Update: At some point by mid-December of 2018, the western side wall suffered a catastrophic collapse, threatening the structural integrity of the house. It was finally demolished in April of 2019. Your tax dollars at work! The State of Missouri has jealously owned a group of historic houses on Samuel Shepard Drive for a couple…
Tag: Midtown
Demolition at Jamison Memorial Church
Update: By June of 2018, the site of the buildings was still a weed-choked lot. Severely damaged by fire over Memorial Day weekend of 2023 A demolition permit was issued for $10,000 in late October to wreck the old Second Empire townhouse that once stood connected to Jamison Memorial Church. A friend tipped me off…
Givens Row, Late October 2016
The remnants of what St. Louis once was, and what it could be again, still pop up here and there on Delmar and other streets in the once posh Midtown. “New York Style” living, where there are bustling streets lined with pedestrians, can still be possible. But my, just look at how beautiful this house…
The Last of Its Kind, Samuel Shepard Drive
Update: Damaged by storms in August of 2017. Demolished in the spring of 2019. This little guy is the last of what was originally five row houses, perhaps only saved because it used its stout neighbors for support. But it gets even more exciting on the side, where obvious signs of the neighboring house are…
Backs, Row of Houses, Samuel Shepard Drive
Just look at how beautiful these backyards are (and could be), shaded by this large tree. This is living close to your neighbors, requiring to actually get to know them.
Front, Row of Houses, Samuel Shepard Drive
Update: The house on the left in the pictures below was demolished in May of 2019. I’m constantly drawn back to this row of houses, owned by the State of Missouri. Elegant, neighborly, and still full of potential since the State has stabilized them, they need to be sold to the right developer. This is…
SaLees Kennard House, Midtown
Update: The back wing of the house has collapsed, as of December 1, 2016. At some point by mid-December of 2018, the remaining western side wall suffered a catastrophic collapse, threatening the structural integrity of the house. It was demolished in April of 2019. I wrote about this desolate block of Samuel Shepard Drive last…
Detritus, Samuel Shepard Drive
The broken limbs and trunks brought down in the midsummer storm were cleared out of the street relatively quickly, except on those forgotten streets of abandoned houses.
Scott Joplin House, Revisited
In the first year of this website, I visited the Scott Joplin House. I hadn’t been back on foot until last month; I drove through back in late July. Why is that? Scott Joplin is a fascinating character, and incredibly important to our history. But I found myself this visit being more interested in the…
Washington and Compton Presbyterian Church
The Washington and Compton Presbyterian Church was an outgrowth of 2nd Presbyterian, first known as Walnut Street Presbyterian in 1864. This church was built in the late 1870s, and served was occupied until 1926, when it was renamed and moved to Skinker. I featured that church last month. It was renovated and occupied by Washington…