bygone saint louis

2011-05-27T07:08:00.001-07:00

Image of 7th and Park.

The Admiral and the Robert E. Lee, ca. 1970

2011-05-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

The Admiral and the Robert E. Lee, 20th century entertainment riverboats, were part of the St. Louis waterfront for decades. Although the Admiral spent much of its recent years as a moored stationary casino, it once plied the waters of the Mississippi as a streamlined dance hall. The Admiral was scrapped in 2011 after the revocation of its casino license and the deterioration of its hull. The Robert E. Lee, a recreation of an earlier steamboat of the same name, was primarily a floating restaurant until its destruction by fire in 2010 while it awaited renovation as a restaurant in St. Charles on the Missouri.

For video of the burning of the Robert E. Lee:
http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=198427

Nord St. Louis Turnverein, ca. 2005

2011-05-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

The Nord St. Louis Turnverein, located at the corner of Salisbury and 20th Streets, was built in stages starting in 1871 as one of several athletic recreation centers for German immigrants in the city. Turnvereins were the brainchild of a Prussian, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, who conceived of them as places to practice and teach the new exercise known as gymnastics in the early 19th century. In addition to fire damage, the Nord Turnverein bore the scars of decades of vacancy after the group moved out in the 1980s, and in 2011, the remnants of the building were demolished and replaced with a vacant lot. With its removal, the intersection of 20th and Salisbury now has no structure at its corners for the first time since prior to the invention of the ice cream soda, the cash register, and earmuffs.

The photograph above is from the city of St. Louis' Geo St. Louis web site. For more images of it:
http://www.builtstlouis.net/northside/hyde_park03.html

The Sud St. Louis Turnverein survives at the corner of 10th and Carroll Streets. For images of it:
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/turnverein.htm

Downtown Pontiac, ca. 1955

2011-05-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

From the Boston Public Library Flickr photostream is this postcard of the Downtown Pontiac dealership at 4141 Lindell Boulevard. According to the postcard, Downtown Pontiac offered "personalized service" at "15 minutes from everywhere," while exhorting that "most everyone likes us." The early midcentury modern building has been replaced by a retail strip mall that currently features a Blockbuster Video rental outlet.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/5532147918

King Bros. Motel, ca. 1955

2011-05-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

From the Boston Public Library Flickr photostream is this postcard of the King Bros. Motel at the junction of Routes 40, 61, 66, and 67. Today the intersection is better known as Lindbergh Boulevard and Clayton Road ( next to the Interstate 64. The motel also was known as the Smith Bros. Motel for a time, but has since been replaced by upscale retail establishments.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/5532147274

An aerial view of the motel:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/5531563615

Masonic Home of Missouri, ca. 1920

2011-05-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

From three eBay postcard listings are these images of the Masonic Home located at 5351 Delmar Boulevard. The original purpose of the Masonic Home was to house and assist the wives and children of deceased Master Masons, but later expanded to include assisting the elderly, the infirm, and orphans. The first buildings on the site were constructed in 1889, but these were replaced in 1914 and expanded upon multiple times (the newest structure was built in 1959). Due to budget constraints, however, the Masonic Home of St. Louis was closed in 1989 and all buildings on the site were demolished. The site is now occupied by the Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center.

View of Olive Street, ca. 1905

2011-05-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

From an eBay listing for a postcard is this image of Olive Street and Broadway, looking west on Olive. As far as is known, no building in this picture survives. On the right is an unknown building that was demolished in 1909 to make way for the LaSalle Building. In the midground distance on the right is the Carleton Building, identified by the wall paint at the top and its distinctive cornice. It was located at the northeast corner of Sixth and Olive, and was demolished after 1967 and replaced by a modern office building. On the left is an unknown building demolished in 1907 and replaced by the 3rd National Bank Building, which itself was demolished in 1980 and replaced by the Metropolitan Square Building.

Hotel Jefferson, ca. 1920

2011-05-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

From two eBay listings are these postcard images of the Hotel Jefferson (since renamed the Jefferson Arms Apartments), located at 415 N. Tucker Boulevard and built in 1904. The hotel played host to President Woodrow Wilson and President Harry Truman, and it was the location of meetings and the hotel for dignitaries at the 1916 Democratic National Convention. Although the building still stands, according to news reports the interior of the building deteriorated after its conversion to senior apartments in the 1960s. It was purchased by the Pyramid Company in July 2006, which evicted the building's more than 500 apartment-dwellers. Redevelopment into condominiums failed with Pyramid in 2008, and the Jefferson remains vacant.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/07/24/story6.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/05/05/story1.html

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_44353de2-5efd-11e0-8040-001a4bcf6878.html

Washington Hotel, 1905

2011-04-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

From an eBay listing is this postcard of the Washington Hotel (Apartments), designed by Eames and Young and built in 1902 at the northeast corner of Kingshighway and Washington Place. In its original form, it was a full service hotel (no kitchens in the rooms), but it is considered a forerunner of the luxury apartment buildings that soon dotted the Central West End skyline. It still stands, but its apartments now feature kitchens, among other amenities.

Photographs of the Washington Apartments

Forest Park Band Pagoda, 1910

2011-04-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

From eBay listings are these postcards of the original Forest Park bandstand in Pagoda Circle near the Municipal Theater. The bandstand was built in 1876, but in 1911 (around the time of these postcards) it was closed. The next year, it was damaged by a storm and caught fire, and the remnants were demolished. The current pagoda is known as the Nathan Frank Bandstand, after funds for its construction were donated in 1925 by Nathan Frank, a former U.S. House representative of the Missouri 9th district and St. Louis lawyer.

Speedwa School Annex, 1923

2010-07-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

From an eBay listing for a postcard is this image of the former Speedwa School Annex building at Hebert and Grand Avenues. The original Speedwa School (a stenography school) still stands at Sullivan and Grand (one block south), but this building, a simpler and more utilitarian breed, was demolished in July 2009. Depicted above with a general store/grocer in the bottom floor, it appears from wall signage that the building continued in that use for some time.

From the Geo St. Louis city site is this photograph (circa 2007). Prior to its demolition, it had been a vacant brick building for at least 20 years. It is now a vacant gravel lot.

Old National Hotel, ca. 1935

2010-06-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

From the Historic American Building Survey is this photograph taken by the Piaget-van Raavensway team in the 1930s. Although not as imposing as other structures taken down at the riverfront, this particular building would have been ripe for historical tours. The Old National Hotel was built in 1847 on the site of the former Old National Hotel, which in turn had been built in 1831 (on the site of the first Protestant church in St. Louis). If the building had been saved, it would immediately become one of the oldest buildings in the area, and certainly the oldest standing hotel in the city.

But that's not all. Bear me a brief history lesson.

In 1846, the Whig Party had succeeded in getting a candidate elected to the United States House of Representatives from the state of Illinois; indeed, he was the only Whig from Illinois in the Congress. The man was tall, gaunt, and rather stiff when posing for his first photograph -- a daguerreotype, to be precise. The elections were held in late 1846, but the the first session of the 30th Congress did not actually begin until December 1847. Thus, to arrive in time, the man left Illinois on October 25, 1847, with his wife and two young boys in tow.

He had been to the big city of Chicago in July 1847 (then the home of some 25,000 souls). He also had been to New Orleans in 1831 on a flatboat (even in 1831, home to some 45,000 people). Memphis, also on the Mississippi, housed only some 10,000 in the 1840s. St. Louis was massive by comparison. In October 1847, at least 75,000 people teemed in the city's narrow streets. French, English, German -- all tongues mixed in the metropolis of the West. Thus, the biggest city of this man's life now lay before him, as he waited to board a train bound for the East Coast. In the coming years, he would take a stand against the Mexican-American War, return home to Springfield, return to elected office in 1860, and lead the nation through the worst crisis in its history. In October 1847, he was only beginning that journey. And at the start of that journey, on October 28, 1847, he stayed at the Old National Hotel.

