City Dweller

Join life-time St. Louis resident Patrick J. Kleaver as he explores St. Louis neighborhoods that no longer exist or have drastically changed, and what it was like to live in each one. From Mill Creek Valley (predecessor to Laclede Town, now also gone), through neighborhoods known today only as the site of massive apartment complexes such as CityView (the former Plaza Square) and Courtyards at Cityside (the former Columbus Square), you will learn about their architecture, history, their...
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Join life-time St. Louis resident Patrick J. Kleaver as he explores St. Louis neighborhoods that no longer exist or have drastically changed, and what it was like to live in each one. From Mill Creek Valley (predecessor to Laclede Town, now also gone), through neighborhoods known today only as the site of massive apartment complexes such as CityView (the former Plaza Square) and Courtyards at Cityside (the former Columbus Square), you will learn about their architecture, history, their rise and decline (and in some cases, rebirth), with both "before and after" black and white photographs of some. He also includes histories of both long-gone and still-functioning historic Catholic churches in those neighborhoods, such as the old St. Charles Borromeo, the old Alverne Hotel Chapel, the old St. Bridget of Erin, the old St. Patrick, St. Nicholas, Resurrection of Our Lord, St. John The Apostle and Evangelist, and the Old Cathedral, with black and white photographs of many. He describes long-forgotten cemeteries located in and near downtown, the near south side, and the Central West End, and what happened to the bodies when these cemeteries were closed. Also described is downtown St. Louis' shopping area before the construction of the ill-conceived St. Louis Centre shopping mall and Union Station "festival marketplace," both of which ultimately failed, leaving what had been a shopping destination that many looked forward to visiting with virtually no retail stores today. He shares detailed stories about his various jobs in the city, including what it was like to work for two Federal agencies - one that got smaller and smaller and another that got (and is still getting) bigger and bigger! Intimate details about his life and his beloved parents' failing health and deaths are included, along with a fond look back at TV programs he and his parents enjoyed in the 1960s through 1980s, as well as his favorite musicians of that era.