Maplewood History: Photographic Treasures from the National Building Arts Museum contain a Rare, Long Unseen Detail

By
Doug Houser
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14
238
Owner: National Building Arts Museum

Thursday, October 27th, marked the third anniversary of my association with 40 South News.  True to form, I took the day off.  If I hadn’t you might have seen the photos below a couple of days earlier.

That is truly one of the wonderful things about this job of mine.  I’m in charge.  No one else. Of course, I don’t get paid but I’ve had plenty of those types of jobs.  They’re not this much fun.

This is a good time to mention that Doug Miner, Editor-in-Chief of 40 South News, is an awfully nice fellow to be associated with.  For instance, he would never dream of editing my preposition off the end of that last sentence.  This is part of why we get along well.  At times I feel pretty cavalier regarding commas, hyphenated words and stuff like that.  Editor Miner understands this and almost never interferes.

Three years, 156 weeks – I’ve posted 136 posts, less than one a week.  In the same period, Doug Miner has posted way over 3,000.  We must consider that each of his posts required time to assemble, some more than others.  This is a huge accomplishment on his part.  Never before have we had the gift of information about our communities to the extent that he has provided.

He deserves the Citizen-of-the-Year award, the Businessman-of-the-Year award and any awards that Brentwood and Richmond Heights would like to bestow on him as well.  His last name may be Miner but to those of us that follow 40 South News, he is definitely Doug Major.

Now on with the show.  The magnificent photos below are shown courtesy of Larry Giles and Markus Loehrer of the National Building Arts Museum.

The five new old photos are in this forrm. they appear to have been taken for the bus company that was using the Sutton Loop and the Yale Loop in 1950. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
The five new/old photos are in this form. They appear to have been taken for the bus company that was using the Sutton Loop and the Yale Loop in 1950. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
this is a cropped version of the previous photo. courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
This is a cropped version of the previous photo. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
This is a cropped version of the previous photo. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
This is a cropped version of the previous photo. The building on the right has been demolished. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
Hmmm. 1950 on the toilet building.  I would have guessed later. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
Again a cropped version of the previous photo. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
Again a cropped version of the previous photo. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
The Yale Loop at Yale and Manchester. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
The Yale Loop at Yale and Manchester. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum and thanks to J.Joyce as well.
And again a cropped version of the previous photo. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
And again a cropped version of the previous photo. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
This photographer was definitely not a subscriber to the move in close school of thought. courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
This photographer was definitely not a subscriber to the move-in-close school of thought. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
Here is the cropped version again but this one contains the surprise. Look closely. National Building Arts Museum
Here is the cropped version again but this one contains the surprise. Look closely. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.
Her it is. Barely visible behind the Snax stand is what must be the original marquee of the Maplewood Theater. I have never seen a photograph of it before. I had no idea that this early one even existed. I really like the looks of it. Wish we new what colors it was. courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum
Here it is. Barely visible behind the Snax stand is what must be the original marquee of the Maplewood Theater. I have never seen a photograph of it before. I had no idea that this early one even existed. I really like the looks of it. Wish we knew what colors it was. Courtesy of the National Building Arts Museum.

 

14 COMMENTS

  2. Seeing the photo of Zimmerman’s department store made me so happy. Years ago while working at a retail store the daughter of the owner would tell me stories how her father would open on Christmas Eve and give away free toys to the families that could not afford to buy gifts for their children. I always wondered which building it was and now I know.
    Does anyone remember Zimmermans?

    • Hi Margaret, The building now located on the SE corner of Manchester and Sutton also once held Zimmerman’s Dept. Store. I’m not certain of exactly when they were there. I will try to find some information on them and post it later for you. Thanks for sharing your memory.

      • This information is incorrect, I’ve discovered. The department store once located on the SE corner of Manchester and Sutton was Zerman’s, not Zimmerman’s as my semi-reliable memory believed.

  3. Can some one tell me why Downtown Maplewood was developed on Manchester and not closer to the rail road tracks like other towns.

    • I am sure Doug H will have a better answer than I, but, there was a separate business district that was along Greenwood Blvd, along the tracks, still there. It just never took off the same as the one on Manchester. I suspect that had to do with Manchester having been a long established road that essentially led to Jefferson City and the Street Car line. All that said for back in those days the railroad tracks were not far from Manchester. We probably complain about the walk today, but they didn’t back then.

    • Brian, Luke has pretty much laid it out. The electric car lines spurred development of the Manchester business district while the commuter train served the Greenwood one. Here is a link to my blog post about historic Greenwood. Thanks for expressing your curiosity.

      • You, Mr. Houser and Mr. Miner, are what make 40 South News so fine. You respect not only your readers but each other, as well. And to heck with those prepositions!

        • We’re doing it for you, Patty. I’ll have to admit it has been so many years since English class that I’m not even still sure if that was a preposition. The information that guided me on that one was a memory of an old tale about Winston Churchill who when criticized for ending a sentence with a preposition said something like, “That was the best answer up with which I could come.” I’m not at all certain if it’s true or not. Who cares? The best tales probably aren’t. Thank you very much for your very kind words. They do mean a lot to both of us.

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