Leaving behind their original church to the west, Grace Episcopal moved into their new sanctuary in 1961 at 514 East Argonne. A newspaper article related the details of the new church: designed by Frederick Dunn & Associates, it was to be built in two parts. Earlier this year I looked at Dunn’s National Garden Club…
Meramec Highlands, Revisited
The Meramec Highlands Hotel must have been a sight to behold. Sitting high up on the bluffs, just to the east of the eponymous train tunnel, it was a short ride out from the city on the St. Louis and San Francisco (Frisco) Railroad. Guests could stay at the hotel, as well as the cottages…
Meramec Highlands Tunnel
Nestled behind the backyards of a subdivision is a surprise. Near the West and East Barrett Tunnels is a third tunnel, the Meramec Highlands Tunnel, high up on a bluff overlooking the Meramec River Valley. It was constructed in 1883 by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad. Like the other two, it was replaced just to…
East Barrett Tunnel
Moving past Barrett Station, further on down the tracks is the East Barrett Tunnel. The western entrance to the tunnel has been covered up, most likely by the northern approach to the Barrett Station Road bridge over the train tracks. The eastern tunnel is much larger and longer than the western tunnel. Due to the…
Barrett Station
Sitting in between the two Barrett tunnels, Barrett Station, or sometimes written Barrett’s, has appeared in newspapers since at least 1854. Considering the tunnels were completed in 1853, that places the station at least almost at the beginning of the Pacific Railroad’s opening in the area. The 1854 Globe-Democrat article speaks of the outlay of…
West Barrett Tunnel, Revisited
I originally looked at the eastern entrance of the West Barrett Tunnel back in December of 2013. I felt it was time to do some more investigation and find the western entrance. Supposedly this tunnel and its eastern mate are the oldest train tunnels west of the Mississippi River. As I wrote back in 2013,…
Crunden-Martin, Destroyed
“It’s Thanksgiving, so the fires will be starting now,” someone remarked on social media–I recall reading somewhere. What a far too accurate portent. I woke up on Black Friday, and sadly, they were right. Crunden Martin, that stunning abandoned warehouse/factory complex I’ve looked at around a half dozen times over the years, was being consumed…
Clemens Avenue Between Hodiamont and Hamilton Avenues, West End
We looked at the Sanborn for this block yesterday, which showed that by 1909 was already largely built out. It’s a mix of wood frame and brick homes, many of which show the rehabbing that has occurred in the last ten years in the West End. Perhaps what is most noteworthy is the wide range…
Enright Avenue Between Hodiamont and Hamilton Avenues, West End
Originally known as Von Versen but changed due to anti-German sentiment, we’ll now look at the last block of Enright between Hodiamont, basically the last street of the West End and Hamilton Avenue. In the winter of 1887, Julius Pitzman was platting the Hamilton Place Addition. But as can be seen in the above fire…
Cabanne Avenue Between Goodfellow Boulevard and Porter Mall, West End
Two large wood frame houses greeted the visitor when they entered Cabanne Avenue back in 1909; they’re both gone now. I believe those wood frame houses were replaced by these apartments, which in turn were demolished, as well. This block is much harder hit by demolition and vacant lots. There are a few houses left…