The Liggett and Meyers Tobacco Factory stretches between Folsom and Park Avenues, and the north side of the building is perhaps not as often photographed. There are large rounded arch windows of what was originally the power plant, with ten boilers that were served by the massive octagonal smokestack. It’s one of the most popular…
Tag: Power Plants
Dick Brothers Brewery, Quincy, Illinois
The Dick Brothers Brewery is located on York Street in the South Side German Historic District. It is a great example of adaptive reuse of a historic brewery building that has incorporated its underground cellars into a guided tour. The buildings are also a great example of the Rundbogenstil of brewery architecture, which I classify…
Lemp Brewery, Early May, 2020
Jason Gray’s photographs that he took for my series of articles about the Lemp Brewery for St. Louis Magazine are of such higher quality than mine that it almost seems pointless for me to take any more pictures of the massive complex. But I was in the neighborhood recently near sunset, and the temptation was…
Alliant Energy Power Plant Under Demolition, Dubuque, Iowa
This power plant is no longer standing; it was being demolished when I walked by in the afternoon. It was not the largest power plant in the world, but it sure seems huge when I was standing near it. Back in 2008, before it was slated for demolition, it was the feature of a power…
North Bank, St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis
The north bank of the Mississippi is where Pillsbury, yes that Pillsbury, had its mills and grain elevators. Much of its huge physical plant is now condos, and it is really a beautiful area today, much like we saw yesterday. The old tail race of the turbines is still there, showing the history of the…
North St. Louis, Late Summer, 2019
I met new people all over North St. Louis this summer, including members of the congregation of the Original Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in the Ville neighborhood, on St. Louis Avenue. Better Family Life had organized dozens of churches to host barbecues all summer long, and the Church had been one of the participants. I…
Cahokia Power Station, August 2019
One of my favorite buildings that I have never gotten close to is the old Cahokia Power Station, located across the river in Illinois. Its hulking mass and six smokestacks dominate the Southside, and have for decades.
South Riverfront, Revisited
Update: I revisited the area again in the summer of 2019. The near south riverfront, just below the Arch grounds on the Mississippi, is still a fascinating place. This giant crane, for example, is a mystery to me; what was it used for? Then there’s this giant railroad trestle, which slowly works its way up…
New Stacks at Ashley Street Power Plant
I wonder what that crane is doing, I asked one weekend. A week or two later, I received my answer. The massive smoke stacks of the Ashley Street Power Plant are being replaced, and these rusty remnants are the old ones. Presumably since the plant, which now produces steam, is not being demolished for the…
The Old Power Plant, East St. Louis
I don’t think anyone has every really figured out what the story is about this towering power plant buried in the thick undergrowth on the south side of East St. Louis. It looks to be made out of reinforced concrete, placing its construction in my opinion between the World Wars. If you know anything, please…