The Near North Side West of Jefferson

North of Delmar, but west of Jefferson is a very important part of St. Louis's architectural history.

Why? Because it represents an era of St. Louis history that was almost entirely demolished in the first half of the Twentieth Century, first by the commercialization of the central corridor of the city, and then by urban renewal that swept away large amounts of the oldest parts of the city.

But just northwest of downtown, the relics of St. Louis's post-Civil Wat residential character cling to life, but only barely.

Though devoid of major landmarks, and bypassed by major avenues to the north and south, this part of the city should be highly desirable due to its close proximity to to downtown and Grand Center.

But it sits in isolation, blocked off streets preventing the natural movements of automobiles and mass transit through the area, with large swaths of vacant land permeating the area.

I distinctly remember this area in the 1980's, when my family visited a church in the area. It was a maze of completely intact, though probably partly abandoned rows of houses, giving the sense of a real neighborhood.

Just to the east is the former Pruitt-Igoe housing project site. Older housing stock, such as Second Empire and Italianate houses are now increasingly rare in the city, and are primarily found in neighborhoods like Benton Park or Soulard.

Will help come to this neighborhood before the remnants are swept away and forgotten forever? Sadly, I have a bad feeling it will not.

North Broadway, Revisited

As the new Mississippi River Bridge slowly rises north of downtown, it will be interesting to see what happens to the largely desolate stretch of North Broadway that now runs under the approaches to the bridge.Many of the old refrigerated warehouses are vast, allowing for relatively easy refurbishment for new uses.The American Bag Company is one business that has occupied several buildings in a row.I find the peaked roof of this building amusing, as there is no roof behind the triangular facade.

Pruitt School, Near North Side

As was pointed out recently, some of the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects still exists. Besides the power substation, the Pruitt School, an elegant building of brick and marble, still stands and is in use.The school must have fit in nicely with the well ordered streets and public areas of the housing project.It sits with ball fields on one side, and dense underbrush on the other side.The close proximity to downtown points to the desirability of the site, and raises questions as to why such as valuable site could site empty for so long.

Power Substation, Pruitt-Igoe

This is the power substation that still serves the area just around Cass Avenue, and at one point served the Pruitt-Igoe housing project.It's actually an interesting little building, with great detailing in the bars covering the window as well as the smallest of details such as the overhead light.There's probably few of these remaining in the United States.

Pruitt-Igoe Nature Preserve

I'm not sure what the plan is for the Pruitt-Igoe site, other than there the plan is to have no plan.While tentatively part of the Northside development, there has been little movement on that project, so the site is left to bud and blossom for yet another summer.The old roads that cut through the housing project are still here, and they create alleyways of trees that are slowly being subsumed by nature.It would be interesting to study the plant life of the site, right in the middle of the city.

Carr Elementary School

Carr School has been better documented on other websites, but I realized I had never really looked at the building up close.The influence of Italian architecture is clear, with some nice nods to Renaissance models in Florence and other Italian cities.It is in a severe state of disrepair, and at the bare minimum now, it would probably have to be gutted to save the exterior walls. The roof tiles are wonderful, and perhaps could be reused in a new rood.

McKee's New Development in Near North Side

According to the Post-Dispatch, Paul McKee has learned his lesson from the demise of his original TIF, and has instead focused on smaller projects. Good, I say.

Golden Dragon

Warehouse Coming Down, Near North Side

It seems that more demolition is occurring north of the old Schnuck's site on the Near North Side. A careful examination of the right-of-way reveals that the warehouse was not going to be in the path of the entrance ramps. It seems the building is being torn down in anticipation of increased land values in the area when the bridge is complete.Looking at an aerial view, it is clear that the complex was a series of buildings all combined together at some point. Regardless of different construction years, they all now share the same date of destruction.

Schnuck's Demolished

I was surprised to discover that the Schnuck's owned by Paul McKee was being demolished when I drove by a few weeks ago. I checked the new Mississippi River bridge's website, and realized that it will be in the middle of the new access street for the bridge.

Pruitt-Igoe Nature Preserve

Wow, the old Pruitt-Igoe site is looking really lush this time of year! I can't wait to see what exciting new development will be occurring on the site soon!

The Tucker Tunnel, De-Tunnelized

It seems like just yesterday that the Tucker Tunnel was the center of attention as Larry Rice and his organization were threatening civil disobedience to keep a squatters' camp in the entrance to the tunnel.Months later, the tunnel is slowly and quietly being dismantled and filled in.It's a weird situation where businesses such as a McDonald's are only accessible from their rear entrance, as their front ones end at a sharp incline.See pictures of the tunnel before demolition, look here.

Tucker Tunnel Renovation

The Post-Dispatch reports that the Tucker Tunnel, collapsing now for two years, will be filled with Styrofoam blocks. I am perplexed by the statement that the tunnel has absolutely no possible future usage; I still think it could have been used for the proposed Metrolink North-South Line one day as it traveled through downtown. Check out my photos here; much of what is shown will be filled in soon with Styrofoam and dirt.

God Was Here

Paul McKee Releases Computer Generated Images of North St. Louis Planned Development

McEagle Developments announces the new development, Heritage Place, in North St. Louis.Computer image of intersection of N. Florissant and Montgomery Streets.Commercial development proposal for corner of St. Louis Avenue and Jefferson Ave.2900 Block of Hebert.JeffVanderLou new development, as proposed by McEagle.