Board urges simplification, material consistency on 335 Southside Avenue new home

Members of the Webster Groves Architectural Review Board critiqued the design and documentation for a proposed two-story, new-construction home at 335 Southside Avenue, citing plan/elevation discrepancies and a need to simplify materials and roof forms so the house better fits the neighborhood context.

Board members noted specific discrepancies between plan and elevation drawings: windows shown as 9 feet wide on the floor plan appear as about 5 feet on the elevation, and a mudroom window appears on the elevation but not on the plan. Reviewers also raised concerns about a tall brick element on the front elevation that makes the façade look unbalanced and suggested simplifying materials and removing some extraneous headers so the small elevation reads as a cohesive composition.

Separately, board members questioned the garage placement and driveway geometry. One member observed the design “is barely meeting the 22-foot turnaround requirement,” and suggested aligning the garage more directly with the driveway to improve functionality. The applicant acknowledged the comment and said the current layout intentionally trades a square backyard for a longer rectangular yard.

The board made numerous advisory suggestions — simplifying roof and porch detailing, aligning window head heights with door heads, rethinking the tall brick massing, and ensuring plans and elevations match — and asked the applicant to revise and resubmit. No formal approval or denial was recorded; the board treated the review as a substantive design review with requested revisions.