BuiltStlouis.net
Title
Built St. Louis: Home
Description
Built St. Louis began as a way to document the destruction of the city's historic architecture. Spurred on by the 1996 demolition of the Ambassador Theater, and shocked that the Arcade, Syndicate Trust, and others were similarly threatened, I began photographing them and posting the photos online that fall. Over the years it's grown into a way for me to express both joy and outrage over changes in the cityscape.
It is not my intention to paint a negative or positive portrayal of St. Louis -- just an honest one. But if I didn't think the city was wonderful, I obviously wouldn't be sitting here doing this. If my photographs are shocking on occasion, well, it's because there are some shocking things happening out there.
I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and Shreveport, where -- like most people my age -- I didn't really have much exposure to great architecture or urban environments. I came to Washington University in 1992, where the campus's century-old Tudor Gothic buildings immediately captured my interest. That fascination soon spread outwards to the rest of the city, which I eagerly explored by bike, camera in hand. It began my interest in architecture, preservation, and urban design.
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Discussion
Community Reviews
Exhaustive site
This exhaustive site offers the outsider a glimpse into St. Louis's decline not only in population, but stature. The writer and photographer attempts to document the decayed and gives reasonable explanations to the city's decline. A worthwhile and long read is ahead, beware!
- posted by Sherman Cahal on Dec 12, 2006, 2:07 am
