A monument that commemorates all the interesting people and places that used to be here.
VanishingSTL documents the systematic loss of Gaslight Square's built environment in a sobering 2-part series: Part 1 and Part 2. (You might want to have a box of Kleenex close by.)
Today, the stretch of Olive between Boyle and Sarah is pleasant enough as a residential neighborhood, but the rich soul and sense of place that made the district famous throughout the world seems to have died along with the historic buildings that lined the streets until 2004.
But all is not lost in Gaslight Square! If you look closely, you'll find some sporadic survivors amidst the mass redevelopment of the neighborhood.
I was elated to discover that this small but handsome piece of the original neighborhood has been lovingly restored, and new residents were moving in as I snapped this picture:
The newly-rehabbed Edwin Apartments, corner of Whittier & Delmar.
Looking north from Olive: This lonely brick home would be unremarkable in countless other neighborhoods around the city. But in the blocks immediately surrounding Gaslight Square, its existence is crucial in retaining even a tiny semblance of the original historic context.
Across the street, these solid twin mamas are keepin' it real on Whittier. In the distance, the Selkirk's building-- the only original building still standing on the main drag of Gaslight Square-- anchors an otherwise uninteresting intersection. If you squint, you can almost imagine what the entire neighborhood once looked and felt like.
A closer look at the Selkirk's building, the lone survivor of Gaslight Square.
Just south of Olive on Boyle stands a diminutive commercial building that time forgot. The owners have tried unsuccessfully to obtain a demolition permit, so what's to become of this scrappy little guy?
414-18 N. Boyle: Survival by neglect. A future wine bar, perhaps? Or maybe a neighborhood bakery?
Though its future may be uncertain, its historical value is anything but. Through the roughest of times, this baby has held on tight to its cozy corner as larger buildings around it have disappeared. The fact that it's one of the last remaining original buildings in greater Gaslight Square makes its prospect for restoration all the more exciting.
Despite the gradual depletion of one of St. Louis' most storied neighborhoods, there are a handful of successes worth celebrating, and a few still-endangered ones worth fighting for.
- POSTED BY Jeff Vines
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Lenny Vines on 10-Aug-2010 08:49 PM
Great article. I am old enough to remember Gaslight Square. It's loss can never be replaced. It was THE place to be, was swarming with people until the wee hours, and was the home of fabulous dining and entertainment. Best of all, it grew organically -- it wasn't some planned development.
Karen Simmons on 11-Aug-2010 12:31 PM
I so love Gaslight Square, then and now. I've finally come to grips with a "spirit" that seems to thrive in St. Louis, an ultra conservative place with a mindset always having trouble letting go of the past to embrace a much needed FANTASTIC future. Fact, St. Louis' population has dropped by upwards of 300,000 since the 70's, people have left for greener pastures. Much to be done, any forward thinking individual sees that there is a place for development on all levels. We need planned development, restorative development and as some call organic development which sprouts at a much slower pace.
Why did folks leave and where did they go. Why, Quality of life. Where did they go-fresh NEW planned developments of west county, north county, Creve Coeur, ho hum...St. Charles Countyand some have migrated to Illinois. We are all different. God created an assorted rainbow. Maybe if we had more folks living in the city, paying towards a tax base, we wouldn't now be paying for TRASH PICK UP! It's not about bricks only, Novel idea, folks don't have to embrace only one idea and hate another. Wake up everybody it's really about PEOPLE living and dwelling together to make our city great!
Randy V. on 11-Aug-2010 01:00 PM
Karen, I dig your comments, however I take issue with your assertion that St. Louis is "ultra conservative." The city itself is actually quite liberal-- we have some very progressive gay rights protections, we are a solidly Democratic city through and through, and ideas can thrive here without resistance. If by "conservative" you only mean that STL is stuck in its ways, you have a point, but this city is not a socially or politically conservative place. The rest of Missouri, of course, is.
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