It’s always amazing to look back at time that’s passed and see the difference years make in a city. Everything changes so quickly and we get so wrapped up in the day to day grind we don’t even notice. Here are 18 then and now photos in St. Louis that show just how much our beautiful city has changed over the years:
- (Before) The Old Courthouse In Downtown St. Louis is 1865. Trees and horse drawn carriages, were replaced with …
Raymond F Adams (own work) / wikimedia
- (After) concrete, cars, and stoplights. All the trees are gone!
By Kbh3rd (Own work) Wikimedia Commons
- (Busch I) First there was Sportsman’s Park. It was the Cardinals’ original stadium. In 1953, Anheuser-Busch Brewery purchased the Cardinals and also Sportsman’s Park from the Browns and it was renamed Busch Stadium.
Michael Allen/flickr
- (Busch II) Construction began on the second Busch Stadium in 1965 and it opened in 1966 in Downtown St. Louis. This stadium stayed open until 2005.
By photo by MoDOT (via MissouriStateArchives, on Flickr (Aerial View of Busch Stadium Construction (MSA)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
- (Busch III) The current stadium opened in 2006 and cost 365 million dollars to build.
By Johnmaxmena2 (Own work) wikipedia
- (The Perfecto’s 1899) This was the only year the Cardinals were called the Perfecto’s. The team had been bought and the new owners changed the color to red and the name to Perfectos. They also changed the ballpark name to League Park. Sports fans and reporters started referring to the Perfecto’s by the shade of red Cardinal. The very next season their name was officially changed to the Cardinals.
author unknown, via Wikimedia Commons
- (The Cardinal’s 1946) The team is warming up at Sportsman’s Park in before a World Series game against the Boston Red Sox.
By Massie, Gerald (via MissouriStateArchives, on Flickr) (World Series warm-up, St. Louis Cardinals (MSA)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
- (The St. Louis Cardinals today) Today the Cardinals are one of the best in the entire nation! Go Cards!
By Jleybov (Own work) /Wikimedia Commons
- The original elephant house at the St. Louis Zoo. The zoo purchased its first elephant, Miss Jim in 1916. It was made possible by the school children, who donated their pennies to the zoo for the elephant.
stlzoo.org
- Today the St. Louis Zoo keeps the elephants in a beautiful outdoor habitat with shallow pools, grass, and trees called the River’s Edge.
stlouiszoo.org
- (Before) This picture was taken looking east on Locust Street formerly known as Lucas Place from 16th Street in 1914.
Missouri History Museum/flickr
- (After) Wow! what a difference! There is nothing remaining to remind you of what this street corner once looked like.
Google Maps Streetview
- (Before) Grand Avenue just south from Morgan during rush hour at 5:10 pm in July of 1925. Morgan is now known as Delmar Avenue.
Missouri History Museum Cross Collection/metrost.louis.org
- (After) Grand and Delmar today!
Google Maps Streetview
- (Before) This is one of my favorites! They are actually having a “dance off” in front of St. Louis City hall in November of 1925. Yep, that’s the Charleston! What a great photo!
Missouri History Museum/flickr
- (After) St. Louis City Hall today. No “dance off’s” for miles, what a bummer…
Kbh3rd (Own Work) / wikimedia
- (Before) Eads Bridge was built in 1874 and was supposed to be tornado proof. Piers were sunk almost 100 ft. under the river surface. Thirteen men died during this process and two were paralyzed. They died as a result of the bends. The workers were swimming down and shoveling sand into a pump that shot it out of the river.
bridgehunter.com
- (After) In 1886 one of the worst tornadoes in history tore down the Eads Bridge. It was an E4 tornado that killed 255 people and injured over a thousand more.
My how fast things change! I love reading your comments, what else has changed in St. Louis? Click here for 14 more photos of changes over the years in Missouri!
Raymond F Adams (own work) / wikimedia
By Kbh3rd (Own work) Wikimedia Commons
Michael Allen/flickr
By photo by MoDOT (via MissouriStateArchives, on Flickr (Aerial View of Busch Stadium Construction (MSA)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
By Johnmaxmena2 (Own work) wikipedia
author unknown, via Wikimedia Commons
By Massie, Gerald (via MissouriStateArchives, on Flickr) (World Series warm-up, St. Louis Cardinals (MSA)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
By Jleybov (Own work) /Wikimedia Commons
stlzoo.org
stlouiszoo.org
Missouri History Museum/flickr
Google Maps Streetview
Missouri History Museum Cross Collection/metrost.louis.org
Kbh3rd (Own Work) / wikimedia
bridgehunter.com
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