Abraham Lincoln upon his election to Congress, 1846

The Old National Hotel, located at Third and Market streets, was demolished for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 1948.

Republican Building, 1887

2010-06-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

From The Industries of Saint Louis by J.W. Leonard (1887) is this drawing of the Republican Building, a fine Second Empire built at 3rd and Chestnut in 1873 (two blocks north of the Old Cathedral), after a disastrous fire in 1870 destroyed the previous building. The designers were Thomas Walsh and Edward Jungenfeld, who incorporated a cast iron facade on the lower two stories and hydraulic pressed brick on the upper three stories. A festival and speechmaking marked the opening of the building in January 1873. As a nod to the fate of the previous Republican Building, the 1873 form had several fireproofing options -- iron ceilings, cement floors (covered in pine), fire hoses on every floor, and water tanks were kept on the premises.

It appears the fireproofing lasted until the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial demolitions.

Saint Louis Liederkranz, 1907

2010-06-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

From an eBay listing is this lovely postcard of the Liederkranz Club at 2626 S. Grand, which opened in 1907. This club building, in turn, was demolished and the location is now the home of an Always Low Price Store (ALPS). The previous location (at 13th and Chouteau) is now a vacant lot. See the previous post for more information about the Liederkranz.

Saint Louis Liederkranz, 1887

2010-06-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

From The Industries of Saint Louis by J.W. Leonard (1887) is this drawing of the Saint Louis Liederkranz Hall, a German cultural and musical organization building. The Liederkranz Hall was home to a variety of meetings and conventions (in addition to its primary purpose as a music/stage venue), located at 13th and Chouteau streets. At some point, the main Liederkranz Hall was demolished, but the St. Louis Liederkranz Club lived on at 2626 S. Grand Blvd. (see the next post for a lovely postcard).

Incidentally, the Liederkranz of New York City remains as a prime example of this fine tradition (http://www.liederkranznycity.org/home.asp), operating a choir, theater, and vocal competitions.

Fenton Mounds, 2001

2010-06-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

On the subject of burial mounds, it ought be noted that the hamlet of Fenton itself was graced with a set of mounds. Conversely, the mounds were not graced by the hamlet of Fenton. For a thousand years, mounds containing the remains of those who once walked the Earth were sacred ground.

http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2001-10-31/news/grave-losses/

In 2001, the Fenton Mounds were demolished. For a photograph, click here:

http://www.riverfronttimes.com/photoGallery/index/111303/1

Brookings Hall, 1904

2010-04-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

From Connecticut at the World's Fair (1904) is this photograph of a Connecticut state band at the then-administrative building for the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

Connecticut Building at the 1904 World's Fair, 1904

2010-04-23T18:59:00.001-07:00

From Connecticut at the World's Fair, Report of the Commissioners from Connecticut to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, 1904.

The Connecticut General Assembly voted $100,000 for the exposition, divided up as follows:

Exhibits:

Education -- $7,500

Shell-fish -- $1,000

Farm products -- $7,000

Pomological (fruits -- primarily apples and walnuts) -- $4,000

Dairy -- $2,500

Tobacco -- $1,500

Horticulture -- $3,000

Ceremonies and Dedication Week Festival -- $25,000

Connecticut Building -- $30,000

Furnishings -- $7,500

Commission expenses -- $3,000

Sundries (other items) -- $2,500

Building maintenance -- $2,500

If the entire building cost $30,000, then the $1,000 exhibit on shellfish must have been quite the show.

Custom House and Post Office, 1878

2010-04-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

From The Pictorial Guide to St. Louis (1878) by Camille Dry is this sketch of the old custom house for St. Louis, located at Olive and Third streets (parts of which are visible in other images on the site). Old Custom House was demolished in the 1930s as part of the Jeffersonal National Expansion Memorial.

Washington University in St. Louis, 1879

2010-04-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

From Switzler's Illustrated History of Missouri (1879) is this sketch of the original Washington University in downtown St. Louis.

Mounds in Forest Park, 1903

2010-04-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

From The Cahokia and Surrounding Mounds by David Bushnell (1904) is this stunning set of photographs of the Native American mounds originally located in Forest Park. The mound shown above, 3.5 feet high and 55 feet in diameter and noted as Mound F on the map below, was one of several demolished during the preparations for the World's Fair. Evidence of human remains was found in several (but not all of the mounds). Given the lack of vegetation, it seems likely that slumping occurred to a number of the mounds (as most were under 5 feet high).

Bushnell writes that the photographs were taken at the ridge of the bluff in the park, near a bend in the River Des Peres. According to a map of the area from 1897 and 1903, that bend became the western corner of the waterway formed as part of Post-Dispatch Lake (the pool of water at the bottom of Art Hill). Bushnell stated that a set of small, low-lying mounds dotted the landscape near the river, while a set of taller mounds stood atop Art Hill. See map below for Bushnell's sketch of the locations of the mounds:

Here is a photograph of the low-lying mounds (unidentified as to which one it was). Any remnants of these mounds appear to be long gone.

The Big Mound, 1869

2010-03-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

From Switzler's Illustrated History of Missouri 1541-1877 (1879) comes this sketch of the largest Native American mound built in St. Louis near the time of its demolition in 1869. The Big Mound, as it was known, was near the intersection of Broadway and Mound Street in Old North St. Louis. It stood at least 30 feet high, was 150 feet in length, and had three terraced approaches facing the river for religious ceremonies. At one point in the 1820s, a small resort building was constructed at the top of the mound. Artifacts were found during its demolition.

Its only rival in size was the mound demolished to make way for Col. John O'Fallon's mansion in the 1850s. In 1875, ten years after O'Fallon's death, his mansion burned; it was demolished completely in 1893. The site is now O'Fallon Park.

St. Alphonsus Liguori, 1875

2010-03-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

From Leaves from the history of St. Alphonsus's Church (1895) comes this photograph of the church prior to the addition of its steeple in the 1890s.

From Dry's Pictorial St. Louis (1875) comes this spliced image of two plates, showing St. Alphonsus Liguori in its earliest days. Note the lack of characteristic spire and no rock wall surrounding the building.

Interesting fact about St. Alphonsus: according to the Leaves from the history of St. Alphonsus's Church (1895), the altar was centered over one of the abundant Native American mounds that once dotted the St. Louis landscape. The mound was leveled to make way for the church.

St. Alphonsus Liguori, 1895

2010-03-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

From Leaves from the history of St. Alphonsus' Church (1895) comes this splendid picture of St. Alphonsus Liguori Church at Grand and Finney avenues in North St. Louis. St. Alphonsus lovingly was nicknamed the "Rock Church" since its construction in the early 1870s. The 237-foot spire was added in the early 1890s, hence the booklet on the church.

The engraving, incidentally, was done by Sanders Engraving Co., located at 400 N. 3rd Street in 1895. More engravings and photographs to follow.

Central Public Library, 1919

2010-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

From The Modern City by the League of American Municipalities (1919) is this fine photograph of the relatively new Central Library, designed by Cass Gilbert and built in 1912.

Shaare Emeth Congregation, 1878

2010-02-19T11:48:00.001-08:00

From The Pictorial Guide to St. Louis by Camille N. Dry (1878) is this fine drawing of the Shaare Emeth Congregation's temple at the northeast corner of 17th and Pine streets. The reform Jewish congregation purchased the land and built a temple in the late 1860s, and it continued to occupy the building until the late 1890s, when it moved to the corner of Lindell and Vandeventer, reflecting changing attitudes about fashionable areas of the city. By the 1920s, the congregation population had shifted further west -- this time, Shaare Emeth moved to University City (at 6840 Delmar). By the 1960s, a still-migrating congregation permitted the sale of the University City temple, and Shaare Emeth currently holds services in Creve Coeur.

