Out in the suburbs of the West End, I think the long block of 5300-5400 Cabanne Avenue, in between Union and Belt Avenues stands out as one of the most interesting. It is just to the north of Windermere Place, and the Hodiamont “Suburban Track” Streetcar line right-of-way runs on the north.

There has been some demolition, such as the beautiful house above, but there are still some stunning country homes left. The wood frame houses, so common out this way, still survive, like in the first picture, but some were torn down and replaced by later houses or apartment buildings.

As is typical in this area, apartment buildings began to creep in, as well.

But I love the wood frame houses, many of them shingle-style originally. The all-brick building code, so famous in St. Louis, is not so simple. There were clearly exceptions allowed far out in the country.

This Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, from the first years of the Twentieth Century, shows that the apartment buildings had not yet started moving in. But the amazing St. Philomena’s, which I learned about from Built St. Louis and Vanishing St. Louis, once anchored the corner on the south. It was gone before I even moved back to St. Louis.

Update: The renovation of the “Cabanne Castle,” shown below, began in the winter of 2021; interior demolition seemed to have been completed by November of 2021. Renovation was continuing in August of 2022.

And then we have the famous abandoned Tudor Revival apartment building, which took the place of a wood frame country home (and I think a couple of brick neighbors). It is stunning, renowned for its beauty, and is slowly falling apart.

Update: The two houses in the following two photographs below on the left and in the middle have been demolished, as of July of 2020. The house on the right, closest to the corner with Union, is still standing.

And then, there are three houses, all abandoned, before we get to the corner of Union.