....Clayton History Society.... A Pictorial History

1930 Postcard - Country Club Court

2009-11-21T10:58:00.000-06:00

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

Source: Private Collector

1930 postcard

1909 Postcard - Trust Company of St. Louis County

2009-11-17T17:46:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-17T14:36:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-17T14:22:00.000-06:00

Location: ???

Source: Private collector

1930 postcard

1930 Postcard - Clayton Methodist Church

2009-11-17T14:11:00.000-06:00

Location: 101 N. Bemiston at Maryland Avenue (the N.W. corner)

Source: Private collector

1930 postcard

1930 Postcard - Polo Drive residences

2009-11-17T13:44:00.001-06:00

Source: Private collector

1930 postcard

1978 - Cyranos's Restaurant

2009-11-17T11:50:00.000-06:00

"Location: N.E. corner of Clayton Road and DeMun. Commerce Bank is presently located there."

--David Bales

Source: David Bales collection

1978

1908 - Home located at 121 N. Hanley

2009-11-16T16:08:00.000-06:00

Source: Private collector

1908

1949 and 1942 - Mobilgas Gas Station

2009-11-16T15:00:00.000-06:00

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

1911 - Autenreith Hotel and Hotel Claymo

2009-10-25T15:27:00.005-05:00

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

2009-10-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

"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

Al Baker's Restaurant

2009-10-24T15:26:00.000-05:00

Location: Clayton Road and Brentwood. The fine dinig restaurant was established in 1966 and closed in 1994. The restaurant building no longer exists. Linen N' Things was built on that location which closed in 2009.

Source: Private collector
Date unknown

1953 and 1951 - Stevenson's Gas Station

2009-08-05T01:14:00.000-05:00

"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

Source: Private collector

1951 postcard

Esquire Bowling Lanes

2009-08-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Location: Clayton Road at Big Bend

Source: Private collector

Date unknown

1927 - N. Central Avenue

2009-08-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

Source: Private collector

1927 - Looking north

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

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

2009-08-04T15:20:00.000-05:00

Source: Private collector

1907

Date unknown

1930 postcard

1951

The Taylor School

2009-08-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

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

Date unknown

Barford Chevrolet

2009-08-04T15:17:00.000-05:00

Date unknown

Clayton High School

2009-08-04T15:16:00.000-05:00

Date unknown

1940 - New Clayton Post Office Branch

2009-08-04T15:12:00.000-05:00

Source: Private collector

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

2009-08-04T11:44:00.000-05:00

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: St Louis Institute of Music website - 1959

Source: Private collector - 1957

Source: Private collector - 1930 postcard

1922 - Big Bend at Millbrook

2009-04-30T17:22:00.000-05:00

Source: unknown

1922 - Looking north

1968 and 1951 - Aerial views of Clayton

2009-04-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

"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.

1909 - Forsyth Boulevard

2009-04-30T14:21:00.000-05:00

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.

Source: Internet search

1909

1930's - Meramec at Shaw Park Drive

2009-04-30T13:42:00.000-05:00

"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)