Update: I revisited the street in October of 2024. I went and drove down MLK Dr, which was obviously at some point a major artery from the northwest side of the city. I realized that the front of this building, and the ones below, date from when the street was widened (note the Second Empire…
Tag: Near North Side
Western Near North Side
If I could accomplish anything, it would be convincing people how beautiful the houses built right after the Civil War were: urban, compact, and useful. As it is, these wonderful houses will end up as piles of rubble, as part of some new, stupid redevelopment plan that fails before anything gets built. But the beauty…
Fire, McGowan Warehouse
I was just remarking in June what a “nice warehouse” this was, so I was flabbergasted to hear that it has just been gutted by fire. Such a waste. It was actually a couple buildings. The warehouse was a frequent target of media stories about graffiti lining major interstates in St. Louis.
La Rose Room
Back in January, I looked at the Green Book in St. Louis, and the bars that once lined Franklin just north of Mill Creek. They’re all gone, but I did spot this place, perhaps a descendant of those bars.
Former Bottle District Site
Only in St. Louis, it seems, could such prime real estate sit undeveloped like this for so long. Really, is there no demand? Sadly, that is the only answer. Update: The warehouse below was gutted by fire a month after this photo was taken. This nice warehouse, which now seems to be vacated by the…
St. Bridget of Erin, Late February
Update: St. Bridget of Erin was not the first Irish Roman Catholic parish torn down in St. Louis. St. Columbkille was demolished in the 1950s.
Second Empire House, Near North Side
I could have sworn I had a picture of the front of this house, but I can’t seem to find it now. But what a story this house tells. While yes, many houses, when converted to boarding houses saw expansions out the back, I do not think that is what happened here. This was just…
The Bridge is Just the Beginning
Not likely.
A Birthday and a Death
A friend had taken me out to dinner for my birthday in the Central West End on July 10th, and we were driving back to South City. It was already dark, as we had eaten late because I was giving a lecture at the Art Museum. As is common for me, I do not take…