It’s hard to believe now, but much of South Grand was once lined with mansions such as the one you see above, which is at the southwest corner of the intersection with Shaw. This one was turned into a funeral… Continue Reading
I’m intrigued by the idea of interstates that have been temporarily removed from service, such as Interstate 64/Highway 40 back in 2008 and 2009. This time, of course, it is Interstate 44, which is one of the “younger” interstates in… Continue Reading
I don’t photograph the Shaw neighborhood very often (amazingly, the last post is from December of 2016), because most of the east-west streets are blocked off, and my methodology of documenting areas of the city start by happening across interesting… Continue Reading
Hiding in plain sight is a Gothic Revival, board and batten house, clearly visible on Compton and Dry from 1876. The date of 1914 on the City’s website is clearly wrong. Special thanks for David Conradsen and Lynn Josse for… Continue Reading
The couple of apartment buildings that pop up here and there along Grand Boulevard always make me wonder: what would have happened if the city had continued to grow and become more dense? Would more buildings have joined the couple… Continue Reading
Beauvais Manor, sitting across the street from Tower Grove Park, is another fascinating relic of the area’s rural past. As can be seen below, it was once a country house built by Rene Beauvais in 1867. Perhaps what is most… Continue Reading
The Shaw neighborhood, at least partly laid out by Henry Shaw, still retains its founder’s hopes of creating an ideal neighborhood around his botanical garden. Apartment buildings, mansions and foursquares sit comfortably next to each other on the streets. If… Continue Reading
Supposedly Henry Shaw designed Shaw Place to remind himself of his youth growing up in England. A private street, is is very difficult to see into this exclusive enclave just south of I-44. The architecture seems to me to be… Continue Reading
You might not notice the august gates of Flora Boulevard, across the busy Grand Boulevard from Compton Heights due to the heavy traffic in the area. But the elegant gates allude to the beautiful, serene boulevard hiding behind the blocked… Continue Reading
Tower Grove House in the Botanical Gardens is one of those great examples of Italianate architecture in the middle of the city. Above is what I consider one of the iconic images of the garden, looking through the gates of… Continue Reading