Hill later designed Academic Hall at the University of Missouri (of which now remains only the landmark columns on the Francis Quadrangle.

The building survived the November 15, 1837 fire that destroyed the neighboring capitol when wet blankets were applied to the roof of the mansion.

Stewart rode a horse up the steps into the house and ordered a servant to feed it a peck of oats.

George Ingham Barnett (whose work includes most of the buildings at the Missouri Botanical Garden built for Henry Shaw) was the architect.

Major exterior features of the 66-foot-6-inch (20.27 m) square, three-story red brick building are the 13-foot (4.0 m) mansard roof and four pink granite columns from Brown's quarry in Iron County, Missouri.

The first of the major renovations occurred in the 1890s under Governor David Rowland Francis; they included painting the bricks deep red to cover soot stains.

The next major renovation occurred under Lloyd C. Stark in which $55,000 was allocated to replace the columns supporting the Grand Stairway with steel brackets.