To be fair at presenting these homes, the photos are taken straight on and from the center of the lot.
With the front door recessed, invitation for walk up visitors is lacking.

Vote for your favorite ugly home

I can tell that very quickly it is going to be hard to tell the ugly homes apart. This might present an adequate rear of a house, unfortunately it is the front as seen from the street.

A typical example

This is a real dud. Viewed from the street this house presents us with the eye popping view of a 2 car garage door. Recessed 10 feet behind the prominent door is the inviting front door. If this is how you want to live, then Balwin is the place; street after street of nothing but dogs like this.

Some examples of good homes in Kirkwood

There is a wide range of home styles in Kirkwood. Here are a few examples of the good ones.

Stucko is somewhat infrequent in Kirkwood. Built in 1927, with rennovation in 1952, 3 bedroom and 2100 feet. This is one of my favorate homes in town.

This home was completed just a few months ago. Though new it recreates a style similar to the surrounding community.

This all brick home was built c1932. A detached 2 car garage is behind and a small addition not in the original style is hidden from view.

What's the flap

Kirkwood is a bedroom community of the city of St. Louis, established over 150 years ago. Most of the original housing has long since been replaced, but the gradual process resulted in homes side by side with architectural styles sometimes a century apart. The housing boom has resulted in a significant increase in infill housing, the practice of knocking down older and often obsolete homes for replacement with newer, larger, and substantially more expensive homes.

One architectural disaster has plagued some of these home: the garage faced house. Instead of presenting a classic front of a house with windows, doors, gardens and grass, people have turned their house around. The street is presented with a two or three car garage projecting well in front of the living quarters. This style works in suburban neighborhoods where all the homes are backwards and the street leading to them functions like alleys do in city neighborhoods.

These homes are a blight on the architecture of Kirkwood.