Sitting at the entrance to the now eradicated Carrollton subdivision, the former bowling alley of the same name is still open under a new name, Kingpin Lanes. It now has sand volleyball courts under a giant inflatable dome to the left of the front door. The bowling alley has been around for a half century…
Tag: North County
Up Around Bellefontaine Road
I had some business up in North County so I snapped some hurried shots of some interesting places along Bellefontaine Road, which was the former name of North Broadway in the City as it wended its way to the fort of the same name near the confluence. Well, this first place is technically on Dunn…
Kinloch Park, Berkeley
I recently stumbled upon the plat map of Kinloch Park, which as its name suggests, has to do with the street grid of Kinloch, the historically middle class African American suburb in North County. But it is not so simple. Kinloch Park formed only the northwest portion of Kinloch, and that part has actually been…
Curtiss-Wright Airplane Plant, Under Threat of Demolition
I read recently that there was an old Curtiss-Wright airplane plant on the north side of Lambert International Airport facing imminent destruction for new development, and that it was on the National Register, and thought to myself, well, it doesn’t sound too terribly interesting, but I might as well photograph it before it gets torn…
Demolition, Jamestown Mall
Update: Demolition proceeded quickly and was finished by March of 2024. It’s showtime! The long-awaited demolition of Jamestown Mall has begun. It doesn’t really come as much of a surprise. I had just visited back in August of this year, and there wasn’t much to see except tall weeds and other signs of dilapidation. I…
St. Martin de Porres, Hazelwood
While unfortunately marked as being one of dozens of parishes that closed on August 1, St. Martin de Porres Roman Catholic Church is an exceptional example of Modernist architecture in North County. Showing clear influence of Notre-Dame de Haut in Ronchamp, France with its graceful reinforced concrete roof, it also is anchored by three white…
Kühn House and Harrison Avenue, Florissant
The original central five bay wide Kühn House was built in 1840, an example of a central hall Greek Revival house in Florissant. As is typical of the style, several wings were added, but kept in a bisymmetrical balance on both sides. As would be expected by the name, it was built by a member…
Moller House and Washington Street, Florissant
You’ll have to take my word for it that there’s a really historic house back behind the dense undergrowth. It’s the Moller House, built in 1830. Greek Revival in form, it seems to still be painted white as it was back in 1933. Of course, it would not have been painted originally. The brick is…
St. Francois Street, Florissant
There was never really a “Main Street” in colonial and pre-World War II Florissant, but after the onset of suburbanization, St. Francois Street became a de facto shopping strip. The commercial buildings that were built look like your standard small town storefronts. Below is the Otto Ripple House. It is a bit of an interesting…
Around Sacred Heart, Florissant
I’ve looked at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church before. which despite Florissant’s French roots, was originally a German language parish. Many of the buildings surrounding the church likewise have historic ties to the community, as well. Hendel’s Grocery Store was built in 1873, and was operated by that family from 1915 to 1993. It is…