It is unclear when the Temple at 17th and Pine was demolished. The site is now home to the Plaza Square Apartments.

View of Locust Street east of Beaumont, 1917

2010-02-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

From the Problems of St. Louis by the City Plan Commission (1917), showing Locust Street east of Beaumont Street (in the foreground). A vigorous and lively street is present in 1917; few of the buildings remain (shown in blue below):

View of Pine Street east of 12th, 1917

2010-02-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

From the Problems of St. Louis by the City Plan Commission (1917) is this photograph of the "irregular" heights of buildings along Pine Street in the early 20th century.

Below is the same image -- extant buildings are marked in blue.

N. 12th and St. Charles, 1917

2010-02-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

From the Problems of St. Louis by the City Plan Commission (1917) is this photograph of 12th Street looking north at the intersection of St. Charles and 12th. This particular image is to encourage the arcading (selective amputation) of the two large buildings seen in the distance in order to widen 12th Street as an arterial road. Extant buildings are shown below in blue:

Washington Avenue, 1917

2010-02-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

From the Problems of St. Louis by the City Plan Commission (1917) is this view of Washington Avenue, including trolley line and street traffic. Any thoughts on the intersection would be appreciated.

View of Olive Street from Broadway, 1917

2010-02-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

From the Problems of St. Louis by the City Plan Commission in 1917 comes this view of Olive Street looking east from Broadway. The City Plan Commission pamphlet tells the reader of the problems of having too much traffic downtown, and it laments the 30-foot-width of the streets in old St. Louis. Perhaps going from 30-foot-wide streets to no streets and no buildings is an improvement, but it doesn't seem like what the City Plan Commission wanted.

Southern Hotel, ca. 1875

2010-02-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Built in 1866, the Southern Hotel was the premiere luxury hotel for business travelers and the well-to-do in post-war St. Louis, located at the corner of Walnut and Fourth streets. Although the location depicted above burned to the ground in 1877 (taking the lives of 21 people), a new hotel was built in 1881. The heroism of Phelim O'Toole was shown at the fire, when O'Toole personally saved the lives of a dozen people. The second Southern Hotel closed in 1912, and was demolished in 1933. The photograph was taken by R. Benecke, portrait and landscape photographers located at Fourth and Market streets, and was located online via eBay.

Ninth and Bremen Avenue, 1936

2010-02-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

From the Historic American Buildings Survey, photograph taken in September 1936 by Theodore LaVack of the Adolphus Meier home at the corner of Ninth Street and Bremen Avenue. The Meier home was built in 1842 at the heart of what would become New Bremen, Mo., which was later annexed by the city of St. Louis.

The Meier house no longer exists. Indeed, the corner of Bremen and Ninth no longer exists; instead St. Louis has the I-70 Frontage Road and the Community Wholesale Tire Distributing Company. Adolphus Meier, it was said, was a very charitable man. He made his fortune in the cotton mill industry.

2721 Pine Street, 1936

2010-02-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

The Walsh House, built in 1833 for Julius Walsh, was located at 2721 Pine Street.

From the Historic American Buildings Survey by Theodore LaVack, taken on September 1, 1936. The Old Walsh Mansion, as it was known, was used by the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church from 1935 to 1947, when the building was vacated. In 1951, the Walsh House was demolished and the site is now surface parking.

Old Cathedral, 1934

2010-02-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

From the Historic American Buildings Survey, this photograph was taken by renowned St. Louis architectural photographer Alexander Piaget on April 9, 1934. Within a few short years, everything surrounding the Cathedral, including the street itself, was torn up and destroyed.

Joseph Lacroix House, ca. 1870 and 1888

2009-10-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

The caption for the photograph suggests the house was the oldest in St. Louis at that time; the Joseph Lacroix house was the only home built during the 18th century at the corner of Olive and Third streets. According to the National Park Service, Lacroix built the home himself as a vertical log house sometime around 1797. The photograph itself was from Boehl and Koenig photographers (ca. 1870), and it is the original for the sketch seen below. The full resolution scan of the above image is located on Wikimedia:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Oldest_House,_St._Louis,_Missouri,_by_Boehl_%26_Koenig.png

From Commercial and Architectural St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1888). This scene depicts an "old stockade house" in the oldest portion of St. Louis, at Third and Olive streets.

Eads Bridge and Riverfront, ca. 1870

2009-10-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

From an eBay listing of a stereographic print originally from the photographers Boehl and Koenig (ca. 1870s). A lovely image of the riverfront with passerby.

St. Louis School Library, 1878

2009-10-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

From Camille Dry's Pictorial Guide to St. Louis (1878). Here is a sketch of the St. Louis Public School Library (later, in 1884, the St. Louis Public Library) located in the Polytechnic Building of the St. Louis schools at the corner of Seventh and Chestnut streets.

The library had some 55,000 volumes and various works of art; the main library building was replaced in 1912 with Cass Gilbert's Central Library (now itself the target of a renovation and expansion plan).

St. Louis Morgue, 1878

2009-10-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

From Camille Dry's Pictorial Guide to St. Louis (1878). Although it's unclear why a guide to St. Louis would include a trip to the local morgue, Dry dutifully shows the reader what sort of morgue the great city had. According to Dry, "The house of the dead stands just back of the Jail at the corner of Spruce and 12th streets. Here behind a glass partition are three marble slabs, on which are deposited the unknown dead, awaiting identification and burial." I'm sure the marble was quite lovely. The morgue is still located at 12th and Spruce, more than 130 years later.

Vandeventer Place in Google Earth

2009-10-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

To help visualize Vandeventer Place as it was, I created a Google Earth overlay file for it.

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=833653&filename=VandeventerPlace.kmz

Included are a plat map created using Sanborn Fire Maps (adjusted for color, spliced together, and cleaned up) and individual plat polygons with placemarks and images for individual houses. Included are:

7 Vandeventer Place (Charles H. Peck House)
27 Vandeventer Place (John R. Lionberger House)
40 Vandeventer Place (Henry C. Pierce House)
51 Vandeventer Place (John D. Davis House)
64 Vandeventer Place (Henry C. Scott House)
72 Vandeventer Place (Dexter P. Tiffany Sr. House)
Vandeventer Place Gates

Vandeventer Place Gates at Grand Avenue

2009-10-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

87 Vandeventer Place, ca. 1900

2009-10-10T17:55:00.002-07:00

This view of Vandeventer Place (and, at the foreground, 87 Vandeventer) comes from the St. Louis City Development Corporation history site online. The end of Vandeventer on the west often showcased much smaller homes than on the east; this also was the last portion of the private street to be demolished in the 1950s by the city. 87 Vandeventer Place, the house at the corner of Vandeventer Place and Vandeventer Avenue, was built for Irwin Z. Smith, a local investor and real estate tycoon. Smith fathered a veritable tribe of children who went on to do good things in their community; according to various sources, he liked raquetball, hunting, and fishing.

7 Vandeventer Place

2009-10-10T17:55:00.001-07:00

This image of the Charles Henry Peck house is of unknown origin. It depicts 7 Vandeventer Place, a lovely Second Empire located on the north side of Vandeventer Place with its east boundary at Grand Avenue. 7 Vandeventer Place was built in 1872 for Charles Henry Peck, a capitalist in the sash, woodwork and door business. Peck was a charter trustee of Vandeventer Place, retired in 1875, and upon his death in 1899, he willed the home to his son Stephen, a real estate investor, who was not only a Presbyterian but also a Democrat (according to the Book of St. Louisans, 1906). More importantly, upon Charles Henry Peck's death, the trust governing Vandeventer Place dissolved.

