Photos: At Home with Arnie and Terrie Robbins of Forest Park Southeast
Photos: At Home with Arnie and Terrie Robbins of Forest Park Southeast
Arnie and Terrie Robbins preserved and renovated an 1890s home in Forest Park Southeast, adding a modern expansion to match their current lives.
The original 1890 brick house on Hunt Avenue (left) was preserved and renovated and connected to a new black metal-clad addition. “Because it’s a weird home, people have looked into the windows,” says Arnie. “But we didn’t want curtains because we really like all the natural light.” The evergreens out front, towering around 6 feet tall, are the perfect blinds.
Terrie and Arnie Robbins sit for a portrait in their favorite living room chairs at their modern home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
A large mural by St. Louis artist Peat Wollaeger serves as the focal point of a landscaped backyard, including glass sculptures from the Bug Store and a rock labyrinth.
A painting by Florentine artist Carla Bru hangs above Terrie Robbins’ soaking tub in her bathroom, which is in the old part of the house, as evidenced by the brick wall. At right, necklaces are displayed artistically and practically.
Fountain balls from the former Bug Store decorate the covered patio of Arnie and Terrie Robbins’ modern home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Terra cotta flowers are believed to be unique to a row of 1890s homes used by workers who built the Missouri Botanical Garden. Two flank a window at Arnie and Terrie Robbins’ home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
A blessing totem from South Africa greets visitors at the top of stairs in the foyer of Arnie and Terrie Robbins’ home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024. On the other side of the wall is a small fireplace.
Terrie Robbins told architect Sarah Gibson that one of her favorite parts of their old house was a reading nook. Gibson made sure Terrie had one in the new home, situated just off the light-filled foyer. The large painting behind the chair was made as performance art at a newspaper convention in Minneapolis years ago. The painting in the entryway, new to their collection, says “Never Lose Your Fire” and is by local artist Scott Leisler.
The backyard of the home contains a covered patio with cooling fans and heaters. The mural is seen in the reflection of the kitchen windows. At right are spherical red fountains.
Terrie Robbins’ reading nook is situated just off the foyer, decorated with a painting made as performance art from a newspaper convention in Minneapolis.
In a view from the entryway, the open floor plan creates a comfortable and bright living area, with furnishings from Centro and two folding chairs from Wrigley Field. Terrie found the Aim pendant light over the dining table in an article in the New York Times. When they learned it was available through Centro in the Central West End, they decided to buy the bigger version. "I jokingly say we’re in the spotlight when we’re having dinner," says Terrie.
Pantry shelves are attached to an exterior brick wall of the original home that was expanded and made modern by Arnie and Terrie Robbins on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Working pocket doors from the original home were repurposed to separate the shower from the rest of the bathroom in Arnie and Terrie Robbins’ home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
A collage of art bought on trips by Arnie and Terrie Robbins is arranged outside Terrie’s office in the bedroom of their Forest Park Southeast modern home on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Fresh flowers are a frequent addition to the island in the kitchen, topped with an Absolute Black granite surface, at Arnie and Terrie Robbins’ home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Arnie Robbins purchased original box seats from Wrigley Field while living in Chicago. Terrie Robbins had covers made to soften the seating.
The bedroom of Arnie and Terrie Robbins opens to a covered and heated backyard patio in their Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The living room of the home of Arnie and Terrie Robbins in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
A meerkat made of recycled plastic from Cracking Art in Milan stands beside African art and a hutch made by Terrie Robbins’ grandfather. It was one of only three pieces of furniture the couple brought from their old house. Three clever sculptures by local artist Cathy Barancik sit atop the piece.
A dining room table just off the kitchen is decorated with an AIM light fixture by Flos, nine ink drawings by Peter Manion and a Dale Chihuly print at the home of Arnie and Terrie Robbins in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The den is the former living room of the original home. A fireplace and an open, vaulted ceiling the Robbinses added are perfect with the artwork.
Birds made of plastic from New Zealand stand on an entry handrail of Arnie and Terrie Robbins’ home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The original 1890 brick house on Hunt Avenue was preserved and renovated, connecting to a black metal-clad addition to complete Arnie and Terrie Robbins’ home in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Ken Miller designed their garden.
Robert Cohen
Staff Photographer
At about 2,000 square feet of modern sleekness, it’s a very different home than the one Terrie and Arnie Robbins owned just a few years back.
