6 Comments Add yours

  1. Jenn, South City says:

    Isn’t that where Donald Pleasence crashed in “Escape from New York”?

    1. Chris Naffziger says:

      It seems like the crash was filmed on St. Charles Street, near Broadway, but indeed they filmed Kurt Russell walking around Schlafly and this building after leaving the crash site. From the looks of the movie, which I just watched recently, they made use of much of this area of western downtown.
      Reply

  2. Tom Maher - Kirkwood says:

    The mottled band of whitish-reddish brick above the first floor windows – is that a very faded ghost sign? I went to Google Drive-by and it ALMOST looks like that, but my monitor doesn’t have enough pixel thingies to be certain.

    1. samizdat says:

      Possibly. It could also be the remnant of adhesive which once secured Vitrolite. Still, I half imagine I see A’s, M’s, and a CO.

      1. Jenn, South City says:

        According to the trusty ol’ Sanborn maps, it was the Hamilton Security [Fac’y], mill construction. So you very well could be seeing As, Ms and a CO.

        Incidentally, the building shared a passageway with the building to the north, Brown Shoe Co., American gentlemen [fac’y].

        Good catch, Tom and samizdat!

        1. Tom Maher - Kirkwood says:

          FOUND IT, thanks to the sleuthing of Jenn! It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 2000!
          LOTS of info here, with history of the Hamilton Company and the succeeding occupants, plus pix: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/00000437.pdf

          And – looks like samizdat was more correct than moi, although the adhesive was not for Vitrolite – there is mention of this in captions for the photos, as well as before and after the added cladding was removed.

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