By 1911, Stephen had passed away, and the only living son of Charles dwelled in Westminster Place, far away from the hustle, bustle, and hoopla of Vandeventer Place. The mansion passed to other hands (specifically, the hands of Max Mueller Bryant and his family, who were entangled legally in some ways). The mansion itself passed away sometime in the 1940s.

51 Vandeventer Place, 1899

2009-10-10T17:03:00.001-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). Here is the first mansion of John D. Davis, patriarch of the St. Louis Davis family (and father of John T. Davis, builder of 17 Westmoreland Place). John D. Davis had the home at 51 Vandeventer designed by the renowned Henry Hobson Richardson (it being only one of three residences Richardson actually designed for St. Louis). Richardson's penchant for massing along the lower level is apparent in this design. This particular Richardson met its end in 1958 with the city's plan for the juvenile detention center now occupying the block.

For the Google Earth Vandeventer Place Pack:
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=833653&filename=VandeventerPlace.kmz

64 Vandeventer Place, 1899

2009-10-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architecture Club (1899). This two-and-a-half story Elizabethan-style mansion was designed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge in 1898 for Henry C. Scott, a Confederate war veteran and St. Louis capitalist. The H.C. Scott mansion stood at 64 Vandeventer until the 1950s city acquisition.

For the Google Earth Vandeventer Place pack:

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=833637&filename=VandeventerPlace.kmz

72 Vandeventer Place, 1899

2009-10-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). This photograph is a record of the richly decorated home of Dexter Pardon Tiffany, Sr., a St. Louis lawyer. The home, a splendid mixture of Romanesque, Tudor, and other styles, was designed by Grable, Weber and Groves. Tiffany came from a wealthy St. Louis family; his father was a real estate investor who committed suicide in 1861 after complaining about the bad economy in St. Louis resulting from the Civil War (leaving a $1,000,000 estate to his widow, and subsequently Tiffany).

Tiffany graduated from Harvard in 1868 and Harvard Law in 1870, marrying that year and taking up residence in Vandeventer sometime after. His two sons were also quite successful - one serving in the Spanish-American War as a naval officer, the other becoming an executive for Anheuser-Busch and living at 14 Lenox Place in his later years. Tiffany held a government position during World War One, but died shortly afterward in 1921 in Boston.

http://www.mohistory.org/files/archives_guides/TiffanyCollection.pdf

72 Vandeventer was demolished some time in the late 1950s.

For the Google Earth Vandeventer Place Pack:
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=833637&filename=VandeventerPlace.kmz

Crunden Branch Library on Cass Avenue, 1909

2009-10-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

From the Washington University Eames and Young Architectural Photographs Collection. Several images of the then-newly opened Crunden Library of the Saint Louis Public Library at 1406 North 14th Street (or 1317 Cass Avenue). According to a variety of sources, the Crunden Branch was opened in 1909 using monies of the late Andrew Carnegie, steel magnate and proponent of the Gospel of Wealth, which suggested that the successful capitalists ought to provide for the success of the underprivileged via philanthropy. Carnegie endowed thousands of libraries, from St. Louis to small towns across the nation.

The Crunden branch was a gorgeous beaux-arts building with a reading room that uplifted patrons' minds with its chandeliers and intricate molding. Costing in excess of $51,000, the branch was the first of its kind on the north side of St. Louis. While the library was in residence at the building, the Draft Board for World War One held hearings there, and the local Red Cross had meetings. It was not simply a center for learning, not just a "third place" for north side residents, but was a valuable asset to community life.

The library moved in the early 1950s and the building was sold to the Pulaski Bank (then Pulaski Savings Assocation), which vacated in the 1990s. The ubiquitous LRA demolished the building, glorious even in its decay, in August 2005.

Mr. Carnegie's dreams denied, the north side now has neither a bank nor a library, but a vacant lot at 1317 Cass.

http://www.eco-absence.org/stl/crunden/

http://www.builtstlouis.net/pulaski1.html

Frisco Building at 906 Olive Street, 1906

2009-10-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

From the Washington University Eames and Young Architectural Photographs Collection. Two photographs of the Frisco Building; the exterior depicts the Frisco as it was in 1906, complete with Frisco System signage. The second depicts the well-appointed lobby of the Frisco, including what appear to be either flower pots or spittoons near the elevators.

Mermod-Jaccard Building at Fifth and Olive, 1880

2009-10-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

From the Washington University Eames and Young Architectural Photographs Collection. Here is another view of the marvelous Mermod-Jaccard Building at Fifth and Olive streets. See post from October 2nd for more information about the structure.

Bee Hat Building at 1021 Washington Avenue, 1899

2009-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

From Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). In this splendid photograph, we see the 11th Street Realty Company Building at 1021 Washington Avenue immediately after being finished out. The building, designed by Isaac Taylor, is now known as the Bee Hat Building from its use by a hat company from the 1940s through the late 1990s. It was renovated in the early 2000s to become part of the vibrant loft district on Washington Avenue. From the St. Louis Business Journal in 2005:

The sale of the Bee Hat building, which has been vacant for several years, took place at about the time the newspaper was going to press.

BHat Development, formed for the purpose of developing the building, plans to convert the second through seventh floors into 36 one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 900 to 1,300 square feet and renting from $990 to $1,430 a month, said real estate appraiser Matt Burghoff, one of two partners in BHat Development. Burghoff said his partner prefers to remain anonymous. There will be space for about 30 residents' cars in the basement.

A restaurant will occupy 7,500 square feet of the building's 9,000-square-foot first-floor commercial space, with a boutique retail store in 900 feet. The restaurant owner is a well-established and respected St. Louis restaurateur, Burghoff said, but he declined to name either of the tenants, who have signed letters of intent to occupy the space.

Eleven terra cotta lion heads on the outside of the building are a signature feature of the structure. The heads were attached to the gutters and drained water to the street. BHat wants to link them up to steam lines and have each lion roar every half-hour or so, Burghoff said.

The building now does sport steam roaring lions, by the way. A fitting addition to the lovely terra cotta on the building.

http://www.stlouislofts.com/1021washington.html

http://www.builtstlouis.net/washington/5d.html

Christ Church Cathedral, ca. 1867

2009-10-07T13:49:00.001-07:00

From an eBay listing comes this fine photograph of the Christ Church Cathedral at 1210 Locust Street, sometime in the late 1860s. Remarkably, it depicts the church while under construction; the building was designed by Leopold Eidlitz in the mid-1860s and is listed as a National Historic Landmark (as of October 1994). For more information, visit the St. Louis Historic Preservation article about the church:

http://stlcin.missouri.org/history/structdetail.cfm?Master_ID=1761

1700s House at 4th and Poplar, 1899

2009-10-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). The architectural club not only provided images of late 19th century architecture, but also an absolutely marvelous retrospective on St. Louis architecture of the previous century. In one photograph, the club shows the oldest extant structure in St. Louis in 1899 -- what they described as a frame house, built in the late 1700s, located on 4th Street north of Poplar. Imagine, for a moment, what St. Louis might look like with historic structures from the 1700s tucked within an awe-inspiring downtown of terracotta and steel and glass skyscrapers.

The location of the house is now the intersection of I-64 and the Poplar Street Bridge.

Eads Bridge and Riverfront, 1903

2009-10-03T23:21:00.001-07:00

From an eBay listing, a photograph of the riverfront, lovely as it was. Here is the view from the levee looking toward the Eads Bridge, published by H.T. Coates in 1903.

