Sidney Street Between Thirteenth and Twelfth Streets

The 1200 block of Sidney Street on the north side is completely intact, starting in the west at 13th and heading east. I have to wonder if there was another house just to the west that was demolished to allow for street straightening; it just seems too odd for there to be no windows on the left. I think the street was cut through late. Looking at Sanborn maps confirm my suspicions: the street came crashing through here at some point, annihilating this house’s neighbors to the west and matching up 13th Street to the north with the pre-existing 13th Street to the south at Sidney.

Next up is a Second Empire four-family, which are generally only seen in this neighborhood, but it looks like this might have been converted into two townhouses. I’m not sure.

There’s a single family Second Empire house built right next to them, with the fire wall parapet protruding up above between them.

Then there’s this early Twentieth Century two-family; there are various reasons why this building could be here. there could have been a fire, which was incredibly common, or there could have been a smaller, less dense house that was demolished and replaced with the denser one below. The August 1909 Sanborn map shows merely a vacant lot.

More amazing and intact Second Empire and then Greek Revival houses continue.

The advancement of planing mills, which could mass produce millwork, allowed for the expanding use of decorative trim.

The house below has to be missing a dormer on the right.

Here come the Greek Revival houses before we get to Twelfth Street.

Turning around, we head back west on Sidney, looking at the south side of the street. Fire insurance maps show that there was originally a large Second Empire mansion sitting on the southwest corner, and it took up the land in the next several photos.

Judging from the architecture of the apartments built in its place, I suspect it was torn down in the first couple decades of the Twentieth Century.

This church, which was part of the mansion’s parcel, is obviously from after World War II.

It is occupied by a Spanish-speaking Protestant congregation now.

Then after that starts an almost unbroken row of Greek Revival rowhouses.

The trees growing their leaves were already starting to obscure my photographs! Note the simple, brick-made dentillated cornices.

But breaking up the two story houses is this one and a half story house, whose front dormer was dramatically expanded to create more living space under the roof.

Then it’s back to more rowhouses.

The corner house was clearly converted into a storefront at some point, which is common in a dense neighborhood such as Soulard.

All the houses seen above on the south side of the street appear in Compton and Dry.

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