Update: Replaced with a new entertainment complex. I guess I don’t understand why it was a good idea to tear down the ice rinks out in Gumbo Flats. Was it low quality? I just remember friends in high school having to practice at 2:00 AM in the morning because ice time was at such a…
Tag: West County
The Mysterious McMansion
There was a perfectly fine Colonial Revival house on this property, which is a valuable parcel of land that includes land for horses and a large stable. The house has been under construction now for quite a while, and building seems to come in stops and starts.
Anyone Remember Allenton?
Update: The bridge was reduced to one-lane, one-way northbound traffic in July 2019. Cross over an extremely narrow railroad viaduct, and you’re right in front of the old, vanished southwest St. Louis County village of Allenton. Destroyed when Eureka annexed the unincorporated town for a new strip mall development, the area is now completely deserted,…
Restored B-25 Bomber
We had the opportunity to see a restored B-25 bomber out at Spirit of St. Louis Airport a few weeks ago. There are few left, and it was fun to see the plane up close.
Meadowbrook
Meadowbrook Country Club is part golf course, and part subdivision, which wraps itself around the greens. There are some interesting Modernist houses mixed in among later houses. The properties seem to have developed over the course of several decades. Houses are being demolished now for new in-fill houses. There are several others marked for demolition…
Abandonment, Kiefer Creek Road
The houses around Castlewood State Park are starting to be abandoned, and are slowly being demolished. Meanwhile, large, Post-Modernist houses are popping up on nearby roads.
St. Liborius High Altar Reredos, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Eureka
We finally got into Sacred Heart out in Eureka, which has long been known for being the new home of many of the sculptures from the old St. Liborius in St. Louis Place. The new priest graciously let us look around and drew our attention to the Crucifixion sculpture group from the high altar. It…
Floodwaters, Castlewood
This photograph was taken just beyond the park rangers’ station, looking towards the parking lot for the trail that goes up to the bluffs, which is still above water. Needless to say, for those who know Castlewood well, the floodwaters backed up a long way, completely covering large areas of the lowlands of the park…
Log Cabins, Drace Park
Given as a gift by the Drace Family, the small park in Town and Country contains three log cabins. This cabin above and below is the Kropp Cabin, from 1855, when this area was far out in the country. The Estill Log Cabin was moved to the site from Clayton and Bopp Roads, where it…
West From Castlewood
Many of the old lodges from the resort era at Castlewood still stand over on New Ballwin Road, but I’ve noticed an interesting trend recently. As can be seen below, in-fill housing, made to look like traditional architecture, has begun to pop up. Back over to Sherman Beach, the water was low again, just like…