St. Louis Wing Week Returns April 8-15, 2024

36 Amazing Photos That Capture St. Louis in the Early 20th Century

By on Thu, Sep 8, 2016 at 6:07 pm

St. Louis was booming in the early twentieth century, growing beyond its frontier boundaries at a rapid rate. The St. Louis Street Department documented these growing pains, both to record the challenges it faced and show how much work was being done. Charles Clement Holt marshaled a force of photographers to shoot street work in progress, dilapidated areas needing improvement, finished municipal projects and -- quite by chance -- the daily life of a burgeoning city. At its peak, the project knocked out 6,000 photographs a year. Many of these were eventually thrown out, but a historian rescued some 300 prime images. Joseph Heathcott and Angela Dietz collected some prime images in the new book Capturing the City: Photographs from the Streets of St. Louis. The book is really more of a time machine, showing a St. Louis that is familiar but vastly different: Horses being hoisted out of holes in the street are a rarity these days, and Market Street never has musicians on flatbed trucks anymore urging us to keep the city clean. Get a sneak peak of these amazing photos right here, then head to the Missouri History Museum to see this free photo exhibit. For more information about the exhibit and to purchase the book, visit mohistory.org/capturingthecity. Photos courtesy of the Missouri History Museum.

St. Louis was booming in the early twentieth century, growing beyond its frontier boundaries at a rapid rate. The St. Louis Street Department documented these growing pains, both to record the challenges it faced and show how much work was being done. Charles Clement Holt marshaled a force of photographers to shoot street work in progress, dilapidated areas needing improvement, finished municipal projects and -- quite by chance -- the daily life of a burgeoning city. At its peak, the project knocked out 6,000 photographs a year. Many of these were eventually thrown out, but a historian rescued some 300 prime images.

Joseph Heathcott and Angela Dietz collected some prime images in the book Capturing the City: Photographs from the Streets of St. Louis. The book is really more of a time machine, showing a St. Louis that is familiar but vastly different: Horses being hoisted out of holes in the street are a rarity these days, and Market Street never has musicians on flatbed trucks anymore urging us to keep the city clean.

Photos courtesy of the Missouri History Museum.

