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Showing posts with label saint louis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saint louis. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

The Medium Security Institution (AKA The Workhouse) was constructed in Saint Louis in the 1960's. It was operational for about 60 years before reports of inhumane conditions brought about its eventual replacement and closure. There now appears to be some questionable renovation work being done inside-reportedly at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Click here for the video.

Despite the location already winding up on social media and various news stories, I had let this one sit for an unspecified amount of time before posting anything about it myself-as is tradition. Using discretion helps keep lazy assholes/vandals out, it avoids search engine results from making it back to whomever is in charge of security; it helps prevent random fools from finding out about it and trying their luck at getting inside and accidentally locking themselves in a cell, etc. By the time I got around to posting it here I still refrained from identifying it by name/location/exteriors because that's the logical thing to do when you don't want to blow the spot. Unfortunately, using discretion when posting about locations seems to be a lost art among our more attention-seeking constituents who have since put this location on blast by publicly identifying it. To anyone who does this sort of thing for any notable amount of time, a pretty reliable fact becomes increasingly hard to ignore: Publicly identifying locations like this is why we can't have nice things. Loose lips sink ships and all that.

Regarding the aforementioned news stories: There was a segment earlier this year wherein a local news reporter just walked up to, and went inside of, this building.. without obtaining permission.. entirely on camera. If the law applies to everyone equally, then what I learned from that news segment was that it is entirely acceptible to enter stuff like this without permission as long as you meet the definition of a "reporter". As luck would have it, I, too, am "a person who reports" on things I find interesting. And as an official reporter, it is my duty to report that I am henceforth immune to those annoying and inconvenient rules which govern ordinary civilians; I shall commence forthwith using these newly discovered powers to their fullest potential.

The Workhouse MSI Saint Louis copyright 2024 sublunar
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Friday, January 6, 2023

The Jefferson Hotel was the largest and probably most well-known hotel in the Saint Louis area throughout the first half of the 20th Century. It was hurriedly constructed in the early 1900's to assist in accomodating some of the 19.7 million guests who would attend the World's Fair. Construction broke ground in March of 1903 and work at the site would see sixteen hour days in order to meet the impending deadline. Prior to officially opening for business, this hotel was chosen as the location to inaugurate the social season of the World's Fair. A formal ball was held on April 8, 1904 and was sponsored by the Daughters of the Confederacy and the Confederate Memorial Society. The ball was said to be the "most strikingly brilliant social affair ever held" in the area and guests were reported to include "representatives of every civilized country, high World's Fair officials, soldiers, consuls and multimillionaires". The hotel was able to meet the construction deadline, opening on April 29th 1904, the day before the Fair was to begin.

Among those registered at the hotel on the eve of the World's Fair included the official delegation of the U.S. Senate and House. President Theodore Roosevelt personally telegraphed the signal to commence the opening from the white house. The hotel would host several Democratic National Conventions throughout the years among other countless conventions and other events.

Despite ownership changes over the years, the hotel thrived up until some time in the 60s. In the mid 1970's, the hotel closed and was threatened with demolition. It was fortunately saved from that fate and remodeled into small apartments for "over-50" residents. It eventually moved from senior living to low income residents after which point it closed sometime around 2007.

The one time "Aristocrat of Saint Louis", "as handsome as the Waldorf-Astoria, or the handsomest hotel in America" has now been sitting vacant for the past 15 years and as a result has been in a state of rapid deterioration ever since.

Just within the past couple months, renovations have finally begun and they've even partially sealed it back up (hence finally using the hotel's real name). I'm not sure what their plans are for the ballroom but I'd be surprised if they bother trying to replicate the crumbling plaster and other features vs a complete remodel of the space, but I guess it's not impossible. After all, the Wright Arcadeseems to have been meticulously restored following its own long period of neglect.

Click here for the video.

Check out my post here from over ten years ago (!) when I referred to it as the "Ballroom Hotel" to avoid publicly identifying it.

Source: National Records of Historic Buildings Nomination form

All historic photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society (except for the KSHE stage photo for which I can no longer seem to locate the source. No idea who that is onstage either.).

Begin Historic Photos

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1914

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1930

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1934 "Daughters of America"

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1935 Variety Club

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson 1935 Variety Club

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1940

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1940 Fashion/Beauty Show

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1942 Traffic Club

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1945 First New Vechile Produced After WWII

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1947 Meat Convention

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson 1953 "Dining Event"

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1953 "Dining Event"

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson circa 1954 Hardware Convention

Historic Hotel Jefferson photos courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society
Hotel Jefferson K-SHE-95 Concert (circa 1975?)

End Historic Photos

Hotel Jefferson Saint Louis copyright 2024 sublunar

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Hotel Jefferson Saint Louis Ballroom circa 2023

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