Mullanphy Savings Bank, 1893

2009-10-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

From the St. Louis County Directory (1893). This image is the first advertisement in the directory, depicting the Mullanphy Savings Bank, which operated at the corner of Broadway and Cass Avenue (near the Broadway exit on I-70 today). The bank failed on February 27, 1897, after only 24 years in operation. Having only $100,000 in capital and nearly $650,000 in deposits listed, the local banking association did not support the bank and depositors lost almost everything after a bank run ended the Mullanphy.

According to the New York Times, the bank was the first failure in St. Louis in a decade; some of the stories of depositors were quite tragic. One elderly woman who had lost $400 "wept bitterly as she hobbled down the front steps, railing against all bankers as robbers," while another man who had only $100 in deposits was the most angry. He had "recently turned over a new leaf and commenced to save money. He cursed like a pirate, and swore that he would never save another cent." The local postman lost his life savings of some $200. The Times suggested that the Mullanphy never fully recovered (as much of the nation also did not) from the Panic of1893, brought on by the failure of the Reading Railroad and the shaky currency value.

Clayton Road and Tamm Avenue, 1893

2009-10-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

From the St. Louis County Directory (1893). Here is Fourney's Beer Depot, serving ice cold Anheuser-Busch and Culmbacher bottled beers. Fourney's was located at the corner of Tamm and Clayton Roads, far out in the reaches of the county at the time. Coincidentally, Tamm and Clayton still sports bars, likely still serving ice cold Anheuser-Busch bottled beers.

300 Washington Avenue, 1893

2009-10-03T20:59:00.001-07:00

From the St. Louis County Directory (1893). The image is derived from an advertisement for a city business, the A.F. Shepleigh Hardware Company. The building was located at the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and 4th Street, which is now occupied by a Hampton Inn parking garage. Interestingly, Shepleigh Hardware carried not only the usual tools, but also guns, pistols, ammunition and sporting goods.

Mermod-Jaccard Building at Fifth and Olive, 1880

2009-10-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

From an eBay listing comes a photograph of the earlier Mermod and Jaccard Building at Fifth and Olive Streets. Tragically, the building shown burned in December 1897, destroying $350,000 worth of merchandise, the store, and 40-some other tenants. Within three days, the jewelers had moved across the street to temporary quarters, and within two years they had a new, larger building at Broadway and Locust.

Broadway and Locust, 1899

2009-10-02T15:44:00.001-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). The lovely Mermod and Jaccard Building at the northwest corner of Broadway and Locust, shown here in a photograph. Mermod-Jaccard was among the oldest jewelers in the city in the late 1890s; shown above is their building, after a destructive fire demolished their long-time home at Fifth and Olive Streets (see next post).

1711 Cole Street, ca. 1890

2009-10-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). This is the home of General D.M. Frost, built in 1859 at 1711 Wash Street (now Cole Street). The architect, per the listing in the Catalogue, was George I. Barnett. The story of Cole Street is quite interesting; it began as North J Street, then was renamed in 1826 as Hickory Street (per the city's naming conventions). In 1842, the street was changed to Wash Street for the local landowner Robert Wash, who served on the Missouri Supreme Court. A century later, Wash became Cole, so named for Richard Cole, local educator and long-time principal.

Nothing stands on the site of General Frost's manse.

Studio of J.C. Strauss at 3514 Franklin Avenue, 1899

2009-09-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). In this image, we see the castle of Mr. J.C. Strauss, St. Louis photographer. He had this building custom designed as his studio, located at 3514 Franklin Avenue (near enough to Vandeventer Place to be the darling of the city's elites). Although it burned in the first year of the 20th century (after being built in 1896), the building was lovingly rebuilt in much the same style. Today, the site is a parking lot.

17 Westmoreland Place, 1902

2009-09-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

From "Palaces of St. Louis," National Magazine (Volume 17, October 1902). The home of John T. Davis at 17 Westmoreland was described as a "red granite chateau" by Mr. Hoch in the National Magazine. 17 Westmoreland was more than a mere chateau, however. It boasted of being the first Missouri home to be landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead when built in 1894. The home was and remained the most expensive ever built on the street, and possibly was the most expensive home ever built in St. Louis. Julius Hunter et al in Westmoreland and Portland Places note that the "cutting of the pink granite alone would have cost a fortune."

Update: In 1894, 17 Westmoreland's construction costs exceeded $800,000. In the spirit of determining the price of the home in today's dollars, I found that using the GDP deflator, the cost of the building would have slightly exceeded $18.5 million. Using the Consumer Price Index, the home would cost approximately $21 million. Only one home is on the market in the St. Louis metropolitan area that exceeds a $10 million price; no other homes have sold in the last 60 days for greater than $10 million. The current estimated value of 17 Westmoreland is around $1.3 million, which is, considering construction costs, quite the bargain.

Later, the home was inhabited by Dwight Davis, the namesake for the Davis Cup tennis championship. In a stroke of tragedy, the masterwork was not seen or long inhabited by designer or patron - original homeowner John Davis died of Bright's disease in 1894, while the architect died the previous year. However, the home is now in the capable hands of Mrs. Mary Strauss, the owner and restorer of the Fox Theatre.

Lionberger Building (Warehouse), ca. 1890

2009-09-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

From the Catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Saint Louis Architectural Club (1899). The Architectural Club sponsored a yearly exhibit in which architects from across the country were invited to display their most prominent subjects or recent buildings. St. Louis buildings featured prominently in the catalog. Above is the Lionberger Building (Warehouse), designed by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge from designs by Henry Hobson Richardson in 1887-1888.

The building was executed quite nicely from Richardson's plans, and fronted Washington Avenue, but extended down 8th Street to St. Charles Avenue; the warehouse extended west along Washington to about midblock. Tragically, this masterwork was gutted by fire in 1896, too late for another Richardsonian Romanesque temple of commerce to be erected in its place. It was one of only a handful of Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge or Richardson commercial buildings to be built in St. Louis. Within decades, the site was occupied by the building that now serves as the Renaissance Grand Hotel.

A description of the fire from the Middleville Sun (Mich.) in 1896:

FIRE VISITS ST. LOUIS.
Ely-Walker Dry Goods Co. Burned Out
Loss $1,500,000.

Fire Monday gutted the mammoth seven-story granite building at the southwest corner of 8th street and Washington avenue, St. Louis, Mo., occupied by the Ely-Walker Dry Goods Company. The loss will be close to $1,500,000. One human life was sacrificed and several people were hurt.

The fire was one of the worst the St.Louis department has had to cope withfor a long time, and for a while it looked as though the Washington Avenue wholesale business district would be wiped out.

The building burned was known as the Lionberger Building. It fronted on Washington Avenue, running north along 8th Street to St. Charles, and extended west on Washington Avenue to the middle of the block. The firm's enormous stock of goods was recently increased by immense purchases from the East, and consequently every inch of available floor space was occupied by great piles of dry goods of every description for the spring trade.

The insurance on the stock is about $1,000,000. The building was insured for $200,000. It was owned by the John Lionberger estate and was built about eight years ago at a cost of $500,000. Before the blaze was mastered one fireman, George Gaultwald, was killed by a falling wall at the 8th Street end of the building, and during the fire several other firemen were more or less seriously injured.

Bell Telephone Building, 1889

2009-09-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

From American Architect and Building News (January 1889). The American Architect was a marvelous trade magazine that included multitudes of sketches of buildings then under construction, in planning, or recently built. This sketch depicts the Bell Telephone Building (also known as the S.G. Adams Building) in a heliotype print from its designers, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge. According to Built St. Louis, this firm was a successor to the recently deceased Henry Hobson Richardson, noted in earlier posts. The Bell Telephone Building has survived and thrived in recent years as the home of City Gourmet (City Grocer) and as a loft residential building.

