Mother’s Day, May 10, will once again see the Skinker-DeBaliviere area hosting visitors from the entire St. Louis metropolitan area. For the third Annual Art Fair from noon to 5 p. m.
For the second year, the Art Fair will be joined by a House Tour. Tickets for the tour will be on sale at the Art Fair in the 6100 block of Kingsbury and at the homes on the tour. Visitors, as well as residents of the area will be welcomed to a close look at the Skinker-DeBaliviere area.
Once a farm owned by the Kingsbury family, this area was subdivided around the time of 1904 World’s Fair. Many of the homes, in fact, were constructed from bricks used in the World’s Fair buildings. The term “subdivision” hardly seems apt in the neighborhood of broad, tree, lined streets and private shaded patios.
A great variety of styles and materials are to be found in the homes which offer repeated examples of craftsmanship and elegance of another era, carefully maintained and tastefully renovated over the years. Although most structures in the area are unique in design, one of the houses on the tour, The Curtis Home, is a duplicate of the neighboring dwelling, built by brothers who wished to live near each other. Throughout the first floor of this distinctly Florentine structure, are well preserved terrazzo floors of colorful patterns on a white back ground. The spaciousness of the rooms is characteristic of most homes in this area, and the decor chosen by the present owner is a good example of the way comfort and elegance are
combined in homes built for real living.
While the Curtis home has been maintained close to its original form, the Burke Mees home, 6189 Kingsbury, has been completely renovated from city sidewalk to the garden gate. Here, modern convenience has been uniquely blended with the old charm, which is now considered too expensive to incorporate into newer dwellings.
Besides a variety of styles and architecture, in every home on the tour there is evidence of personal interests from hand-quilted bedspreads to art collections and displays of unusual artifacts collected on many travels. Among the more interesting antiques on the tour is a hand-carved secretary that was hand-crafted generation ago for a new bride and is passed along to the person who bears the full name of the original designer.
Other homes on the tour include: Hutchisons, 5930 Pershing; Stuarts, 6112 McPherson; Lowensteins, 6136 Waterman, and Bells. 5733 Waterman.
The Art Fair has become an increasingly popular event each year. It has grown from 40 entries in 1968 to more than 100 artists and craftsmen displaying their work in the 6100 block of Kingsbury this year. Displays will be set up on tables and snow fencing, and the street will be blocked to cars. Two cafes will provide refreshment for the viewer. All makes the area worth seeing on May 10.
Original photograph caption
Sandy Martin, a potter, shows Jo Ann Budde and a friend how to make a small bowl. She is just one of the artists who will sell their wares at the art fair. (See story on page 1.)
Originally published in The Paper, May 1970.
