Over the next week or so, I’m going to be looking at three major east-west streets in the Central West End, starting at or ending at Boyle Avenue in the east, where I feel like the historic fabric of the neighborhood is most intact. I’m starting with Westminster Place, which I will look at over four days, beginning at Boyle to Newstead avenues. Apparently originally known as Fullerton Place, it was two blocks: this one, and the block we’ll look at tomorrow; you can read the National Register nomination here. I personally think the nomination form is far too negative in its appraisal of St. Louis architecture; it is not so reactionary as the author claims.
I’ll have minimal commentary for these posts, and instead focus on the houses, letting them speak for themselves, only mentioning when there is a particularly famous owner.
The first house heading west is the Pierre Chouteau Maffitt Residence, whose owner was descended from the founders of St. Louis. He was a president of a real estate investment company. His house took up several lots in the subdivision.
Perhaps what is surprising about this block is the influence of the Colonial Revival on this house and many others, or sometimes referred to as Georgian Revival or even Regency.
But of course we have to find at least a couple Romanesque Revival houses.
There were also more standard Beaux-Arts mansion, such as the Pettus Residence.
The interiors were often much more elaborate than the austere exteriors.
The majority, however, are an eclectic mix of styles that were popular at the beginning of the Twentieth Century.
