Noted architect Theodore Rapp designed this row of small bungalows, each originally possessing a small hipped roof with alternating one or two pyramid roof ornaments. Each one is now slightly unique, after some owners tore off the hipped roof or changed… Continue Reading
As I discovered over in Compton Heights earlier this summer, an old stone retaining wall can foster a fascinating story. Take this one, on the 2900 block of Locust. As can be seen in the Sanborn maps below, it was… Continue Reading
Slowly but surely, the slaughterhouse, the last major building left at Armour, is coming down, brick by brick. It’s fascinating, in a sad way, in that the structure of the building is becoming apparent as the walls come down. There… Continue Reading
Sitting on the edge of the city line, Grandview Place is a short street, now truncated by the interstate, that once was probably a quiet streetcar suburban destination. To the east, the residents could probably see the black cloud of… Continue Reading
The permanent damage wrought on the City of St. Louis can no better be shown than standing on the Clayton Avenue overpass, where the roar of the interstate is deafening. Dead Man’s Curve, as I call it, is a perfect… Continue Reading
Obviously there’s a huge amount of work going on inside Crestwood Plaza, but the parking garage for the old Stix, Baer and Fuller is coming down slowly. Stylistically, the Stix, later Dillard’s department store was the most aesthetically pleasing, but… Continue Reading
Well, demolition certainly has been speeding up over at the old St. Mary’s. A giant, Tyrannosaurus Rex-like claw was biting away at the Modernist addition on the west on Saturday when I came by. You can’t see them, but there… Continue Reading
The giant boilers, once searing hot, were being ripped out one by one, by someone. They’re not buried under the rubble from the implosion. Below, here’s a boiler that was dragged a little ways before being abandoned. Above, the pipe… Continue Reading
The smokestacks were perhaps the most iconic portion of the Armour Meat Packing Plant from the exterior, but they cast a looming presence from the interior, as well.
Back in late 2014, I had an opportunity to tour the Armour Meat Packing Plant with the permission of the owner. Now that the plant has been imploded, I assume it is alright to share these photos of what is… Continue Reading