Fading Ads of St. Louis by Wm. Stage

Author:Wm. Stage
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2013-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

Race Course Avenue

It is one of the shortest streets in St. Louis, not even the length of a normal city block, with only two houses on it. Although not long ago, there were four houses.

Finding these two wonderful wall signs involved a fair amount of sleuthing. I first learned of them from the comfort of my swivel chair, stationed at the computer, studying the website of Dr. Ken Jones, a former Hollywood set designer who now travels around the country photographing wall signs. To contemplate the scope of Dr. Ken’s work is a humbling experience, for he has captured more wall signs than any other known person. So there I was at the monitor seeing what Dr. Ken had photographed while here in 2009, and I came across two intriguing finds: one sign for “Chas. Lorch Tower Grove Market” and one for “Waverley Bicycles”—supposedly found in proximity. They looked appealing, in good condition, and I wondered why a city rat like me had never encountered these signs in all my travels. I then contacted Dr. Ken to learn their whereabouts, but alas he had failed to note the specific coordinates. All he could offer is that they were near some railroad tracks.

The obvious clue was the name of the market, for Tower Grove is a street located in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood, an old section of the city on the Near Southside. I made forays into that vicinity and to the west of it, driving and walking, scrutinizing every storefront, warehouse, vacant lot and factory in my path. In fact, I made several vintage wall sign finds previously undiscovered—“Osterhaus Shoes,” “Eagle Stamps” and a very faded “War Bonds.” Where Tower Grove Avenue going south meets Vandeventer there is the merest thoroughfare, Race Course Avenue; that is where I found the old relics, facing each other across the expanse of a vacant lot. Luckily, Jerry Korando, owner of the house at the street’s end, the one bearing the bicycle sign, was around to explain things.

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