Update: The building above was demolished in the fall of 2022. There are still some buildings just south of Highway 40 that were designed when Market Street still passed by their northern facades, such as the one above. But when the highway was built after World War II, they suddenly found themselves in limbo. See…
Tag: Apartment Towers
Checking Up on Far North County
Years ago BeltSTL and I took a drive around Far North County and checked out some old buildings, including this old farmstead. The barns appear to look in good condition, though there has been no progress on finding a new use for them. Update: The mall was demolished in 2023-2024. Jamestown Mall is now completely…
Skinker-DeBaliviere #13, Charing Cross
A high-rise apartment building such as this is actually rare in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood, but this one sits right along Skinker, and perhaps points to a future form for the busy thoroughfare if the Great Depression had not hit St. Louis.
Lansdowne Towers
Update: Several of these buildings were demolished. I stumbled across this public housing complex in northern East St. Louis. It is extremely isolated, and it was surprising to be driving around two story houses, and heavy undergrowth, to all of the sudden see these manila brick-colored apartments rise above the tree line. They are operated…
Family Photos
I found some old pictures my family took from the Arch back in 1986-7; in the upper left, you can see the Cupples Warehouses sitting vacant. The first Kiener Plaza, now demolished, was just starting construction. The ash trees are now gone, but they were relatively young thirty years ago. Below, the Metropolitan Square Building…
Lewis and Clark Tower, Early December 2016
Update: I went by again in April of 2019 (last photo). A friend of mine, Scott, told me he had stumbled across my previous posts on the Lewis and Clark Tower, which has now languished in abandonment for a couple of years. The appearance and condition of the tower has declined, precipitously. In the long…
625 South Skinker
Built in 1929 according to plans by Frank Avis, and built by Modern Construction Company at the behest of developers Skinker Northwood Investment Company, this apartment building, now condos, exemplifies the high-rises going up around the city after World War I. It is in a Tudor Revival style, with Gothic and other Renaissance elements.
The Dorchester
Continuing the trend of using desirable real estate across from Forest Park, the Dorchester opened in 1961, developed by Tracco Skinker and Compagne.
Versailles Apartments
Opening in 1927 according to the designs of Preston Bradshaw, the Versailles was built by Wilson-Koontz, reflecting the boom in the 1920s for apartment living.