The Scott Joplin House Museum, located at 2658 Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri, is a significant landmark in American music history. The house, a modest two-story brick structure, was built during the Civil War era, with records confirming its existence by 1874. By the mid-19th century, the neighborhood had become a diverse immigrant community, attracting German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and Jewish populations. By the early 20th century, it had become predominantly African American, coinciding with Scott Joplin’s stay from 1900 to 1903.
Scott Joplin’s Residence
Scott Joplin, born in 1868 near Marshall, Texas, was a pioneer of African American music and a pianist known as the “King of Ragtime.” His early musical education at George R. Smith College in Sedalia, Missouri, combined classical training with improvisational styles of folk music, enabling him to create and popularize ragtime music. Joplin moved into the house on Delmar Boulevard in 1900. During his stay, he wrote some of his most famous works, including “The Entertainer” and “Easy Victories.”
Architectural Significance
The Scott Joplin House is a typical example of rental houses built in St. Louis in the mid-19th century. The two-story brick house in the shape of the letter T has a gable roof with side parapets and built-in chimneys. The front facade is symmetrically divided into six bays, with the first-floor windows set in round arches and the second-floor windows in segmental arches. Adjacent to the house is a rear wrap-around porch and another on the right side, which is finished with a granite border and iron fence.
Preservation and restoration
The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, largely due to the efforts of the local African American community, which saved it from demolition. In 1983, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources designated it as Missouri’s first state historic site dedicated to African American heritage. The restoration aims to preserve the historical integrity of the house, including its 1902 furniture and gas lamps, offering an authentic glimpse into Joplin’s life and times.
Cultural Impact
Scott Joplin’s contribution to music, especially ragtime, has had a lasting impact on American culture. His composition “Maple Leaf Rag,” published in 1899, sold over half a million copies by 1909, establishing ragtime as a significant musical genre. Joplin’s music regained recognition in the 1970s when “The Entertainer” was used as the theme for the film “The Sting,” introducing his work to a new generation.
Expanded Interpretation
Originally, the Scott Joplin House historic site focused exclusively on Joplin and ragtime. However, recent heritage projects have expanded the site’s interpretive scope to include the broader social history of black urban migration and the transformation of the neighborhood from a multiethnic community to a predominantly African American one. This expanded narrative touches on complex topics such as racial oppression, poverty, sanitation, prostitution, and sexually transmitted diseases, providing a more complete understanding of the historical context in which Joplin lived and worked.