N. O. Nelson

The complex was designed by St. Louis architect Edward A. Cameron (1861–1899) specifically for the Nelson Manufacturing Company.

The development of Leclaire started with the original plat design by engineer, surveyor and city planner Julius Pitzman (1837–1923).

Nelson named the community after French economist and businessman Edme-Jean Leclaire, who had inaugurated employee profit sharing in France.

Leclaire was a model cooperative offering affordable homes, free education, opportunities for recreation, and employment at the N. O. Nelson Manufacturing Company.

[4][5] Nelson's vision was influenced by the progressive theory of his era, including that of Sedley Taylor, professor at Trinity College, Cambridge and his 1885 essays On Profit Sharing Between Capital and Labor.

[8][9][10] The complex is host to college classes, the Confluence Fab lab, and the Leclaire Room reception venue.