I first would like to invite readers out to my free lecture on the history of the Lemp Brewery tomorrow, at 11:00 AM, September 20, 2022 at the Missouri History Museum. Its architecture was born out of the designs of highly influential architects Edmund Jungenfeld; Theodore Krausch; Widman, Walsh and Boisselier; and Guy Tyler Norton. I will be…
Tag: Abandoned Buildings
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 87: Southeast Corner of Alexander Street and Dunnica Avenue
Constructed in 1930, the apartment building at the southeast corner of Dunnica Avenue and Alexander Street warranted Isaac Siever’s attention when he photographed it on May 4, 1931. Sadly, when I came by to photograph almost a century later, the northern half of the building is not boarded up and abandoned. But there is so…
The Beauty of Dutchtown, 81: 3841-47 Gustine Avenue
North of the Leona, this building from 1930 gives off a more rustic appearance, but likewise shares its southern neighbor’s abandoned state. It also retains elements of mass produced terracotta elements arranged in original ways along the pediment. Overall, as the new decade began, the design was more austere and plain. I also would like…
Union Boulevard Between Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and Wabada, West Side
Passing by MLK Dr., we see increasing abandonment to the west in Wells-Goodfellow. The houses are also more modest. Judging from the brick patterns on above the doorway and the two upper windows of this four-family, I suspect this buildings front façade was once far more ornamented. Storefront churches often fill the old corner spaces….
Union Boulevard Between Minerva Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, West Side
Not every major street in the city is lined with stores, and particularly some of the most trafficked in North St. Louis, such as Page and Union are mostly residential along much of their paths. North of Page on Union, there are some interesting surprises. We start at Minerva Avenue. Crossing over Ridge Avenue, many…
The Edge of Tower Grove East, Nebraska Avenue Between Pestalozzi Street and Magnolia Avenue
Tower Grove East is a strange neighborhood. In the eyes of many people, it is a junior version of Tower Grove South, or should I say, Tower Grove Heights, with its rows of early Twentieth Century suburban houses. But in reality, the eastern portion the neighborhood has roots going back to the mid-Nineteenth Century, when…
Checking In On Mark Twain and Central High Schools
St. Louis voters recently overwhelmingly passed Prop S, which will allow the St. Louis Public Schools to issue bonds for much needed improvements to buildings, most of which are now over one hundred years old, though as anyone who will admit it, are extremely well built and will last for centuries if properly maintained. The…
Two Unique Buildings, Olive Street Just West of North Compton Avenue
Often while sitting at the light at Olive Street and North Compton Avenue, I’ve looked to the west and seen these two buildings. I finally decided to take a look at them more closely. The first building on the right was actually the location of an western outpost of the famous Tony Faust’s restaurant. The…
The Ville, July 2022
I took a short look at The Ville on a bright and sweltering Saturday recently. Despite the frequent reports of doom and gloom, much of the neighborhood has a lot going for it. There are many streets that are lined with some nice in-fill, and I hope can be built in the future. I definitely…
Urban Density Surviving on Grand Boulevard
While all those demolitions are going on down south, there are actually a fair number of really nice buildings still standing just to the north, particularly on the west side of Grand Boulevard. Justine Peterson has a presence in one building, nice rehabbed above. There’s this spectacular Art-Deco storefront above, which is a rarity in…