Old Episcopal church is now home for former Ladue couple

CLARKSVILLE, mo.

When Kirk and Mary Ostertag first saw the inside of the church, vines were growing through the windows, water was leaking in and it smelled of mildew. It was like a scene from Jumanji, the movie, Mary Ostertag said. But my husband and I looked at each other, and we just smiled. We fell in love with it.

At the time, Grace Episcopal Church had been vacant for three years. It closed after the congregation dwindled to four and had been on the market for $115,000.

The couple, who were living in Ladue, looked at property in Clarksville a decade earlier. Kirk Ostertag, a contractor, was interested in the architectural history, and Mary Ostertag, a painter, in joining the artist community there.

But the timing hadnt been right. Their children, Tom and Kari, were still in school, and they were concerned about the potential for flooding in the tiny Mississippi River town of 442.

Things were different in 2011. Their children were grown. The church, at the corner of Howard and Third streets, was out of the flood plain. And despite its deterioration, the place had good bones.

A lot of the water issues were because of deferred maintenance, Mary Ostertag said. They werent cleaning the gutters out, but its got a great drainage system.

When the Ostertags closed on the property about eight months later, they painted over the robins egg blue walls and pulled out the 22 pews. The former sanctuary is now one big room with several sitting areas and an artists studio. They converted the lower level what had been the meeting hall into their bedroom.

Theyve lived in the home full time for about seven months. They declined to disclose the sales price or the cost of their year-long renovations.

The church was established in 1869, but the current structure didnt go up until 1940. Dr. Malvern Clopton, a St. Louis surgeon with strong ties to Clarksville and the Episcopal church, paid for its construction.

Originally posted here:
Old Episcopal church is now home for former Ladue couple