The American Can Company really didn’t close that long ago; I have a friend who worked there when he was young. The New York-based company had locations around the United States, and during World War II, the factory, like so many around the country, pivoted to producing war materiel.
As I think pretty much everyone in St. Louis knows, but for people reading from outside the region, much of the factory was demolished in the 1990s and replaced with a Home Depot.
But comparing historic aerial images to current conditions, we discover that several buildings survive from the plant, including this one above and below facing Kingshighway.
Likewise, on the northeast corner of the site, one of the two smokestacks survives along with a swath of the sawtooth clerestory window buildings, occupied with light industry.
It opened in 1941 and operated until 1995; many of the cans for breweries in St. Louis were produced here.
A good day as a kid was bike riding up South Kingshighway with a few buddies and doing a dumpster dive at American Can, back when beer can collecting was a thing in the 70’s
I have been fascinated by the smokestack that now is home to countless cell phone transponders. I think it is interesting how things of the past are repurposed.
I love seeing the buildings, people and maps you present. I was born in St. Louis in 1953 and many of my ancestors lived there starting in the 1850s. So many of the manufacturing plants have shut down and jobs have disappeared in the St. Louis area. I imagine those loses have affected housing which you have shown being demolished or abandoned. How has St. Louis addressed the reduction of population and jobs? Do you see a future of information technology, financial institutions, manufacturing , transportation coming back to St. Louis?
I think the future for American cities is in hi-tech jobs.
I am not certain, but I think American Can Company was built on the grounds of the former South End Baseball Park. In a bottom right page 1 citation of the Southwest High School Pioneer (student newspaper) dated October 21,1938 the school’s flegling football team was scheduled to play on that field in an unusual high school night game. So here is high school football being played on a baseball field that actually had lights for night games in 1938. This all seems pretty rare. See the issue of the Pioneer here: http://www.dischercreative.com/PIONEER/VOL01/01-02_PIONEER_OCT_21_1938.pdf
My father Ralph Thomlison worked there as a mechanic from the early 50’s. My brother Larry Thomlison worked there from the early 70’s as a lithographer.