Citygarden

A few shots from Citygarden in downtown Saint Louis:

Kindly Geppetto - Tom Otterness

Femmes Au Perroquet - Fernand Léger

Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels - Jim Dine

The Orpheum Theater

I will sum this post to two words: a priceless treasure.

I didn't know this building existed - it has become one of my new favorites in Saint Louis!

The Orpheum Theater is a beautiful Beaux Arts style theater built in 1917 for the Orpheum franchise.  It's original purpose was to host vaudeville acts, but those acts soon gave way to the silver screen in the mid 1930s.

The theater was re-christened as the American in the 1960s and hosted many musical acts through the 1990s; however, the number of acts has declined drastically since then.

A family by the name of Roberts purchased the Orpheum in 2003 and branded the theater with its current name: the Roberts Orpheum Theater.

My favorite part of this building is the elaborate, florid, and dramatic sculptures that adorn the facade of the Orpheum, designed by Leo Lentelli.

Saint Louis needs revitalization - could it be through the arts?  I hope that our civic leaders and citizens can find the multitude of treasures that already exist in this city and not only bring them back to their former glory but also turn this stagnant town into a leader once again.

Column at the Old Courthouse

Thaxton Building, Downtown Saint Louis

Roberts Tower, Downtown Saint Louis

McPherson Avenue

CWE Colors

Some colorful p.o.v.'s from the Central West End:

Route 66 State Park in Eureka, Missouri

What beautiful weather for March!  Murphy and I hiked our way through the Route 66 State Park; here are some shots from the day:

 Murphy wasn't happy with me at first - we were trying some "Adventure Dog Boots" for the rougher trails.  He looked like a duck.

 Wetlands and ponds dot the park.  The town of Times Beach, Missouri once occupied this land - the town of over 2,000 was completely evacuated in 1983 due to dioxin contamination in the streets and soil.  Illnesses, miscarriages, and animal deaths were associated to dioxin exposure.  This event made national headlines and is possibly the largest civilian exposure to dioxin in the United States.  The fact that life has returned to this land is not just a miracle but also a testament to those involved in the clean up, such as the Environmental Protection Agency.  The Times Beach site was removed from the EPA's Superfund list in 2001.

 Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Bridge over the Meramec River.

 Close up of bridge joints on the old Route 66 Bridge over the Meramec River.

 Another view of the old Route 66 Bridge over the Meramec River.  This bridge once carried traffic along the Mother Road - Chicago to Los Angeles.

 Hello friend!

 Goodbye friend!

 And gone...

 I must have been interrupting something important.

Thunderstorm, February 27, 2011

Please Stand By...

I am in the process of moving my online photo library to a new location - you will not be able to view any previous posts for a period of time.  Please check back soon as I will be posting more frequently as the weather begins to improve (and I wrap up lesson planning for the year!)!

Wait - who am I kidding - lesson planning never ends... :)

Tower Grove Park

I hope you enjoy these views from Tower Grove Park in south Saint Louis City, Missouri, as I experiment with a super wide-angle fisheye lens in some of the photos.

Faux classical ruins surround the central water feature of the park:

A close-up of the base the the fountain located in the center of the Tower Grove Park pond.

A unique, colorful punctuation to end this post.