Historic Chouteau Apartments, once known as the Parkway Dwellings in St. Louis are still amazing

Chouteau Apartments/Parkway Dwellings, St. Louis, Missouri.Photo byLittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Chouteau Apartments (Parkway Dwellings) are at 4927-43 Laclede Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. They're also known as the Chouteau Condominiums. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 10, 1983.

The Chouteau Apartments consist of four identical red brick buildings and each is four stories high. They were constructed in 1909, some 115 years ago. The buildings were designed by the architectural firm of Mauran, Russell & Garden.

When these apartments were built, St. Louis was introduced to a new concept of apartment design. Each of the 16 apartments was part of a duplex plan which was the first to be built in St. Louis. Middle and upper-income families were attracted to these apartments, especially if they wanted to live in the Central West End.

One of the safety features of the buildings was being fireproof with the reinforced concrete construction.

The Parkway Dwellings are a block east of Forest Park where the World's Fair was held in 1904. Residential development was scant in the blocks facing Forest Park when the apartment buildings were constructed.

The apartments were financed by the Parkway Apartments Co. which was incorporated in Missouri. The company's three stockholders were Edward C. Dameron, Jesse D. Dana, and Erastus Wells. They were also part of the city's elite and had collaborated on other apartment buildings before in the Central West End.

Erastus Wells' father was Mayor Rolla Wells and he was on a mission to help beautify the city in preparation for the World's Fair. They focused on improvements in the Central West End.

The land where the apartments are located was part of a family inheritance that was acquired by Edward Dameron's stepmother from her uncle.

The Parkway Dwellings opened in September 1909. The early residents included professionals. The site of the apartment buildings was platted as part of the Dameron Subdivision in 1916. By the 1920s, other low-rise apartment buildings were added.

In 1919, the Parkway Dwellings were sold to Auguste Chouteau Sr. whose namesake was later attached to the buildings. He was also a direct descendant of one of the founders of St. Louis. As far as profit goes, at that time, each unit brought in around $67 per month.

Auguste Chouteau Jr. was a resident of the apartments for 45 years. Unlike some other older apartment buildings, the Chouteau Apartments still stand or didn't see another fate as others.

For now, the buildings still have character. Visit here to see interior images of one of the apartments. It's amazing.

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