This row of Italianate style storefronts in Carondelet were built in 1879, shortly after the city was annexed into St. Louis. Even though the street is known as South Broadway today, originally this was the Main Street for Carondelet, and the section which ran through south St. Louis was once known as Carondelet Ave. While Carondelet had its own thriving commercial district at the time, the city of St. Louis was much larger and had far deeper pockets, and annexed Carondelet without much issue, in order to accommodate for future expansion. The storefronts are very typical of mid to late 19th century designs, featuring lots of ornamental ironwork, including a cast iron facade and wrought iron balconies. For many years, this area is where streetcar traffic from the Broadway line would end up, and as a result, the commercial district was kept alive well into the 20th century. As the urban renewal period in the mid 20th century took s number of historic structures across the country, the city of St. Louis listed these storefronts as a city landmark in 1974, in an effort to preserve them. While the buildings are not occupied today, most of the architectural features remain intact, with the cast iron balconies still drawing attention as visitors pass through Carondelet.
1950s photo of the storefronts
