Historical April–May 2005 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
1796: A Spanish land grant of some 2,700 acres is given to Maria Louise Chouteau Papin, whose brother, Auguste Chouteau, was one of the co-founders of St. Louis.
This vast parcel ran from the banks of the River Des Peres to Maple Ave on the north to Art Hill on the south, to Union Blvd on the east and to Jackson Ave on the west. Madame Papin used the land as a farm. 1800s: Well into the 1800s, descendants of the extended Chouteau-Papin family owned a significant portion of the property, by then called Kingsbury Farm. 1876: Forest Park is dedicated. Concurrent with Forest Park’s dedication the CityCounty boundary was established just beyond the park’s western edge, taking the larger part of Kingsbury Farm into the county. 1895: Robert S. Brookings chose land just south of Kingsbury Farm and west of Forest Park as the new home of Washington University. 1901: The Louisiana Purchase Exposition Committee announced that the Exposition would be built on the western half of Forest Park and other land to the west, which would be leased from its owners (e.g., Washington University). 1901: Foreseeing development opportunities that would be created by the Fair, the Parkview Realty and Improvement Company was formed with a capital stock of $5.5 million, an enormous sum for the time.
They acquired the land between DeBaliviere, WestGate, Delmar and Forest Park. 1901: The company hired well-regarded railroad builder John Scott to grade the land and tame the River Des Peres.
The labors took nearly two years to complete, being finally finished in December 1903 at a cost of nearly three quarters of a million dollars. 1903: The directors of Parkview Realty divided their property into three sections: 1) Catlin Track (along Lindell Blvd.), 2) the area now known as the Skinker DeBalieviere neighbor-hood, and 3) the 80- acre Parkview subdivision.
In order to develop Parkview they established a separate real estate company, Beredith Realty Company, to sell lots in a private place designed by Julius Pitzman. Pitzman, one if its investors, was the originator of the St. Louis private place, having designed Compton Heights, Westmoreland and Portland Place among others, and his reputation was at it’s height. Pitzman chose to provide green spaces and curving streets that would be soothing and peaceful to the eye.
The flow added privacy and diminished the monotony of the uniform building setbacks as the streets curved gently out of sight.
The northwest and southwest corners of Parkview, bypassed by the curving streets, were given over to triangular parks that intensified the green environment envisioned as planners planted closely-spaced street trees. Trees were also planted around the perimeters of the parks to define and enclose them. 1905: Henry Caulfield, attorney for Beredith Realty Company, which was responsible for selling Parkview lots, filed for a trust indenture.
He was then a U. S. Representative (and later Governor of Missouri) and was soon to become a Parkview homeowner and trustee until his death in 1960.
The trust indenture defined the rights and responsibilities of the homeowners and trustees alike.
It named three Trustees and gave them the power to act on behalf on the Parkview residents.
It provided the Trustees with an easement over all the public areas in Parkview including the streets, walks, parks and alleys.
The Trustees would handle other needed provisions such as security and street lights and were given the authority to collect assessments provided by the Indenture.
The annual assess-ment was mandatory, which acted as a safeguard against non-contributors and further strengthened the organization’s permanence. 1906: Lots were to range from $2,000 to $5,000 in cost and the minimum cost of construction was to range between $4,000 and $7,000.
The building setback was to be a uniform 50 feet. Construction materials were to be brick, stone or stucco; years proved brick to be the majority choice by far.
With streets, sidewalks, curbs, sewers, water mains and electrical lines all in place, construction began. 1906 June: The first building permits were issued. 1906: November. Construction on twelve houses was begun: Eight houses in a cluster in the 6200 block of Waterman; one house on McPherson; three houses spread out on Washington (one near Skinker and two across from Washington Park). 1907: Eight new houses were started: Two more on Waterman, two on Westminster and four on McPherson, all but one within the limits of the City of St. Louis. 1908: This year and the next, saw a tremendous spurt of activity, with 71 houses underway. Whereas the earlier houses were mostly Colonial Revival or Tudor Revival in style, the majority of new houses had clear Arts and Crafts stylistic influence on both the exterior and interior.
In 1908 alone, more than a dozen houses on Washington were built as Parkview versions of the Arts and Crafts house, distinguished by the skillful and beautiful brick and carpentry work of St. Louis craftsmen and, owing to relatively narrow lots, a taller and more compact form. 1914: About 85% of Parkview’s 255 houses had been completed.
The wide variety of architectural styles and details added visual diversity to the character of the neighborhood.
But Pitzman’s brilliant design, requiring uniform setbacks to establish order and introducing grace with the form of the gently curving streets, smoothly accommodated the diversity.
As it developed, the subdivision became recognizable as a unique entity within its larger urban context, called by many who know it an urban oasis. 1978: Skinker-DeBaliviereCatlin Tract-Parkview named a Historic District by Ordinance of the City of St. Louis. 1986: Parkview is named a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. 1992: Parkview is named a Historic District in University City. 1999: Parkview is deemed a St. Louis County Landmark. For an expanded history of Parkview and many more photographs, visit Parkview’s website at http://stlouis.missouri.- org/parkview/ This fall Parkview will publish its 100th anniversary commemorative book: Parkview: A St. Louis Urban Oasis 1905-2005.
This volume will contain over 200 photographs and a complete history of the neighborhood. More information will be available at the Parkview Centennial House Tour, May 14-15.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, April–May 2005.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2005_04.pdf, printed page(s) 4, 5; PDF page(s) 4, 5.
