Vandeventer Avenue is an interesting street, in that it has had many names over the years along different parts: Market Street Road, Manchester Road and then finally the current appellation. It was already platted out by the 1870s, and it… Continue Reading
Charless Avenue and its alley are perhaps two of the most isolated but fascinating lanes in St. Louis, with large trees obscuring old Greek Revival houses, half flounders and mysterious ruins. There is this lot, with a low stone wall… Continue Reading
Forgive me for constantly returning to the narrow lanes of McKinley Heights just to the northeast of the intersection of Jefferson and Gravois, but the area dates back to before the Civil War, and I found out some new information… Continue Reading
Shenandoah Avenue through McKinley Heights marks a transition from very old houses in the DeVolsey Addition on the south side of the street, to the late suburban buildings of the late Nineteenth Century. First we head east starting just east… Continue Reading
Indiana Avenue south of Ann is a fascinating mix of houses; up at the north end of the street are houses typical of much of the rest of McKinley Heights–built in the early Twentieth Century. But then, and this picture… Continue Reading
Ann Street is another one of those quiet streets lined with good solid housing stock, with little traffic and stately street trees. I’ve actually looked at these houses above before, back in 2013. The apartments buildings are more elaborate than… Continue Reading
Moving west of McNair, the houses become more elaborate, with greater ornament and finishes. Even the four-family flats have slate roofs and terracotta ornament that make them fit in stylistically with the larger single family houses next door. Some of… Continue Reading
Crossing over Mississippi Avenue, there is first a corner store that like many in the city, has been converted into a residence due to the dramatically smaller demand for retail at the neighborhood level. There is more architectural variety, with… Continue Reading
Russell Boulevard is one of the most interesting thoroughfares in the city, with different characters in each of the neighborhoods it traverses. In Fox Park, it has a particular feeling, in Shaw, a totally different style of architecture pervades, while… Continue Reading
Continuing east on Allen Avenue, there is more variety, as four-family flats intrude in between the two-family flats. They have a dark almost burnt umber color on their front façades, showing the early Twentieth Century turn away from all red… Continue Reading