Update: Pyramid Companies went bankrupt, but the building’s renovation by a new company was completed in September 2015. This weekend my parents and I decided to take a look at several of the new condo projects in downtown St. Louis. If I actually have the money in 2009, I would really like to buy one….
Month: July 2007
Alley Bridge
Update: Apparently there are apartments in the bridge.
Two Downtown Office Building Lobbies
Update: The Arcade-Wright’s rehabilitation was completed in September 2015. Many of the old buildings in downtown St. Louis still possess their original lobbies, some of which are breathtaking. Below is the lobby of the Paul Brown Building, recently restored as condominiums. The stucco work is fantastic in this building, and more importantly, the lobby is…
Betrayed by Their Foundations
Update: I looked at this block more extensively in early March of 2020. Nowadays many historic neighborhoods have strict building codes that restrict architectural styles. Builders now find themselves building in styles that were popular one hundred years ago, and many do an excellent job of reproducing historic styles. I was almost fooled by these…
Second Empire Style: Missouri Governor’s Mansion
I recently attended a wedding in Jefferson City and made it by the Missouri Governor’s Mansion. It’s a beautiful example of Second Empire architecture. It was designed by George I. Barnett. Here is a detail of the front porch of the house. Most typical of Second Empire architecture is the Mansard roof, which is the…
Lafayette Square
As mentioned in the earlier post on 755, the Lafayette Square neighborhood would have been partially demolished in the construction of the North South Distributor. Ironically, not everyone apparently at the time was opposed to the prospect of interstates surrounding Lafayette Square on three sides. First of all, some homeowners liked the idea of having…
Historic St. Louis County Map
Update: This is a new link as of September of 2023, as the old link to an earlier edition no longer exists on the internet. This is a link to a fascinating map of St. Louis County in the 1890’s. What is amazing is how pretty much every road we know today was already there…
Ashley Street Power Plant
Update: See it again in October of 2022. The Union Electric Power plant down along the wharf produces steam for downtown office buildings, but once presumably churned out thick black smoke. What is so interesting about such a utilitarian building is its rich, Neoclassical ornamentation. This building was meant to convey not just strength, but…
Road Closed
Update: I revisited the area in 2013 and wrote an article about the failed interstate at Saint Louis Magazine in 2018. I photographed the interchange one last time before it was demolished in February of 2020. The entire system of ramps shown in these photos was demolished for the new soccer stadium built to the…