Evans Avenue Between Vandeventer and East Prairie Avenues

I know I’ve photographed these apartment buildings before, but for the life of me I can’t find that post now. But what is there to say? It’s totally depressing. Almost everything on this street is abandoned and deteriorating, and there is nothing being done about it. This one building below looks to be the only…

JeffVanderLou and St. Louis Place, Early Summer 2023

Heading east of St. Louis Avenue, I looked at the north side of that thoroughfare, having looked at the south of the street in two parts, here and here back in July of 2022. There is still a large part of JeffVanderLou west of North Grand Boulevard, even if most of the huge neighborhood is…

Cass Avenue Between Leffingwell and Elliott Avenues

First we glance at these houses on Sheridan Avenue, which I think might be slated for rehabilitation, but I’m not sure. We then head up Leffingwell Avenue and turn right onto Cass Avenue, which I’ve looked at twice before in January of 2013 and and January of 2017 (last three photos). The house below, with…

End of Summer Odds and Ends

I first would like to invite readers out to my free lecture on the history of the Lemp Brewery tomorrow, at 11:00 AM, September 20, 2022 at the Missouri History Museum. Its architecture was born out of the designs of highly influential architects Edmund Jungenfeld; Theodore Krausch; Widman, Walsh and Boisselier; and Guy Tyler Norton. I will be…

Checking In On Mark Twain and Central High Schools

St. Louis voters recently overwhelmingly passed Prop S, which will allow the St. Louis Public Schools to issue bonds for much needed improvements to buildings, most of which are now over one hundred years old, though as anyone who will admit it, are extremely well built and will last for centuries if properly maintained. The…

Mount Moriah Lodge #40

If you ever have trouble understanding what Egyptian Revival is, look no further than the old Mount Moriah Lodge #40 on North Garrison Avenue. It almost certainly does not preserve its original paint scheme, but nonetheless it is in an excellent state of preservation. Combining elements of the Temple of Karnak at Luxor, it shows…

Urban Density Surviving on Grand Boulevard

While all those demolitions are going on down south, there are actually a fair number of really nice buildings still standing just to the north, particularly on the west side of Grand Boulevard. Justine Peterson has a presence in one building, nice rehabbed above. There’s this spectacular Art-Deco storefront above, which is a rarity in…

Northside Regeneration and the Future of North St. Louis

Update: There’s some great news to report on these two houses. For once this is not land speculation but rather the Sisters at Alpha Kappa Alpha rebuilding a founder’s home as part of what will be a museum and community center. Heading east on St. Louis Avenue just east of Garrison, I spotted a strange…