A reader alerted me to a beautiful street of homes in Grand Center hiding in the shadow of the Coronado Building on Lindell. Westminster Place, perhaps more famous for its stretch through the Central West End, begins at Spring Street and passes over Vandeventer Avenue.
The large Romanesque Revival mansions, such as the one above, have always fascinated me; unfortunately, many of them are now gone, since their major period of popularity placed their construction in Grand Center, which has seen heavy and brutal demolition.
Above photo courtesy of Allison Smith.
There is some in-fill that sits in between the historic homes. Why does this stretch of houses survive when so many others have been demolished?
Rounded turrets are a hallmark of the Romanesque Revival, as these two houses demonstrate.
I have no idea what to call this house below; it is such an interesting mix of styles.
Everything on the left side of the Sanborn was demolished for the Coronado; the right side is still well-if not perfectly-preserved. Let’s hope it stays that way.
