By winter 1994-95 it was apparent that this massive home at 4058 Washington (5,832 sq.ft. according to city records) which had been occupied was now vacant and not well secured. Given the fate of its neighbors to the west, I feared the worst. Fortunately, in 1998, someone purchased the home for $12,000 and did a complete renovation. Although the new windows and doors are far from historically accurate, this seems rather inconsequential considering that this building and a funeral home farther east are the last two original homes left on the south side of the block.
Two lots to the east stood this fine Italianate home at 4040 that although abandoned was in relatively good condition. In 1999 SLU purchased a convent that was located mid-block to establish a place to hold retreats. Although they kept all of the convent buildings, they immediately bulldozed this house, planted some grass, built a small parking lot, that would have easily fit on two additional vacant lots east of 4040, and surrounded the entire enlarged property with their ubiquitous black iron fence.
Farther east, beyond the old convent and funeral home stood this handsome Second Empire styled home. Once fairly common in the Midtown area east of Sarah, the prevalence of homes of this style have been almost completely erased. This one was demolished in the fall of 1996 and replaced with a one story expansion of the funeral home and a parking lot.
While searching for old photos of another building online recently, I stumbled upon this photo of an unusual but beautiful home that was once located at 3958 Washington, just east of the old funeral home. I do not know when this one disappeared.
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