Lemp Mansion

Beer, fortune, family tragedy, and the making of a St. Louis ghost story.

Exterior of the historic Lemp Mansion at 3322 DeMenil Place in St. Louis, Missouri

The Lemp Mansion preserves the story of one of St. Louis’s great brewing dynasties—a family whose extraordinary success was followed by business collapse, multiple suicides, and a reputation that helped turn the house into one of the city’s best-known haunted landmarks.

The Story

Long before the Lemp Mansion became famous for ghosts, the family behind it helped make St. Louis a brewing capital. German immigrant Johann Adam Lemp established the Western Brewery in 1840. His son William J. Lemp later moved the brewery south, taking advantage of the limestone caves beneath the area as naturally cool storage for lager beer. By the mid-1870s, William Lemp was the largest brewer in St. Louis, and the brewery eventually grew into a sprawling complex near Cherokee Street.

The family's success did not last. William J. Lemp died by suicide in the mansion in 1904. His daughter Elsa and son William Jr. later also died by suicide. Prohibition dealt another devastating blow to the business; the brewery closed and the complex was sold in 1922 to the International Shoe Company for a fraction of its former value.

Those very real tragedies became inseparable from the mansion's later reputation. After years of use as a boarding house, the property was purchased by the Pointer family in the 1970s and restored as a restaurant, inn, and event venue. Stories of apparitions, unexplained sounds, and paranormal encounters helped make the Lemp Mansion a fixture of haunted St. Louis lore. Whether or not you believe the ghost stories, the history beneath them is dark enough on its own.

What Remains Today

The Lemp Mansion still stands at 3322 DeMenil Place, immediately north of the surviving Lemp Brewery complex. It has been kept in good repair as it operates as a business, a tour stop, and a fixture of the local community. Much of the massive former brewery complex also survives nearby as a reminder of the scale of the Lemp brewing empire.

Visiting Information

The Lemp Mansion is an operating restaurant, inn, and event venue at 3322 DeMenil Place. Public access varies with dining, lodging, tours, special events, and private functions, so check the mansion’s official website before visiting. The owners announced in September 2026 that operations are expected to continue through the end of 2027 while the property is offered for sale.