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). 
From Commercial and Architecture St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1891). The Grand Opera House originally opened as the Varieties Theatre in 1852, which was rebuilt with a new facade in 1881. However, the building exploded as a result of a gas fire in 1884, and the Grand Opera House (depicted above) was built in its place at 514 Market Street. The Grand Opera House stood as an opera and vaudeville venue until the 1940s, when it was converted into a burlesque operation. It was well-known for its Moresque exterior and its 2300 seat venue. In 1963, the Grand Theater (as it was then known) was demolished as part of the urban renewal project associated with Busch Stadium.
From Commercial and Architectural St. Louis by George Washington Orear (1891), a print of Hagan Theater (then under construction) at Tenth and Pine. Orear writes that the lobby of the Hagan was 40 feet wide and 40 feet high with a glass domed roof. The floor was "laid with mosaic tiling, while just ahead will be seen two solid marble staircases, uniting on a turn and ascending to a balcony." The location of the Hagan is now the site of a surface parking lot.
