I grappled with whether I should take or post any photographs of the tornado damage that struck St. Louis on May 16, 2025, which a reader noted will now be indelibly linked with the anniversary of the founding of this website on the same day. Is it ethical to photograph destruction, and in particular people’s…
La Salle Institute and Glencoe, Revisited
The La Salle Institute is for sale, out to the west of Glencoe and north of Marycliffe, which we looked at yesterday. It is located where Old State Road cuts off to the northeast and Missouri Route 109 continues off to the northwest in Wildwood in far West County. I’m showing you the west and…
Marycliffe, The Marianist Retreat, Wildwood
Just south of Glencoe on Missouri Highway 109 is Marycliffe, which is a Marianist retreat set along the bluffs of the Meramec River. I stumbled on the retreat center recently, and its 1967 building, which we’ll look at first. I couldn’t find any signs of anyone on the property. This was originally the land of…
Interior, Former Immaculate Conception, St. Henry’s
Just about everyone in St. Louis has heard now that the new pope, Leo XIV, served his novitiate to become an Augustinian here in St. Louis at the now closed St. Henry’s/Immaculate Conception at the intersection of Longfellow Boulevard and Lafayette Avenue. I’ve looked at the church twice, once back in February of 2011, then…
American Legion Auxiliary Monument, Gateway Mall
I noticed this small monument a few yards away from the Schiller Monument a few weeks ago. It is the smallest memorial in the Gateway Mall, by far. You can read more about the American Legion Auxiliary here.
Chapel, Maryville University
When the old Maryville College and its chapel was left behind, the new Maryville University in West County soon built replacements for those accoutrements of the past. Built in 1981, the Huttig Chapel reflect the architecture of the time. I like it. The Crown of Thorns forms the handles for the front doors. Inside, a…
Rung For Women, Expansion
It’s hard to believe that just six years ago I was documenting the old warehouses and buildings of the Fox Brothers Company, some of which were too far gone to be preserved (last three photos). Fox Brothers was a huge company that produced millwork for the area; the park that bears its name nearby was…
Russell Boulevard Between South Compton and Nebraska Avenues
I’ve looked at this stretch of houses before, back in March of 2015, but only cursorily, so I thought I would continue my examination of Russell Boulevard heading east of South Compton Avenue. It’s a part of Compton Heights, even if it’s not on Longfellow or Hawthorne boulevards, and they are more public than the…
Russell Boulevard Between Compton Hill Place and South Compton Avenue
I thought I’d look at some of the houses along the north side of Russell Boulevard just to the east of the reservoir in Compton Heights. The house above, by the way, used to have two or more floors. We’ve looked at the Magic Chef Mansion before, and the wall that was built along with…
West Bruno Avenue, Richmond Heights
I’ve been looking at the mansions north of Highway 40 in Richmond Heights, but I recently traveled down West Bruno Avenue just west of Big Bend Boulevard and caught these houses. Richmond Heights really has some great architecture, and if you travel as the crow flies, it is as close to downtown St. Louis as…