For recent photographs, visit Built St. Louis:

http://www.builtstlouis.net/opos/sgadams.html

5065 Lindell Boulevard, 1902

2009-09-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

From "Palaces of St. Louis," National Magazine (Volume 17, October 1902). The caption reads, "A Marble Palace in Forest Park Terrace, the Residence of Mr. C.S. Hills." ~~So far I have not yet found the location for the home,~~ excepting that Forest Park Terrace was at times another name for Lindell Boulevard facing Forest Park. Another photograph of the home is in American Architect and Building News (May 1900), which lists C.S. Hills as Colonel Charles S. Hills. The Missouri Historical Society has a photograph of the home, ca. 1899. Civil War records show that Colonel Hills was a commander of Iowan regiments during that terrible conflict.

Update: I have located Colonel Hills' house. It was located at 5065 Lindell Boulevard, and has been demolished and is now a vacant lot. It appears that Colonel Hills' garage is now part of 16 Westmoreland Place, as 5065 was absorbed into an expanded Westmoreland plot and an extant building remains on what would have been the site. See the St. Louis Assessor's records for the plot.

Portland Place, 1900

2009-09-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

From "Palaces of St. Louis," National Magazine (Volume 17, October 1902). This expansive view of Portland Place shows Frederick Wellington Ruckstuhl's Mercure s'amuse (Mercury Amusing Himself) in the center median.

27 Vandeventer Place, 1890

2009-09-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

From Whitehall Buick's Photostream (2009). The image depicts the home of John R. Lionberger at 27 Vandeventer Place, since demolished. The home was designed by the famous Henry Hobson Richardson of Boston in 1886, and the home was finished by 1888. The Lionberger family was related to Richardson via marriage. Richardson's designs are renowned; however, the home of John Lionberger was among his final designs. Tragically for St. Louis, Richardson designed only three homes in the area, and only one remains (the Issac H. Lionberger house at 3630 Grandel Square). Interestingly, the home at 3630 Grandel Square was of an unfinished design; Richardson passed away from a kidney disorder while working on the plans.

For more information on Henry Hobson Richardson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hobson_Richardson

For a Bing Bird's Eye View of the only extant Richardson home in St. Louis:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qf629c7gdkbq&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=20477445&encType=1

For the Google Earth Vandeventer Place Pack:
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=833637&filename=VandeventerPlace.kmz

40 Vandeventer Place, 1887 and 1902

2009-09-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

From "Palaces of St. Louis," National Magazine (Volume 17, October 1902). The home of Mr. Henry Clay Pierce on Vandeventer Place, now lost to demolition. The home was said to have cost in excess of $800,000 when built for the oil magnate in the mid-1880s. Pierce fought a losing battle against Standard Oil for control of both the Mexican Fuel Company and the Waters-Pierce Oil Company in the early 1900s. Another view of the home in sketch form from The American Architect and Building News (July 1887):

A colorized original version of the above sketch from 1887 is available for viewing or purchase on St. Croix Architecture at http://www.stcroixarchitecture.com/plan.php?id=2271.

4510 Lindell Boulevard, 1902

2009-09-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

From "Palaces of St. Louis," National Magazine (Volume 17, October 1902). The home of Mr. William F. Nolker at 4510 Lindell Boulevard was listed as "A Rhine Inspiration on Lindell Boulevard" according to Mr. Hoch; it currently serves as the home for the archbishop of St. Louis. Nolker built the home in 1891, died in 1906, and the home was sold to a new family in 1917. Shortly after buying the home, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Walsh created -- wait for it -- the cocktail party. Mrs. Walsh hired a professional drink mixer to provide cocktails in the backyard and lower levels to entertain her and some 50 guests before dinner. Yet, however socially successful the Walsh family might have been, they eventually sold the mansion to none other than the archdiocese in 1923. It has served since then in the capacity as the home of the archbishop of St. Louis, and even played host to Pope John Paul II in 1999.

For more information, see http://www.westendword.com/NC/0/1241.html

1 Westmoreland Place, 1902

2009-09-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

From "Palaces of St. Louis," National Magazine (Volume 17, October 1902). The above photograph is of 1 Westmoreland Place, with the caption of "An Italian Palace; the residence of Mr. J.C. Van Blarcom, 1 Westmoreland Place". Other homes in subsequent posts rely on the following information: A certain Mr. Edmund Hoch with photography by Mr. George Stark produced a fabulous trove of information about the residential masterpieces of early 20th century St. Louis. As Mr. Hoch explained, "St. Louis has, as stated, palaces -- palaces of a kind that would enrich and beautify the world -- palaces with palace grounds and palace surroundings -- the like of which, in number and richness and beauty of setting, the country outside St. Louis has little idea of." Although not every home was identified with its address, I have attempted to track down those which were not listed. Each home in the article included its owner, which often assists in finding the location.

Wydown Boulevard, 1917

2009-09-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

From Problems of St. Louis (1917). Double streetcar tracks lined by trees down the center of the boulevard on Wydown. Currently the center strip is a walking path.

Lindell and Locust, 1917

2009-09-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

From Problems of St. Louis (1917), a report from the City Plan Association. The "Lindell Cut Off", as it was called, was a street connection made from Locust Street (shown above) to Lindell Boulevard (apparently "quite popular" according to the CPA). In the photograph above, Locust Street continues west on the right, while the Lindell Cut Off is the street at left. The Cut Off was created in 1915, but has subsequently been in-filled with parking for the building at the diagonal. The building with the signage and towers in the center (at the diagonal) still stands, but lacks its ornamentation. Here is a current view via Bing Maps:

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qf5h7q7gdyn8&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=8503989&encType=1

On Rapid Growth of St. Louis, 1907

2009-09-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

From A City Plan for St. Louis (1907), "[By 1937], the city will contain a population of a million and three-quarter inhabitants, and the limits of the city will no doubt include Webster, Kirkwood, Clayton, University City, and a number of other suburban towns." City planners should avoid having no doubts about the future, it seems.

River Des Peres Plans, 1907

2009-09-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

From A City Plan for St. Louis (1907). This cross-section of the River Des Peres included roadways and streetcar lines, with lovely shrubbery and trees. The Civic League also advocated purchasing hundreds of acres of low-lying land near the River Des Peres, both to facilitate landscaping but also to avoid flood damage. How prescient.

Views of Kingshighway, 1907

2009-09-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

From A City Plan for St. Louis (1907). The top image depicts the southern terminus of Kingshighway, near Caldwell Street, along the Mississippi River. The lower image is Kingshighway as it looked along Forest Park (on the left) with its characteristic boulevard landscaping already in place by 1907. The absence of gridlock, dozens of traffic signals, and the skyline of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital is stark.

A few interesting points about the image at top: first, Kingshighway Boulevard no longer exists at this location. The initial plan for the city suggested that Kingshighway would extend from its current roadway, then jog southeast at what is now Bellerive Boulevard. Bellerive for many years was known as Kingshighway South, or some variant of that name. However, with the building of Interstate 55 and other issues, the linking of Bellerive as an integral portion of Kingshighway faltered and then disappeared.

Cabanne Neighborhood, 1907

2009-09-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

From A City Plan for St. Louis (1907). A lovely photograph of the final days before the automobile dominated St. Louis neighborhoods. Here, a horse-drawn carriage moves down tree-lined streets in the Cabanne neighborhood. The Civic League was emphasizing the beauty of narrow roadways, ample trees, and wide sidewalks. For a photograph tour, visit:

http://www.builtstlouis.net/northside/map-cabanne.html

Mullanphy Park, 1907

2009-09-26T12:23:00.001-07:00

From A City Plan for St. Louis (1907). The two photographs depict dozens, if not hundreds, of children playing at the Mullanphy Park Playground and Garden, then being leased by the city from the Mullanphy family. Later purchased by the city for a public park, it no longer seems quite as vibrant, but soon might in light of recent developments in the area. The park is extant at 10th and Mullanphy in Old North St. Louis.

