I met new people all over North St. Louis this summer, including members of the congregation of the Original Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in the Ville neighborhood, on St. Louis Avenue. Better Family Life had organized dozens of churches to… Continue Reading
One of my favorite buildings that I have never gotten close to is the old Cahokia Power Station, located across the river in Illinois. Its hulking mass and six smokestacks dominate the Southside, and have for decades.
Update: I revisited the area again in the summer of 2019. The near south riverfront, just below the Arch grounds on the Mississippi, is still a fascinating place. This giant crane, for example, is a mystery to me; what was… Continue Reading
I wonder what that crane is doing, I asked one weekend. A week or two later, I received my answer. The massive smoke stacks of the Ashley Street Power Plant are being replaced, and these rusty remnants are the old… Continue Reading
I don’t think anyone has every really figured out what the story is about this towering power plant buried in the thick undergrowth on the south side of East St. Louis. It looks to be made out of reinforced concrete,… Continue Reading
I love this power plant, once used for streetcars, built in 1903. It’s a Beaux-Arts style edifice, and I can’t imagine why this couldn’t be adapted for some use. It has such great little details in its facade.
Update: See the area again in October of 2018.
The Ashley Street Power Plant is still one of the most striking buildings in the entire region, and I returned to photograph it again.
Update: See the old power plant at night in the summer of 2019. The irony of the 1901 Laclede Power Company and its famous sign that fronts the river is that it was bought by Laclede Power and Light in… Continue Reading
The St. Louis Refrigeration and Cold Storage Company has lost most of its warehouses to demolition (this one, with the same crenelations, still stands to the south), but its power plant is still left. Its once 160 foot smokestack was… Continue Reading