via Traditional Home
via House Beautiful
In the southern most part of SOBE ( South Miami Beach) exist a nail salon named LACE.The interior design in the first image is what nailed me (ha ha), because it has Mylar Wall Covering and Venetian mirrors.
The other day I was reading the Times and there was an article on a Nail Salon Company that makes designer fingernail films. And the one that they featured was a silver one.
This company has AMAZING patterns on their films. Herringbone,stripes, nautical themes...it is wild. Check it out. I have provided the link , clock on 'Minx Nails'
The West End neighborhood began to be developed in the late 1800's as a somewhat pastoral escape for both residents and institutions from the increasingly polluted industrialized areas of the City farther east. While still urban in plan with a grid of streets, upper middle class residences were built on larger lots and many blocks lacked alleys, with homes instead having individual driveways from the street. Cabanne Avenue runs the length of the neighborhood from Union to Hodiamont and is representative of the areas ups and downs over the years.
One of the institutions that located in the West End was St. Philomena's Technical School, built in 1910 at the corner of Cabanne and Union, having formerly been located at Clark and Ewing in Midtown. The school operated until 1970, after which the building was briefly used as a nursing home and then a day care center before going vacant. By the early 1990's the building's roof of the east wing collapsed. Unfortunately I only snapped a few photos of this building, always meaning to stop back when I had a full roll of film to shoot. In late 1996 though as I drove north on Union to another destination I sensed something was missing. A glance to my left confirmed that the building was completely gone. The still vacant site is owned by the LRA.
Across the street stands this vacant house at 5309 Cabanne. It had been proposed for demolition in August 2006 but the demolition was denied by the Preservation Board. Here is the full board agenda showing photos of a partial collapse of the rear wall. Almost three years, this fragile home is still vacant and in limbo.
During the 1920's the large lots which once attracted residents wanting a large home began attracting developers of large apartment buildings. This gave opportunities to middle class St. Louisans to live in a relatively exclusive location. The Winston Churchill Apartments, one of the largest buildings in the neighborhood was built in 1927 at the northwest corner of Cabanne and Belt. The Winston Churchill recently underwent an extensive historic renovation after having become somewhat run down over the years.
A vintage photo of the Winston Churchill from the Globe Democrat 
Academy of the Visitation 1892-1962 - photo from the St. Louis CIN website
West of Belt on Cabanne, one such development is fittingly called "Maple Acres". The north side of the street has been built-out with cheap looking suburban styled houses, but the south side of the street is still acres of open prairie except for two surviving original homes.
New houses on Cabanne in "Maple Acres"
One of the two surviving homes amid an urban prairie
Just west of Clara is the other survivor
Photo from an on line real estate web site that still shows the building for sale for $225,000
Close-up of one of the building entrances
1942 photo from the Historic American Building Survey. Two additional photos here.
Here is the Potter House site today. Even the iron fence, 
Just west of the park at 5832 Cabanne is another success story. This U-shaped multi-family building appeared vacant for several years and I feared it would meet the fate of so many other apartment houses, but several years ago it was completely renovated and is always immaculately kept.
Directly across the street at 5823 however is a six-family building that also had a fire a few years ago. The building is owned by Roberts Housing Investors, Inc. I am not sure if this is any relation to the Roberts Brothers. According to City records, the building has been vacant since at least 1991. It was condemned for demolition on 6.7.06, but three years later, it still stands. The aerial view below shows the dire condition of the building, which leads me to believe that it will not survive. A photo from before the fire can be seen here on Built St. Louis.
Aerial view of 5823 Cabanne. The label "Suburban Track" refers to the former Hodiamont street car right-of-way which is still owned by Metro
One of the surviving Shingle Style homes on West Cabanne Place
