Sounds of St. Louis

The Scott Joplin House at 2658 Delmar Boulevard was the home of "The King of Ragtime" from 1901 to 1903. It is preserved as a State Historic Site for the history of the house and its most famous tenant. The house was built around the time of the Civil War and the architecture is typical for tenant row houses of the period. It is on the National Register of Historic places. The visitor center contains exhibitions about the history of the site and neighborhood, and about the life and works of composer Scott Joplin. 

Scott Joplin

Traveling throughout the country, Scott Joplin plied his musical trade in railroad towns and riverfront cities; his audiences were largely patrons of saloons, brothels and restaurants. However, his musical reputation soon transcended Black audiences and backroom venues and captured the listening ear of the middle class white community. By the late 1890s, he established roots in Sedalia, Missouri, where he studied music at George R. Smith College. While in Sedalia, his experimentation with intricate musical rhythms led him to create his first well-known published work, the "Maple Leaf Rag." In an era before instant communications, "Maple Leaf Rag" became a national sensation in the form of sheet music, printed by Joplin's Sedalia publisher, John Stark.  Buoyed by this success and a growing national reputation, Joplin moved to St. Louis in the spring of 1901. He moved into a room of the flat at 2658A Morgan St., now Delmar Boulevard. While living there for about a year and a half, he produced some of his better known compositions: "The Entertainer," "Elite Syncopations," "March Majestic" and "Ragtime Dance." With royalties coming in from his musical creations, he began to perform less and became more of a teacher and composer. During this productive time in St. Louis, Joplin also wrote his first major serious composition, an operatic piece called "A Guest of Honor," which had as its setting the Missouri Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City. The original score for this work was lost, and it can no longer be performed. An authentic player piano fills the air with Scott Joplin melodies as you walk through the historically appropriate modest flat on Delmar Boulevard where Joplin rented a room in 1902. 

References

Erikson, K. (2021). State eyeing $5 million renovation of Scott Joplin historic site in St. Louis. St. Louis Post Dispatch. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/state-eyeing-5-million-renovation-of-scott-joplin-historic-site-in-st-louis/article_48d8633f-b774-59a0-8365-5cd4f6aaadcf.html

Missouri State Parks. (n.d.). General Information. https://mostateparks.com/page/55001/general-information