The block of Michigan Avenue between Blow and Nagel has some of the most interesting houses in Carondelet. First up, we realize there was actually a wood frame house right on the southwest corner, with an address on Blow Street.

But it was demolished and now the first building on the west side of Michigan is the Spanish Society of St. Louis, which has been based here for over a century. It’s an untold story here in Carondelet, but there was a huge influx of Spanish immigrants to the area, and you can see their burials in cemeteries just to the south of the city-county line. Our Lady of Covadonga Roman Catholic Parish is a relic of that community.

The housing stock is just beautiful, as well, with an interesting mix of the Italianate, Second Empire and the Romanesque Revival.

This four-family could use a little work, but overall it is in good shape.

But the next couple of houses are great examples of red brick Romanesque Revival houses with the Second Empire still influencing their design.

The east side of Michigan Avenue has much older houses, with hipped roofs in a row. I first photographed the houses below back in June of 2009.

There are also some very old wood frame houses, as well.

Then we see a house with a gabled roof that is more common in other Midwestern cities but never caught in St. Louis.

Finally, a hulking Romanesque Revival mansion with a turret anchors the northeast corner.

See Nagel Street down to South Broadway here from a later post.