Update: I went back in the spring of 2019.
There’s a strange little pocket of what was once a much larger neighborhood south of downtown, which is nowadays called LaSalle Park, but was part of the larger Frenchtown quarter of the city.
Apparently Ralston-Purina wanted most of the neighborhood demolished, and got its wish, but this one section of four streets was left, surrounded by public housing and interstates.
One can only imagine the bustling city destroyed by I-55 when it crashed through here. While the neighborhood had certainly declined, the well restored neighborhood proves that it was salvageable.
Update: See the interior of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church here.
This was the oldest part of the city, and it was irrevocably erased. I almost wonder if they would have been better served demolishing all of it, instead of leaving the evidence behind of what they had done.
Enjoyed your site. Is there an email newsletter about you talks on historic sites. FYI , my family was originally from south of the Frenchtown area but did a lot of shopping there. Sort of the original strip mall on Broadway. Don’t remember it being that close to the area of AB now. Thanks, PAR
Patricia, I usually post when I’m doing a lecture on this site.
Too bad this quiet little neighborhood is now being overrun by the criminals in the adjacent “projects.” Drugs, auto theft, gangs, etc. are starting to make their way onto our streets and apparently, despite it’s known reputation for criminal activity, no one seems to bother cracking down on the offenders to keep our neighborhood safe. Are the authorities too afraid of being accused of profiling in this overly PC world? I’ve been living here for almost 10 years and am sick of it. You can bet any time I see something suspicious, I’m going to take the time to call to report it, and hope the police can respond in time to lock up these criminals.