Photos: At Home with Cara Katzen in her 1900's Oakland home
Cara Katzen and her two sons, Ari and Max Shalowitz, moved into a renovated house originally built in the early 1900's in Oakland. Through antique glass bottles found in the backyard and learning about previous owners, they are piecing together the history of their home.
A view of the exterior of Cara Katzen’s Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The house was built in the early 1900’s and was speculated to be used for different purposes, including a stagecoach stop and a bar, before being turned into a residential house where Katzen and her two sons and one dog now live.
BELOW: The main-floor primary suite is decorated in soothing neutrals and provides a relaxing personal retreat for Katzen. The artwork above the bed was created by her son Max.
A large stand-alone bathtub is a main feature of the master bathroom in Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
LEFT: One of Katzen’s most prized possessions is this hand-carved upright piano that once belonged to Missouri Botanical Garden founder Henry Shaw and has connections to her mother’s childhood. Her father purchased it for her mother in 1973 and Katzen reacquired it in 2018.
2-year-old Shiloh leaves her crate in the sitting room of Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The sitting room features lots of windows for natural light and also includes the antique piano, where Katzen's sons play.
Cara Katzen's son's bedroom faces the backyard and has the same wooden flooring found throughout the Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
Cara Katzen, center, and her two sons, Ari Shalowitz, 12, left, and Max Shalowitz, 14, right, pose for a portrait on the front porch of their renovated Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The house was built in the early 1900’s and was speculated to be used for different purposes, including a stagecoach stop or a bar. The family moved in in June 2025.
2-year-old Shiloh sits on the couch in the sitting room of Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The sitting room features lots of windows for natural light and also includes the antique piano, where Katzen's sons play.
ABOVE: The house is believed to have been built around 1909 and is rumored to have once been a stagecoach stop. The family has found various period artifacts around the property.
Cara Katzen poses for a portrait on the front porch of her renovated Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The house was built in the early 1900's and was speculated to be used for different purposes, including a stagecoach stop or a bar. Katzen, her two sons and their dog moved in in June 2025.
The back patio has a brick wall separating their patio from the trees in Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The house was built in the early 1900's and the backyard is where Katzen and her two sons found antique glass bottles that date back to the prohibition era.
LEFT: Double wavy-glass front doors open into the living room — a serene spot for relaxing conversation.
The main bedroom has a large window with a view of the street and front yard in Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
The downstairs bathroom has white and gray tiles and is on the main floor of Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
Fully remodeled by the previous owner, the kitchen’s finishes are exactly what Katzen says she would have chosen herself. While it opens into the living room, a pair of antique pocket doors were preserved, allowing the kitchen to be closed off if desired.
RIGHT: The cozy dining room off the kitchen is surrounded by windows and features original hardwood floors. The tabletop marble statue in the corner was purchased by Katzen’s dad for her mom on their first date.
An antique door lock and keyhole is preserved from the original property in Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The doors open into the kitchen and Katzen and her sons speculate that the property may have been a bar at one point.
An antique piano sits in the sitting room of Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The piano has been passed down through her family and was once owned by businessman Henry Shaw.
A walk-in shower with blue and black tile has a window to natural light in the master bathroom of Cara Katzen's Oakland home in 51ºÚÁÏ county, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
RIGHT: Katzen and her sons have uncovered historic artifacts on the property including a prohibition-era whiskey bottle and uranium glass.
A black and white photo of Katzen’s sons when they were younger graces the mantle of the black marble fireplace in the living room. A staircase leads to the dormer-style second floor, occupied by her 14-year-old.
Liz Rymarev | Post-Dispatch
Photographer
Cara Katzen and her two sons have uncovered several intriguing artifacts on the property that hint at its history.
