Sublunar Photography

KCPL was constructed in the 1930's and was the tallest building in the area at that time. The original occupants inhabited the space until the 1990's. Currently, it is undergoing conversion into lofts.

This place was a lot of fun. Thanks go to my comrades who made this one possible. Elevator rides to the top made exploring such a tall building much less work than I'm accustomed to. The top featured unparalleled views of the city in all directions and we arrived just as the sun was setting. The blustery winds carried the noises and smells of the city all the way up to our clandestine observatory. Enjoying our various illegitimately acquired views of the world around us are some of my favorite moments that only this hobby can provide. And at the low price of free* (*if you do it right), you really can't beat it. I could have stayed up there all night, but we had some shenanigans to engage in later (the true height of the levels of ridiculousness that our shenanigans would reach was not entirely apparent from the outset, but I can assure you that many shenanigans were had on this night). The basement featured some nice utility rooms including the old office which still displayed some of this building's various original instrumentation. I liked the fact that they left them where they belonged, despite the fact that these gauges likely hadn't moved in many years. I'm pretty sure that the closest thing there is to hopping into a time machine is climbing into a dusty old building such as this.. and I guess that makes me a time traveler. Fuck yeah, dude.

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There were two ledges involved.. They were only separated by about 3 feet or so. But it was enough that you didn't have a great hold on either side as you crossed over. Close enough that if you are relaxed and you don't over think the gap, it really shouldn't be a problem, in most situations. But in this case, the gap happened to be roughly 75-100 feet above the ground. I'm not really sure of the exact height because I didn't want to look down long enough to figure it out. Either way, you're dead. This was far sketchier than anything I've done before in terms of height and it was messing with my head. I tried to just look at the ledge I was on and look at the ledge I needed to be on and make it happen. I reached out to it a couple of times as a warm up, trying to reassure myself that it's not that far. I decided to just do it, get it over with. I extended my leg to the other side, stretched further than it seemed like it should be. I let go of one hand on my ledge and began to grasp at the other ledge. But then I started thinking too much about my grip, about my footing and I nearly lost my shit. Quickly I pulled back to my ledge and gripped it tightly, testing my muscles and telling myself that there's nothing to be worried about. One hand and one foot on a solid ledge is enough. But it's that transfer when you let go of the one you know is solid and try to shift over to the new one.. fuck. Stop thinking about it and just do it. I regained my senses, forced the height out of my mind and got a firm footing. When I got to the other side I grabbed it for dear life and just waited a second to reassure myself that I made it. Then up and over and I was finally inside. But that wasn't the last of it. If you want to get to the top then you need to climb the ladder. The ladder was about 50 feet and although it was secured to the wall in spots, it was very wobbly. Looking back on it, I think ladders are a good teaching aid to get comfortable with heights because there's nothing to worry about as long as you trust yourself to grab the rungs in succession and not let go. But for someone with a slight issue with heights, it was still very unnerving.

At last we were on the top. The views were amazing and I definitely appreciated them while I was there. The night, the cool air and all the lights. But in the back of my mind I knew I was going to have to come back down eventually, back down the ladder and.. the gap. By this time, the ladder was a little easier for me. One foot in front of the other, don't look down. The gap, well it fucking sucked again. I don't think that was any easier the second time. Once we got back out to the sidewalk I bent over to pat it a few times, relieved to be back on solid ground.

The City Club building, also known as the Alverne, was constructed in 1923. As the City Club, it provided a forum and meeting place for persons active in civic and social issues and was notably inclusive of race, religion and gender among its speakers. The club claimed to have over 700 speakers "representing every quarter of the globe" and "virtually every race and nationality". The City Club addressed issues both locally and globally and sought engagement from its members in solving problems.

In the mid 1920's, the Saint Louis branch of this organization counted 3700 members. This was a time when social clubs were at their height of popularity and this was the peak of the City Club's membership. And it wasn't all serious business. In 1928, City Club opened a rooftop mini-golf course and it's said that the Mayor had 5 holes-in-one on opening day. The October 1928 newsletter had a commentary on this course as follows: "Players losing their ball (over the edge of the building) must signal the following players to go through, after which they may hide in the pantry in the 14th floor until danger from enraged pedestrians is passed." Other notable amenities were offered here; its multiple dining rooms served lunch to leading politicians and businessmen of the day, billiards lessons were offered to members' sons, musical programs and regular dances were just some of the perks.

The glory days were short lived, however. By 1925, the institution was seeing operating losses of nine thousand dollars a month. In 1926, the membership had dwindled to 1,821. Part of this decline was blamed on stock assessments. An arrangement was made with a nearby hotel owner to lease the second through 10th floors as a hotel. The Missouri Hotel opened in September 1926. By 1929, the City Club building was foreclosed. The Great Depression didn't help the Club afloat, yet it managed to cling onto the top two floors. By 1932, membership was down to 300. In February 1933, City Club closed its doors.

In 1935, the Missouri Hotel moved to another location and the entire building would become the DeSoto Hotel, which lasted about 20 years. The Archdiocese of Saint Louis then purchased the building and opened the Hotel Alverne, a residence for Senior Citizens. Unfortunately, at this time the Archdiocese made significant changes to the facade of the building, removing the more decorative portions. They also built a chapel on the ground floor, which lasted until 1991. The building remained mostly vacant ever since, aside from a short lived hardware store and a nightclub. In 2010, a 3-alarm fire broke out on the lower floors and was determined to have been intentionally set.

source: National Records Nomination Form

Update 2014: This building is undergoing an extensive renovation.