Sublunar Photography

The Villa Marie Convent was constructed in 1936 on 157 acres along the Mississippi river in Crystal City, Missouri. At its peak, there were reportedly 90 nuns living here simultaneously*. It's not clear when the Ursuline Sisters left, but it had been "long vacant" by the time of our visit. It was sold sometime in 2015 and is now being used as an event space, primarily for weddings.

The Villa Marie Convent was the Provincialate, or Provincial House, of the Central Province of the Ursuline Sisters, a Catholic religious order which was etablished in Italy in 1535. The order first established itself in North America in 1639 when it constructed a school for French and Indian girls in Quebec. In 1727, they founded a school and convent in New Orleans. In 1850, they erected a convent in Saint Louis. In 1925, they sold the old convent property to the St Joseph Croatian Parish and moved to their new location in Kirkwood where they are still active today.

*Technically, this was not a "convent" and these were not "nuns". This was a "novitiate" where candidates spent 1-2 years training to become nuns. I assume that upon graduating, they would move on to serve at the Kirkwood and other locations.

NOTE: Ten years after originally posting this to the blog as simply "The Convent", I have updated this post with the site's real name and historical information.

Normandie Hall was constructed in the 1920's as a convent for the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

UMSL wants it demolished.

"The Goldenrod Showboat was built in 1909 by the Pope Dock Company of Parkersburg West Virginia at a cost of $75,000. 200 feet long and 45 feet wide with an auditorium of 162 feet long, it had a seating capacity of 1,400."

"In 1910, 22 showboats visited 15 states as part of their regular route along the Mississippi. By 1938, only four remained in operation and by 1943 the Goldenrod was the last of its kind still touring."

"Goldenrod was the last showboat operational on the Mississippi. Under Capt Bill Menke, she was moored at the Saint Louis riverfront in 1937. In 1947, the original wooden hull was placed into a steel barge by the Saint Louis Shipbuilding & Steel company. By 1950, she had been partially sunk and salvaged twice."

"On June 1, 1962, a disastrous fire all but destroyed the superstructure of the autitorium and caused severe damage to the entire structure. The Goldenrod was then purchased by a group of Saint Louis businessmen and was subsequently restored to her original glory. Many of the new furnishings came from old Saint Louis mansions that were being demolished. When the $300,000 renovation was completed, Goldenrod had her Grand Re-Opening in May, 1965. In 1967, she was registered as a National Historic Landmark."

"Eventually, the city of Saint Charles purchased the Goldenrod and she was subsequently moved there. In 2001, she was run aground and closed due to repairs. She was eventually moved to Kampsville, Illinois and was eventually sold for $5,000. After changing hands several times through various circumstances, she was ultimately destroyed by issues related to mooring and finally the destructive fire which brought about her demise."

Quoted (with some paraphrasing) from the Wikipedia article.

I myself recall seeing at least one play on the Goldenrod as a child, specifically "A Christmas Carol". RIP, Goldenrod.

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