Head for the Hills

A few weeks ago Tim and I took a stroll in Kingshighway Hills to giggle at the outrageous details of the English Tudor Style (or Revival) homes.

In the 60s my Aunt had an apartment on Oleatha. When we visited my sister and I ran out of her building to skip along the novel interior sidewalk that cuts through the middle of the block.

5245 Lindenwood.
The door is carved and has a leaded glass window. It's for sale, click on the post title to view the interior.


Brick and limestone mosaic under an arch.

Crazy details abound: A massive limestone lentil over a window with brick work that cuts into the stone.

This house is completely made of Clunker bricks and borders one of the sidewalks.


Brick and stone with black vitrolite and a winding side walk:

Black vitrolite surrounds leaded glass windows with flower pots and a plant:

Crescent moon rising over a setting sun.

House with turret and crazy details:


See that 'trumpet' window below? When we first walked by we thought a kid had stuffed its big white plush dog against the glass. After admiring the house for a few minutes, the toy moved! It was a huge dog that had crammed itself into the space.
Check out that sheared brick work above the window.

Celestial details are everywhere. Click to enlarge to see the crescent moon and star leaded glass window.

Severe gables:


A few of the house have Roman tile roofs:


Below: One of the two sidewalks that are doubled in size to accommodate pedestrians, strollers, and wagons.

Chase Park Plaza

I met Rudolph Nureyev in the lobby of the Chase in...1976 or maybe '77.
He was small, gracious, and careless with his charm.

Dyed Mortar and Lava Brick

The range of color in these bricks is astounding. Most delightful is that just one brick can present with many colors.

The mortar was dyed a a deep beige to resonate with the brick. The color is consistent on the building.

Here's the building:

Kingshighway Hills (North Hampton)

Bark bricks: 52-5300 block of Lindenwood.




A detail that always delights me is how the mortar was pushed into the crevice of each brick...and the astonishing palette.

Crazy maze bricks:

Flowers for St. Louis

We've all seen the stars that were used as ties on our historic buildings in St. Louis. I recently spotted a couple of fleur-de-lis:

Located on this Building in BPW:

A lucky day

I dropped my car at Carl's today and strolled along Roger Place.
Horse shoe laid in the pavement in front of a garage.

The stone wall isn't original to the building but it matches the foundation stones.

How to prevent perching on the wall:

Ruth's Brickyard

My neighbor Ruth bought a house in TGS two years ago. She tells a great story about weeding her yard and discovering the whole yard was full of historic bricks.

I've had dreams like this.

The original owner of her house owned a barrel tile company on Fyler and has a series of small houses made to rent to his employees. Perhaps one of the workers purchased the house and paved his yard, brick by brick.
Laclede King

Evens and Howard St. Louis Dr

AP Green Empire

90

Pittsburgh VP & B Brick Co

RP Green Ozark

Christy Gem

The Oak Tree across the Alley

The massive Oak tree across the alley lost a branch yesterday.
See all that greenery that looks like its on top of the fence? That's part of the branch.

It's a startling sight because of the length of the branch which I estimate at 50 feet. It took out two fences, some power lines, and is resting on top of two cars.

I love this tree and have had a long relationship with it. Years ago crows (remember crows?) would gather at the very top of the branches to roost at sunset and it has housed dozens of nests. The canopy spans three lots and it dwarfs the three story houses. It has to be over 100 years old and existed before the house was built.

I admire it from my back porch daily and have photographed it over the years.
When I was in cancer treatment I had a fey relationship with the tree, making a point to pause and gaze at it before I left every morning. Being an atheist I just couldn't get behind the whole pray your way out of cancer notion so I developed a superstitious relationship with the tree.*

I called Paul Klauber who owns Round Oak Woodworking thinking he may want some of the branch. He didn't (the expense of kiln drying) but we did discuss the tree and his analysis is that the tree is 'over mature' and the weight of the healthy branch is what took it down.

The branch is about 2.5 feet in diameter while the trunk is almost four feet. I'm worried about the fate of the tree since that bottom branch was well integrated into the trunk. I don't want it to die while I'm alive because I've made it a part of my family.

Sidebar: There are many quarter sawn oak front doors in TGS (I've see them mostly in TGH) and I covet them. Quarter sawn oak is of the Arts/Crafts era and rarely used today because of the cost and waste. Clicking on the title of this post will jettison you to the best QS article on the web.

Pop Quiz: There's hundreds and hundred of Oak Trees. Which is this? See the photo below for one of the smaller leaves next to my foot which is The Clue.
The prize is a rare copy of Ways of the Woods: A Guide to the Skills and Spirit of the Woodland Experience


* Please curb your god and don't send me comments about my disinterest. Thanks.