Many St. Louisans are aware that our great Beaux-Arts axis in downtown, the Civil Courts Building, is based off of the great Hellenistic Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The Mausoleum, located in modern-day Turkey (not Iraq, as…
Downtown
The Reredos, Christ Church Cathedral
I’m consistently impressed with the quality of sculpture in St. Louis churches. Sadly, when churches are abandoned, these beautiful stone works of art are usually the first to be targeted by vandals. In isolated…
Behind the Scenes at Christ Church Cathedral
The Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Mike Kinman, generously invited me for a tour of the cathedral, pointing out many of the interesting aspects of the church. First of all, while it’s a Gothic Revival…
Downtown Mid Afternoon, December 2013
I walked around downtown and took some pictures as sunlight reflected off of the windows of buildings onto their neighbors. It creates an interesting effect.
Plaza Square Apartments
So the sadly ugly Plaza Square Apartments are now considered ‘historic’ (note: I believe some Mid-Century Modern buildings are worth of historic designation). Designed by the architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassebaum, the six…
Old Federal Courthouse and Custom House
Sometimes when sitting at red light, a great shot develops; in this case it was the old federal courthouse.
Shell Building
In an era where we now plop down rectangular buildings in the middle of a parking lot, the 1925 Shell Building by Jamieson and Spearl in western downtown teaches us a valuable lesson about the…
Christ Church Cathedral
One of the oldest surviving churches in St. Louis, the Episcopalian Christ Church Cathedral occupies a quiet corner of downtown across the street from the newly restored Central Library. It was constructed between 1859 and…
Warning: No Cruising
Saint Louis University Law School
I tried to control myself and not comment on this building, but its recent renovation really is lipstick on a pig. At least it’s occupied. A bland, mediocre building with some Post-Modernist additions that do…
Press
Image by Jennifer Silverberg
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