Update: I went back in July of 2020. You can see the decades of the Twentieth Century pass by as you drive up St. Clair Avenue through East St. Louis out to Fairview Heights, where it changes its name to Lincoln Trail. I drove back on the road from Fairview Heights a couple of years…
Tag: East St. Louis
Shop City Drive In, Outskirts of East St. Louis
Update: Thanks to tips from readers, this has been identified as the Shop City Drive-In. It has been demolished. I spotted this abandoned drive-in, engulfed in trees on the south side of St. Clair Avenue in the eastern reaches of East St. Louis. I didn’t even realize the city limits stretched out this far. It…
Murphy Building Demolition
The ink was barely dry on the recent National Register nomination for downtown East St. Louis when the city government began its plan to demolish the Murphy Building, a contributing component, out from underneath the owner, who had been attempting to raise the money to renovate it. Now there will be no chance, as the…
Crime Against Humanity
Don’t let the lying liars lie to you. This building was structurally sound (the back wing was separate, structure-wise), and the owner was trying to raise the money to fix it up. Apparently the government is smarter than you.
St. Patrick’s School, East St. Louis
Alerted by Darren Snow, I went and visited this beautiful old Catholic school building in the eastern reaches of East St. Louis, near Washington Park. This part of the city is in much better condition than much of the areas closer in, but the abandonment and desolation is spreading. It’s a strange mix of Moorish…
Road Building, National Stockyards
Update: Most of these new roads are now complete. I knew that there were new roads planned over in the old Stockyards in what was once National City (and now largely annexed by Fairmount City), and I knew they’d been pushing dirt around, but I just realized by satellite image that they’re really doing all…
Olivette Park, East St. Louis
In a city of old wood frame homes, the buildings of Olivette Park stand out in their brick construction. The vitality of the neighborhood can be seen in these handsome buildings, such as this old synagogue. Below, this apartment building looks like something that could easily fit in the Central West End. Below, these houses…
Katherine Dunham Museum Needs Your Help
I wrote in my weekly article at St. Louis Magazine about the wonderful Katherine Dunham Museum over in East St. Louis. They need our help to keep going; it would be a shame for such a great resource slip away.
Spivey Building, Revisited Again
Update: The Spivey Building is still standing; see more posts here.