Julius Pitzman
Encyclopedia
Julius Pitzman was a Prussian-born American surveyor
and city planner best known for his development of the private, gated neighborhoods
in St. Louis, Missouri
from 1867 through about 1914.
Originally from Halberstadt
, Pitzman came to the U.S. and was educated as a Topographical and Civil Engineer
under the tutelage of his brother-in-law
, St. Louis City Engineer Charles E. Solomon, and held several posts within the Engineer and Survey offices before lending his services as a lieutenant
of Topographical Engineers in the American Civil War
.
Badly injured in the war, afterward Pitzman served as St. Louis County
Surveyor. During his tenure he helped design Forest Park
, along with Maximillian G. Kern. In addition, he worked closely with many notable architects including Theodore C. Link
. Like Link, Pitzman is buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery
, and Pitzman Avenue stands between the cemetery and the Missouri River
toward the northeast.
Pitzman's son Frederick Pitzman joined his father's firm in 1912, and the Pitzman Company was still in business in the 1990s.
in St. Louis, a pioneering land-use concept both legally and in urban form, a direct precursor to the gated community
. The idea allowed residential landowners to control real estate speculation and maintain property standards, in an era before the protections of zoning
. Pitzman's use of curvilinear streets to maximize privacy and vary views was a novelty in that era.
The National Register of Historic Places
nomination for the Parkview Historic District
in University City, Missouri
states that Pitzman "designed over 47 private streets in the St. Louis area in the fifty years following 1867 and (his) work was an important influence on other city planners and developers."
Pitzman himself planned some of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city, including Portland Place and Westmoreland Place. The Pitzman Company was responsible for the planning of Vandeventer Place
, Compton Heights
, Benton Place
, Washington Terrace
, Clifton Heights
, and Parkview Place
. Many of these developments are well-preserved and still gated, patrolled, and functioning as private enclaves.
Pitzman also designed a portion of the New Mount Sinai Cemetery in Affton, Missouri
. He brought curving roads and luxuriant landscaping.
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
and city planner best known for his development of the private, gated neighborhoods
Private place
A private place is a self-governing enclave whose common areas are owned by the residents, and whose services are provided by the private sector....
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
from 1867 through about 1914.
Originally from Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
, Pitzman came to the U.S. and was educated as a Topographical and Civil Engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
under the tutelage of his brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
, St. Louis City Engineer Charles E. Solomon, and held several posts within the Engineer and Survey offices before lending his services as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of Topographical Engineers in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Badly injured in the war, afterward Pitzman served as St. Louis County
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
Surveyor. During his tenure he helped design Forest Park
Forest Park (St. Louis)
Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers . The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and...
, along with Maximillian G. Kern. In addition, he worked closely with many notable architects including Theodore C. Link
Theodore Link
Theodore C. Link, FAIA, was a German-American architect.Born in Germany, Link trained in engineering at the University of Heidelberg and, later, at the Ecole Centrale in Paris before emigrating to the United States. He moved to St. Louis in 1873 to work for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
. Like Link, Pitzman is buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery
Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries
Bellefontaine Cemetery and the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri are adjacent burial grounds, which have numerous historic and extravagant tombstones and mausoleums. They are the necropolis for a number of prominent local and state politicians, as well as soldiers of the...
, and Pitzman Avenue stands between the cemetery and the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
toward the northeast.
Pitzman's son Frederick Pitzman joined his father's firm in 1912, and the Pitzman Company was still in business in the 1990s.
Private Places
Julius Pitzman was directly responsible for the development of the private placePrivate place
A private place is a self-governing enclave whose common areas are owned by the residents, and whose services are provided by the private sector....
in St. Louis, a pioneering land-use concept both legally and in urban form, a direct precursor to the gated community
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
. The idea allowed residential landowners to control real estate speculation and maintain property standards, in an era before the protections of zoning
Zoning in the United States
Zoning in the United States comprise land use state laws falling under the police power rights that State governments and local governments have the authority to exercise over privately owned real property.-Origins and history:...
. Pitzman's use of curvilinear streets to maximize privacy and vary views was a novelty in that era.
The National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
nomination for the Parkview Historic District
Parkview, St. Louis, Missouri
Parkview is a historic subdivision of St. Louis, Missouri. It is partly within the city limits of St. Louis and partly in University City. It is bounded by the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood to the east, the Delmar Loop to the north, the Ames Place section of University City to the west,...
in University City, Missouri
University City, Missouri
University City is an inner-ring suburb in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 35,371 in 2010 census. The city was shaped by Washington University in St. Louis, whose campus abuts the city to the southeast....
states that Pitzman "designed over 47 private streets in the St. Louis area in the fifty years following 1867 and (his) work was an important influence on other city planners and developers."
Pitzman himself planned some of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city, including Portland Place and Westmoreland Place. The Pitzman Company was responsible for the planning of Vandeventer Place
Vandeventer, St. Louis
Vandeventer is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. The area is bounded by Dr. Martin Luther King Drive on the North, Delmar Boulevard on the South, Vandeventer Avenue on the East, and Newstead Avenue on the West.-History:...
, Compton Heights
Compton Heights, St. Louis
The Compton Heights historic neighborhood located on the near Southside of the City of St. Louis, Missouri in the shadow of the great water tower of Reservoir Park is one of the earliest planned residential developments of the American nineteenth century...
, Benton Place
Benton Park, St. Louis
Benton Park is a neighborhood in eastern St. Louis, Missouri, just west of the Soulard neighborhood. The official boundaries of the area are Gravois Avenue on the north, Cherokee Street on the south, I-55 on the east, and Jefferson Avenue on the west...
, Washington Terrace
Washington Terrace (St. Louis)
Washington Terrace is a residential private place in St. Louis, Missouri, laid out circa 1892. The gate is south of Union and Delmar, within the bounds of the Central West End....
, Clifton Heights
Clifton Heights, St. Louis
Clifton Heights is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, located along the southwest border of the city and highlighted by a park—Clifton Park —with a playground and a lake....
, and Parkview Place
Parkview, St. Louis, Missouri
Parkview is a historic subdivision of St. Louis, Missouri. It is partly within the city limits of St. Louis and partly in University City. It is bounded by the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood to the east, the Delmar Loop to the north, the Ames Place section of University City to the west,...
. Many of these developments are well-preserved and still gated, patrolled, and functioning as private enclaves.
Pitzman also designed a portion of the New Mount Sinai Cemetery in Affton, Missouri
Affton, Missouri
Affton is an unincorporated inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2010 census, the community had a total population of 20,307.-Geography:...
. He brought curving roads and luxuriant landscaping.