Clamorgan Alley is not the historic name for this alley, which cuts between the 700 blocks of North First and Second streets. But it received that name because Jacques Clamorgan once owned this land, and in a famous court case, after giving the land to his slave, Esther, in an effort to avoid creditors (something…
North First Street, Laclede’s Landing
We come up the steep incline and reach North First Street, where the above photograph captures the street in 1968, right before the grand plans for redevelopment had begun. Interestingly, old fashioned street lights had already appeared. Below, on the southwest corner, a plaza that appears to still be incomplete replaced the vacant lot where…
Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard, Laclede’s Landing
Not much is happening down along the Levee anymore. There are so many streets blocked off or closed permanently, as in the case of Washington Avenue, removed in the recent Arch renovations, that it is increasingly difficult to impossible to even reach the riverfront. But it is worth it to see the Eads Bridge and…
An In Depth Look at Laclede’s Landing, Fall 2022
Laclede’s Landing has been in the news a lot lately, and while I’m not going to wade into the controversy that’s been going on concerning crime, homelessness and whatnot, I thought it was time for me to revisit what is perhaps one of the best known neighborhoods in the region. When reviewing old posts, I…
Small Houses
I saw a bunch of small houses recently that I thought were interesting. The first one has a sad ending, as when I photographed it the first time in my look at Virginia Avenue in Dutchtown (eleventh photograph down) it was still in good condition. I don’t know what happened. Sometimes I forget that a…
Bungalows, Dutchtown
I love these houses that are so common in Dutchtown. While they might look small from the street, in reality they use their space very economically on the interior. I met a man who made the cast iron cornices with his father during the winter, and then when the spring came, building contractors would come…
Memorial, City Hall
Spotted recently on the north side of City Hall in downtown St. Louis.
Bavarian Inn, More Progress
I had been wondering why there had been no activity at the old Bavarian Inn site for a while. After sitting vacant for a long time, there had been rapid renovation work earlier in 2022. But now, in the last couple of weeks, the new windows have shown up, and the building and renovation is…
More Change East of Saint Louis University Hospital
I had looked at the quiet streets east of SLU Hospital and had been pleasantly surprised at the development that had been going on back in February of 2021. Spurred by a recent visit by Mark Groth over at St. Louis City Talk, I thought I would go back myself this last weekend. I was…
McRee Avenue, McRee Town, October 2022
The last time I strolled down McRee Avenue in McRee Town was back in January of 2020. After my recent trip to France, I have been finding that I have been needing a French pastry fix more often, so my Saturday sojourns have been leading to Patisserie Chouquette more often. The new construction is interesting,…