St. Louis has a rich industrial history, going well beyond beer, brick, lead and iron. It’s also home to a robust hot stove league, picking the bones in between baseball seasons. Here’s a more literal take.
1925: The Real Hot Stove League
Category: Medium Essays (1001 – 3000 Words)
1933: Mary’s Dreamland On Park Ave
A recent essay dealt with the history of 1717 Park Avenue and its long backstory. https://lafayettesquarearchives.com/1896-a-stable-history-of-1717-park-av/
A 1932 photo from that essay reveals the property next door. It’s still recognizable as today’s Square One restaurant and microbrewery. That two story building and side garden at 1727 Park Avenue was Mary’s Dreamland in the 1930s, and entertained the night crowd throughout its long tenure.
Continue reading “1933: Mary’s Dreamland On Park Ave”1896: A Stable History of 1717 Park Av
The Meyerkord building at 1717 Park Avenue currently houses various law firms. It recently sold from one group of lawyers to another. Last year I walked past and pondered the earlier group’s motto, “A Legacy of Legal Innovation” in the lobby. I still wonder how innovation factors into personal injury litigation. That, and how this building, looking more like a restored two-story garage, came to be here.
1968: A Black Hip Session In Lafayette Park
An officially sanctioned “black hip session” seemed unlikely in Lafayette Park during the summer of 1968, but it happened. There have been books written about the single year significance of 1968 in America. It kicked off with the Tet offensive, a coordinated nationwide assault that made the 85,000 US forces in Vietnam look shockingly inadequate for their task.
Continue reading “1968: A Black Hip Session In Lafayette Park”1901: CF Blanke and the Aerial Globe
Ever noticed the 5 story, vaguely moorish looking building pictured above?
Continue reading “1901: CF Blanke and the Aerial Globe”1919: The Most Distinguished Woman in Lafayette Square
In his book about Lafayette Square, John Albury Bryan wrote that Phillip North Moore and his wife Eva Perry Moore were the most distinguished couple to have ever lived there.
1857-1898: The German Newspapermen
Here’s the tale of three interlinked German-American newspapermen. They’re featured at the statue of The Naked Truth at Grand and Russell, and all three lived in Lafayette Square.
Continue reading “1857-1898: The German Newspapermen”1878: The Power Couple of the Square
For starters, you won’t find the house and I can’t find a photo. How then to write about the Pulsifers? Probing a more obscure part of Lafayette Square history, it’s instructive in what it touches. Let me draw you a word picture.
1899: Petty Crime With Petty Change
Simple requests sometimes lead to weird tales from the past in the Lafayette Square neighborhood. Here is a recent case in point.
While trying to research both 1300 and 1302 South 18th Street, I found an 1899 newspaper article about the homeowner at 1300.
Continue reading “1899: Petty Crime With Petty Change”1939: A Local History of Coal
Walking the alleys of Lafayette Square, I came upon this old coal chute door in the side of a building.
Closer inspection yielded some specifics on its origin.
Continue reading “1939: A Local History of Coal”