Event: Lewis Place Laid Out
Category: African-American Experience, Architecture, Planning and Development
Brief Description: Lewis Place, a privately owned tract developed by the family of William J. Lewis, was laid out north of Delmar between Taylor and Walton Avenues in 1890. This two-block long private place was lined with homes built between 1890 and 1928. Originally Lewis Place was covered by racially restrictive covenants which barred African Americans from living in the area. In the 1940´s, a group of black St. Louisans, led by Robert Witherspoon, decided to fight the covenant in Lewis Place. Persuading fair-skinned blacks to "pass for white" and purchase several homes, they then transferred the deeds to the actual owners of the properties. Together, they voted down the resstrictive covenant on the street. Lewis Place Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 15, 1980. (Wright)
Year: 1890
Decade: 1890 - 1899
Beginning Date: 1890
Ending Date: 1890
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