Update: See how they looked four years later in September of 2018Â and then in the winter of 2022. By November of 2018, the wall facing N. Florissant had suffered a collapse. They have since been demolished. I love these rowhouses; since most people live west of Jefferson nowadays, we forget that the vast majority of…
They Don’t Build Them Like They Used To #6: The New Entry to Downtown, More of the Same
The new entry into downtown St. Louis, through the newly configured Tucker Boulevard from the Stan Musial Veterans’ Bridge, could be a great opportunity to spread urban development northward from downtown. St. Louis is hamstrung by having interstates, dead zones and housing projects ringing its downtown like a noose, and unlike other major cities where…
Anonymous House, St. Louis Place
I came across this house in the streets near St. Augustine Church and north of St. Louis Avenue. It is not particularly lavish, nor large, but I was drawn to it nonetheless. I have seen houses like this all over the city, and they’re usually in stable neighborhoods, but their mate in St. Louis Place…
Elegant Ruins, Old North St. Louis
Update: Demolished by January of 2020; now a vacant lot. This ensemble of buildings sits just north of Crown Candy Kitchen, in what I would believe would be a very desirable location for rehabbing. I would encourage anyone who’s been interested in buying a shell in Old North to look into these buildings.
Friedens Chapel, Chambers Road
Update: The original church in Hyde Park was destroyed by fire in the afternoon of January 20, 2025. It was increasingly common the in the mid-Twentieth Century to establish new churches, or “chapels” out in St. Louis County as congregations’ members moved further out from the city. The Friedens Chapel on Chambers Road continued on…
Union Station Renovations to the Train Shed
The concourse at Union Station has been cleared of its intrusive shops, and has returned to an appearance that is closer to its heyday.
Hadley Township, Demolition
Another obliterated neighborhood in the name of “progress,” another promise of economic prosperity in the face of the reality, another missing piece of our collective heritage. Maybe Menards will agree to tear down the store when it goes out of business or closes?
Deaconess Hospital, Coming Down
The story of the Deaconesses, a German organization whose women members dedicated their lives to helping the sick, is amazing, and its mission continues. Sadly, their hospital on Oakland, long a landmark to Forest Park visitors and commuters on Highway 40, is rapidly coming down. There was even more demolished in the two weeks since…
St. Matthew’s Parish Church, The Ville
The beautiful parish church of St. Matthew sits right on the border between the Ville and the so-called Greater Ville. It is a masterpiece of German Gothic Revival architecture, and is still in operation at the present time.