Franz Sigel Elementary is one of William Ittner’s designs from 1906, and could be best described as an Italian Romanesque Revival influenced building, though that seems lacking in many ways. It’s still an interesting school, and is unique among the firm’s designs for the public school system. Compare this design to that of Farragut School…
McKinley High School, Revisited
Update: I revisited the high school in June of 2024. I’ve looked at McKinley High School before, which has now become one of the highest achieving high schools in the state of Missouri. It’s still an impressive building, and one worth revisiting.
St. Marcus United Church of Christ
I could have sworn I’ve photographed St. Marcus United Church of Christ before, which originally was an German Evangelisch denomination originally before it combined with the Reformed Church and others in the 1950s to become the United Church of Christ. This building was completed in 1915. This church is perhaps best known for being the…
Manufacturers Bank and Trust Company of St. Louis, South Broadway
Originally known as the Manufacturers’ Bank and Trust Company, this financial institution changed its name to the American Bank of St. Louis, before being merged with Mercantile Bank, It’s a classic Beaux-Arts bank building, though it’s curious in its relatively low-slung design; most financial institutions normally tower over their other one-story neighbors.
Monroe School
Monroe Elementary School is an early design by William B. Ittner from 1898 before the influence of English public (private) schools on his later works. You can see its similarity to Eliot School in Hyde Park. It sits on a dramatic site, most likely predating street grading. The central portal with a Syrian arch and…
Former Holy Innocents Roman Catholic Church
Viewed across the broad green lawns of the west end of Tower Grove Park, the former Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Innocents cuts an interesting profile among the red brick houses along Kingshighway. The parish closed in 2005, but it has roots going back to 1854, in at least two previous locations. Before it…
Minerva Avenue, Hamilton Heights, Revisited Again
Update: Icame block in the summer of 2023 (second and third photos). I discovered that one of the most compelling blocks in St. Louis, Minerva Avenue between Goodfellow and Hamilton, which I’ve featured back in January of 2015 and then again in September of 2019 was photographed by Richard Lemen back around 1925. You can…
Hodiamont Tracks at Cates and Clarendon, Revisited in October 2020
Update: Annihilated by the tornado that struck the city on May 16, 2025. I looked at the intersection of Cates and Clarendon where the Hodiamont Streetcar Tracks swept by, leaving a little quarter crescent of land back in April of 2013, and I came back with a historic picture in hand to take a look…
Cote Brilliante Avenue, Revisited Again
Update: I went back in the early summer of 2021. Great news! As of November of 2020, the house above is still for sale, like it was back in April of 2019, and the monthly payment is only $37. Someone is keeping the grass mowed, at least. I was first shown this street back in…
Euclid School
Update: Severely damaged by the tornado that hit the neighborhood on May, 16, 2025. Another one of the pre-Ittner/Milligan schools, Euclid School takes its name from the simple reason that it sits on Euclid Avenue in Fountain Park north of the Central West End. The roof line has almost certainly been altered due to being…