Awesome site that I have learned much and thoroughly enjoyed!!! I've learned much about my birthplace I never had available to me in local education (U. City and Ladue). I hope to be able to provide you with some fresh info and photos as I also explore what history St. Louis has...and where it so much seems to almost push out of its reach to celebrate. Your site and insight has provided me with much I never knew existed with the great history in this historic multi-cultural city. I now realize what I am around as I currently work Downtown. You have opened my eyes! Thanks much!! BTW, we'll see what Gateway Mall offers along with the push for the Lofts and condo redevelopment. Perhaps if the population returns, the jobs return...and the city does show life again...?

Robert, It's great to see the updates again. I hope all is going well in "the Windy City" and with the job search.Always remember, the "Mound City" always welcomes you.

I haven't been by this site in a while and I am impressed by how it has grown.I especially liked the expanded tour of ESL.I went back to visit the StL area last August. I was amazed by how much it had changed.I was especially amazed how ESL had gone down hill. After touring some of my old stomping grounds in Belleville I came down the hill toward ESL through Edgemont past 89th and State. As I drove down State Street it seemed like I was in a third world country.It was nothing like I remembered ESL being as a kid growing up there in the 50's& early 60's. Kind of a shock to me.It was also humid and hot something else I had forgotten.

Thanks for this website and keep up the great work.I look forward to seeing more updates.

Thank you so much for this website!!! :-)

Right huuurr.

I grew up on Maffitt Avenue between Sarah and Warne when there were still trees along the sidewalk. I remember the police station on Deer Street, the Golden Slipper and Sarah-Lou's chicken-fried steak sandwiches. I remember the streetcar tracks coming up every spring. I remember the basketball court across Sarah from St. Matthew's, Sumner High, Tandy Park, playing bass drum with Beaumont High's band in the Annie Malone Parade, the fly honeys at Rosati-Kain dance parties, haulin' crates at RET productions events and rippin' the whole 'Ville up on my bike from Western Auto. Good times and bad, the 'Ville was home. Hit me up if you want to share stories.

I AM AT ST.LOUIS!

I enjoy the Built St. Louis website very much. It represents substantial research and much hard work. I am a fan and frequent visitor; please keep it up.

I was surprised and saddened, however, to see that this site includes gratuitous, unkind and inaccurate comments about our local Catholic Archbishop on the St. Stanislaus Church page. That unhappy controversy is so complex that one cannot hope to capture the truth of the story from an unstudied distance or without an awareness of the operational structures in the Catholic Church that have determined the Archbishop's strategies in this case. Please bear in mind that the Archbishop is a highly respected religious leader in our community and gratuitous criticisms of him in recreational venues like this website will only serve to offend very many Catholics in the area while also giving a fresh hearing to innaccurate grievances. No good can come of that, so please, in the name of goodness, remove those comments and refrain from making similar ones. Thank you.

Hello,
I am interested in any photos of St. Louis City Hospital from the 1980s or 70s. I am a grad of the nursing program and would appreciate any information any one has or contacts. The alumni association is no longer around. I have alot of history to share and would love to find anyone with info.
Thanks, you can email me at barbs1212@sbcglobal.net ;-)

I have the Advanced Guestbook 2.4.3, I was wondering how you got the title above the Guestbook name?

Website is really interesting!

Nice Site!

Well, this past weekend I drove along 1900 Montgomery, and the two "remaining" buildings are mere rubble, the interior structure is all that is holding together.

love your coverage of the mid-century ranches in New Orleans.
THanks!

Found your site interesting. There's also a little house listed on the Post-Dispatch's real estate page that I found interesting. I can't post a link of it, though.

It's on 4237 Obear Ave and it's a medium green with seafoam green trim. The roof kind of reminds on White Castle. Anyway, I thought you might find it rather peculiar.

Your site interests me a lot. It's unfortunate when I hear someone argue to tear down a historic building.

Thanks for putting this site together. God Bless.

How will St. Louis recapture the title of "Most Dangerous City in America"? It has to be painful to have to have lost the title considering the area has little other claim to fame. It's just another "diversity and multicultural" disaster, proving that public housing and free hands out don't work.

The figures on the Murphy building in E. St. Louis are so intriguing. They seem to know they've been abandoned and are saddened by their own decay. Beautiful photographs. I'm a fledgling artist (at age 44!) and I may have to paint a portrait of one of the figures.

