The houses
| Municipality | Housing units | Pre-1940 | 1940–1979 | Median year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Heights | 4,599 | 42.6% | 33.7% | 1947 |
| Maplewood | 4,745 | 42.2% | 45.0% | 1952 |
| University City | 17,841 | 38.1% | 46.8% | 1949 |
| Webster Groves | 9,921 | 35.1% | 45.4% | 1952 |
| Clayton | 6,934 | 35.1% | 35.9% | 1954 |
| Brentwood | 4,442 | 14.3% | 63.3% | 1956 |
| Kirkwood | 12,978 | 16.5% | 53.7% | 1962 |
| Shrewsbury | 3,261 | 15.8% | 49.1% | 1967 |
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year, B25034/B25035.
What that means on the ground:
- University City and the older parts of Webster Groves and Kirkwood are 1900s–1930s houses — brick and frame, Craftsman, Tudor, Colonial Revival — with original wood double-hungs, many of them cottage sash or six-over-one, and steel casements on the Tudors. The frames are often sound where the paint has been kept up; where the sill nosing has gone bare, the lower jambs have gone with it. Insert, sash kit or full-frame is a measure-visit decision opening by opening. See insert vs. full-frame.
- Maplewood and Richmond Heights have a lot of brick two-family and four-family flats — the City's building type across the city line — with the same masonry-opening work. See the brick guide.
- Kirkwood, Brentwood and the 1950s streets of all of these add the postwar ranch with its picture window and flanking double-hungs, sometimes steel casements. Those are full-frame.
- Lead-safe applies to roughly three houses in four to nine in ten here, depending on the city; window replacement is never exempt on a pre-1978 house. See lead-safe window replacement.
Rules to confirm before ordering
Unlike the City, where the same-opening exemption and the CRO process are verified, each inner-ring municipality runs its own permit desk and we have not yet verified their same-size replacement rules from the code text. What we know and what to confirm:
| City | Permit for same-size replacement | Preservation review | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood | confirm with the building department | Local landmark/preservation provisions exist; whether a window on a designated property needs review — confirm | confirm |
| Webster Groves | confirm | Local landmark/preservation provisions exist — confirm scope | confirm |
| University City | confirm | Local preservation provisions and designated areas exist — confirm scope for windows | confirm |
| Clayton | confirm | — | confirm |
| Richmond Heights, Maplewood, Brentwood, Shrewsbury | confirm | — | confirm |
We confirm the rule for your address at the measure visit and note it on the quote; if a permit or review applies, we handle it. The regional picture is in the permits guide. None of these cities' preservation rules are the City of St. Louis's CRO rules, and the City's approved window list does not govern here — but where a local commission reviews a street-facing window, the same logic (match the original, avoid vinyl on a designated façade) usually applies.
Trees, shade and glass
The inner ring has the oldest and densest tree canopy in the metro. Two consequences for a window spec: south and west elevations under a mature oak need less solar control than the ENERGY STAR North-Central ceiling implies — a higher SHGC is fine and brings winter light — and leaf tannin and shade keep sills wet longer, which is where the rot starts. We look at the canopy at the measure, and we specify SHGC by elevation. See performance ratings.
The 2025 tornado started here
The May 16, 2025 EF-3 touched down in Clayton and crossed Richmond Heights on its way into the City (National Weather Service: St. Louis County → City → Madison County, Illinois). Its path was 3,168 yards wide, and the storm has produced more than 10,000 insurance claims and over $475 million in paid losses as of May 2026 (Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance). Houses in Clayton and Richmond Heights with cracked glass, bent frames or water intrusion dating from that afternoon are claim work; fogged seals and rotted sills that predate it are not, and the quote keeps the two apart. See storm damage window replacement.
What it costs here
| Job | Typical installed (2026) |
|---|---|
| Vinyl or composite insert, frame wall | $550 – $950 per opening |
| Composite or fiberglass insert, brick | $950 – $1,600 |
| Full-frame composite or fiberglass, brick or frame, pre-war | $1,050 – $1,900 |
| Wood sash kit in a sound original frame | $1,100 – $1,900 |
| Full-frame, steel casement out, 1950s ranch | $900 – $1,900 |
| 1925 University City brick bungalow, 12 openings, composite, inserts to full-frame | $11,500 – $23,400 |
See the cost guide.
Not ready to talk yet?
Start with the complete St. Louis replacement window guide and, if your windows are original, repair or replace — in these neighborhoods the answer is often repair.
Frequently asked questions
Is University City's historic district the same as a City of St. Louis district? No. University City runs its own preservation commission under its own ordinance; the City's CRO and approved list have no jurisdiction there. Confirm the scope for your property before ordering.
My Tudor has steel casements. Can they be saved? Occasionally, by a specialist, at a cost close to replacement. Usually the honest answer is a full-frame replacement with a casement that keeps the look.
Do you serve Clayton and Ladue? Yes — the whole inner ring and West County.