Continuing down West Main Street, which locals call the longest of its name in the world (it is admittedly a very long street), we cross over 14th Street in Belleville. There are some very old houses, such as the one above, and also some signs of life in the presence of a few restaurants that…
Tag: Greek Revival
West Main Street Between 21st and 14th Streets, Belleville
We picked up West Main Street in Belleville just east of the old Belleville West Township High School and headed southeast for awhile. While it’s still a little residential, it quickly becomes strictly commercial after a block or two, and demonstrates how the city was a bustling center of industry in the Nineteenth Century. Duplexes…
Kimmswick, Revisited
Founded in 1859 by German Theodore Kimm, we thought that Kimmswick was worth a second look recently since we were in the area after having looked at it back in August of 2020. I had forgotten how many log cabins there were in the town. And judging from the National Register nomination, which does not…
Saint Louis University, Downtown
I think many people might know that Saint Louis University was once located downtown, but may not realize that the buildings were an elegant ensemble of Neo-Classical edifices. Originally beginning as the St. Louis Academy in 1818, it was then the St. Louis College in 1829 now under the Jesuit umbrella, and finally University in…
Convent of the Sacred Heart
It was hiding in plain view. This old photograph of the French Market, which I had posted way back in October of 2020, featured a very prominent gable roof with windows that are obviously that of a church or chapel. Digging deeper, I discovered that the block of South Broadway, Hickory, 6th and LaSalle streets…
Panorama, Ravens-Queathem House, Chesterfield
For the last several decades known as the Old House in Hog Hollow and currently operating as a wine bar, the Ravens-Quaethem House was originally built in 1859 with a significant expansion in 1912. It was named Panorama due to its views of the Missouri River Valley below. Apparently one of the early owners herded…
The Streets Around Downtown, Perryville
Around the courthouse square in Perryville are an assortment of brick houses, which I suspect are from around the time of the Civil War or earlier. The houses are simple, with gable roofs and four bays wide facing the street. I suspect many were built by German immigrants. A highlight is the Faherty House, which…
Bellefontaine Cemetery, Snow in January 2025
I usually try and make it up to Bellefontaine Cemetery after it snows, and the roads were in great condition inside its gates, so I drove around and took a few photos.
Montgomery Street Fire, Old North
Only hours after I had posted on January 22 the good news that these houses were being rehabbed, a fire broke out and severely damaged this row of houses. I do not know what the future holds for these houses. Sometimes it feels like North St. Louis just cannot catch a break.
Twenty-Three Years of Paul McKee: Old North
Old North was originally going to be in the footprint of the Northside TIF (Blairmont, one of the shell LLCs, takes its name from a property McKee bought at the intersection of Blair and Montgomery in the neighborhood). But neighborhood opposition caused the McKee to withdraw Old North from his plan. The only problem is…