doorway's right side has a small elliptical sign saying, “Watch Your Step,” an ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the floor is covered in patterned mosaic tile.

This room is my very favorite: the former aviary. Back before we had a kid, Francis and I often had dinner here on Friday nights, which is murder mystery dinner night, and this is where they seat you if you're not part of the mystery. We're not murder mystery dinner theater kind of people, but it was fun to listen to. I had many Lavender Lady martinis in this room. I would love to know more about what this room was like when it was an aviary! I haven't had any luck finding details online.

A tiered, brightly painted cake sculpture stands outdoors on a wooden platform against a white brick building. The cake is decorated with images and the number "250 St. Louis" in gold. Above the cake, on the building, is a framed sign describing the cake’s commemoration. A railing surrounds the platform.

Who remembers the STL250 cakes? There are still quite a few of them around St Louis. I'm happy to see that Lemp still has their cake, though it's looking a bit weathered. The photo above is from 2014, when it was fresh. I visited 250 cakes back then (if I recall correctly, there were close to 270 at the end of the project)! Deanna recently brought my attention to a STL250 cake for sale on FB marketplace and I immediately say, "that's not an original cake." I was correct, but that's a story for another day! My next project this week is going to be to combine all of my STL250 Cake posts into one post. They are still fantastic summer inspiration for exploring the St Louis Metro area!







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Location: Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, MO 63118, USA

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