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November 21, 2009

1930 Postcard - Country Club Court

Location: Looking west from N. Hanley. Most homes were built in the mid-1920's.

Source: Private Collector
1930 postcard

November 17, 2009

1909 Postcard - Trust Company of St. Louis County

Location: 52 S. Central Avenue at Carondelet (the N.E. corner). It was an ornate white concrete and stone building, built in 1906. It was sold and later occupied by the Guarantee Trust Company and the bulding was demolished.
Source: Private collector
1909 postcard

1930 Postcard - Clayton Presbyterian Church

Former Location: The N. E. corner of Hanley at Forsyth. According to Dickson Terry, this former building was built in 1913 and was used by the church until 1931 when the congregation merged with Central Presbyterian Church. The building next operated as the Bopp Funeral Home from 1931 until 1961. The building was demolished to make way for the Missouri Savings and Loan Building in the early 1960's. Currently the bank is called US Bank, located at 10 N. Hanley Road.
Source: Private collector
1930 postcard

1930 Postcard - Clayton Masonic Hall

Location: N. Meramec Avenue

Source: Private collector
1930 postcard

1930 Postcard - Clayton Methodist Church

Location: 101 N. Bemiston at Maryland Avenue (the N.W. corner)
Source: Private collector
1930 postcard

1930 Postcard - Polo Drive residences

Source: Private collector
1930 postcard

1978 - Cyranos's Restaurant

"Location: N.E. corner of Clayton Road and DeMun. Commerce Bank is presently located there."
--David Bales
Source: David Bales collection
1978
Cyrano's

November 16, 2009

1908 - Home located at 121 N. Hanley

Source: Private collector
1908

1949 and 1942 - Mobilgas Gas Station

Location: Clayton Road and Big Bend Boulevard

Source: Private collector
1949 - Southwest view of Clayton and Big Bend


Source: Newspaper clip from the collection of David Bales
1942 - Southwest view

October 25, 2009

1911 - Autenreith Hotel and Hotel Claymo

Location: N.E. corner of Forsyth at N. Meramec Avenue
January 2, 1911 Fire at Autenreith Hotel

January 2, 1911 Fire at Autenrieth Hotel



The Autenreith Hotel was rebuilt after the 1911 fire. The name changed to the Hotel Claymo in 1924 when the hotel was sold to Joseph Parks, according to Dickson Terry. It ceased to be a hotel in the late 1920's. It became an office building for General Title Company, and then the Bond Clothing Company occupied the space from 1950 to 1957. It was returned to office space for the Chicago Title Company.

Source: Private collector
Postcard - Date unknown


Source: Private Collector
1930 postcard

Autenreith Hotel Souvenir

"The imprint says "Christmas Greetings- A Happy New Year from Autenreith Hotel Co. Clayton, MO. The box is about 5" long and 3"tall and 3" wide with a hinged top and some intricate carvings on all exterior sides. My grandparents lived in St Louis until the early 1970's and this was some of the things they brought south with them."
--Chuck Davis
Source: From the photo collection of Chuck Davis
souvenir
souvenir
souvenir
souvenir

October 24, 2009

Al Baker's Restaurant

Location: Clayton Road and Brentwood. The fine dining restaurant was established in 1966 and closed in 1994. The restaurant building no longer exists. Linen N' Things was built on that location and it closed in 2009.
Source: Private collectorDate unknown

August 5, 2009

1953 and 1951 - Stevenson's Gas Station

"This view is to the WEST with Skinker Road shown in front, Clayton Avenue would be on the left and rear of the station and Clayton Road is on the right. This station was torn down in 1959-60 and a new service station was erected. Nowadays, the brand of gas is BP but the sign was such a landmark that special permission was obtained to keep the present Amoco sign. "
--- David Bales

Source: Newspaper clip from the collection of David Bales
1953
1953 gas station

gas station

Source: Private collector
1951 postcard

August 4, 2009

Esquire Bowling Lanes

Location: Clayton Road at Big Bend
Source: Private collector
Date unknown

1927 - N. Central Avenue

Source: Private collector
1927 - Looking north


Date unknown - S.E. corner of N. Central at Forsyth Avenue

1907, 1930 and 1951 - St. Louis County Court House

Source: Private collector
1907

Date unknown

1930 postcard


1951

The Taylor School

Location: N. Central and Kingsbury. The school and building no longer exists. The location is now Taylor Park.

Date unknown

Barford Chevrolet

Date unknown

Clayton High School

Date unknown

1940 - New Clayton Post Office Branch

Source: Private collector

1959 and 1957 and 1930 - St. Louis Institute of Music (former orphanage)

The Institute was founded in 1924 by J. P. Blake Sr. It was originally known as "The Progressive Series Teachers College". It was also known to be an orphanage home at one time. The address of the Institute was 7801 Bonhomme Avenue - Clayton 5, Missouri. This was at the intersection of Bonhomme and Bemiston. The building does not exist any longer.


Source: Private collector - 1957


Source: Private collector - 1930 postcard

April 30, 2009

1922 - Big Bend at Millbrook

Source: unknown
1922 - Looking north

1968 and 1951 - Aerial views of Clayton

"It's of paramount importance to credit this photo to Robert Srenco, although I purchased this and three other really fine shots from him for a goodly amount three years ago, they are in my collection now---all four. Something like this is just wonderful to study. For example, notice the old Forest Park Parkway is not yet constructed. Shaw Park Drive runs EAST to Bemiston, it appears to be blacktop, and a smaller road runs east to Hanley. The old railroad right-of-way, south of Shaw Park Drive is a parking lot from Meramec up to the NE corner of Meramec School. The court house area is a sunken parking lot, the old courthouse and jail is there along with the 1952 courthouse."
--- David Bales


Source: Robert Srenco Photo from the collection of David Bales
1968 - View from S.W. to N.E.

