Moving east on Washington Place we past by the first houses and then we are greeted with a surprise.
We are presented with a manse much larger than other houses on the block, and I wonder if this subdivision was originally intended for more expansive residences. It was owned by Allen Harwood Collins and his wife Mary, and then seems to have been inherited by their son Martin.
It’s a great example of the Renaissance Revival in St. Louis.
The rest of the houses on the block aren’t too shabby, either.
They’re an interesting mix of styles, with an emphasis on a revival of various architectural elements.
There are the last breaths of elements of the Romanesque Revival to a certain extent in the house below.
But otherwise, the street is firmly moving into the Twentieth Century.
The Collins house is a masterpiece of Florentine Revival taken in part from the Foundling Hospital of architect Brunelleschi . Blakesly Collins was a renowned resident of the West End and lives on another private street. He also was a founder of the Racquet Club , 1906. This home may have belonged to his family. This block was prestige – Temple Israel and St. John’s Methodist flanking the Kingshighway entrance , with the distinguished Hotel George Washington across the way ( mineral baths in the lower level and Mrs. Jost Hitching Post as the fine dining room. Reminiscently!!