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….

Stouffer’s Hotel, Demolition Continues

Demolition has proceeded on the lower of the two cylindrical towers of the former Stouffer’s Riverfront Inn, or whatever name you best know it as, in downtown St. Louis. Demolition began with the low-slung wing that connected the two towers, and some preliminary demolition has begun on the lower floors of the original tower.

Chesterfield Community Church, Former Green Trails Baptist Church

Green Trails was a planned subdivision in Chesterfield which was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While most of the commercial aspect was not built, several churches popped up. Green Trails Baptist Church was one of them, on the far western edge where Ladue Road intersects with Olive Street Road. Groundbreaking occurred on…

Former Faith-Salem Evangelical and Reformed Church, Jennings

Built in 1953, the former Faith-Salem Evangelical and Reformed Church in West Florissant Avenue in Jennings boasts a massive 115 feet long by 15 feet high stained glass window. Designed by Frederick Dunn, whose name comes up frequently in the 1950s for the designs of Modernist churches, it is perhaps one of his more simple…

From the Vault: Philadelphia, March 2006

I was digging around in the vaults when I came across some twenty year old photographs of Philadelphia. They’re so old that they pre-exist my move back to St. Louis from the East Coast and the founding of St. Louis Patina. This is about five cameras back and lots of growth in my picture-taking abilities….

Bartmer Avenue Between Hamilton Avenue and Goodfellow Boulevard, West End

Heading east of Hamilton Avenue, Bartmer Avenue is north of not a parallel east-west street, but actually two, one-block north-south streets which are now blocked off, Parkland and Thornby places. I’ve looked at Thornby Place back in October of 2017. A synagogue once was located where there is now a parking lot on the northeast…

Bartmer Avenue Between Hodiamont and Hamilton Avenues, West End

I’ve looked at Bartmer Avenue in the Chamberlain Addition several times over the years, starting all the way back in April of 2012. This is Gamble’s Second Subdivision of Rose Hill, from 1871, which shows just how early this area was originally platted. We’re going to start at close to the city limits at Hodiamont…

Horton Place, West End

The Horton Place Addition was platted in 1887; city records do not preserve the name of the surveyor, though Julius Pitzman was active in the area at the time period. Sanborn maps split the one block (but very long) street into two maps. Above is the west end, and below is the east end. It…

Normandy High School and Viking Hall

The former Eden Seminary and then the old Normandy High School was in the process of being torn down in 1953 when it was captured in the photograph above. It had used the old seminary build since 1923. The new Normandy High School, designed by William B. Ittner, opened later in the 1920s, was constructed…