I had just looked at this stretch of Wydown Boulevard back in January of 2024 in Clayton in between Big Bend and Skinker boulevards, and it has now been transformed due to the tornado of May 16.
The trees and windows of the houses along here have been savaged.
There are also signs of damage from trees falling and hitting roofs.
The church below, Memorial Presbyterian, also saw damage to the roof.
However, on an unrelated matter, the church at the southwest corner of Skinker and Forsyth was demolished as part of an expansion by Washington University.
Last photo: That was Unity Christ Church, a low flat-roofed blocky structure with no tower, probably mid-20th century.
It was a gut crunch driving down this post-tornado. Like my dad this was my favorite way to get to and from from Richmond Heights, where we lived, and the CWE, where I went to high school, worked, and had friends and relatives. Never took its beauty for granted and so preferred it to Clayton Rd. to Skinker Blvd. It could seem relaxing even in traffic. I got my first speeding ticket there (known speed trap I soon learned!) and used to stop under the shade of a tree at Big Bend when biking home from my lifeguard job on blistering summer days. Life has its breaks, for sure, but I bet some beautiful new trees and flowers will be planted in the tree-stripped grassy medium, used by streetcars back in my dad’s youth!