Venice Power Plant, Half Gone

I've been fascinated by the demolition of the Venice Power Plant, which I've covered before in the past.

Unlike a lot of demolitions, which start with the clearing of the interior, the demolition here is proceeding from front to back, revealing the still intact interior spaces before they're torn down.

I know nothing about power plants, other than they burn coal, creating steam that powers a generator; perhaps what those giant funnels do is pour coal down into the boilers.

There are four of them, and there were once four smokestacks, so I presume that is what they are.

There is a whole complex of other outbuildings, which I presume will be torn down as well.

If you or anyone you know worked in this plant, I would love to hear from you.

City Hospital Power Plant, Reinvisioned

I can't say enough positive words about the renovation of the old City Hospital power plant into a bouldering facility, envisioned by two brothers and I think some of their friends.

Left as a ruin when the City Hospital was abandoned, the power plant is a landmark on the near south side.

The interior, while stripped of the bulky boilers that once filled the room, still contains some nice elements alluding to its industrial past, such as a giant gantry crane that still hangs over the lobby.

Below you can see several angles of the artificial "rock wall" that climbers can now tackle in the renovated space.

East St. Louis Power Plant

Very little is known about the isolated power plant in East St. Louis. Surrounded by forest and weed-choked lots, its twin smokestacks stand in splendid isolation in the midst of the abandoned neighborhood.

Venice Power Plant Demolition

I've got the bad feeling that the Venice Power Station is being torn down. I drove by on Thursday, and large portions of the building have disappeared, and the windows have been removed from the main building, revealing what looks to be an empty interior. See pictures of it during its operation at Built St. Louis.

The Riverfront, Desolation

With the recent removal and dismantlement of the Admiral, the riverfront has lost one of the last (if not particularly healthy) beacons of activity on what was once a bustling wharf.

When I first moved to St. Louis, there were at least three more riverboats on the levee: the Robert E. Lee, the McDonalds, and the Burger King with its Inaugural minesweeper.

All those are now gone, and all that remains seems to be the riverboat cruises.

Which is sad, because from the riverfront, you can view many of St. Louis's greatest engineering and civic icons; everything is huge down here, built on a scale befitting a great city. What will the future hold? Honestly, probably not much, but at least you can still witness these grand structures without interruption.

Near North Riverfront

I love the area of the riverfront north of Laclede's Landing; anchored by the slender Cotton Belt Warehouse (see it here, here and here), the area yearns for reinvestment.

Also, I realized I had photographed this warehouse in the past as well. It is a legacy of the area's importance in the storage of produce and other foodstuffs.

This old power plant, shorn of its smokestack, is another interesting building sitting along the riverfront.

But the Ashley Street Power Plant never ceases to amaze me; it is an ornate building, built in the Beaux-Arts style, and is a temple to electricity, and now steam.

Cahokia Power Station, Framed by I-55

Far North Riverfront

While the Near North Riverfront gets more attention because it's easier to see from downtown, the Far North Riverfront holds some interesting surprises as well.Above, this very cool building anchors the Bissell Point Waterworks, or Waste Treatment Center, not sure which one. I like its curving lines.Unbeknownst to a lot of people, the City of St. Louis burns much of its trash in two incinerators, such as this one. Talk about a huge, hulking building.Finally, the massive approaches to the Merchants' Bridge rise north of the McKinley Bridge. Perhaps the most difficult bridge to photograph due to its isolation, the Merchants' looks very similar to the McKinley, its southern neighbor.

Ashley Street Power Plant, Revisited

There is no more beautiful building in St. Louis than the Ashley Street Power Plant at sunset. It is filthy, but the way the stone reflects the sun is incredible.

Riverfront Vistas

I love the massive, hulking strength of early 20th Century architecture. Overengineered to last forever, their remnants stand proudly, often in better shape than their younger counterparts.Whether it's the massive approaches to the MacArthur Bridge, or the long dormant Cahokia Power Station, these behemoths, blackened with soot from Southern Illinois Coal, or just a lazy black paint job, never cease to amaze me.