This story may not be thematically appropriate for "Mid-Century Dream," as most of the action takes place at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 21st--but I'm kind of excited about it anyway.
When I first heard about the Meramec Highlands resort that flourished briefly in the Kirkwood, MO area many years ago, I set out to see what, if anything was left of it. Turns out there was plenty to see; most of the cottages built in the late 19th century were still standing along a cozy little one-way street called Ponca Trail, the general store had been converted into an attractive residence (home, I believe, of Highlands documentarian James Baker), and the old train depot was boarded up at the edge of the neighborhood. That was a few years ago. Yesterday I was in the area and decided to check up on the Highlands, and I was stunned to see that the depot has been converted into a beautiful home that's presently on the market for a million and a half! The developer has also built a new street paralleling the old tracks, and is in the process of building ten more new houses. Some of the yards back up to a common ground, and others touch on the still-charming properties along Ponca Trail.
Another bonus: The old railroad tunnel I'd heard so much about is now easily accessible from the end of the block. A wide walking trail has been laid from the cul-de-sac to the mouth of the tunnel, which has been partially bricked up to keep kids out of danger while letting the resident bats come and go.Turns out there's been a lot of hoopla about the depot restoration lately, but none of it reached me: KMOV did a TV feature and sponsored tours of the depot last month, and Toby kindly brought these accolades to my attention. (Note the Neighborhood of Distinction award recipient in the Times article linked above: fifties-tastic Craig Woods, nearly untouched by the teardown plague!)Now if they'd only rebuild the dance hall that used to stand atop the railroad tunnel...
In Beckemeyer, Illinois--between Carlyle and Breese--there used to be a drive-in theater called the Car-Breeze.The screen was torn down years ago, but the marquee survives, hidden under a pasteboard sign. Until recently, the concession/projection building was still standing, covered with weeds and surrounded by rusty farm implements. Some of the letters spelling CAR BREEZE DRIVE-IN were still attached to the counter, and some of the equipment was still rusting away under the rotted ceiling. I used to check on the status of this relic every time I passed by. Today, on my first visit in several months, I couldn't help but notice that the lot had been cleared of weeds and implements, and the old drive-in building had at last been leveled.But in its place stood something pretty wonderful:
Yes, it's the severed bun of Officer Cheeseburger, McDonaldland's most-decorated keeper of the peace.His torso was found several paces away.Actually, the discovery of this wayward piece of playground equipment wasn't a very big surprise. For a few years, a grade school in nearby Breese has been in possession of another piece of old-school playground equipment, apparently donated when a local McDonald's upgraded to the Playplace: a slide festooned with the head of Captain Crook, a long-decommissioned McDonaldland villain. I think I remember seeing other pieces of McDonald's playgrounds scattered around this part of Illinois, usually in school or civic park playgrounds. Do you know of any?
News from my neighborhood: The Southside location of Rizzo's is gone! The venerable Italian restaurant has vacated its digs on Chippewa, and a new Turkish/Mediterranean joint is about to open in its place (which, I was sad to learn today, was not the former location of a Parkmoor drive-in, as I'd previously thought). The new restaurant is called Aya Sofia, and I'm pretty curious about it. I haven't seen any advance press, though. Anyone got any inside info or an opening date?
Wow, it's been a while. I've been traveling and researching and photographing all kinds of stuff as diligently as ever, but when I buzzed through several unfamiliar Midwestern cities in one day and only had time to take a few pictures, I started debating with myself about whether to bother posting my findings until I had more background information. While it's fine to present a photo and say "look at this rusty old neon sign at a bar in Dubuque," part of me wants to know how old it is, and what the bar's like inside, before I go slappin' these pictures up on the Web. Otherwise, all you're getting is a bunch of pictures and no text. But I guess my Comprehensive Review Of Every Cool Thing I've Ever Seen Anywhere can wait for a real website (as opposed to a blog), so I can add to it incrementally as information arrives, rather than chronologically. In the meantime, I've got a lotta stuff to dump on you from a trip to northeastern Iowa. But not right now.
This story may not be thematically appropriate for "Mid-Century Dream," as most of the action takes place at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 21st--but I'm kind of excited about it anyway.
