[Suburban Lou]

Images from local.live.com

Hyde Park/College Hill

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602585/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602584/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602587/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602590/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602928/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602920/original.jpg

Old North St. Louis a neighborhood seeing a lotof gut rehabs and new construction.
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602913/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602916/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602914/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602927/original.jpg

St. Louis Place

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602917/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602918/original.jpg

JeffVanderLou

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602919/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602620/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602619/original.jpg

Fountian Park/Lewis Place

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602608/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602607/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602612/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602604/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71631081/original.jpg

Visitation Park/Academy
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602614/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602615/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602618/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602610/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602617/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602595/original.jpg

Walnut Park
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602906/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602907/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602910/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602908/original.jpg

The Ville

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71631082/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71631086/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71631083/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602592/original.jpg

More to come!:)

[kool maudit]

it is like toronto after the bomb.

[Sacto]

^ Exactly

[fangorangutang]

Love the infill.

Those intersections with the obelisks/monuments seem like they would make really great neighborhood centers/retail nodes...pity.

[JivecitySTL]

Nice work. These pics show some of the most blighted neighborhoods of the North Side. FYI, there are lots of very solid, thriving 'hoods on the North Side as well. If this is as bad as St. Louis gets, St. Louis is a damn fine city. :)

[STLgasm]

The red brick mama is still holding on...

How 'bout some South Side????

[Ex-Ithacan]

Wow, some depressing pics in there. I can only imagine what that city must have been like back in the day: vibrant, lively, and dense as hell. Look forward to some similar views of hoods that still have it, or are getting it back. Thanks Sub Lou, cool pics.

[JivecitySTL]

It's also important to realize that there are 'hoods just like these in every old major city in this country.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Not saying anything bad about the Lou specifically, Jive. Sad to see, but as you mentioned, it happens in most big cities. I guess the aerial view just shows the stark reality of it. I'm sure Baltimore has many more empty or burned out blocks than this. Just one example.

[Evergrey]

cool obelisks!

[wheelscomp]

lets see detroit from the air...

[Wheelingman04]

Isn't St. Louis gaining population again?

[STLgasm]

^^Yes. These pics are the most devastated sections of the city. It is not representative of the city as a whole.

[mrherodotus]

Wow!


Soulard and Benton park please.

[flar]

The aerial view really shows how many houses have been destroyed. I've seen neighbourhoods like this in Detroit, but you just don't see this level of devastation in Canada.

[ColDayMan]

I do see a bit of Detroit's east side in those photos. Great screen shots.

[bobdreamz]

wow is an understatement...what's the deal with all of the empty lots?

[cincyimages]

It's also important to realize that there are 'hoods just like these in every old major city in this country.


LOL, I love your spirit and while every major city has grit & decay, not many cities have the amount of abandonment and blight of North St. Louis city.

wow is an understatement...what's the deal with all of the empty lots?

The empty lots used to have homes. More than likely the homes were torched by arson and/or bull dozed. This neighborhood used to be very dense with homes like parts of Detroit. St. Louis was recently named #1 most dangerous city again and this is where most of the crime in the city happens. The good thing is that while it is close to downtown St. Louis in driving distance, it usually doesn't work its way into the CBD.

[Segun]

North North

[Shasta]

There is something about the aerial view that makes these photos extra depressing. It is so sad to see what's been lost.

There are small sections of Roxbury here in Boston that look somewhat similar but on a MUCH smaller scale. The vast emptiness just seems so strange when viewed from above.

Thanks for sharing.

[LMich]

Where's "the good" part of this? Interesting tour, but I'd have like to have seen some more representative photos of the area.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Wow, some of that looks lower density than your average suburb.

[JivecitySTL]

LOL, I love your spirit and while every major city has grit & decay, not many cities have the amount of abandonment and blight of North St. Louis city.



The empty lots used to have homes. More than likely the homes were torched by arson and/or bull dozed. This neighborhood used to be very dense with homes like parts of Detroit. St. Louis was recently named #1 most dangerous city again and this is where most of the crime in the city happens. The good thing is that while it is close to downtown St. Louis in driving distance, it usually doesn't work its way into the CBD.
You are really such a pussy.

We could show IDENTICAL pics of Chicago, Philadelphia, DC, South Bronx, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland and others. You're in denial if you doubt it.

[westsider]

It's bizzare seeing those skinny houses surounded by acres of vacent lots. I've never seen anything like it in person.

[Suburban Lou]

Jesus christ people I said in my first post that I still had more pics to post.:rolleyes:

anyways onto

Baden.
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602923/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602924/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651552/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651553/original.jpg

North Broadway.

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71631085/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71631088/original.jpg

North Pointe

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651555/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651554/original.jpg

Halls Ferry Circle where several major roads meet up and where the city flows into suburbia.
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602925/original.jpg

Mark Twian

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651550/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651551/original.jpg

Kingsway East
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651547/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651548/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602599/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651545/original.jpg

Kingsway West

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602597/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602602/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602912/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651549/original.jpg

Penrose

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71651546/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602949/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602911/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71631087/original.jpg

O'Fallon Park not to be confused with the other O'Fallon's.

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602578/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602580/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602582/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602921/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/71602922/original.jpg

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Cool additions Sub Lou. Lots of those detached houses are really squeezed in there pretty tight. I guess if you own a double lot in one of those hood you must feel like you live in the country. ;) :D

Thanks for the additional pics.

[STLgasm]

You should really post those new pics of Baden in a new thread, because the most interested forumers have already viewed the thread and will not check it again.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^I'll check again. I just had absolutely nothing to say the first round. It's just sadness for me. Even walking four blocks North for me the entire vibe of the city changes. St. Louis is like a patchwork quilt of new fabric, well taken care of old material, and worn-out faded thread-bare patches.