Great update on East St.Louis. When can we expect a great update on St. Louis especially the MLK area? Looking forward to it. Why Chicago? You are familiar with St. Louis, so why not move back here? It's a great city to live and work in. St.Louis can use great architects like yourself. Thanks. George

Enjoyed viewing pictures of my old neighborhood. Many of the pictures are homes of people I knew and played with when I was younger. At the time, in the 60's it was a great middle class neighborhood. It is a shame to see the Clemen's house (which we called the Convent) condition. It was a place we all played in when we were young.

Thanks for the memories.

I grew up in Hannibal, MO and have had many occasions to visit St. Louis since the late 1960's when I was boy. What an amazing and haunting document "Built St. Louis" is!

I don't know if historic preservation can hope to save but a fraction of these structures, but one can hope that something is done before the whole place is gutted and looks like a post-nuclear wasteland like East St. Louis.

Unfortunately places like the North Side of St. Louis are not alone. Some that I have seen and are familiar with are Niagara Falls, NY, which, apart from the Casino and the falls area is a sorry looking industrial wasteland. Fort Wayne, IN used to have a downtown but now nothing is there.

Even the river-front part of Hannibal, MO looks like a place where in the words of Steven King, the world has "moved on". The downtown Mark Twain tourist stuff keeps it alive but the railroads have moved out, the tracks have been pulled up, businesses have closed, the grain elevator and the old bridge are gone and much of the charm of the old place has departed with it.

Meanwhile the economic center of town has moved out to McMasters Avenue, which is OK if you like a world of nothing but Wal-Marts and McDonald's restaurants, Motels and car dealerships. There really is no place to walk out there.

But I digress. A wonderful site. Someone should do one like that for Chicago.

To see that the glass is not only half empty but also half full, come to a bike tour sponsored by the St. Louis Bike Federation and Trailnet known as one of their "Trails With A Twist" tours. I'm one of the guides for these tours, and it's your chance to take a leisurely ride through old St. Louis and learn about the architecture and cultural history of these neighborhoods. Google St. Louis Bike Fed or St. Louis Trailnet to find out when the next tour will be. Generally, these tours are in the evening during daylight saving time, but next year we'd like to include some weekend morning tours, beginning as early as February. Hope to see you there!

This website is amazing. So interesting to see the hollowing out of parts of America.

I'm really surprised at how white Americans are not more outraged at how blacks have destroyed every major inner city in America. They continue apologizing for them and then running away. It just really puzzles me how or white ever became so spineless as to surrender their heritage to thugs?

This is an absolutely WONDERFUL site! I have always been interested in St. Louis history and this site was exactly what I was looking for. Keep up the great work!

My grandfather and 7 of his 8 children actually worked at Chain of Rocks Park. I remember the park when I was a child on a school picnic. I would love to see old pictures of the park before it closed in 1977. If it hadn't been for all the "riffraff" that moved into that area that park would have still been open. It really sucked that it had to close. I hope you'll be able to help me with pictures as my family doesn't have any.

Robert, I just wanted to thank you so very much for your website!! Though it is sad what has become of the Hyde Park neighborhood, old postcards, etc. show me what the area was like when my great-grandfather lived there from about 1880 until the turn of the century. (He was born in St L in 1867). His father came from Hanover and ran a saloon across the street from the Turnverein - at 2000 Salisbury. Is it possible the picture of the boarded up store at Salisbury and Blair was his father's saloon in the 1890's?

Thanks to anyone who can advise on the photo. Robert - my sister and I have been wandering around in your site for a couple years and realized we needed to let you know how much we appreciate all you have done and are doing and let you know we are drawn to keep coming back to see what else you have added.

Pam in Wisconsin

Three things that would have huge impact on the downtown district.

One, create natural connection and path to the Arch grounds. It is ridiculous that downtown and the Arch grounds are separated by a hideous pot-holed mared highway. Build some architecturally appealing overhead walkways and rebuild this relative small stretch of highway with fresh concrete and nice landscaping.

Two, bulldoze down the horrific eyesore that is the St. Louis downtown "mall." You know, that ugly white building that formally housed a Walgreens, etc.