Source: Newspaper clip from David Bales collection
1951 - View from S.W. to N.E.

newspaper clipping

1909 - Forsyth Boulevard

Source: University City Public Library Archives

This photograph, dated September 28, 1909, appeared in "The Woman's National Daily" on October 21, 1909 as part of a series titled "Views in University City." The caption read "Forsyth Boulevard, a part of the great belt boulevard being constructed to run entirely around University City, five miles in length. The buildings of Washington University are shown in the foreground." The planned completion of the five mile circle never took place. Today, Forsyth Boulevard begins at Skinker Road just east of the St. Louis City limit and runs west into Clayton.

1909

1930's - Meramec at Shaw Park Drive

"These photos were purchased from the Missouri Historical Society. The first picture is identified as being 1935. I believe that is incorrect, it probably was 10 years earlier, or at least somewhat earlier. Notice there is the "Meramec" sign on the utility pole. The second photo seems to not have a sign, which we can't explain. The rail line is at a rising-angle and we know in olden times there was a rail bridge crossing Brentwood Boulevard. The street going down hill to the right would correspond with Shaw Park Drive, even as it is now. The #1 photo is shot at a southwest angle, but #2 is shot straight south. The broken "support shaft" on the utility pole shows in both photos----no homes across the rail line in the #1 photo but they show in #2 photo. Also, there is a telephone line on the far side of the rail line and a primitive street light at the intersection. So, I believe photo #2 may be 1935 but the #1 photo was earlier. If you study photo #2 carefully, there is an obvious large tree at the left center and UNDER the tree can be seen a house in the distance. Because of depth-of-field of a camera, the tree is close to the intersection, and the home is farther away than the photo shows. The home has a large limestone arch around the front door. I went looking for that house in Davis Place and found it! It is 8010 Rosaline Drive, which is the second block South of the Forest Park Parkway and MetroLink nowadays. In 1935, the visual from the Meramec corner is without obstruction. The view would be impossible nowadays."
--- David Bales

Source: Photos from David Bales collection
Photo #1 - Meramec at Shaw Park Drive (southwest view)



Photo #2 - Meramec at Shaw Park Drive (south view)

April 29, 2009

1985 - Clamorgan Restaurant Fire

"This fire occurred in the summer of 1985, which was most unfortunate because the structure has an interesting history. The location is directly across Clayton Road from the Galleria Shopping Center. Originally, it was built as the Hegeman Studebaker agency. The rear part of the building had a domed ceiling constructed like the old Arena, without columns. The architectural style of the roof has a specific name which escapes me for now.

In the early '60's Hegeman moved over to Manchester to sell Volkswagens and a fellow named Joseph Wieman purchased the property from Clayshire Drive west to Black Creek. He was the older brother of Hans Wieman, the hair specialist who operated until recently on Brentwood Boulevard. Mr. Wieman aspired to build a restaurant, although he had no experience in the business.

The interior was very well done with Spanish tile on many floors, a huge 'sunken' bar area and chandeliers in most rooms; the entry area with a large wooden chandelier was constructed to the front of the former auto dealership. One interior feature was a solid wooden beam, 40 feet long, and 12 inches square which ran from the rear of the lobby to the rear of the building.

Wieman sold the entire property to Stephen Apted in 1966 and Apted used the name Country Cupboard and then just Cupboard. I was the operating manager from 1966 to about 1971 and afterwards he leased the restaurant to others. As I recall, he wanted to sell all the attached property including the restaurant about 1984 and the Scholarshop Foundation was interested in the area. The fire occurred while workmen were removing old heating units from under the eaves at the rear.

While I worked there, Black Creek would sometimes flood; there was no concrete channel like the creek has now. The restaurant building was at a lower level than the top of the creek, so water ran downhill into the front door and out the back door. Since the hallway was tile, no damage was done."
--- David Bales

Source: Newspaper clip from David Bales collection
1985
Clamorgan Restaurant

March 26, 2009

Clayton Car License Plates

"Clayton had these small license plates which were issued to residents; the 'poor condition' one is dated 1954 and the other is 1970. They were to be affixed under your front state license plate. We have to assume they were used instead of 'city stickers' during that time span."
--- David Bales

Source: From the collection of David Bales
license plate

1960's - Streetcars

"This area is a ROW (right of way), running North and South, in the 1960's for the streetcars shown. The streetcars are called 'PCC's which identifies the LAST type of such cars manufactured for this country before the present MetroLink type LRV's came into existence.

Notice in the distance, behind the cars, is the bridge crossing over the"old" FPPW onto Central Ave. In 2009, the exit ramp from the "new" FPPW is exactly at this point, also crossing MetroLink.

Currently, this land area in 2009, is directly behind Meramec School... the school is to the left and down the limestone embankment.

To the right----East----is the condos at the end of North Polo Drive.

The sign shown - Walinca - identifies the original name of the street which still runs today from Polo Drive to the end. "

--- David Bales

Source: From the collection of David Bales
Circa 1960's
streetcar

January 10, 2009

Clayton Policeman Leroy "Pete" Litzsinger (undated photographs)

Leroy Litzsinger was on the Clayton Police Department starting in 1937. The photos of Leroy appear to have been taken between 1939 - mid 1940's.

Source: Raymond Litzsinger's collection (Leroy's nephew)

Leroy posing with other officers