Complex sentence: Detroit Avenue, along the edge of Standpipe Hill, contained a number of higher-end houses belonging to doctors, lawyers and business owners, though relatively less elegant than those of many white professionals and businessmen elsewhere in the city.
Split into simpler sentences: Detroit Avenue, along the edge of Standpipe Hill, did contain a number of very nice houses belonging to doctors, lawyers and business owners. But they were not nearly as elegant as those of many white professionals and businessmen elsewhere in the city.