Clik here to view.
St. Mary’s Infirmary Coming Down
Long-suffering St. Mary’s Infirmary, or the old Malcolm-Bliss, is finally being put out of its misery. One half of the building, up to the central hallway, has been demolished. I’m sad, but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Armour Revisited for the Final Time, September 2014
Back in late 2014, I had an opportunity to tour the Armour Meat Packing Plant with the permission of the owner. Now that the plant has been imploded, I assume it is alright to share these photos of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Smokestacks, Armour, September 2014
The smokestacks were perhaps the most iconic portion of the Armour Meat Packing Plant from the exterior, but they cast a looming presence from the interior, as well.
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Boiler Room, Refrigeration Plant, Armour, September 2014
The giant boilers, once searing hot, were being ripped out one by one, by someone. They’re not buried under the rubble from the implosion. Below, here’s a boiler that was dragged a little ways before...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Up Above the Boilers, Armour, September 2014
Climbing the rickety stairs, we emerged up above the boilers, which you can above, with the coal hoppers on the right. There were a whole forest of pipes up here, probably covered in asbestos...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In Between the Buildings, Armour, September 2014
That quiet spot in between the slaughter house and the refrigeration plant always seemed to boast the most lush flora around Armour. It’s weird seeing the site stripped of vegetation now, as it was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Roof of the Refrigeration Plant, Armour, September 2014
We were never really sure what this structure was for; old Sanborns label this as condensers, but if they were ever there, they are long gone, and were left open to the elements for decades. There was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Armour from Above, Before Demolition in 2016
I don’t know why I didn’t post this long ago, but for those who’ve never been, this is what was left of most of Armour in the last decade. Amazing, there were huge refrigerated warehouses right in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Slaughterhouse, September 2014.
The slaughterhouse at Armour was collapsing, not dramatically, but inexorably. It was going to be a pile of rubble in a decade, probably, even without the demolition that came in the summer of 2016....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Carcass Elevator, Armour, September 2014
I used to think this massive elevator took carcasses up into the building, but that is incorrect. Like beer brewing, slaughterhouses brought the cattle up to the top of Armour, and then lowered them...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Alleyways, Armour, September 2014
It dawned us finally one time that this was the final alleyway that cattle were forced down, with the hose on the left used to wash the path down. Look at the worn-down bricks where millions of cattle...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Amazing Discovery, Armour, July 2016
I headed back over by Amour on Saturday, and not much has changed on the slaughterhouse, but a tons of rubble have been removed from the site of the refrigeration plant. Giant husks of metal, some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
St. Mary’s, Rapidly Coming Down
Well, demolition certainly has been speeding up over at the old St. Mary’s. A giant, Tyrannosaurus Rex-like claw was biting away at the Modernist addition on the west on Saturday when I came by. You...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Crestwood Mall, Demolition, Late July 2016
Obviously there’s a huge amount of work going on inside Crestwood Plaza, but the parking garage for the old Stix, Baer and Fuller is coming down slowly. Stylistically, the Stix, later Dillard’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reservoir Market, St. Louis Place, Late July 2016
Not much is happening at the old Reservoir Market. I presume it will be knocked down one day.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Armour Meat Packing Plant, Slaughterhouse Coming Down, Late August 2016
Slowly but surely, the slaughterhouse, the last major building left at Armour, is coming down, brick by brick. It’s fascinating, in a sad way, in that the structure of the building is becoming...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Decimated JeffVanderLou
JeffVanderLou is easily one of the most devastated and forgotten neighborhoods in the city. Straddling Grand Boulevard, it is not in the news anymore, as there are few people left. This poor church,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Old Stix, Baer and Fuller Store Demolition Continues
The demolition of the old Crestwood Mall, and in particular its Stix, Baer and Fuller store, is accelerating as external evidence has appeared of interior demolition. The parking structure is long...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ruins Week Alumnus, St. Louis Place
Originally featured two years ago; they don’t get around to cleaning stuff up very fast up this way.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cahokia Mounds, New Year’s Day, 2017
Dramatic light framed the ruins of Cahokia, from Monk’s Mound above to other mounds arranged around the main plaza.
View Article