STLrainbow

impressive!

The scale of the terror going on in Sudan right now has completely broken my ability to comprehend it tbh

right; I believe the Board can file a bill to rescind a tax abatement due to substantial change but in practice it's almost always left up to the Developer's Corporation to decide.

Can attest to how some of the side streets in TGS are treacherous. Fortunately it should get above freezing here soon.

This composition had eluded me for nearly a decade, but yesterday I was finally able to capture it. A train rolled through just as the Duquesne Incline was crossing over the tracks in #Pittsburgh, creating a picture perfect winter scene. It was worth the hours and hours I've waited over the years.

Not quite a church, but the former Masonic Lambskin Temple (1927) in FPSE next door to the single-family conversion below was removated into apartments in the late 1980s and just changed hands for $2.3M.

A 2 bedroom unit is newly listed for $1,800/mo.
www.zillow.com/homedetails/...

I don't often repost but in case you have an interest in church buildings, adaptive reuse and neighborhood history.

How was Arsenal? It was quite funky earlier this afternoon.

ABL-- Always Be Learning

oh, wow, I knew a small Black community existed around Pattison Ave on The Hill before I-44 took its toll. But I didn't know before watching more of this presentation that there was a Vashon Elementary (Colored School No. 10) on Northrup. Now a single-family!
www.instagram.com/p/C8X5ng-utv4/

I wonder if taking ownership is something Landmarks may try to do more of.

Looks like some good news for this 1800s Brick Baller in Lasalle Park that was suffering from demo by neglect. Landmarks Ass'n appears to have acquired it and a permit has been issued for stabilization.
nextstl.com/2022/08/demo...

ICYMI: @stateofstlouis.bsky.social takes a dive into the #MECreports of #NexusPAC

Surprise! #ConflictsOfInterestSTL abound for PAC treasurer Matt McBride. His service on SLDC’s development boards spans two decades and four mayors. Currently McBride serves on eight (8) boards.

uugh.

YouTube video by Missouri Historical Society History of St. Louis Black Neighborhoods

Hmm... accidentally deleted skeets on Fifth Baptist in the old Rock Springs enclave of FPSE. Anyway, here's a presentation from John Wright, author of "St. Louis: Disappearing Black Communities" that takes a look at 5th Baptist and Rock Springs.
youtu.be/mEs3ZQ0nO5c?...

If my count is right, there are 8 purpose-built church buildings still standing in the FPSE n'hood (about 0.5 sq. mi. in size.) Of those, 3 still serve a religious function while 5 are either in private ownership or currently for sale.

In addition, there's been one recent church demo.

Two story brick church that looks like sort of a fortress.

Many St. Louisians know Lewis, who cherrfully greets passers-by outside the Lamb's Bride Church and Day Care on busy Tower Grove Ave. The site was home to Flower Memorial Methodist Church from 1927-1936 and I think, but am not entirely sure, the building is the same.

Photo of a one story red brick church with basement. A painted sign on a stone entryway reads "GROVE" in yellow letters on a blue background. A printed sign has church service information.

Photo of the closed St. Peter's location with an empty sign in front of a multi-story bell tower.

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran built a church in 1904 on Newstead at Swan that served the congregation until a larger church was built in 1926 on S. Kingshighway. The older church now is home to the Grace and Mercy Church while the Kighshighway church is now privately owned.

Two story commercial brick building painted grey with a "remedychurch" sign. The church recently closed and is now a comedy club annex building.

2022 Google Streetview of a narrow one story red brick building with a sign in the window reading "Joy Tabernacle Christian Center."

A picture from this summer of the one story brick building as it nears completion of its conversion to a residential use. The brick is painted white.

A c.1902 commercial building at Vista and Newstead had long served as a church for various congregations. But it is now an annex building for a comedy club. Likewise, Joy Tabernacle Christian Center on Tower Grove was in a non-purpose building; it was converted to an rental apartment this summer.

Picture from the fall of the 1925 Church with some construction fencing in front of the entrance. A monument sign reading "Minesterio Apostolico Plantio Del Senor" with information is in front.

This 1925 church building on Tower Grove Ave recently sold and is being converted to office use. It was built for the Lighthouse Free Methodist Church. It recently held bi-lingual services.

Gibson Heights Presbyterian Church with a new "Building For Sale" sign.

Wagoner Memorial Church with For Sale or Lease signs.

Nearby each other on S. Taylor in FPSE, recently closed Gibson Heights Presbyterian (1910) is now on sale and the old Wagoner Memorial United Methodist (1904), which already is in private hands and previously used as a co-working space, is seeking new tenants or owner.

October 2025 picture of the former church newly converted to a single-family. 1+ story red brick with arched windows.

A number of old churches in FPSE have been adapted to new uses. For example, the old St. Paul's/Reen Memorial Lutheran Church built in 1906 has been recently converted to a 12,500 sq. ft. single family home and is on sale for $4.25M.
www.zillow.com/homedetails/...

January 2022 of the former Emmaus Church with a sign in the lawn space showing a rendering of the planned Ronald McDonald House.

4 story red brick Ronald McDonald House.

A more recently demolished church in FPSE is the 1897 Emmaus Church (original UCC, then sold to Baptists in 1976) which was torn down a few years ago to make way for the new Ronald McDonald House.

St. Cronan Catholic Church, dedicated 1879. A banner sign below encased, arched stained glass reads "Immigrants and Refugees Welcome."

1973 Post-Dispatch photo of St. Bernard Church being demolished by a crew with wrecking equipment.

April 2025 Google Streetview of a one story commercial warehouse building at the site of the former St. Bernard Church. The street signs at the corner are Gratiot St. and St. Bernard Ln. St. Bernard Ln. dead ends at the I-64 right of way seen in the background.

The oldest extant church in FPSE is St. Cronan, built in 1879 on land purchased from the defunct Laclede Race Track. Nearly a century later it absorbed the even older St. Bernard parish, built in 1874 and demolished in 1973. That site at the neighborhood's edge is now a warehouse building by I-64.

The relatively small area we know today as Forest Park Southeast or The Grove has had a lot of church buildings. Some have been demolished. Many more turned into other uses. And a few are open. A 🧵below.

STL City added another 500,000 people in the 70 years between 1880 and 1950 as it filled in its borders over the ensuing decades. And in the 70 years between 1950 and 2020, it lost about 550,000 people.

STL City's population in 1880 was 350,000 and the large majority lived in an area under 10 sq. miles. It's existing boundaries were created in 1876 but most of the city was undeveloped.

1875 Pictoral St. Louis plates for an area just north of downtown and another in today's Shaw & TGE n'hoods.

Gut punch!

Crundun Martin. 💔

Massive fire engulfs old factory buildings south of downtown St. Louis Crews were called to the fire near 2nd and Cedar streets at about 3 a.m., said St. Louis fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson. He said the buildings were part of the

Crews were called to the fire near 2nd and Cedar streets at about 3 a.m., said St. Louis fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson. He said the buildings were part of the old Crunden-Martin Warehouses.