There is still plenty of industry alive and well in Birmingham. We went by Bluestone Coke, which manufactures one of the components of producing steel. Coke is a carbon substance created by heating coal in an airtight furnace that removes impurities. The coke that is left behind burns extremely hot, perfect for smelting iron. It…
Tag: Churches
East Lake United Methodist and Other Churches, Birmingham, Alabama
I’ll have to admit when we first spotted East Lake United Methodist Church, I had assumed it was Roman Catholic. But it’s not, and has never been! It traces its roots back 136 years, and a couple other buildings, before this giant Italian Romanesque Revival powerhouse was built. The campanile is attached to the church,…
Gate City, Birmingham, Alabama
Heading north towards the outermost regions of Birmingham, we now explore Gate City, whose name is perhaps a little obvious. There was a pass through Red Mountain, which perhaps you can extrapolate received its appellation from the abundance of iron ore running through it (remember, iron ore is one of the three components of steel…
North Up Blair Avenue, College Hill, May 2026
We finish our trip north of Blair Avenue by looking at College Hill. As I suspected would happen eventually, that wood frame flounder house, which I last looked at back in March of 2024, has been demolished. Things look mostly the same, including the wood frame houses that I’ve often noted before, below. I’ve always…
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….