I love the Ainad Temple, right in the heart of East St. Louis. There had been rumors that they were going to close, but they instead made a commitment to stay in the city’s downtown. I’m glad, as it will still be here when the city is reborn. It is a beautiful building, filled with…
Tag: East St. Louis
Under the Bridge Approaches, East St. Louis
Down under the towering eastern approaches of the Martin Luther King Bridge, there is B Street, and there are a couple of houses that are occupied (not shown). Who are they? I did not have time to stop and ask, but I know they must have a great story. This is what happens when you…
Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, Revisited
I drive by this church fairly often, for whatever reason, and I love its architecture. I’ve photographed it at least one time before, back in late November of 2017.
East St. Louis War Memorial Rededicated
Back in early 2018, a group of veterans got together in East St. Louis, responding to the sad state of the World War One Memorial I had photographed in November of 2017. People didn’t think they could do it, but this Saturday, May 25th, the new memorial, replacing the battered old one that could no…
East St. Louis by the Old Stockyards
Just over a year ago, I checked in on the areas of East St. Louis just to the east of the old National Stockyards and the old meatpacking plants that used to employ thousands of workers. Crossing over the railroad tracks, and there are still many houses that are proudly occupied, but there are also…
Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Bridge
Update: See what lies under the Illinois approaches in this post from July 2019. To commemorate the bridge’s closure for repairs in the fall of 2018, I thought I would photograph the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Bridge, which has the distinction of being the first bridge built at St. Louis strictly for automobile traffic?…
Northeast Side of East St. Louis
Update: I returned to the area in November of 2019. There are some cool Modernist office buildings on State Street, such as the one above. This billboard stands isolated in the middle of some undergrowth and trees. Nelson Mandela Elementary School is not very old, but it was already closed. It has been vandalized, its…
Churches of East St. Louis, Part 9
I suspect this cool church was also an Eastern Orthodox church at one point, and is right next door to the Greek Orthodox church. It is still occupied, and looks great. It’s a fascinating mix of Modernism and Romanesque or Byzantine style.
Churches of East St. Louis, Part 8: Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church
Update: Thanks to readers contacting me, I have learned this was a Lithuanian national church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville. The stylized onion dome would make sense in an Eastern European church such as Lithuania. I revisited the church in the spring of 2019. I love this Modernist little church right by the…
Churches of East St. Louis, Part 7
Tucked away in northern East St. Louis is the Community of Christ Church, a neat little Modernist A-frame church. The medallion shows a lion lying with a lamb on either side of Christ, with the word “peace” written below.