THE ARCHITECTURE WHICH DEFINES OUR LANDSCAPE IS A TANGIBLE PART OF OUR COLLECTIVE HISTORY. WHEN HISTORIC STRUCTURES ARE DEMOLISHED, A PART OF OURSELVES IS RELEGATED TO MEMORY AND CONDEMNED TO BE FORGOTTEN. IN THE REDISCOVERY OF OUR ABANDONED, OFF-LIMITS, OR OTHERWISE HIDDEN ENVIRONMENTS, I DOCUMENT THEIR EXISTENCE AS WELL AS OUR OWN THROUGH THE PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE ADVENTURES PRESENTED HERE
The Clemens House, located at 1849 Cass Avenue in Saint Louis, was originally home to James Clemens Jr who was an uncle to Samuel Clemens -aka- Mark Twain. There are two main sections to the Clemens House: the house itself and the chapel. The original house was built in 1858 out of mainly brick and cast iron. It is said that the portraits along the window sill are that of his wife which was installed in her memory after she died. In 1887 a major addition was built onto the rear of the main house, followed by the Catholic chapel building "Our Lady of Good Counsel" which was constructed in 1896. In 1949 it was sold and used by various social service organizations over the years. It was eventually abandoned sometime in 2000 after being last used as a homeless shelter.
This post combines several trips including before and after the chapel roof collapsed. The rich slumlord owner, Paul McKee, promised to restore and preserve the Clemens house and chapel, but he never made good on his word. The historic Clemens house languished for years under his watch until it was ultimately burned down in 2017 and subsequently demolished.
Source(s): Historic American Buildings Survey, National Record of Historic Buildings
Begin Historic Photos
The Clemens House historic photograph circa 1890
Clemens Mansion historic photograph circa 1930
Clemens Mansion historic photograph circa 1930
Clemens Mansion historic photograph circa 1930
Clemens Mansion historic photograph circa 1960
Clemens Mansion historic photograph circa 1960
The Clemens House historic photograph circa 1960
The Clemens House historic photograph circa 1960
The Clemens House historic photograph circa 1960
The Clemens House historic photograph circa 1960
The Clemens House historic photograph circa 1960
The Clemens House historic photograph circa 1960
The Clemens House historic photograph
The Clemens House historic photograph
Clemens House - Chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel historic photograph
End Historic Photos
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis before the chapel roof collapsed by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis by sublunar
Clemens Mansion Saint Louis WAOSZL Amateur Radio Station
This blog is dedicated to the pursuit of adventure and features urban exploration in Saint Louis, Missouri and beyond.
1. With the exception of historical photos, all of the photographs here are copyrighted and not to be used for any purpose without my consent. The historical imagery is courtesy of the Historical Society or as otherwise noted.
2. "Don't try this at home." I absolutely will not be held responsible for anyone else's stupidity. I do not recommend anyone try visiting any of these locations. Sometimes I am granted access to the things you see here and attempting to follow in my footsteps may get you arrested, hurt or killed.
3. I do not condone or tolerate: vandalism, theft, littering or any other disrespectful activity in any of these locations. I have the utmost respect for the history of these locations and for the history of my city, Saint Louis. "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints."
4. Do not ask me for (or post) specific location information. If identifying information is not provided in the post, there's usually a good reason for that. Any information will be provided either at the time of posting, or updated years later, at my discretion.
5. Any reference to "I/me, we/us" anywhere on this blog is probably just a metaphor. Metaphors are often employed to simplify complex technical details when storytelling. As such, they can never be considered as admission, nor proof, of guilt; They do not provide sufficient evidence as to who (or what) actually took any of the photos shown here. I/we may or may not actually exist.
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