This stunning central plan church, on Mason Road in Town and Country, is one of the masterpieces of the early Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum architectural firm.
To see pictures of the inside, click here to go the Parish's website.
You can read more here at Andrew Raimist's website as well.
I was really amazed, having driven by the building countless times, how beautiful it is up close.
What the heck? The new parking garage that replaced the failed St. Louis Centre looks like the old mall, except that it's black instead of white. See my old pictures of the mall here and here before redevelopment.
I like the black entryway for the red granite building; I guess it makes sense.
I like this sculpture as well; it looks like it is studio surplus from an old Star Trek episode.
So we're left with yet another dead block in downtown. Terrific!
See some very old commentary I wrote on the mall here.
Has anyone ever heard of the Sporting News? This sign, of unknown age, is on the top of a building near Washington Avenue.
A brownfield site, the former Carter Carburator site sits empty, home to the occasional illicit dog fight, huge piles of clothing, and only the memories of the industry that occurred here.
It's hard to get a good picture of St. Cecelia's because the church is surrounded by so many houses.
Which is a good thing, as the neighborhood is still strong, with very few abandoned houses and no vacant lots that I could see.
The church itself is a nice, solid Gothic Revival church with a wonderfully decorated interior.
This is the Mexican national church of St. Louis in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
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.
Bethlehem Lutheran's owners apparently want to tear the church down, but lack the money to do so. Thank God, as it is an incredibly beautiful church that should still be here when Hyde Park rebounds, of which it is already showing signs.
The church is in bad shape, but obviously not past the point of rehabilitation.
In a city dominated by beautiful Roman Catholic churches, it's great to see the Lutherans representing as well.
Yes, this is the home of the infamous Jesus statue in the cellar. I love how this church dominates the view of northbound North Florissant Avenue.
I realized I needed to check up on some of my favorite houses in St. Louis Place and see how they were doing. On my way there, I encountered these victims of brick theft.
The houses I have documented in the past couple of years still cling to life, if in the most extreme sense of the expression.
I really don't think there's any hope to save these weather ravaged buildings, stripped of their most important structural element: their exterior walls.
In the shadow of St. Augustine, the brick/junk yards are operating still, even if a couple have been shut down recently. If the City actually enforced its own laws, all of them would be closed, as anyone can see they are not reputable businesses from the street.
I mean, when was the last time you saw a bunch of shady guys standing around a barrel burning garbage in front of an Applebee's? I'm worried they're going to decide that the dark tan bricks of St. Augustine's will make them money, and it will be attacked as well.
It turns out that most of Fort deChartres is actually a reproduction, but it is still really interesting to see.
The building below, the powder arsenal, is supposedly the oldest stone building in Illinois, though heavily restored, obviously.
I think the idea is to eventually rebuild the entire walls around the fort one day.
For the time being, foundations can give you the impression of what other buildings once stood in the compound.
A trip to Old Valmeyer would not be complete without a trip to New Valmeyer, high on the bluffs above the old town.
Meant to be a planned community, some residents complained that the feel of the old town was lost in the new town.
Perhaps that's only logical, as the grid is gone for the most part from New Valmeyer, replaced with a fairly standard suburban cul-de-sac plan.
Unfortunately, it looks like the plan was never completed for a "Main Street" as the street facing the high school is nothing but barren lots. Surely something was planned for this area.
Compare the New Valmeyer from the air to the Old Valmeyer. Barring flooding issues, which doomed the old town, which one would you want to live in?
