The railroad used to go through Kirksville, until it was ripped out unceremoniously my freshman year for scrap metal. For years there was a large, muddy trench left in its wake, but I was pleased to see that it has been converted to a bike trail. But what is cool is that many of the original depot buildings in downtown are still there (though the passenger terminal has been demolished recently).
Below, I can't figure out these doors, except that they obviously began their useful life somewhere else.
Here's a great classical looking warehouse a few feet from the old tracks.
I love this old commercial building, covered with advertisements for long dead companies, in full view of passenger trains as they pulled into Kirksville.
Kirksville did try to buy up the line in between La Plata and Kirksville to hook up with the main line, but it failed to get the financing. Which is too bad, because with rising fuel costs, trucking everything to and from Kirksville is going to cost a lot more than taking the train. I fear for the long term viability of the town with such limited connections.
I absolutely hate the two behemoth parking garages that sit north of the Gateway Mall in the heart of downtown. They're big, ugly, and they are a pathetic excuse for architecture on what is supposedly St. Louis's main street.
But rather ironically, the two garages actually have street level retail that is 100% rented, even if it is just Hooters, TGI Friday's and Lion's Choice.
I ran across a downtown booster site one time that showed office towers protruding from the roofs of these beasts, but that can be little more than optimism. Perhaps downtown will one day realize that there's already way too much parking, and not enough places for people to go.
