I’m concerned about the long term condition of the former Temple Israel at the northwest corner of Holy Corners, Kingshighway and Washington Boulevard. Its roof was almost completely ripped off by the tornado of May 16, 2025, and I haven’t seen any attempts to cover the hole since then. There was an article in the…
Tag: Beaux-Arts
Yet Another Fire on the Near North Riverfront
I’ve officially lost count of the number of times this remaining warehouse from the St. Louis Refrigeration and Cold Storage Company complex has caught fire. I think it’s at three. Here’s from the last time I documented a fire from January of 2017. As you can see, some nice new plywood, that has probably already…
South Seventh Street Between Geyer and Lafayette Avenues, West Side
I was heading up South Seventh Street (no, it’s not South Broadway) north of Geyer, which is the eastern border of Soulard, and I was admiring the buildings to my left. Of course, it must be terribly loud with all the trucks driving up and down the street to the interstate, making quality of life…
Moline, Illinois
Moline is contiguous with Rock Island, so we entered the former from the west. Moline is famous for being the home of several industries, including an elevator manufacturer and John Deere, which everyone has heard of. First up is the former headquarters of Montgomery Elevator Company, which is now abandoned. The tower functioned as the…
Rock Island, Illinois, Part One
The original railroad bridge that first crossed the Mississippi River in 1856 between Rock Island and Davenport is long gone, but there are obviously new spans to replace it. The Government Bridge, which we drove across to Illinois to visit the two cities that make up half of the Quad Cities, is quite the hulking…
North of Downtown, Davenport, Iowa
Leaving the Hamburg neighborhood, we wandered up Brady Street, I think, and looked at the Cork Hill area, I think, and other neighborhoods north of downtown Davenport. First up on the list of major landmarks we spotted is Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral, built in 1891 according to designs by architect James Egan. Mass was…
Hamburg, Davenport, Iowa, Part One
We headed down to the Hamburg neighborhood in Davenport, which has recently seen extensive rehabbing and restoration of its historic houses. The neighborhood is obviously named after the German Hanseatic city of Hamburg, which still is one of the most important port cities in the world. Apparently many of the early residents of the area…
Downtown, Davenport, Iowa
Continuing and ending our end of the month look at Mississippi River towns north of St. Louis for the time being, we come to the Quad Cities, and first we will look at Davenport, Iowa. Of course, Davenport, and Rock Island, Illinois on the opposite bank (which we’ll look at in a few days) are…
Pennsylvania Avenue Between Cherokee and Utah Streets
Surprisingly, I had never looked at Pennsylvania Avenue in Benton Park West, so I sought to fix that recently, heading north from its intersection with Cherokee Street. There has been some rehabbing going, unfortunately with some people who don’t know where they’re doing, as evidenced by the gray paint. House prices have also gone way…
Muscatine, Iowa, Part Two
Downtown Muscatine was really nice, with most of the storefronts occupied and many buildings looking like they had recently been renovated. As would be expected, there are a plethora of Italianate storefronts, as one often sees in cities along the river. The Laurel Building, below, was built in 1917 and was designed by William Hyland…