North Up Blair Avenue, Again

Update: I went back up this way again in late summer of 2019. Last fall, I did a post entitled “North Up Blair Avenue,” which looked at a cross section of the neighborhoods that were affected by the construction of Interstate 70, but that also show signs of rebounding. Beginning above, a house long admired…

Updates on Demolitions, Fires and Other Collapses

Update: The alley house above was demolished, and the front building was demolished in early 2024, and a neighboring house to the south was severely damaged by fire soon after. There is much to report on this spring, starting with a collapse of an out building on Utah Street in Benton Park. It can still…

College Hill in the Snow #31: 5300 Block of Conde Street

Heading up Conde Street, there is an interesting mix of brick and wood houses, such as this rare Second Empire house, with its fair share of additions under vinyl siding. Then there is this fascinating duplex, built as two units and combined, as many are nowadays. The fenestration has been simplified, as well.

College Hill in the Snow #30: 5200 Block of Conde Street

Well, isn’t this interesting? Another large cluster of wood frame houses on Conde Street. I had spotted this cluster a while back (fifth photo), and I finally got back to take a look at them. There are one story versions, and two story ones, and then ironically, there are new in-fill houses, which you can…

College Hill in the Snow #30: 2000 Block of College Avenue

Update: The house above was demolished by the late summer of 2019. Further on down College Avenue is a beautiful stretch of preserved houses that creates a street wall and rhythm in their architectural unity. Most of the houses are occupied, as well. There are also some very old houses, as well. Update: There’s a…

College Hill in the Snow #28: Stone Front

Along East Grand Avenue (it switches at North/West Florissant Avenue), the houses are more elaborate, and they were originally homes to the more well-to-do, the fronts covered in stone shipped in by rail from new quarries south of St. Louis.

College Hill in the Snow #26: Zealand Street at College Avenue

There are many well-maintained streets, such as Zealand Avenue (second photo), in College Hill, where we saw homeowners sweeping their sidewalks out in front of their bungalows. Update: The house below has now been properly secure (last photo). But there is also abandonment, sadly, such as this stately house below, which we thought was occupied back…

College Hill in the Snow #25: North Twentieth Street

Update: See the street again in the late summer of 2019. Moving north, the street grid changes, and there are a series of north-south streets that break up the dominance of the east west streets, as well as some north-south streets that continue up from the south. There are also more “one-off” houses that are…