I learned from some neighbors that the old “Hostess Factory” was at the northwest corner of Hebert Steet and Glasgow Avenue. This substantially deteriorated building does appear to be the former Continental Baking Company, which at one time produced Wonder Bread. The back portion of the building was collapsing along the alley, so I went…
Tag: Abandoned Buildings
JeffVanderLou, Late October 2026, Part Two
I then traveled north of St. Louis Avenue, and found some houses that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, and they were very interesting. The wood frame house above might be a severely deteriorated Italianate cottage, but it is hard to tell. It sits up close to two brick neighbors. Another wood frame house…
JeffVanderLou, Late October 2026, Part One
I visited JeffVanderLou in the early morning light, and revisited many of the houses I’ve photographed over the years. The buildings above, I last saw back in December of 2022 (last photo). Much of the area is now abandoned, sadly. We’ll see if the NGA has any positive effect on the area, which hasn’t happened…
Rapidly Disappearing Houses, The Ville
I’ve been looking at these shotguns in the 4300 block of Kennerly since March of 2014, again in January of 2017 and yet again in December of 2024. The number of houses along this stretch has dwindled, and I wonder about how this historic building type is vanishing. Sure, they’re not complex or built of…
Former Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church, Post Tornado
As I mentioned offhand on Sunday, October 25, I had passed by the former Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church when I looked at San Francisco Avenue in Penrose. I decided to go back and take a closer look at the damage. To put it bluntly, it is not good. A warehouse that had been…
San Francisco Avenue Between North Taylor Avenue and Bradley Park, Penrose
I don’t know why but I decided to continue on San Francisco Avenue, ignoring the “Street Not Thru” sign with a cavalier attitude. There was a wide variety of houses from many different time periods, which I found interesting considering much of my journey had large blocks of houses built in tracts. But there was…
San Francisco Avenue Between Clarence and North Taylor Avenues, Penrose
Heading west, we pass by the former Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church, which was severely damaged by the tornado of May 16, 2025. I think it might be abandoned, but I am not sure. On the south side of the street, there is this lone house. San Francisco Avenue doglegs to the left, or…
Northeast Madison Avenue Between Van Buren and Sloan Streets, Northeast Peoria
Northwest of the old LeTourneau works, we pick up Northeast Madison Street again, no doubt looking at the former workers’ homes of that once massive factory that helped win World War II. Houses are built close together, and there is a rhythm to their placement and massing. There are very few abandoned houses in this…
North Grand Boulevard Between North Market Street and Natural Bridge Avenue
Crossing North Market Street, we see the newly christened St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, which is the former Sts. Theresa and Bridget. Due to the closure of a number of other parishes, there was a consolidation of borders. A former convenience store has opened up with a new owners… Joseph Baker Wallpaper and Paint, from what…