I get a good laugh out of the Louvre. It is an absurdity. Obscenely huge, the product of around twenty expansions and now the home of a gigantic museum with a stellar art collection as well as numerous other institutions in other wings, the Louvre was never the seat of the royal government in France….
Tag: Neo-Classicism
Lindell Boulevard from North Boyle Avenue to Kingshighway
Proceeding further west on Lindell Boulevard, we see both well-preserved stretches of historic architecture and utterly obliterated streetscape. There are those stunning townhouses, which I would love to own if I didn’t have to worry about a car driven by a man-child flying into my living room every day. And then there’s the former of…
Bethel Church, Logan County, Illinois
Through the randomness of Google Maps, I spotted a new landmark popping up in the countryside north of Lincoln, Illinois. Labeled Bethel Church, I knew the short ten minute drive off the interstate was going to be worthwhile. The style of the church is an interesting mix of the massing of the Gothic Revival, with…
Around Blair Avenue, Hyde Park
If you wondered what that giant forty foot deep hole looked like before it was almost completely filled in, this is what it looked like a couple of weeks ago. MSD was working to get the sewer line fixed. Interestingly, it broke in the same place one hundred years ago. I suspect, looking at old…
Henry Shaw Mausolea and Gardens, Missouri Botanical Garden
Apparently, the building sitting to the north of the fenced garden was intended to be Henry Shaw’s mausoleum, but he rejected it in favor of a new location to the south. Passing through the gates into the garden, the mausoleum appears through the trees and shadows. Shaw’s final mausoleum has changed little in appearance over…
Bellefontaine Cemetery, The Last Snow
I snapped these photos the last time it snowed in St. Louis back when it was just pretty and not a complete and total nightmare like this most recent snowstorm. I’m experimenting around with a new function which is a gallery; as has always been the case you can click on any photo to see…
Bellefontaine Cemetery in the Autumn of 2021
These photos are totally overexposed, but I still wanted to show some of the fall color from a drive around Bellefontaine Cemetery, revealing these views of the leaves changing on the trees.
Twenty Years Since 9/11, Revisiting Washington, DC, Part Two
We crossed over the Memorial Bridge into the Commonwealth of Virginia, and picked up the Metro to head to Alexandria and meet up with an old professor friend of mine. The Metro used to be the pride and joy of Washington, DC, but I was shocked at how far it had fallen. While it had…
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio
Established in 1841, Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio is one of the oldest institutions in the rural cemetery movement. It’s interesting to compare it to Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, or to its similarly named counterpart in Quincy, Illinois. It is sited on some downright rugged terrain, creating a dramatic setting with deep…
Thomas Hart Benton Grave, Bellefontaine Cemetery
Everyone knows who Thomas Hart Benton is, right? He’s buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery, and on a late morning visit I caught his monument and grave in the mottled sun and shade.