09/08/2016
Scroll down to view images
Page 1 of 2
Looking east on Locust Street (Lucas Place) from Sixteenth Street, 1914. Note the seam in the foreground where macadam pavement meets granite block.
Looking east on Locust Street (Lucas Place) from Sixteenth Street, 1914. Note the seam in the foreground where macadam pavement meets granite block.
1 of 37
A newsboy stands in the rubble of street repair work on Olive Boulevard looking west toward Grand Avenue, ca. 1907. In the background, the Olive Boulevard streetcar line stops to pick up passengers near the photographic studio of Emme and Mayme Gerhard (visible on the left hand side of the image).
A newsboy stands in the rubble of street repair work on Olive Boulevard looking west toward Grand Avenue, ca. 1907. In the background, the Olive Boulevard streetcar line stops to pick up passengers near the photographic studio of Emme and Mayme Gerhard (visible on the left hand side of the image).
2 of 37
A young girl plays a violin while standing on lily pad in front of Linnean House at Shaw's Garden (now the Missouri Botanical Garden), ca. 1900–1910.
A young girl plays a violin while standing on lily pad in front of Linnean House at Shaw's Garden (now the Missouri Botanical Garden), ca. 1900–1910.
3 of 37
Intersection of Biddle and Thirteenth streets looking north. Photograph, ca. 1900.
Intersection of Biddle and Thirteenth streets looking north. Photograph, ca. 1900.
4 of 37
Construction work on St. Charles Street east of Seventh Street. Photograph, ca. 1900.
Construction work on St. Charles Street east of Seventh Street. Photograph, ca. 1900.
5 of 37
Street cleaner at Twenty-First and Chestnut streets. Photograph, ca. 1900.
Street cleaner at Twenty-First and Chestnut streets. Photograph, ca. 1900.
6 of 37
Market Street Grocery Company building. Photograph, ca. 1900.
Market Street Grocery Company building. Photograph, ca. 1900.
7 of 37
Southeast corner of Market and Fourteenth streets including Mielke’s Lunch Stand, Hotel Francis and Walter J. Noble Whiskey and Wine. Photograph, ca. 1900.
Southeast corner of Market and Fourteenth streets including Mielke’s Lunch Stand, Hotel Francis and Walter J. Noble Whiskey and Wine. Photograph, ca. 1900.
8 of 37
Street pavers at work on Compton Avenue north of Meramec Street, 1906. The distinctive pyramidal towers of St. Anthony of Padua can be seen in the distance at left.
Street pavers at work on Compton Avenue north of Meramec Street, 1906. The distinctive pyramidal towers of St. Anthony of Padua can be seen in the distance at left.
9 of 37
Magazines on display in the storefront window of the M.C. Kalis Drugstore at 4878 Easton Avenue. Photograph, 1906.
Magazines on display in the storefront window of the M.C. Kalis Drugstore at 4878 Easton Avenue. Photograph, 1906.
10 of 37
Bystanders observing street construction at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Olive Street. Photograph, ca. 1907.
Bystanders observing street construction at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Olive Street. Photograph, ca. 1907.
11 of 37
Posters covering a wall of the Louis Bohle Undertaking and Livery building at 1125–9 Market Street advertising vaudeville shows at the Talbot's Hippodrome. Photograph, ca. 1907.
Posters covering a wall of the Louis Bohle Undertaking and Livery building at 1125–9 Market Street advertising vaudeville shows at the Talbot's Hippodrome. Photograph, ca. 1907.
12 of 37
Walter J. Noble Saloon featuring an Owl Brand Cigar billboard. 2 North Eighteenth Street or 2300 Chestnut Street. Photograph, ca. 1909.
Walter J. Noble Saloon featuring an Owl Brand Cigar billboard. 2 North Eighteenth Street or 2300 Chestnut Street. Photograph, ca. 1909.
13 of 37
Franklin and Fifteenth streets looking west. Photograph, ca. 1900-1910.
Franklin and Fifteenth streets looking west. Photograph, ca. 1900-1910.
14 of 37
Detail of street lamps outside Louis Weil's Gents' Furnishings shop at 2822 Manchester Avenue. Photograph, 1901.
Detail of street lamps outside Louis Weil's Gents' Furnishings shop at 2822 Manchester Avenue. Photograph, 1901.
15 of 37
A pair of signs by the Housing and Sanitation Committee Civic League pushing for the abolition of public outhouses (here called privy vaults). Photographs made by the St. Louis Street Department’s Photographic Division are visible on the right-hand sign. Photograph, ca. 1910.
A pair of signs by the Housing and Sanitation Committee Civic League pushing for the abolition of public outhouses (here called privy vaults). Photographs made by the St. Louis Street Department’s Photographic Division are visible on the right-hand sign. Photograph, ca. 1910.
16 of 37
Surveyor at work at 1219 Franklin Street. Photograph, 1910.
Surveyor at work at 1219 Franklin Street. Photograph, 1910.
17 of 37
Men going through a rubbish pile on the riverfront south of Municipal Free Bridge (MacArthur). Photograph, 1910.
Men going through a rubbish pile on the riverfront south of Municipal Free Bridge (MacArthur). Photograph, 1910.
18 of 37
Group of men standing in front of the Globe Shaving Parlor at 1015 Carr. Photograph, ca. 1910. In the surrounding blocks lived Italians, Yiddish-speaking Russians and Hungarians, and African American families from the South.
Group of men standing in front of the Globe Shaving Parlor at 1015 Carr. Photograph, ca. 1910. In the surrounding blocks lived Italians, Yiddish-speaking Russians and Hungarians, and African American families from the South.
19 of 37
View looking north on Taylor Avenue from the intersection of Fairfax Avenue. Gruber’s Saloon and Buffet is at 1038 North Taylor Avenue. Photograph, ca. 1910.
View looking north on Taylor Avenue from the intersection of Fairfax Avenue. Gruber’s Saloon and Buffet is at 1038 North Taylor Avenue. Photograph, ca. 1910.
20 of 37
Page 1 of 2
Next Page

Now Open in McKinley Heights: Adventures of Intrigue, an Escape Room Complex

By Paula Tredway

This medieval scene is of the 15 sets on offer at Adventures of Intrigue.

St. Louis’ Leather Society Rudis Is Building a Kinky Community

By Kallie Cox

Rudis President Nathan Shepard says St. Louis will be a leather city to look out for.

The Dark Tragedy of Hamlet Still Captivates Contemporary Audiences

By Tina Farmer

The Dark Tragedy of Hamlet Still Captivates Contemporary Audiences

All material © 2024 Riverfront Times, St. Louis, MO. All rights reserved.

Powered By Foundation
Subscribe