Discovering Shaw, Part 8: Castleman Avenue Between 39th Street and Spring Avenue, North Side

Castleman Avenue between 39th Street and Spring Avenue continues the trend of its eastern block before Grand Boulevard with no alleys, but the houses are newer, reflecting more English influence in its architecture.

There is more the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement, with half timber and designs in the brick, reflecting more of an appreciation of vernacular details, though still obviously on a very high level of finish.

Sadly, I figured out the home of Oscar Berninghaus at 3939 Castleman Avenue has been demolished, and its lot turned into a side yard for its neighbor.

We begin to see more of the influence of the Colonial Revival in the massing of the houses below, even if the ornamental details are not so much in that style. We see that often in St. Louis.

Then there are these two massive, hulking masterpieces in brick that are clearly older towards the end of the block, providing an anchor architecturally at the intersection with Spring Avenue.

Again, notice how the architect understand this house will be sitting on a corner and places details on the east side to create visual interest along Spring Avenue, while still focusing on the primary side facing Castleman.

2 Comments Add yours

  1. Elizabeth says:

    The two bottom houses were clearly created by the same person. Was there any sort of bay built off the side of the top house or was it just on the bottom one since it was on the corner lot?

    1. Chris Naffziger says:

      Good question; the house second in from the corner has a two story bay, but it is less pronounced, as would be expected since its east side is a private exposure. The house on the corner has a far more pronounced curved bay, befitting its double public exposure on the south and east.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.