St. Augustine’s the Day After the Third Fire

To say the visit to the former St. Augustine’s the day after the towering inferno that gutted the church was depressing would be an understatement. About the only positive thing I could say is that at least all the timber, potential fuel for another fire (the gigantic piles of wood from the roof collapse), was…

St. Augustine’s a Week Before the Third Fire

I may have taken some of the only photos of the former St. Augustine’s after the collapse of the roof over the nave sometime in February and before the fire on the night of March 18th. Honestly, it probably wasn’t a terribly good idea for my friend and I to be inside the heavily compromised…

Third Fire at St. Augustine’s

A St. Louis Patina correspondent captured firefighters battling the towering inferno that broke out in the evening of March 18th, devastating St. Augustine’s. At this point, I reluctantly have to admit that it needs to be torn down in the interest of public safety. I think it’s probably arson. What else is there to say…

Roof Collapse, St. Augustine’s

Sometimes there are things in life that are terrible, and no matter what you do, you can’t change them, and you just have to take it. I was driving north on the newly smooth Parnell, heading to St. Augustine’s to get some photography done for another project when the church came into view far in…

St. Augustine’s in the Fog After the Latest Fire

On the afternoon of January 22, another fire broke out in the former St. Augustine’s, but this time it was apparently in the other end of the church, towards the front doors. The damage from the previous fire in the sacristy and apse was severe. It’s hard to tell how much damage occurred because the…

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….

Demolition, Mount McKelvey

For whatever reason, the giant, probably illegal pile of dirt on Cass Avenue owned by billionaire Jim McKelvey has been partially removed since the first time I went by. We’ll stay on top of this.