Update: The Beauty of Dutchtown Series continues with No. 87. Constructed in 1929 on the one block stretch of Ray Avenue, hemmed in on the sides by Meramec and Keokuk streets, this building is actually shaped like the letter C. It is perhaps one of the most simple, and while the ornament still uses precast…
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The Beauty of Dutchtown, 85: South Grand Boulevard and Delor Street
A little bit further south and a bit of an outlier, this building built in 1930 is an interesting mix of styles. Constructed in 1930, this complex has two distinct sides. There was the more conservative public and commercial side facing Grand, but then there is the more experimental side facing Delor. That less busy…
The Beauty of Dutchtown 84: The AnnaLou Apartments
The AnnaLou, with its big bold orange brick, jumped out at me on Giles Avenue just south of the large Tudor Revival complex on Alberta Avenue. Built in 1929, it also has a cool garage in back. I love the rich, dark orange that is used to set off the doors and windows, making it…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 83: Gustine Avenue and Chippewa Street
Much later, this building built in 1937 shows the influence of the Streamline Modern on its design. The large limestone or cast concrete panels above the windows are a nice touch, with the stars. The orange brick runs up the walls in stripes, giving a sense of speed. I also would like to invite readers…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 82: Northeast Corner of Gustine and Dunnica Avenues
Across Gustine, this building from 1931 seems to blend elements of the Tudor Revival with Art-Deco, which is logical from its later date of construction. Rectilinear panels with geometric patterns sits side by side with heraldic shields. And the design shows a sensitivity to both Gustine Avenue, a major boulevard street to the west, and…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 81: 3841-47 Gustine Avenue
North of the Leona, this building from 1930 gives off a more rustic appearance, but likewise shares its southern neighbor’s abandoned state. It also retains elements of mass produced terracotta elements arranged in original ways along the pediment. Overall, as the new decade began, the design was more austere and plain. I also would like…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 80: The Elm Tree Apartments
A smaller version of the giant apartments at Alberta and Giles, the U-shaped building built in 1931 now christened by a 1970s-era sign as The Elm Tree Apartments rounds out a row of complexes on Keokuk Street. Including two J-shaped halves linked by a Tudor Revival arch in the middle and plenty of half-timber jerkinhead…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 79: The Leona
Randomly, some of the apartment buildings in this area, like this one from 1929, have names. This one’s known as the Leona, as the terracotta states very clearly. It’s boarded up and vacant right now, and judging from the seafoam great terracotta trim, I suspect the windows once possessed the same color, or perhaps the…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 78: 4329 South Grand Boulevard
Constructed in 1930, this building sits on the busy South Grand Boulevard edge of the neighborhood. A boring front door sadly mars the façade. Many people are now labeling that font as “gentrification font,” but that is not happening around here. I also would like to invite readers out to my free lecture on the…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 77: Keokuk Street and South Spring Avenue
Crossing South Spring Avenue, we run into this building built in 1930. It is an unconventional design in that it is J-shaped, embracing the corner in a concave curve facing the intersection. Mature, if not particularly straight trees have grown up to partially obscure the front façade of the building. We can see a photo…