I almost certainly will go back, but I made a first foray into one of the most interesting and beautiful additions to Clayton, just west of Big Bend Boulevard and Forest Ridge and Southmoor, and south of Brentmoor. Developed by the Moorlands Land Company, Moorlands Park, now known as Claverach Park, was platted in May of 1921 by Pitzman’s Company, still operated by the famous surveyor (the company still exists to this day).
Colonial Revival houses such as this one cost at least $20,000 or more to build in the 1920s. Nolte & Nauman were active in this subdivision.
The house styles are typical of the time period, and are heavy on the Tudor Revival and other eclectic designs.
As we were seeing in Compton Heights, Clifton Heights and Parkview, Pitzman was predicting the modern suburban subdivision and the picturesque with winding streets creating visually appealing vistas and views.
Of course, this also created for long trips, and it was assumed that inhabitants were jumping in their early automobiles and commuting to St. Louis’s downtown via Lindell and other major streets that were being widened in the 1920s due to voters’ passage of bond issues.
Also, as we had already seen in Parkview and Clifton Heights, one of Pitzman’s hallmarks are parkland placed in between two one-way streets, creating an even more rural feeling to the development.
With the rise of Hollywood, we also see a Spanish Revival or Mission Revival house thrown in here and there, as well.
We’ll be back to this huge subdivision in the future.
