St. Louis' 1908 Blind Girls' Home suffered water damage and alterations; a $4.6 million restoration uncovered its grand staircase and created affordable apartments

Everyone is familiar with the renovation trend of covering the original crooked wall with drywall, lowering the ceiling above the beautiful original beams, and calling it a renovation. This is exactly what happened to the Blind Girls’ Home in St. Louis, Missouri. And while there was some damp damage, the outcome was positive, according to the National Park Service.

As per the National Park Service, the exterior of the house has remained almost untouched since it was built in 1908. However, the interior had many renovations and suffered from dampness. The renovation cost $4.6 million, but it meant the building was left in great condition. This renovation story shows not only how renovation can affect the look of a building, but also how it affects who lives where.

A home started by women who wanted independence


In 1867, a group of women who had graduated from the Missouri School for the Blind wanted to create a home for blind women to live independently and find work. Due to outgrowing the buildings, a new building was commissioned in 1908. This was designed by architect J. Hal Lynch and was St. Louis' first attempt to create a communal home for disadvantaged blind women.

The renovation removed the damp damage and insensitive changes to the building.

The National Park Service reports that the outside of the building had bricks and terracotta blocks either replaced or repaired. The inside had all the layers of drywall and panelling removed to show off the beautiful wood and terracotta fireplace, beamed ceilings and beautiful staircases.From dorm rooms to apartments

The old dorms have been renovated into modern apartments for low-income people. The building also houses a non-profit organisation called Places for People who provide mental health services and housing. The number of apartments isn’t mentioned within the case study.

How the money worked

This renovation received funding through tax credits as part of the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program. According to the agency’s fiscal year 2025 economic impact report, owners receive a 20% federal tax credit for significantly renovating a historic building for commercial or income-generating use, whilst retaining its historic features.

Within the fiscal year 2025, the National Park Service had certified 939 completed projects. Of these, 45% were in low- and moderate-income census tracts. Missouri had around $214.7 million in renovations via credit. According to the report’s model, this is estimated to have created around 3,677 jobs nationally.

However, this credit did cost money. The credit is reported to have caused the U.S. Treasury to lose around $50.5 billion from 1978 through 2025 in 2025 dollars. The same model estimates that the projects generated about $56.3 billion in federal tax revenue during this time period. As this data is modeled rather than measured directly, it should be read as one analysis rather than a definitive accounting.

A different reality for renters

Data from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies show that, in 2024, 22.7 million (49%) renter households paid over 30% of their income on housing. 12.1 million paid over half their income on rent. 11.0 million extremely low-income renter households were competing for only 3.8 million affordable and available units.

There was a decrease of over 7 million units renting for less than $1,000 a month in real terms between 2014 and 2024. Many young adults could not afford to set up their own households, meaning they had to share or live with family members, according to Daniel McCue, Senior Research Associate at the Joint Center.

The bigger picture

Renovating one building did not change these statistics, but the Blind Girls’ Home demonstrated how an old building can be given a second purpose: from a home for independent blind women to apartments for low-income residents, with its original staircase restored in the process.