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
Allen Avenue is off the beaten path, but it shows the wealth of architectural variety in McKinley Heights; much of the neighborhood was built much later than the surrounding neighborhoods due to the presence of industrial yards. As usual, most… Continue Reading
Franz Sigel Elementary is one of William Ittner’s designs from 1906, and could be best described as an Italian Romanesque Revival influenced building, though that seems lacking in many ways. It’s still an interesting school, and is unique among the… Continue Reading
Monroe Elementary School is an early design by William B. Ittner from 1898 before the influence of English public (private) schools on his later works. You can see its similarity to Eliot School in Hyde Park. It sits on a… Continue Reading