National Register of Historic Places

Washington Avenue Historic District

St. Louis (Independent City), St. Louis County, Missouri
Listed
February 12, 1987
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
86003733

About this property

The Washington Avenue Historic District is located in Downtown West, St. Louis, Missouri along Washington Avenue, and bounded by Delmar Boulevard to the north, Locust Street to the south, 8th Street on the east, and 18th Street on the west. The buildings date from the late 19th century to the early 1920s. They exhibit a variety of popular architectural styles of those years, but most are revival styles or in the commercial style that would later come to be known as the Chicago School of architecture. Most are large multi-story buildings of brick and stone construction, built as warehouses for the St. Louis garment district. Many have terra cotta accents on their facades. After World War II, the decline in domestic garment production and the preference for single-story industrial space led to many of the buildings being vacant or underused due to functional obsolescence. Ely and Walker Dry Goods Company Building (1906–07), designed by Eames & Young, now a residential loft building. Lesser-Goldman/Ferguson-McKinney Building (1901) at the northwest corner of Washington and W. 12th, also designed by Eames & Young. It is "A half-block in size and enriched with classical, round arches with voussoirs and keystones, quoins, and a copiously enriched cornice, the building was in keeping with the standards of architectural design of "the great commercial warehouses which are making Washington Avenue a monumental street." The building has piers defining 13 bays on its Washington Avenue facade and nine bays on its Tucker Boulevard facade. It has distinctive quoins. It has several large, round-arched openings with voussoirs. The main entrance, at center of the Washington Ave. facade, is surrounded with terra cotta work and set with a large scrolled keystone. Above, windows are in sets of twos or threes separated by brick mullions or pilaster-like piers. At the seventh story, "the piers curve to form round arches with keystones. Spandrels between the stories are ornamented with scrolled corbels."

Location

St. Louis (Independent City), St. Louis County, Missouri
38.63249, -90.20140

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

General American Life Insurance Co. Buildings
Industrial
0 mi
Ford Apartments
Industrial
0.1 mi
Campbell, Robert G., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Downtown YMCA Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Blackwell-Wielandy Building
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Action at St. Louis (Spanish Fort San Carlos)
1780Revolutionary War
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Washington Avenue Historic District listed on the National Register?

Washington Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Washington Avenue Historic District?

Washington Avenue Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Washington Avenue Historic District?

The period of significance for Washington Avenue Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Washington Avenue Historic District?

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