Portland and Westmoreland Places, Historic residential district in Central West End, St. Louis, United States.
Portland and Westmoreland Places is a historic district of 94 houses built from about 1890 to 1960, laid out along two private streets between Union Boulevard and North Kingshighway Boulevard, beside the northeast corner of Forest Park. Its houses represent a wide range of architectural styles, among the finest late 19th- and early 20th-century work in St. Louis.
The district's 94 houses were built between about 1890 and 1960 along Portland Place and Westmoreland Place, between Union Boulevard and North Kingshighway Boulevard. In the late 1800s, before St. Louis had a policy of paving streets, homeowners here paid privately to pave the roads and kept the right to exclude others. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The streets are private, paved by homeowners in the late 1800s at their own expense, which also gave them the right to exclude others; gates marked "private street" still stand. The name Portland Place and Westmoreland Place are the two addresses, and the 94 houses from about 1890 to 1960 show the styles wealthy residents chose.
The streets are private and access normally requires permission or specific authorization from property owners. Local organizations occasionally offer tours, which provide the best way to explore the area properly.
The district gained national attention in 2020 when it became the site of a high-profile incident that raised questions about private property and public safety. The event sparked wider discussions that continue to shape how people view the area today.
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