Always remember, they wanted to completely demolish Soulard, and put in a totally forgettable suburban style neighborhood that probably would have been torn down by now, too. But just because buildings are abandoned, or missing a pillar, doesn’t mean they… Continue Reading
Perhaps two of the most interesting blocks in Soulard are 13th Street between Barton and Shenandoah. I’ve looked at this stretch before, but mainly on the east side, back in November of 2019. There are a host of interesting houses,… Continue Reading
The old Ursuline Convent was built in 1850, on land purchased by Archbishop Kenrick with money apparently donated by the King of Bavaria. Devoted to teaching, at one point they managed nineteen schools around the Archdiocese. You can read about… Continue Reading
The former Most Holy Trinity Slovak Catholic Church on South Ninth Street in Soulard has an interesting story. It began its life as St. Paul’s German Evangelisch Church, and this is even the second church built by that earlier congregation.… Continue Reading
St. Agatha’s Roman Catholic Church is one of the more handsome religious buildings in the inner neighborhoods of St. Louis. As can be seen in this historic photograph below, it has changed little in appearance since the 1890s. As seen… Continue Reading
In between the big houses and mansions of the elite of Soulard on 12th and 13th streets, the less wealthy lived in more “normal” residential architecture. This is normal; throughout major American cities classes were rigidly stratified on different types… Continue Reading
Menard Street continues the theme of older Greek Revival construction, and they even have some of their original (or at least tastefully reconstructed) balconies. Look closely at the houses below; the two Second Empire houses at the right are traitors… Continue Reading
Allen Avenue and nearby has an interesting collection of houses, in that they are much older, Greek Revival buildings with the distinctive pedimented dormers, simple post and lintel windows and dentillated cornices made of brick. They probably date to the… Continue Reading
The gigantic International Hat Company building hides a secret that most people miss; there is a short street named Allen Market Lane right behind it parallel to Russell Boulevard. You can see it below just to the left of the… Continue Reading
This is one of my favorite Second Empire houses in the city, and it sits right around the corner from Soulard Market. I photographed it way back in 2011.