Holy Family

I attended Holy Family grade school (now Marian Middle School) in Tower Grove South. My favorite room was the third floor library which I had little access to, it was rarely open. I didn't know the room existed until I was in the sixth grade.


My infatuation with abstract expressionist painters Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt has roots here:





Rothko painting (he was a brick groupie too):

Galloping Gertie

Click on the title.

I asked Bad Tim what went wrong:
Modernists were jumping all over each other to create a sleeker, more streamlined suspension bridge, and this one was the absolute masterpiece. Unfortunately, they neglected to account for the heavy winds thru the narrows and didn't realize that they would create a resonance in the span. it was like striking a tuning fork. Once the vibration got started, the wind kept feeding it until it started swaying like that.

This is why suspension bridges are often double-deckers or have deep, open trusses under their decks. It makes the deck stiffer so it won't oscillate a lot of them also use grates for the deck instead of concrete, so the wind can blow thru without setting off the wave action.

It was a gorgeous bridge, though, wasn't it? It's tragic about the dog.

The Corner Store

Way back in the mid century in Tower Grove South many people didn't have cars (most families just had one) and did their grocery hopping within walking distance. Stillwell's Grocery was on Roger which is currently a furniture restoration business. Smaller 'confectionaries' were on every other corner with glass display cases of candy. They also carried the basic staples.

For the weekend family grocery shopping we drove to Kroger's on Grand (now Jay Asia).

There was a room in our basement called the root cellar where canned food was stored on shelves. Anything on sale was bought and hoarded there along with all the necessary items in the event of a nuclear attack from the Commies. It was my dad's version of a bomb shelter two decades after The Scare.



In the 70's this was called Brawley's Confectionary.

Grand and Arsenal circa late 70's

Tillman's Restaurant was torn down to create a parking lot in the 70's. Across the street was the Kingsway Grill.

In the late 70's a bookstore was on either side of the Kingsway. It had entrances on both Arsenal and Grand; an L shaped store that carried every new release from Grove Press.

There was a solid wall of storefronts to the first residence with no curb cuts.

I believe this photo is by Walter Gunn.

Marti Frumhoff Memorial Garden - the sign

Yesterday I met with Keith from the Parks Dept. for created this sign for the site. Here he is holding it in position (it won't be that height).
Awesome!
Thanks to the St. Louis Parks Department!

After leaving Marti's garden I encountered this at the entrance to McDonald Park.

Not knowing how to turn in a park to CSB I emailed the Parks Commissioner last night with these photos. He promptly responded: Thanks. I am turning in a work order this morning to get this addressed ASAP.

Who's been sleeping in my bed

If a dog lives with you chances are you're familiar with their ability to resist cooperating when politely asked to change location.

Hey, would you get off the bed?
No response. Not even a glance in my direction.

Beau, please move.
He tilted his head to stare at the wall.

Want to go outside?
The very tip of his tail twitched with no other sign of acknowledgment.

I used a flash taking these photos, he didn't blink.

I finally decided to move him but this dog knows how to go limp and increase his weight.

Sliding my hands under his hips, I started to tug.
He managed to pull everything with him, three covers and two pillows.

Diamond Brick

I've found two houses in TGS with these elusive diamond bricks.
Fabulous engraved limestone.

Ouch

Result of Beau and Peanut playing.

For Chris over at St. Louis Patina

Clicking on the title will jettison you over to St. Louis Patina.
Chris, I thought of you when I spotted this brass door knob on the TGS Architecture Walk.

Kingshighway Hills

Most of the buildings along Oleatha in Kingshighway Hills are two and four family apartments.

They all have matching garages and the face brick covers all four walls, not just the front of the buildings. Black vitrolite, fancy ass brickwork, glass block windows, and elaborate limestone details each building.



Dreamy white brick!






This brick column was added:


Matching garages,

Afflicted with the Flue

Art Deco meets gingerbread in the Kingshighway Hills neighborhood.

I've been stalking this house for years!

Today as I was stalking it I noticed a car parked smack dab in front of it and concluded the owner was in.
I rang the bell, a woman appeared in the door and I suddenly realized I hadn't practiced my usual Hi, I'm not a Scientologist or a Mormon greeting.

She tolerated my overt enthusiasm as she opened the door and answered my questions.

I had imagined the tower was a fireplace and the small glass windows around it allowed for flickering light. No, it's the flue for the furnace in the basement.
Get this, she paid 130,000 for it 7 years ago.

Not the original storm door but check out that oak door.

Flashing (not original) was added to the stained glass windows perhaps to protect the wood frames. Bummer.

'Sponge' brick. Dreamy.

Photos from the TGS Architecture Walk

Oak Hill Presbyterian Church.



Ceiling inside the church.