Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Nims Country Place

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Nims Country Place. . Bee Tree County Park was originally the estate of Eugene and Lotawana Nims. Eugene was founder of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. They had this mansion built in 1929 by famed architecture firm Maritz and Young and used it as a weekend retreat. In addition, they maintained the property as an active farm, growing fruits and vegetables and raising livestock. The house, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, was designed in the Tudor Revival style for which Maritz and Young were well known and incorporating features that take advantage of the building's scenic location. The name "Bee Tree" was given to the estate by the Nims. Its origin was explained in a 1936 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch saying "On the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River just above its confluence with the Meramec stands Bee Tree Farm, the country place of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Nims. Their nephew, Thomas Ratcliffe, named it when it was first built because of the bees he saw swarming about the grove of white oaks.", The 199-acre property was purchased from the Nims estate by St. Louis County in April 1968 with funds donated by the Open Space Foundation, in partnership with the Open Space Council, along with matching Federal Funds. Bee Tree Park is truly a hidden gem in St. Louis County. It boasts the historic and beautiful Nims Mansion, scenic trails, and a fully stocked lake with an accessible fishing dock. The park features a memorial garden and fountain dedicated to Lindell Gordon, who passed away during the fund raising and a Mississippi River overlook dedicated to R. Walston Chubb. Gordon and Chubb were instrumental in helping raise money for the park's purchase. , Currently, the Nims Mansion sits vacant, but as the renderings from Fox Architects demonstrate, there is magnificent potential for the house as a bed and breakfast, restaurant, wedding venue, or something else entirely. Making this a reality requires action to restore this landmark to its original grandeur and , (the text was cut off at the frame), (aside:), The goal of the newly formed Saint Louis County Parks Foundation (SLCPF) is to improve the County Park system for the benefit of all county residents by funding projects that will help all 71 parks in the Saint Louis County system. One of the projects is to restore some of the wonderful architectural prizes that are part of our county parks. Among them is the Nims Mansion in Bee Tree Park., Learn how to support our efforts and donate now. , stlouiscountyparksfoundation.org