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Saints Peter and Paul, Soulard
The beauty of Soulard, and other neighborhoods, are the vistas that unveil themselves as you walk the streets. Here and there, a cityscape unfolds through the alleys and streets.
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Centenary Methodist Church
Surrounded by Modernist apartment towers, the church is all the at remains of what was once one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.
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St. Augustine’s, Being Destroyed
I had wanted to keep this a secret as long as possible, but judging by how many photos I’ve seen of people posting views of the interior on the Internet, it’s no secret that one of the most amazing...
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Two Churches, Vandalia
First United Methodist Church is a nice example of Romanesque Revival in America. I’ve never actually seen any churches in Europe that look like this, but it’s more about the inspiration. I love the...
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First Presbyterian, Later Calvary Baptist Church, Mattoon
We spotted this stunning dome through the trees as we drove through Mattoon, Illinois. As we approached, we came to the realization that the church is abandoned, with wide open windows allowing in...
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Countryside around Arthur, Illinois
The area around Amish country abounds with interesting buildings, such as this Italianate house from 1873. Draft horses graze in the pastures. Not everyone is Amish around here, as this church...
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Shenandoah and California
Fox Park has an amazing mix of housing styles, from these “micro-mansions” with their Second Empire stylings to more simple but beautiful Italianate row houses. The view is always great from the park,...
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St. Mark’s Lutheran
From 1882 to 1921, St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church met here, before moving on to Clayton. This area was once known as Piety Hill, due to the large number of churches in what is now called...
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Congregation Zephran David
Originally in the Near North Side on Dayton near Leffingwell, the Congregation Zephran David moved out to the West End in the 1920-30s. The construction date in the City’s records is clearly wrong at...
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Chillicothe, Illinois
Located upstream from Peoria on the Illinois River, Chillicothe is a town that could have a lot of potential. It has a beautiful downtown, with well-preserved storefronts and a short walk down to...
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St. Augustine, Before the Tornado
Valued reader Bob Shea passed along this fantastic and incredibly valuable photograph of St. Augustine from Der Herald des Glaubens, before it was damaged by the tornado and rebuilt in its current,...
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St. Liborius, Before the Completion of the Spire
Valued reader Bob Shea also provided this intriguing photograph of St. Liborius before its iconic, and now truncated central spire was built. I also am interested in how rural the neighborhood looks...
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Old St. Andrew’s German Lutheran Church
Founded in 1899, St. Andrew merged with Ebenezer German Lutheran in 1964 to form Epiphany. I find the old German Lutheran churches scattered around the city fascinating. I should really call them...
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Visitation – St. Ann’s Shrine
Designed by famed architect Thomas Barnett, the Church of Our Lady of the Visitation later added Holy Ghost and St. Ann within its walls. It was built in 1909 but the parish dates to 1882. Its ever...
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The Ville, Revisited, Late November 2015
We drove through the Ville neighborhood last week, and I was disappointed to see that the neglect and deterioration has continued. Once the isolated “suburban” town of Elleardsville, the Ville became...
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Old Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church
Much like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, my friend Jeff Phillips and I took pictures of the same church, from different angles. Mine is on top, and his is below. The sun was setting and the rain...
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Hodiamont House
The Baron Emmanuel de Hodiamont House sits in the far western reaches of St. Louis, out in what is now the West End. The original stone vernacular house was built in 1829, and it received its Gothic...
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Pilgrim Congregational Church, Union Boulevard
The stretch of Union Boulevard just north of Delmar features one of the greatest civic ensembles of buildings in St. Louis. Over the next week, I will take a look at these buildings, many by some of...
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Church of the Messiah, Union Boulevard
The Unitarian Church of the Messiah moved out this way around 1907, joining the other churches on this stretch of Union. It’s relatively small compared to its huge neighbors, and it’s in that Early...
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