Manchester is one of the oldest settlements in the St. Louis region, with its roots going back to the early Nineteenth Century. Manchester Road has long been a major artery not just through St. Louis County but the City as well, and was even known as Market Street Road for a portion of its history….
Tag: Romanesque Revival
Lemp Avenue Between Utah and Arsenal Streets
We’ve looked at Lemp Avenue between Cherokee and Utah streets before, so heading north, we pass by buildings that face the east-west streets. On the east side is Cherokee Park, formerly the location of Lemp Park. We cross over Withnell Avenue, which was the central street of John Withnell’s Addition, who bought, if I remember…
Schirmer Street East of St. Boniface
The houses east of St. Boniface are very old, including these two above. Sadly, their neighbor to the east didn’t make it. It was a very old two-story half-flounder, and while it had some structural issues, I wonder how bad it had gotten. Development is slow in this neighborhood, unfortunately. There’s some nice wood frame…
Former St. Boniface, Winter 2024
The former St. Boniface, and now the former Ivory Theatre, has seen some theft of the metal on the upper portions of the two towers in the last couple of years. But I’m told that there are new owners who are taking care of it now, and hopefully they’ll have it back open soon. For…
St. Louis Avenue, St. Louis Place, Winter 2024
Heading east on St. Louis Avenue into the St. Louis Place neighborhood, perhaps I was struck at how little had changed since the last time I had examined this beautiful stretch. The same houses sit abandoned among vacant lots. The same houses sit in weird purgatory, while others are still well-preserved and in great shape….
The Closure of Nursing Homes
The last decade or so has been rough on nursing homes in St. Louis. While readers at first might find the link tenuous to history, they must be reminded that many are in historic buildings, and likewise, neighborhoods are kept healthy when members of society are able to “age in place,” meaning they do not…
South Illinois Street, Belleville
I’ve looked at the area south of downtown Belleville before, but this time I found myself heading up South Illinois Avenue towards the central square where it intersects Main Street. I have to love that Second Empire house above, which looks to be coated in stucco. It’s a new height of hiding a Mansard roof!…
Northview Village, Former DePaul Hospital, December 2023
I think most people have heard the terrible news of the Northview Village Nursing Home closing unexpectedly, forcing the removal of residents and the laying off of employees. The front door is now sealed, a police camera wagon is installed, and of this writing, at least one man already has been charged with burglary for…
Washington, At Night
I was giving a lecture out in Washington, Missouri, and I had some time to kill so I walked around the downtown, taking some pictures of the historic architecture. Above is St. Peter’s United Church of Christ which was founded in 1844. Below is the City Hall. I wandered down some of the other streets…
Cherokee Street Between Tennessee and South Compton Avenues, North Side
I realized I had never photographed the far western portion of Cherokee Street before you reach Gravois Avenue, and I spotted these two beautiful apartment buildings. I suspect they were designed and built by the same entity that built these two up on Wyoming Avenue. The new traffic calming measures along Virginia Avenue also intersect…