Three, open a Walgreens drug store (or similar) in one of the first floor building vacancies in the general Broadway - Pine - Olive area. The store would do a thriving business and add a desperately needed punch of vibrancy to the office district area.

Thank you so much for your pictures of East St. Louis. I have wanted to see that city because my father was born there in 1910, but have been discouraged from driving through. Your pictures have helped my curiosity tremendously! Thank you!

Best wishes on your move. Chicago is a wonderful city. True they have had architectural losses, and it shares some of the same issues St. Louis is grappling with. But it is a vibrant, thriving city and has been that way for some time. I was excited to go to St. Louis recently and see the huge improvement downtown in terms of amenities, streetlife, and development. Washington looks much better too. Now with Centene Corp abandoning Clayton for the urban core, St. Louis is going great guns, and I couldn't be happier. It is a great city in its own way.

My family and I live in Chicago. Recently, we purchased a condo unit in the renovated Marquette Building on Broadway to serve as a weekday residence for me (I commute to St. Louis for work). While I applaud the efforts to renovate some of the downtown districts historical buildings, the downtown desperately needs brand new building construction added to the mix. The wrecking ball doesn't have to be a threat. Particularly given some of the dreadful eyesores that remain in downtown St. Louis.

Robert,Thanks for the update on the updates.Any chance of you moving back to St. Louis? As always, I am looking forward to more of the wonderful work you do with this great site. Good luck in the Windy City.Thanks again. George

What a fantastic site! Fabulous collection of photos and historical narrative. Keep up the great work -- I'll be returning here often.

Can't wait for the mckinley bridge to reopen here in a couple months. It will be a fantastic view of the river and downtown, just like a trip across the old chain of rocks bridge currently is. It's great to see new life breathed into an old structure.

I enjoy your site, I check it for updates often.

Have you ever done anything on the old Chuck-A-Burger places? I am not sure if there are any around anymore.


Number of Operations Iraq Freedom and Enduring Freedom casualties as confirmed by U.S. Central Command: 4186

Hi. My name is Zach and I live in Topeka, Kansas, some 6 hours west of the Greater St. Louis area.

I discovered your website by browsing the 'Net, and I enjoy your pictures of St. Louis immensely. When I was a child my family and I would go through the city en route to my Dad's home state, Ohio and I clearly remember a lot of the neighborhoods...especially the Cabanne, Hyde Park, and what's now known as the MLK areas. Seeing these neighborhoods for the first time in probably 40 years just brought back so many pleasant memories. I also remembered East St. Louis very well, and the plight of it today saddened me, a lot of the older homes and businesses are now gone.

All in all, your site is superb, and please keep up the great work. Thanks.

--Zach, Topeka, KS

Nice Site!

Millions of THANK YOUS to the owner of the St. Louis Hills Office Center for working to save, rather than demolish, this truely great landmark. All too often it is easier and sad to say, cheaper to get rid of something of beauty than to preserve it.Also, thanks for your keeping the original 1950s look rather than "modernizing" it. This alone make this building a true gem.And thanks to you Robert for the update especially the pictures of the neighborhood. This added greatly to the appreciation of the building it self.

Hello, Best Site

Nice Site!

Nice website but just a little info...Keil/Savvis/Scottrade Center opened in 1994 not 1992.......just thought you might want to know that....otherwise very interesting infomation

An excellent website. Keep up the good work!!!

Hi,loving this site!

I spent most of the day today looking at your site (I should be working). I love the history and architecture of St. Louis it really is unique. I am from Minneapolis, and up there anything from the 1950s is considered really old, so I find the photos and history very interesting. I did not know of all the activity in Old North St. Louis until yesterday, the more people who are aware of what is happening in the city the better. Great job.

Great site, outstanding content and pictures. Would love to interview you sometime for content on the StLouis.org site. (under development)

Brings back great memories of my hometown. Grew up in Belleville and then moved to St. Lou for college. Would love to put together a documentary with your photography and writings from the site. Great work!

Nice Site!

Robert, It is great to see the new updates. Thanks . George

Saying Sauget has nothing makes you look like you have no knowledge of the area. You have Pop's, a tour venue/nightclub, PT's Showclub, and the Penthouse Club. So it does do some business. Idiot. Don't talk if you know nothing about something.

Good site. I like it!

THIS is a TEST!!!!!

Hooray!

Yes, Sir.

=) Thanks bro!!


Peace