Dating from 1940, the Kirkwood Public Library is located at the southwest corner of East Jefferson Avenue and North Taylor Avenue. These historic photos date from just after its completion. As can be seen below, the library has received many additions over the years, including in 1954, 1963 and 1996.
Author: Chris Naffziger
Bristol Elementary School, Webster Groves
I couldn’t find a cornerstone for the Bristol School in Webster Groves, and there might be a very good reason, and a very fascinating one at that. Most likely the work of William Ittner, it was built in stages, just like many of his schools were designed to be. But at this school which was…
St. Theresa of the Child Christ Roman Catholic Church, Belleville
We spotted this Mid-Century Modern church on our way out of Belleville, and stopped to take a closer look. Unfortunately, it was closed and locked, so we could not explore the interior. While the parish dates to 1926, this current building dates to 1967 and you can see photos of the interior at this link….
West C Street To North 10th Street Via Voss Place, Belleville
We now turn onto West C Street in Belleville, and discover a building whose originally purpose remains unknown to me. Was it a Turnverein or some other German social organization? I don’t know, but perhaps a reader does. We next come up to a short private street, Voss Place, which betrays its obvious Teutonic origins…
West D Street From North 11th Street to West C Street Via North 8th Street, Belleville
Continuing along in our walk through northwest Belleville near the old Stag Brewery, we see our first of what I would consider a true Cape Cod, the iconic building style that has its roots going back centuries in America and Europe. It is sort of the standard “house” in Western Civilization. But we see more…
North 11th Street Between West C and West D Streets, Belleville
The street grid shifts by forty-five degrees and continues on as we look a Belleville. There is this large store front that has been filled in with just a door that looks like it’s straight off the shelf from a big box hardware store. There are more of the three bay wide side gable workers’…
North 11th Street Between West Main and West A Streets, Belleville
This is where it gets really interesting, and in my opinion what makes Belleville one of the most fascinating cities in the St. Louis region. We started walking up North 11th Street back into the neighborhoods which are actually quite close to the location of the now demolished Stag Brewery, where the streets are all…
West Main Street Between 14th and 10th Streets, Belleville
Continuing down West Main Street, which locals call the longest of its name in the world (it is admittedly a very long street), we cross over 14th Street in Belleville. There are some very old houses, such as the one above, and also some signs of life in the presence of a few restaurants that…
West Main Street Between 21st and 14th Streets, Belleville
We picked up West Main Street in Belleville just east of the old Belleville West Township High School and headed southeast for awhile. While it’s still a little residential, it quickly becomes strictly commercial after a block or two, and demonstrates how the city was a bustling center of industry in the Nineteenth Century. Duplexes…
Cemetery, Sancta Maria in Ripa, Lemay, and San Francesco in Ripa, Rome
Word has come down in the news media that Sancta Maria in Ripa has been put on the market for sale by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Lemay. I’ve looked at the majestic buildings twice, first in October of 2008, and then in December of 2020. The high school buildings are not for…