A View From the Top

HERE ARE PHOTOS taken from the top of the old South Side National Bank building, located on the corner of Grand and Gravois Avenues in Saint Louis, Missouri.



Looking northeast up Gravois Avenue to downtown.  The Gateway Arch is about four miles away.

The South Side National Bank building is an Art Deco gem, dating from 1928, and has recently been redeveloped into condominiums and renamed the South Side Tower. It is 108 feet tall, and I completely neglected to take a picture of the building itself! My thanks to Leigh Maibes, Realtor, who represents this property and kindly gave me permission to photograph from here. I met Leigh while visiting another of her properties, the Sugarloaf Indian Mound.

Saint Francis de Sales Oratory, built in 1908, about 1-¼ miles to the northeast.

⅞ of a mile southeast of the tower is Saint Anthony of Padua Church, completed in 1910, and home of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans of the Sacred Heart Province of Saint Louis and Chicago).  The ridge behind the church is in Illinois, and you can see a bit of the Mississippi River to the left of the church.



The Jefferson Barracks Bridge (constructed 1983-1992), crossing the Mississippi River between Illinois on the left and Missouri on the right. It is located 7-½ miles south of the tower. The bridge is named after the Jefferson Barracks military post, active 1826-1946, and the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.



It was a cold, windy, cloudy day, not promising for colorful photography. But sunset was glorious!

For those interested in digital photography, this and the next six photos were taken with the camera white balance fixed to 'Daylight'.  Cameras set to automatic white balance will usually attempt to subtract out these colors, making photos taken during this time of day sometimes disappointing.

Sunset is the traditional time of day to pray Vespers, which has the character of thanksgiving.

Looking north up Grand Avenue, with Saint Pope Pius V Church (dating from 1916), four blocks north of the tower.

Zooming up Grand Avenue, we see the Saint Louis University medical complex, about 2 miles away.   On the right is the Compton Hill Water Tower:  photos taken from this tower are here and here.

I used two separate cameras for this photo essay, and there is some inconsistency on how these cameras represent color.

Looking again up Gravois towards downtown; salmon skies illumine the buildings.

The Oratory and downtown, with electric lighting.



Night falls on the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 1-⅔ miles to the east.



The moon rises.  These photos were taken on November 13^th, 2008, between 4:41 p.m. and 5:12 p.m.

Click here for a map of the building and landmarks.