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Multi-Family Buildings
Two-family Flats
A popular house type during the late 19th, and early 20th century was the two-family flat. A flat is defined as a residential building with more than one dwelling unit, each having a separate individual entry. In most buildings, a door on the front facade opens directly into the first floor apartment, while a separate door on the same facade accesses the upper floor unit by an interior stair.
The building at 6037-39 Waterman is a two-family flat, with a dwelling unit on each floor. The Arts and Crafts accents appear in its bi-colored brick facades, bracketed cornice of the pyramidal roof, and multi-light entry doors. A one-story entry porch carries a balcony for the second floor unit, which is reached through French doors centered in a projecting bay.
Multi-family Walk-Ups
Walk-up apartment buildings were ubiquitous in St. Louis during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Usually two or three stories in height, a walk-up apartment has a main entry door to a stair hall; individual apartments open off this common hall. The three-family version has a single unit per floor, while in larger buildings, apartments are arranged on either side of a central hallway. Walk-up apartments often feature a balcony or porch for each unit.
The building at 6104 Pershing, in Skinker-DeBaliviere, is a three-family walk-up constructed in 1914. The main entry is on the left side of the front facade, and the apartments are stacked above each other. This is another building that displays Arts and Crafts influence: the entry is sheltered by a low tile-sheathed hood with brackets, which also appear beneath the projecting eaves of the building's false mansard roof, and the facade has a variety of terra cotta detailing. Each apartment has a sun porch, which was originally open.
The building at 6124 Pershing, also in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood, is a six-family walk-up, constructed in 1912. The building has three stacked apartments flanking each side of the central entry and stair hall. Each apartment has an open brick sun porch, its brick railing inserted with a decorative stone balustrade. The building has Arts and Crafts detailing similar to 6106 Pershing, but with a touch of Prairie style as well in the porch and entry gables, which are of extremely low pitch and have exposed rafter ends.
Multi-family Flats
This is a residential building type which appears primarily in the Skinker-DeBaliviere and Academy neighborhoods in northwest St. Louis. Generally, the exteriors of these buildings are rich in detailing, often exhibiting Arts and Crafts influence, but examples of Colonial Revival and Jacobethan style have also been found. Usually situated on a corner lot, the buildings may be of several different configurations, but all have separate entrances for each unit.
The building at 6103 Waterman, constructed in 1908, is a characteristic example. Although its primary facade faces Waterman, the side elevation is equally articulated. This four-unit building has two entry doors on each facade. A mixture of several styles, the front is predominantly Arts and Crafts, with decorative half-timbered gable and brick tile-roofed porch. The secondary facade has a recessed central porch containing the entrances, and a sleeping porch above. Flanking the porch are openings trimmed with Colonial Revival terra cotta detailing, including two Palladian windows. This elaborately decorated building also displays Flemish bond brick, heavy terra cotta quoins and brackets, and shed dormers.
Low-Rise Apartment Buildings
Low-rise apartment buildings are five stories or less in height. There can be several common entrances to the building, and apartments are accessed off a long, double-loaded corridor. These buildings tend to be larger in scale than walk-up apartments.
The building at the corner of 736-44 Walton, built in the West End in 1903, is a typical low-rise apartment building. The four-story, buff brick building has two symmetrically-placed entrances on the Walton Street elevation. The building's exterior decoration is restrained, and lies primarily in a series of projecting window bays, topped by crenelated parapets.
An Art Deco style low-rise apartment building is at 5845 Nottingham, in St. Louis Hills, constructed in 1939. The building features a short semi-circular tower containing the entrance and stair at the center of projecting wings. The entry has a stone surround, with a large leaded glass window above. The variegated brick of the building's facades is broken by shallow projecting bays, containing corner windows with multi-light metal casements. Horizontal emphasis is created by a series of stepped brick courses beneath each window, and two circular cupolas pierce the roof at the end of each wing.
High-Rise Apartment Buildings
High rise apartment buildings have more than five stories. These buildings usually have a single entry, opening into an elevator lobby. Each floor has double-loaded corridors. High-rise apartment buildings became popular in major cities throughout the United States during the early 20th century. In St. Louis, they were generally luxury apartments, many providing a range of services, including dining, to their wealthy tenants.
Hampden Hall, at Newstead and McPherson, is a high-rise apartment building constructed in 1925, and designed by George Barnett. Sited on a corner, the structure has an extensive raised entry plaza with balustrade. The building is constructed in a V-shape: two wings extend from the central block. The base of the building is veneered in stone, and has a two-story blind arcade; windows are a combination of single, paired and triple banks of one-over-one sash. Stone string courses and false balconies ornament the upper stories, and the building is capped with a shallow projecting cornice and shaped parapet.
