Tower Grove South: Clay Mining and Residential Development

The Russell estate, like the Christys‘ and Binghams‘, by benefit of its large size, lucked out when coal was discovered on its grounds. When the population of St. Louis was already around 300,000 in 1876, it’s hard to believe that Tower Grove South was out in the country, and largely owned by the Russells, as…

One More in Tower Grove South

Just north of Dutchtown across Chippewa Street into what is technically Tower Grove South is this beauty built in 1939 in what I would call a sort of Streamline Moderne, proto-Modern style. It reminds me of buildings that would spring up further west in St. Louis Hills in greater numbers. Tomorrow, we’ll head in a…

Oak Hill, The Old Russell-Parker Estate

The Russells and Parkers operated coal and clay mines in what is now the expansive Tower Grove South neighborhood in the Nineteenth Century. Their house, which was owned in turn by both families, but seems to have been built by William Russell, sat at 3405 Oak Hill Avenue and Fairview and Parker. The house sat…

The Clay Industry in South St. Louis

The busy, and I would say, extremely hectic, intersection of Gravois and Chippewa once was home to one of the Hydraulic Press Brick Company’s brick yards, which you can see above in this Sanborn Map from 1903. I think what is also fascinating is how absolutely deserted the area was around the factory back at…

Former Scruggs Methodist Memorial Church

Originally founded in 1872, Scruggs Methodist Memorial Church moved to the corner of Cook and Spring in 1877. The current Colonial Revival church was opened in 1929, and closed in 1998. I just realized I remember the original steeple being extant until only recently. City permits reveal that it was most likely removed in 2016,…

Fanning Elementary School

What’s now Fanning Middle School, and what will soon be a vacant building, was originally an elementary school. It’s one of the most interesting and architecturally rich of the schools designed by William B. Ittner in 1907. Clear views of the school are now blocked by some strange looking trees, but it’s a mix of…

The Crossroads of the World: Grand and Gravois

Inspired by a World Wide Magazine visit to the intersection of Grand and Gravois, I photographed the old South Side National Bank. It’s been turned into condos or apartments. It was going to be demolished for a Walgreen’s but cooler heads prevailed. It’s sort of St. Louis’s own shorter version of the Empire State Building….

Convent of the Good Shepherd

Several weeks ago, I wrote about Bamberger’s Grove at my regular St. Louis Magazine weekly column. As I also wrote, Adolphus Busch later bought the Grove and donated it to nuns, who opened the House of the Good Shepherd, who opened a school for girls. Here are a couple of extra maps that didn’t make…