Fachwerk
Fachwerk houses used a framework of heavy, braced timbers atop a masonry foundation. The spaces between the timbers were filled with brick nogging laid in courses. Sometimes the timbers were left exposed on the exterior of the house; most often, however, the exterior was protected from the weather by a sheathing of wood clapboards. This construction technique most likely evolved in Bavaria, where there was a shortage of wood for house construction. The use of Fachwerk lasted only a short time, and was replaced by the more easily-built American technique of light framing. Isolated examples of these buildings remain in the older parts of St. Louis, such as Soulard, Hyde Park, and Carondelet; but since from the exterior they appear to be ordinary frame houses, they often go unnoticed. (St. Louis, 1995)