North Up Blair Avenue, Hyde Park, May 2026, Part Three

Continuing north up Blair in Hyde Park, we see a Gingerbread house and then the styles go back to what we would expect to see in the neighborhood. Windsor Park was a former quarry, which I’ve talked about before in the past. This little church is still in great condition. But there’s a lot of…

North Up Blair Avenue, Old North, May 2026, Part One

It’s been awhile since I’ve gone north up Blair Avenue, so I thought I would take a look to see what’s been happening since the last time, which was March of 2024. It’s been my way of checking up on the inner ring neighborhoods of the Northside, and it is always interesting. I started further…

Two More Churches, Breese

There is a second Catholic church in Breese, St. Augustine’s, which is on the south side of town and surely was opened as the population surged. Constructed in a Lombard Romanesque Revival style, it again like many churches in the region, reminds me of the houses of worship I’ve seen in Milan, Italy. This church…

St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery, Breese

St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church is the massive first parish in Breese, Illinois. Founded in 1858, the current church is from 1867. It’s a massive church, expressed in the German Gothic Revival style with a central spire and two octagonal turrets flanking. The interior, which was closed when we visited, is most likely a typical…

Carr Square, May 2026

I realized that while I investigated the Carr Square neighborhood in two pieces at St. Louis Magazine several years ago (you can read the first part here, and the second part here), I had neglected to take a look at what the area looks like now. To put it mildly, you would never imagine that…

St. Theresa of the Child Christ Roman Catholic Church, Belleville

We spotted this Mid-Century Modern church on our way out of Belleville, and stopped to take a closer look. Unfortunately, it was closed and locked, so we could not explore the interior. While the parish dates to 1926, this current building dates to 1967 and you can see photos of the interior at this link….

Former Temple Israel, Tornado Damaged

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…

Neosho Street Between Macklind and Brannon Avenues

Passing by Macklind Avenue, we continue to see Arts and Crafts bungalows and two-families, which we would expect in the 1910s and 20s in St. Louis. There is this curious house style above, which also appears elsewhere on this street, with a simple shed roof covered in red clay tile. But then the houses go…

South Seventh Boulevard Between Shenandoah and Geyer Avenues

Crossing Shenandoah Avenue and heading north, we see this house standing by itself. It’s obvious that the front facade has been relaid, and judging from the tagging, it’s been sitting like this for a while. But moving north, we see tow examples of houses where there has been successful relaying of brick and occupancy. These…