Forward, Into The Past
The Missouri Audubon Society lists 434 distinct species of birds in the state. Did you know that one had a range limited to Lafayette Park in 1870, and has migrated no farther than 150 miles in the 150 years since?
18th Street at Chouteau has a rich history of causing traffic flow issues. Due to a quirk in the layout, there was nearly always a sharp jog (or dogleg) to the west as one headed south, then 18th Street continued as Second Carondolet. It was this way as far back as 1875, as shown in the Compton and Dry pictorial map:
Continue reading “1930: The Dogleg Corner of Lafayette Square”Way back in 1977, an eye-catching attraction downtown was the new geometric mural of Charles Lindbergh by Charles Fishbone and Sarah Linquist. It was clear from a distance, and became an abstract of 1,160 blocks of grey paint as you got close.
In 1983, Gar Allen and Larry Bennett bought what remained of a home at 1815 Lafayette Avenue. The three story shell dated from 1876 and was originally built by Christian Staehlin of the Phoenix Brewery. That brewery was razed in the mid-1960’s while I-44 was under construction. The house itself had a large sub-basement, formerly a tunnel from the brewery, that Allen and Bennett would have turned into a wine cellar, but for the dampness.
Continue reading “1815: The Handwriting On The Wall”
