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 Saint Louis Coliseum existed from 1908 to 1953. At the time it was said to be the largest public building and it boasted the largest indoor swimming pool as well as having hosted the 1916 Democratic National Convention among other things. It was very popular in it's day, however, the new Kiel auditorium built in the 1930's would bring about the eventual decline of the Coliseum. It was condemned in 1952 and razed shortly afterward in 1953. Luckily, these images (courtesy Missouri Historical Society) were taken in 1952, just before it met it's demise.
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
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Circa 1918:
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
Historic Saint Louis Coliseum photo courtesy Missouri Historical Society
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 oten 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.
