The demolition of the mid-Twentieth Century strip malls, a former synagogue and a church has commenced along Olive Boulevard just east of I-170 in University City. Olivette has also started on its own development to the west of the interstate. Below, the former St. Andrew Kim and before that St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church has…
Tag: University City
Around the Gates, University City
The sun was setting as I took some pictures of the gates to University Heights, just to the west of the Loop. The lions are actually concrete casts of the originals, which are now in an undisclosed location. I still think University City’s city hall is one of the most beautiful in the area. Update:…
West of the City Limits in University City and Wellston
North of the Delmar Loop, and even north of Olive Boulevard, there is an intriguing cluster of old, very old houses, dating back to perhaps the late Nineteenth Century west of the City limits. The east-west streets have the same names as their counterparts to the east in the city, but are cut off by…
University City High School
The massive University City High School was designed by Hugo K. Graf and Wilber Tyson Trueblood, in what I would describe as an Art Deco style. It combines older sculpting traditions with more modern aesthetics in massing and line. It holds the roundabout where it sits with a strong presence. It opened in 1930.
Jackson Park Elementary School, University City
Designed by Hugo K. Graf and Wilber Tyson Trueblood, Jackson Park Elementary School opened in 1933. Famed architect William Ittner added on some additions in 1952, late in his career. The school is a wonderful example of late Romanesque Revival architecture, much like would be seen in Italy, such as I recently covered in Bologna.
St. Andrew Kim, University City
Update: The church was demolished in 2021. Formerly dedicated to St. Patrick, this Modernist Roman Catholic church near the intersection of Olive and I-170 is now the Korean national church of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, a martyr who died in the Nineteenth Century. He is the patron saint of Korea and the first Roman Catholic priest…
Parkview, Revisited
Yes, it’s sort of weird, but a couple hundred feet of Parkview is in St. Louis, in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood, and the vast majority is in University City. The community has its own website. But one thing is for sure; the architecture and the urban planning, the latter by Julius Pitzman, are amazing.
The Delmar Loop and its Environs, Revisited
The Loop still has some great architecture, and the street is still busy with the construction of the trolley moving further east. Narrowing the street to encourage pedestrian traffic is a winning formula, even as it is still considered to be counter-intuitive. Thinking that more lanes will solve traffic problems is the false belief. There…
Shaare Emeth, Temple of the Gates of Truth
After writing my recent St. Louis Magazine article about Centenary United Methodist Church, one of the oldest continually operating congregations in downtown St. Louis, and in the city in general, I became interested in the synagogue that backed right up to the church. It was dramatically named Temple of the Gates of Truth, and I…
City Hall, University City
Update: I photographed City Hall in January of 2020 again (second and third photos). Who isn’t captivated by the ornate beauty of University City‘s city hall? Originally built as a women’s magazine office building, it was part of a planned ensemble of unique buildings at the entrance of University Heights.