The Rabbitt Report: Central West End House & Garden Tour

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This Saturday and Sunday, May 17 & 18
Tour times: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For info call 314 367 2220

Tickets $18 in advance, if purchased before Friday, or $20 at either of 5 locations on the days of the tour.

1. Registration tent at the Union Blvd. entrance to Kingsbury Place.

2. The UPS Store at 4579 Laclede Ave.

3. Coffee Cartel at Euclid Ave. and Maryland Plaza.

4. Left Bank Books at Euclid Ave. and McPherson Ave.

5. Bowood Farms at 4605 Olive St..

The entrance to Kingsbury Place is on Union Blvd. between Washington Terrace and Waterman Blvd.. If you’re without a map, Kingsbury is 2 blocks south of Delmar Blvd. and three blocks north of Lindell Blvd.. There’ll be shuttle-bus service operating from the CWE business district.

Our town has a good number of truly fine house tours, but, trust me, the CWE tour, celebrating its 30th year, is always right at the top of the list, and this year you’ll get to roam through many of the manses of classic Kingsbury Place. The eclectic and always trendy CWE is a sublime springtime setting for a tour as it places you in the heart of so many chic and “in” places to grab a quick bite, a sumptuous supper or an uplifting libation. Plus there are dozens of shops offering contemporary arts, gifts, antiques, home furnishings, flowers and plants, fashions, books and jewelry. And for those taken by the outgoing lifestyle of this vibrant, thriving neighborhood and community, you’ll find a number of apartments, condos and homes on the market.

The venue is the CWE with the houses and gardens appearing as the stars of the show. The ornate circa 1902 gates are topped by a bronze sculpture of a nude young woman, officially named “Awakening Spring.” and nicknamed “Carrie Kingsbury.” These portals to the past are decorated with pillars, towers, griffins, three fountains, Corinthian columns, lions, dolphins and stone globes, designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Barnett, Haynes and Barnett. After you enter, you’ll be surrounded by a landscape of trees and flowers welcoming you to visit seven stately edifices on the tour, all of which were built between 1904 and 1925. The architectural styles of these restored residences include Georgian Revival, Elizabethan Revival, French Beaux Arts, Mediterranean Revival, and Colonial Revival. The stories these houses relate are those of the wealthy and privileged of St. Louis in the first 30 years of the 20th century. These legendary domiciles are also testament to the losses of wealth during the great Depression and the flight to the suburbs during the post-WWII era. These great homes have survived hard times and the ravages of time as shining examples of the finest of 20th century architecture. They well may have survived due to their location in the CWE or maybe the CWE has survived due in part to these magnificent homes.

For more information, visit CWE.com