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St. Louis · a catalogue study
Edition 2026-10-09.1
A remote or manually navigated catalogue study. The order follows recorded dates, not a pedestrian route; nearby regional places may be far apart. No walking duration is estimated.
Check each place's actual location and visitor rules. A catalogue pin does not grant entry or confirm present access. Use the atlas record and linked sources to plan a visit.
Automatically assembled catalogue study. Where text is drawn from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 applies to that text. Wikipedia article and contributor links are included with each applicable stop. Passages may be excerpted or abridged and include additional editorial date context. Other sources and original observation prompts retain their own terms.
1. Old Post Office and Custom House
Old Post Office and Custom House · Reported completion / phase: 1884
A granite federal building with a mansard dome, sculptured pediment and interior courtyard, developed for postal, customs and judicial uses. 1873–1884. Built between 1873 and 1884 under successive federal architects.
Observe: Choose one visible architectural detail. Compare it with another place in this study, then follow a source to check what its date describes.
Access: Published coordinate for the identified building; not a city-centre estimate.
Record context: 1873–1884. Built between 1873 and 1884 under successive federal architects.
Record context: Published coordinate for the identified building; not a city-centre estimate.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=st-louis-mo&candidate=mullett-old-post-office-st-louis&detail=1
2. Old U.S. Custom House and Post Office
Old U.S. Custom House and Post Office · Completed after 1875–1884 construction (City of St. Louis): 1884
Built across the late 1870s and early 1880s, the federal Custom House and Post Office combines a large masonry block with an elaborate mansard roof and Second Empire detailing.
Observe: What does the roofline suggest about how a nineteenth-century federal building projected authority?
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=st-louis-mo&candidate=site-st-louis-old-custom-house&detail=1
3. St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall — former site
St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall — former site · Built (City of St. Louis): 1884
Opened in 1884, this large exhibition and performance building used brick, stone, and terra cotta with classical detailing. It once dominated the blocks around Olive and 14th. The exposition hall is no longer standing. The city inventory does not give a verified demolition year; St. Louis Central Library now occupies this area.
Observe: How large was this hall relative to the blocks and library building visible on the site today?
Access: The pin is an approximate point near Olive and 14th Streets, the address recorded by the city. It is not a surveyed center of the vanished 502-by-332-foot building.
Record context: The exposition hall is no longer standing. The city inventory does not give a verified demolition year; St. Louis Central Library now occupies this area.
Record context: The pin is an approximate point near Olive and 14th Streets, the address recorded by the city. It is not a surveyed center of the vanished 502-by-332-foot building.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=st-louis-mo&candidate=site-st-louis-exposition-music-hall&detail=1
4. Wainwright Building
Wainwright Building · Completed (National Park Service): 1891
Completed in 1891, the Wainwright Building is an early tall office building designed by Adler & Sullivan. Its vertical piers and richly ornamented upper band made it a landmark of the Chicago School.
Observe: How does the facade emphasize height while keeping its detailed cornice visible from the street?
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=st-louis-mo&candidate=Q1143548&detail=1
5. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church · Current church dedicated (City of St. Louis): 1892
The present church was dedicated in 1892. Its twin towers and Romanesque-Byzantine forms remain, though the former central dome has been removed. The congregation had an earlier church. The standing church was designed in 1891 and dedicated in 1892; its original central dome was later removed.
Observe: Can you identify where the removed central dome once changed the church's silhouette?
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Record context: The congregation had an earlier church. The standing church was designed in 1891 and dedicated in 1892; its original central dome was later removed.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=st-louis-mo&candidate=site-st-louis-st-stanislaus-church&detail=1
6. St. Louis Union Station
St. Louis Union Station · Opened (American Society of Civil Engineers): 1894
Union Station opened in 1894 as a vast rail terminal. Its clock tower, arched spaces, and former train shed made it a major visual gateway to St. Louis. The station opened in 1894; a city landmark page describes the larger complex as constructed through 1896. The displayed year is the opening, not the end of every construction phase.
Observe: Which features of the headhouse still announce the building's former role as a rail gateway?
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Record context: The station opened in 1894; a city landmark page describes the larger complex as constructed through 1896. The displayed year is the opening, not the end of every construction phase.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=st-louis-mo&candidate=site-st-louis-union-station&detail=1
7. Mississippi Valley Trust Company Building
Mississippi Valley Trust Company Building · Recorded year (source inventory): 1896
The Mississippi Valley Trust Company Building is a historic building in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The year is the source inventory’s recorded inception date. Construction start, opening and later alterations may have separate dates in the linked article.
Observe: Choose one visible architectural detail. Compare it with another place in this study, then follow a source to check what its date describes.
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Record context: The year is the source inventory’s recorded inception date. Construction start, opening and later alterations may have separate dates in the linked article.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=st-louis-mo&candidate=Q22060309&detail=1