There has been a bad collapse at the beautiful row of houses along Monroe Street in St. Louis Place, just west of North Florissant Avenue. I just featured these buildings back in September of this year. I am worried that… Continue Reading
Built in the last years of the Civil War, the Dousman Hotel was built right along the Mississippi River. It is now an event space. Much of the historic portion of Prairie du Chien was demolished after a flood in… Continue Reading
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
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
On my way from the Effigy Mounds to Dubuque, I missed a turn and ended up heading into Lancaster, Wisconsin. I passed by a sign announcing that it was the “City of the Dome,” and as I rounded a bend… Continue Reading
This is officially the skinniest photo I have ever posted on this website. There is something magnificent about the details of this cornice: the broken pediment, the compound brackets, the arched central bay. It would look better without the white… Continue Reading
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 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
“But, but, we have to have a parking lot or people won’t come downtown!” I’m sure someone said that when it came time to do something with the vacant lot that was left on the west side of the main… Continue Reading
Oelwein still bustles because of a heavy railroad presence, and its location at the intersection of two highways. Its downtown is perhaps a bit smaller than others, as there are extensive suburban-style businesses located over on Highway 150. Still, there… Continue Reading