Franklin and Grand Avenues, 1908

2009-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

From Comfort Stations for St. Louis (1908). Again from the Civic League, a view of what might have been. Here is the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Franklin Avenue, slightly north of Grand Center. The Civic League suggested a mighty monument to St. Ange (Captain Louis St. Ange de Bellerive), the first French commandant of St. Louis. St. Ange established a proper government at St. Louis in 1766 when he arrived, and he created the first official system of land grants for the area. Interestingly, underneath the monument to St. Ange would have been a system of lavatories. The message being sent by putting St. Ange atop a large public toilet is, at the very least, intriguing.

View Larger Map

Post Office Building, 1908

2009-09-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

From Public Comfort Stations for St. Louis (1908), a report from the Civic League of St. Louis. This depicts proposed public toilets in underground areas next to the Post Office Building at 815 Olive Street. The Civic League was a great proponent of public restroom facilities, and, as stated in the caption, it believed that the ample sidewalk space provided room for stairwells into underground toilet areas.

Deville Motor Hotel, 2009

2009-09-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

A view of the Deville Motor Hotel, host of swanky parties and loving apartments for the elderly, from Postmodern Sleaze's Photostream (2009). Goodbye, beautiful. You did your best. I'll miss you.

St. Louis City Hall, 1904

2009-09-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

From The World's Fair, St. Louis, U.S.A., 1904 (1904). Again from Mr. Reid, here is St. Louis City Hall from an interesting angle. Keeping in mind that the building was constructed in 1894, it is fascinating to see it surrounded by new landscaping, wide sidewalks, and virtually no surrounding structures. The open grass, landscaping, and trees have been replaced with a particularly splendid parking facility.

View of Broadway and Olive, 1904

2009-09-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

From The World's Fair, St. Louis, U.S.A., 1904 (1904). This splendid booklet from Robert Allan Reid is a wonderful compendium of images of the fair and of St. Louis from more than a century ago. Reid chose Broadway (looking toward the intersection with Olive) for inclusion among the images as a typical scene on St. Louis downtown streets. None of the buildings, streetcar lines, or telephone wires are extant.

View from Eads Bridge, 1917

2009-08-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

From Problems of St. Louis by the Civic League of St. Louis (1917). This is the view from the base of the Eads Bridge looking left on to 3rd Street and straight and to the right along Washington Avenue. The Civic League was actively promoting a more beautiful and inviting entrance to the city via the bridge; compare with the view today. Nothing in the above photograph exists any longer. Below is the current view:

View Larger Map

View along Delmar Avenue, 1917

2009-08-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

From Problems of St. Louis by the Civic League of St. Louis (1917). Thanks to Paul Hohmann, the view is identified as about a block west of Union Boulevard looking east. The tracks in the median have been replaced by a grassy median, which is, ironically and 92 years later, just what the Civic League wanted done with Delmar.

Lindell and McPherson, 1910

2009-08-22T19:03:00.001-07:00

From Street Lighting in St. Louis by the Civic League of St. Louis (1910). This photograph depicts the streetlamp at the junction of Lindell Boulevard and McPherson Avenue. The building immediately behind the streetlamp has been demolished. Note the tree-lined street. Compare with the current junction of Lindell and McPherson:

View Larger Map

18th and Pine, 1910

2009-08-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

From Billboard Advertising in St. Louis by the Civic League of St. Louis (1910). A "double-decker" billboard is shown here at the corner of 18th and Pine streets; the caption for the photograph suggests it spans an entire city block. Below is the view today (still an empty lot); it is debatable whether a parking lot is preferable to a double-decker billboard.

View Larger Map

Broadway and Third Street, 1907

2009-08-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

From Billboard Advertising in St. Louis by the Civic League of St. Louis (1910). This photograph depicts an illegal three-sided billboard erected on the strip of land between Broadway and Third Street. The billboard was constructed in 1907 against city ordinances, but upon attempting to tear it down, the billboard owners sued the city. In the ensuing court case (which took several years), all billboard regulations were overturned until later in the 1910s. Ironically, the site of the triple billboard structure is now occupied by an on-ramp for Interstate 70, which supports a multitude of billboard owners with its continual traffic.

North St. Louis, 1908

2009-08-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

From Housing Conditions in St. Louis by the Civic League of St. Louis (1908). The book was published with the intent of illuminating the extremely unsanitary and unsafe conditions of the homes and tenements from 7th to 14th and from Washington Avenue to O'Fallon Street. The area today has been almost totally cleared; in its place is the convention center, a host of parking facilities, and, perhaps not coincidentally, public housing projects.

The photograph above depicts the view of "minimum light and air space between front and rear tenements on North 11th Street." This was the view of an alleyway, as it once looked. Below is a photograph of the yard area between tenements that faced Morgan and Linden streets.

Below, another photograph, this time of three "yard toilets" located on Morgan Street that served the needs of some eighty persons. The Civic League was primarily concerned with rehabilitation and sanitation for the depressed area north of downtown.

Finally, a series of wood-frame homes on Morgan Street, likely dating to the early 19th century, which the Civic League labeled as "A house on Morgan Street. No law by which it can be torn down. The shed is occupied."

The book is highly recommended for those who might think that the bygone era of St. Louis was one of only towering office buildings and glittering civic jewels. Like virtually every other metropolis of its age, St. Louis was a gathering place for the world's tired, hungry and poor. Here is a direct link for the book: http://books.google.com/books?id=yvguAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Miller Elevator Mfg. Co., 1908

2009-08-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

From Building Laws of the City of St. Louis by the J.T. McAnulty publishers (1908). The Miller Elevator Company was located in a substantial building at 9th and Victor streets; the corner here is still occupied by a foundry, although the building appears to have been substantially reclad. Miller produced both passenger and freight elevators, using electricity, steam, hydraulics, belts and hand power, depending on your fancy. Miller Elevator was later bought by the Otis Elevator conglomerate; their offices are now located in Brentwood, Mo.

National Plumbing Supply Company, 1908

2009-08-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

From Building Laws of the City of St. Louis by the J.T. McAnulty publishers (1908). A wonderful sketch of the National Plumbing Supply Company on 12th Street shows the competing modes of transport in early 20th century St. Louis. The National Plumbing Supply Company provided high grade plumbing appliances and "complete bath-room outfits" in their showrooms at 110 S. 12th Street. Opposite City Hall, the building's lower levels were shipping and offices, while the upper levels were reserved for warehousing. Their neighbor to the north (left, in the image) was M. Kahn's glass company, seen with its smoking stacks and numerable windows. Mr. Kahn's building and the National Plumbing Supply Company building have been replaced by a more modern but less inviting municipal office building.

American Foundry & Mfg. Co., 1908

2009-08-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

From Building Laws of the City of St. Louis by the J.T. McAnulty publishers (1908). Click in for a closer look at the goings on at the American Foundry and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis. The foundry produced a variety of goods and was a neighbor to F.W. Hanpeter's Furniture Factory at the time of this advertisement. The advertisement shows the corner of 11th and Hebert at the bottom left, with the face of the building on Hebert Street (with the streetcar). Ironically, the streetcar line was later removed (along with virtually everything visible in the advertisement) for Interstate 70. The location of the American Foundry & Mfg. Co. is now the off-ramp for southbound I-70 and a parking lot. However, Mr. Hanpeter's furniture business building is still standing, albeit barely, at the sharp turn on Palm Street along I-70.

