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…

Walnut Grove Hills, Florissant

Walnut Grove Hills sits in that little wedge of land just south of Interstate 270, still in Florissant but sort of a world away from the main part of the city. McCluer High School keeps it company to the north. Regardless, it is an immaculately cared-for subdivision, with beautiful lawns and houses, representing a piece…

De Smet Subdivision, Florissant

The De Smet subdivision sits north of Lindbergh Boulevard and northwest of old town Florissant. Of course, we need to remember that Lindbergh had already been laid out decades before as part of the US highway system (not the interstate system). The main entrance, above, makes me believe there were grander plans for an elaborate…

Paddock Hills, Florissant

The first post-World War II subdivision we’re going to look at in Florissant is Paddock Hills, located behind the Church of the Master off Parker Road. The prolific Mayer-Raisher Mayer developed subdivisions around the metropolitan region, but often specialized in ranch houses, as seen in these photographs. Interestingly, there is what appears to be linoleum…

Lee Avenue Between North Kingshighway and Marcus Avenue

I had some time to kill, so I decided to explore the entire length of Lee Avenue from North Kingshighway to North Grand Boulevard. While there’s technically four blocks east of Grand, there are not any houses facing the street. At Kingshighway, Lee technically turns to Brown Avenue and enters the Mark Twain Industrial Park….

Morgan Ford South of Gravois, Bevo

Jumping around a bit, we’re back to the intersection of Morgan Ford and Gravois, and we’ll head south, starting at this replica of a famous landmark in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina. We looked at the intersection before, and saw there was once a row of buildings at the corner that is now a parking lot…

Checking In on the Metro East: Granite City Industry

After leaving Madison, I wandered over into Granite City, where I soon found myself on East 23rd Street, and lo and behold, there was TMS Services. I went to their website, and after reading their “About Us” section I still have absolutely no idea what they do. I guess it looks like they probably scrap…