Rockwood Court Apartments

This Tudor Revival building was constructed in 1928 despite the Webster Groves community's long-held objection to multi-residence construction. Even after its completion, many within the community objected to the building's presence and feared that more apartment buildings would appear. Few other multi-family units were constructed as a result of continued opposition. This apartment building's location along the town's streetcar line at the end of the commercial district made it something of a dividing line between this part of town and the neighboring suburban residential areas of single-family residences.

The Osage, Dakota, and Missouri nations referred to the area now known as Webster Groves as Dry Ridge. Europeans, followed by United States settlers, eventually arrived and pushed Native Americans westward. By the 1850s, the area evolved into a suburb of St. Louis, ultimately bolstered by the arrival of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and mainly catering to businessmen and their families who wanted to escape crowds, disease, the abundance of concrete, and pollution in the city of St. Louis. In fact, a cholera epidemic in 1849 inspired many in St. Louis to leave the city for surrounding rural areas and developing suburbs. In 1852, when Dry Ridge primarily existed as a rural town, Dr. Artemus Bullard founded Webster College for Boys, named after Daniel Webster. By the time of the Civil War, a Missouri Pacific Railroad train stop and nearby subdivision took the name "Webster," which evolved into the town's current name: Webster Groves. In short, the college, the railroad, and the issues in St. Louis all contributed to Webster Groves' maturity into a suburban community; Webster Groves officially became a city in the late 1890s. 

Over the years, Webster Groves built a modernized water system, installed streetlights, enjoyed access to streetcars, established a police force, and successfully vaccinated its residents against smallpox during the 1902 epidemic. Middle-class residents with the financial means to commute on the railways and buy suburban homes found Webster Groves attractive; the city grew from nearly 1,800 people in 1900 to almost 7,100 by 1910.  

Community leaders promoted the town as the "Queen of the Suburbs," and its first lawmakers passed laws that contributed to the image of Webster Groves as a quiet, orderly, suburban community (mainly bourgeois) with effortless access to nearby Saint Louis. The town outlawed saloons and printed a brochure to advertise housing in Webster Groves; the brochure noted that buying a home in Webster Groves meant purchasing a residence in a clean, healthy, and wealthy suburb. When officials purchased available land to increase the town's size, lawmakers passed land use and zoning laws, including a minimum residential lot size of one acre. Subdivision developers adhered to strict regulations that required them to preserve as many trees as possible. 

In 1926, heated debates arose regarding zoning law changes that would allow for the construction of an apartment building; a petition drive killed the proposal. Those who supported the plan felt an apartment building might alleviate Webster Groves' housing shortage, notably for those of more modest means. Still, one year later, in 1927, proposed changes in the zoning ordinances spurred a fierce political battle among those vying for open seats on the city council. Many residents feared that apartment buildings would lead to transients roaming through town. Three men formed the "People's Party," with a position that included fighting changes to zoning laws, stating a phrase: "Webster Groves Homes First." Nevertheless, by 1928, construction on the Rockwood Apartments commence.

The initial plan for Webster Grove's first apartment building included four separate apartment buildings with 102 suites. However, an intensely heated meeting of Webster Grove residents to determine the fate of the apartment complex led to changes in the plans. Instead, the design called for a single building with thirty-three apartments. Also, as a concession to the plan's opponents, designers placed the courtyard in the rear to discourage transients lingering by the building. Within ten days of the building's completion, six of the apartments had already been leased.

Despite the outcry over the construction of Rockwood Courts Apartments, this project did not lead to an influx of "undesirable" transients, nor did it lead to a new trend in apartment construction that might transform the suburban township. Today, one will find only a few apartment buildings in Webster Groves, mainly due to residents' continued opposition to apartments preventing their construction from ever starting. In 1938, for example, a developer started another apartment building project. In that case, public outcry and a temporary injunction convinced the developer to change plans rather than fight both public opinion and attorneys. Again in 1947, a plan to build an eight-family, two-and-a-half-story multi-residence building failed to come to fruition. Thus, Rockwood's presence is a rare example of multi-resident construction in Webster Groves.

"Area History." Webster Groves Government Website. Accessed May 13, 2023. https://www.webstergrovesmo.gov/137/Area-History.

Baxter, Karen Bode, Sarah Bularzik, Mandv K. Ford, and Timothy P. Maloney. "Registration Form: Rockwood Court Apartments." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2006. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Rockwood%20Court%20Apts.pdf. 

"Early History of Old Webster." Warner Properties. 2020. https://www.warner-properties.com/old-webster-history.

"History of Webster Groves." Webster Groves Historical Society. Accessed May 12, 2023. https://historicwebster.org/history-of-webster-groves/.