St. Augustine’s, Late December, 2018
I’m not sure if much has changed since the last time I photographed St. Augustine’s, but it is still in a state of deterioration that does not bode well for its future.
historic churches
Most Holy Name of Jesus, College Hill, Revisited
Update: See my series on the College Hill neighborhood around the church. For my weekly column at St. Louis Magazine, I wrote about the rich architectural history of the former Most Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in the… Continue Reading
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School
Designed by Patrick M. O’Meara and James B. Hills, Villa Duchesne was opened in 1929 by Mother Mary Reid of the Society of the Sacred Heart, in the architectural style that could be described as “Norman Revival” but what I will label… Continue Reading
Immanuel Lutheran Church, The Greater Ville
I took a closer look at the old Immanuel Evangelisch Lutheran Church, which sits at the corner of Marcus and Lexington. The beautiful front portal features Christ in a mandorla, an almond-shaped Medieval icon, with two angels kneeling on either… Continue Reading
North Up Blair Avenue, Fall 2018
Blair Avenue gives you a great cross section of the neighborhoods just to the west of Interstate 70, which cut these working class areas from their traditional employment areas along the Near North Riverfront. Old North St. Louis has seen… Continue Reading
JeffVanderLou, Mid November, 2018
I wanted to check up on JeffVanderLou, an area that straddles Grand Boulevard, and that is heavily affected by disinvestment, abandonment and demolition. There are still so many wonderful buildings left, though, such as this Romanesque–Gothic Revival hybrid church above.… Continue Reading
From the Vault: Dyersville, Iowa
I found some more photos from the vault of my September 2011 trip to northeastern Iowa, and this time it was the town of Dyersville, with a well-preserved main street of Italianate storefronts, many with their original second story turrets… Continue Reading
From the Vault: Independence, Iowa
Continuing with my excursus of the fascinating and beautiful towns of northeastern Iowa, I dug deep into the St. Louis Patina vaults and found some photos I took of several other towns far from any interstates in September of 2011.… Continue Reading
Clermont, Iowa
As I came over a high hill in the rugged northeastern corner of Iowa on U.S. Route 18, I looked down into the valley below and I could have sworn I was seeing a village in Vermont. As I entered… Continue Reading
West Union, Iowa
West Union is the county seat of Fayette County, and thus has a larger amount of large houses that you would expect in such a town. Many are well-preserved or restored, including this rare shingle-style house below. The main square… Continue Reading