[cincyimages]

You are really such a pussy.


You are a homer and can't stomach a difference of opinion. In fact you have become less tolerant of differing opinions over the years. People can do a search for your handle and see you attacking people for disagreeing with St. Louis all over the internet. You really need to manage your personal time a little better because your defense of your city has become a sickness.

[JivecitySTL]

^Whatever, I'm so sick of your smear campaign. Also, St. Louis is NOT the most dangerous American city. It was awarded that distinction by the Morgan Quitno Press, which has no authority, credibility or validity whatsoever as a crime-tracking agency. You can see what a dipshit that guy is by going here, right from the horse's mouth:

http://www.ksdk.com/video/player.aspx?aid=42560&sid=108331&bw=hi&cat=3

If you seriously buy what this guy is saying, you're a complete idiot too.

[Shasta]

It is wild to see these lots! Viewed at street level, I would have never guessed that most would be so long and narrow. Plus, the paved back alleys are nicer than most Boston streets!

[cincyimages]

^Whatever, I'm so sick of your smear campaign.

Sick of my smear campaign? LOL - I rarely post on SSP anymore. You have your opinion, I have mine. Are we not in America anymore, Mr. Stalin?

Anyway, I enjoyed the Morgan Quinto piece and will probably share it with others.

[I-15]

I love the North Side, I used to live on W. Florrisant near Riverview, but I have been up and down most all of those streets between Grand, Nat. Bridge, and the River, and some in the N. St. Louis neighborhood as well.

I love those streets west of O'Fallon Park. Redbud, Harris, Pope, Holly.

While the areas of empty blocks is disturbing, it does not represent the N. Side as a whole, not even close. Most of the N. side is still full of vibrant, dense neighborhoods.

[village person]

Really, the thing that astonishes me the most about St. Louis is how much of the city is intact after losing almost 60% of its population over the past half-century. Coming from the Sunbelt, I'm used to a certain mentality that what is old is expendable, and as soon as it's blighted, it's bull-dozed. I believe that when a city grows too fast, it puts on 'future goggles' and has less regard for the past. I see this over and over in a lot of Sunbelt cities.

It's really comforting learning how different things are where it counts the most: in the older, more established cities. Maybe it's just that the age and size of the cities meant that much could be lost and much would still remain. Whatever the reason, there's simply a lot left to work with, vacant lots aside. While the empty lots give me a numb feeling, boarded up or crumbling houses still could have a future, and that brings a smile to my face.

Added to that, I think St. Louis is doing a good job of experimenting with and perfecting infill projects. Though some are less than ideal, at worst they at least increase the number of decent housing units and attract new residents, and at best, they mend some of the torn fabric of this great city.

[wanderer34]

Damn, bro!!! It looks much, much worse than parts of West and North Phila!!! SAD!!!

[Arch City]

Perhaps the second set should have gone first considering the title of the thread. :shrug:

I'm just saying......;)

Also, although it has been said already, it bears worth repeating that the first set are of some of the most depopulated, poor areas of the city. The first set is below and borders N. Grand Blvd. Lower North St. Louis - Old North St. Louis, Jeff Vander Lou (which is huge and economically diverse), Hyde Park, College Hill, and St. Louis Place - is older. The vacants lots aren't necessarily pleasant to look at, but they are better than looking at once decaying structures, which were beyond repair. Vacant lots or dilapidated homes and structures. Take your pick.

Furthermore, the farther west you go (or above N. Grand Blvd.), as demonstrated in the second set of pictures, the more intact the neighborhoods are structurally.

FYI, Lower South St. Louis -Lafayette Square, Soulard, the Benton Parks, LaSalle Park and what is now known as The Gate District -faced some of the same depopulation and erosion below South Grand Blvd. They too are older parts of the city. Structural perservation - despite depopulation - was more of a priority in this part of town. In many instances, it is hard to tell new construction from the old in Lower South St. Louis because of city and neighborhood ordinances. Also, these neighborhoods have infilled and rehabbed at a rapid clip unlike Lower North St. Louis, which is just beginning to see rehabs and infills.

As people in the metro moved west, southwest, and northwest the older 'hoods were among the first to go.

With that said, neighborhoods in Lower North St. Louis and The Ville, which is an old neighborhood and was known as St. Louis' Harlem, are seeing new homes developed and lots of rehabs. Some of the activity is identifiable in the first set of photos.

In the Ville, there are a lot of new market rate home developments under construction or planned. A new one was just announced yesterday. Although it will be a big challenge, mostly African-American developers are trying to bring The Ville back to its glory days.

Hilton Heights in The Ville: Check out the video (http://cw11tv.trb.com/news/kplr-news-121306-07,0,7322235.story?coll=kplr-news-1)

[JivecitySTL]

There aren't bird's eye views of all the St. Louis City 'hoods, but here are some satellite images to show that there are many, many intact neighborhoods left in the city:

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/40043650.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/40043653.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/39889853.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/40043679.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/39889856.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/39894577.jpg

[flar]

To the St. Louis forumers, don't worry, the original post didn't give me a bad impression of St. Louis. As has been mentioned a couple times here, you can find neighbourhoods that have been destroyed in any large, old city in the US. When I see pictures like this it makes me think about what it must have been like back in the day and what a great heritage St. Louis has. I automatically assumed that these were the worst areas and that other neighbourhoods like these are intact and continue to thrive.

[Rykachet]

Come on now Jive, don't know you that well, but I've seen your posts. It's totally OK if someone has a difference of opinion of our great city...but those posts are damn entertaining.

I've been living in North City for about 15 years , and it does look really really bad in some areas.

But I hear about how dense StL is all the time. I had no idea how packed in we are until SurburbanLou posted those over head shots. Just, Wow.