I’ve long documented St. Louis Avenue between N. Florissant and Parnell, and from Parnell to Grand, so now I will take a closer look at the secondary artery cobbled together from a series of streets that stretches the length of the Northside.
The blocks in between Union and Kingshighway Boulevards in North City are densely populated, as the relatively small borders of Ward One illustrate (wards are equal in population after decennial censuses, so the smaller a ward geographically, the denser it is in population). While there is a little abandonment, St. Louis Avenue goes through some intact, owner-occupied neighborhoods as it heads east.
Update: I revisited the stretch of St. Louis Avenue in front of Norwood Square in the winter of 2023.
Norwood Square, that amazing pocket of Brady Bunch Modernism on an old quarry, is still standing, and I love this cool duplex on St. Louis Avenue.
Update: The house below has been demolished as of the summer of 2021.
But the first house on Norwood Drive itself looks like it has settled even worse than the last time I had gone by, and it looks like some hit the sign at the entrance to the subdivision.
This market below just suffered a tragic fire, judging from the condition of the plywood.
But overall, the houses are in good shape, with an active street life and well kept lawns.