About the Home The home was built by Ferdinand Westheimer and was designed by the famed architectural firm of Eckel and Mann. Ferdinand Westheimer was the founder of Westheimer & Sons Distillers, with locations in Saint Joseph, MO, Cincinnati, OH, and Louisville, KY. Most noted among his spirits was Red Top Rye. At the young age of 34, Ferdinand arrived in Saint Joseph in early 1859 on the just complete Hannibal & St. Joseph Railway. An immigrant from Rimbach, Odenwald, Germany, he had early success in the mercantile business. By 1870, he had dissolved his mercantile business and branched out into wholesale liquor distribution. By the turn of the century he was among Saint Joseph’s long list of millionaires. He and his wife, Sarah, raised eight sons. About Saint Joseph, Missouri Saint Joseph is a sleepy river town, built along side the Missouri River. At the turn of the century, Saint Joseph was a very prosperous and wealthy town. By the mid-19th Century, the dusty little river town of Saint Joseph was well-established wholesale trade distribution center. Historic points of interest in Saint Joseph: Convention and Business Bureau