View Larger Map

Navarre Building at 6th and Chestnut, 1908

2009-08-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

From Building Laws of the City of St. Louis by the J.T. McAnulty publishers (1908). Another lovely advertisement from McAnulty shows the Navarre Building under construction at 600 Chestnut Street. Currently the home of Kiener Plaza (specifically, a row of trees along Chestnut in Kiener Plaza), the Navarre had tiled ceilings and tiled floors on its first floor and boasted fireproof construction. It was neighbor to a liquor wholesaler along 6th and to the Real Estate Exchange Building along Chestnut, but it was primarily an office building. One of the more notable offices located in the Navarre was for the Alton, St. Louis and Cairo Railway.

Homes on Westminster, Pershing and Flora, 1908

2009-08-22T12:49:00.001-07:00

From Building Laws of the City of St. Louis by the J.T. McAnulty publishers (1908). This splendid advertisement from the building codes handbook of St. Louis shows three mansion homes upon which the Chamberlin Metal Weather-Strip Company worked. The home at 4312 Westminster and at 4925 Pershing (nee Berlin) are extant; however, 3563 Flora Boulevard seems to have been lost to the mists of time. It was built after 1903 (shown as an empty lot on a Sanborn fire map) but it is not listed among the current Property Assessor's records. A pretty shame, since it seems the most delightful of the three. It is possible, however, that the advertiser simply misnumbered his home, in which case one can hope 3563 Flora remains.

Lemp Brewery, 1878

2009-05-30T19:32:00.001-07:00

From A Tour of St. Louis by J.A. Dacus and James Buel (1878). Dacus and Buel devoted a full-page print to the William J. Lemp Brewery complex, and what a marvelous complex it was. Located at Second Avenue and Cherokee, it covered multiple blocks and extended to the levee. Although substantial portions of the Lemp Brewery remain, they are occupied by mere pigeons now.

Davis Dry Goods, 1873

2009-05-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

From A Tour of St. Louis by J.A. Dacus and James Buel (1878). The Samuel C. Davis Company occupied a five story building at the corner of Fifth Street and Washington Avenue (fronting Fifth). The building had a cast iron facade and single-sheet plate glass windows; costing more than $30,000 when built. Construction began in August 1871 and finished in March 1873. The site is now home to a three-story commercial building.

More from Dacus and Buel:
"This fine specimen of architectural strength and beauty has a frontal of one hundred and seventy-five feet on Fifth Street by one hundred and twenty-five feet on Washington Avenue, and contains, including the basement, six floors. In the rear of this immense building there is a broad, well-paved area left open to insure a sufficient light, as well as to facilitate the reception and delivery of the enormous quantities of goods which are daily handled by the firm."

Description of the interior:
"Passing from the imposing exterior to the interior, the promise from without is more than fulfilled in the wide view and perfection of detail that meets the eye. Running through from front to rear, at a distance of about twenty-five feet apart,' are rows of iron columns with Corinthian capitals, supporting the floors above. Light is amply provided for, being admitted from three sides—on the east and south the windows being only separated from each other by the iron work which forms the two fronts. On tables arranged with something like mathematical precision, are to be seen the goods that belong to the departments represented on this floor. These are foreign and American dress goods, including silks and prints, in fact all varieties belonging to the entire dry goods line of business, to an extent impossible to enumerate here. From the basement to the uppermost floor of the building, extend four separate elevators, each of which, unlike the majority of elevators in other business houses, has automatic doors that close the hatchway or shaft at every floor as the elevator passes through, so that safety against a fall down the shaft is assured. These elevators work quietly and effectively. One of them carries up goods in original packages; another carries goods upon trucks to be distributed on the various floors; a third conveys goods down that are prepared for shipment, and the fourth is used only for passengers. Everything proceeds without the slightest irregularity or confusion, and the work of many. hands goes on day by day silently yet systematically."

Fire protection measures:
"It is a marvel to witness the amount of merchandise taken in and out by way of the basement of this commodious building in one day. The engine, another adjunct worthy of special notice, is situated in a cosy room in a corner of the basement, is of forty-horse power and does its work quietly and well. It is an elaborate and beautiful piece of machinery, similar to the one which carried away the premium at Philadelphia during the great Centennial exhibition. The basement is made to extend under the sidewalk of the streets, and is fully lighted through the thick glass set in iron-work overhead. It is also provided with fire-proof vaults, in which the old books and accounts of the firm are preserved. The preparations made by this firm for the extinguishment of fires are as extensive as they are ingenious. Each floor is provided with fifty feet of best rubber hope and nozzles, the same in size as that used by the city ; the power to force the water being furnished by a fire pump in the engine room of greater capacity than any of the city fire engines. In case, however, the fire should originate at a time when there was no steam in the boilers, connection is provided on the outside, to which any of the city engines may join their hose and throw water through the hose belonging to the firm upon any floor or into any apartment of the building."

Quite the store, Samuel C. Davis Company was.

Old Cathedral, ca. 1875

2009-05-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

From The Great South: A Record of Journeys by Edward King (1875) (freely available online from UNC-Chapel Hill [here]). Looking north along Walnut Street; most of the buildings north of the cathedral were demolished to make way for I-70; the building to the right of the cathedral was demolished for the Arch grounds.

St. Louis Mutual Life Insurance Building, 1871

2009-05-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

This fine structure dedicated to insurance was built at Locust and Sixth streets; it was alternatively named the St. Louis Life Insurance Company Building and the Equitable Building (after its main tenants). The building was constructed in 1871, according to Emporis, and has subsequently been demolished. At one time it held the main offices for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. It also was graced with multiple statues along its roofline that were intended for use on the Eads Bridge; this were removed some time before 1886.

"Looking down on the St. Louis of to-day, from the high roof of the Insurance temple."

The two sepia tone illustrations are from The Great South: A Record of Journeys by Edward King (1875) (freely available online from UNC-Chapel Hill [here]). King was quite smitten with St. Louis, remarking on its "continental" flavor that derived from the brown tinge on buildings that came as a result of coal burning.
A later view of the building without the rooftop statues, from Commercial and Architectural St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1888). Notice the horsedrawn trolley line.

View down Chestnut from Fourth Street, ca. 1885

2009-05-29T18:09:00.001-07:00

From Commercial and Architectural St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1888). A charming street view looking east down Chestnut Street from Fourth. Notice the river beyond the levee and the many buildings obliterated by the Arch grounds. Compare with the same view from Google StreetView:

Four Courts Jail and Morgue, ca. 1885

2009-05-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

From Commercial and Architectural St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1888):

"The Four Courts, a magnificent building, contains the headquarters of the police department, the health department, the several city courts, the court of criminal correction, first district police court, St. Louis criminal court, the jail and holdover. The main building fronts on Clark ave. the length of the block from 11th to 12th sts. and the architectural features of the structure are grand and imposing. The monster jail building is in the rear center while the Morgue occupies the northeast corner of the block, which is the property of the city."

Post Office Building, 1884

2009-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

From Commercial and Architectural St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1888). This depicts the Customs House, one of the most solid structures in the city. The building's foundations rest on granite slabs, which in turn rest on granite blocks that were placed into cores excavated to bedrock. It was constructed during the latter part of the 1870s and into the early 1880s. During the late 19th century, virtually every federal office was located in the building, from railroad mail marshals to U.S. Marine hospital services to the U.S. signal service, which operated an observatory for a time from the dome. The Customs House (now known as the Old Post Office) has been renovated; more information is available at [Built St. Louis].

Old St. Louis City Hall, ca. 1885

2009-05-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

From Commercial and Architectural St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1888). This print depicts the old city hall, located at Chestnut, Market and Eleventh streets. Many city residents (including Orear) were not fond of the structure; Orear writes that "the City Hall is a monster barn, built of brick, ... and if it does not fall down, it will be because luck is in favor of its occupants." The building later was torn down and the lot currently is the site of the Civil Courts Building (finished in 1929).