I’m intrigued by the early Twentieth factories up north in the so-called “Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial” neighborhood, as the City of St. Louis officially calls this area. All of the cool factories down along the riverfront, and the historic breweries, get… Continue Reading
I photographed the Hudson Bridge grave at Bellefontaine Cemetery a while back. It turns out his company’s factory, which moved out to the northwest side of the city in 1921, in still standing. The company made stoves, cake tins and even… Continue Reading
I am fairly certain that this forlorn abandoned factory building along the north side of Stratford Avenue is the remnant of the massive army munitions plant that manufactured arms during World War II. It featured a gigantic vaulted steel building… Continue Reading
For the most part, I’m proud of St. Louis. But occasionally, I see something that just makes me simultaneously laugh out loud and shake my head. “Planned Industrial Drive?!” Do you think that maybe city planners and leaders didn’t get… Continue Reading
Oops, someone didn’t fill in the old Union Quarry well enough and the houses have all settled! And now they’re being torn down one at a time. Essex Court, as it was called, was a common occurrence after the quarries… Continue Reading
Tucked away in between I-70 and Natural Bridge Avenue, the Penrose neighborhood seems both isolated and heavily populated at the same time. Yes, there is abandonment, but along the strangely narrow streets, there is a lot of life. There are… Continue Reading
Years ago, I asked some of my students who live in North St. Louis about that intriguing Modernist hotel on Kingshighway just north of Natural Bridge Avenue. In response, one of my students replied, “That’s not a hotel, that’s a… Continue Reading
Built in 1909 according to plans by William Ittner, the Ashland School is still occupied, which is a pleasant surprise when so many are going empty.
Tucked up in the bend of I-70 that now leaves most of its streets truncated to the north, I found the most interesting, quiet part of the Northside. The area still has a fair amount of wood frame houses, indicating… Continue Reading