Sublunar Photography

I went camping this weekend and was surprised to find this abandoned outdoor theater. The seats are on one side of the lake and the stage is on the opposite side, thus utilizing the geography as a natural amphitheater. Apparently there used to be several prop buildings on the stage side and even a riverboat at one time.

The Soldier's Memorial in downtown Saint Louis sits above an underground com center for the Emergency Mgmt Agency. It was built in 1938 and funded by the Federal Emergency Admin of Public Works. I've read about a hidden bunker downtown, built during the cold war and it is undoubtedly connected to this same network at some point. Although the bunker is currently only used for storage, the location is a closely guarded secret.

Evidence suggests that the Soldier's Memorial was connected to the original underground Emergency Mgmt Ops Center for Saint Louis, until deemed obsolete. The new facility was built in West Saint Louis County in the late 1950's through the early 1960's. It is a massive, "self-contained underground structure able to operate independently of all common utilities". The plans underway by the late 1950's for the new facility specified that it was: "...To be built sufficiently underground to provide reasonable protection against all the effects of a ten-megaton weapon...The structure is planned to accomodate 400 persons, sleeping and hence eating, etc. in shifts."

The interior of the Soldier's Memorial building is very dated, giving the impression that it is just an old museum. It is, however, definitely still in use by emergency mgmt personnel (with offices above and below the museum level), albeit to a reduced capacity...

This trip occurred in 2009.

This Clock Tower is connected to a building that is currently in use and is very difficult to get inside of. You might even go so far as to say it's a Saint Louis landmark.

This trip occurred in 2009.

This is a lesser known Saint Louis theater. It is currently undergoing renovation by the new owners, a church.. of scientists or something..yeah those ones.

We had only been inside for a few moments when the caretaker surprised us by her presence. At one point, we were up on the balcony taking photographs. I was lining up my shot when I heard my associates whispering as loudly as possible "Get Down!" I took the picture and lowered my camera to see someone walking around below us. Had they been more observant, we surely would've been busted. We happened to be at just the right place at the right time. I ducked and we laid there on the balcony as quiet as possible. This was one of those situations in which I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. After a few moments, we made a hasty retreat.

Once we regrouped at the car, we decided to go back and have a chat with the lady. She was very polite and informative, but declined giving us a tour.

This trip occurred in 2010.

I didn't realize she was standing there when I took this picture... My comrades had already ducked behind the chairs.

The Sun Theater in Saint Louis was built just prior to WWI in 1913 as the Victoria Theater. It has undergone several name-changes throughout the years, becoming a Jazz club and even an X-rated movie theater, until eventually obtaining its current designation as the Sun. It has been abandoned since its last occupants, the Faith Tabernacle, left in 1981.

Crumbling from the inside out, full of pigeon excrement and overall badly deteriorated, it would be no small feat to restore the interior of the building. It has obviously been horribly neglected for a long time, but considering that the facade of the building is still maintained-to the extent that the sign is still lit up at night, we just weren't expecting it to be so trashed inside. Restoration is a formidable challenge for a building in this state of internal disrepair. Additionally, it is surrounded by some strong competition, most notably the Fox Theater and Powell Symphony Hall, both of which are just around the corner.

Update: Good news for once; The Sun Theater has been completely renovated since these photos were taken. I did not see that one coming.