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St. Louis circa 1901. "Planters Hotel, Fourth and Chestnut." Completed 1893; demolished 1976. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.
Or maybe just some Goober from out of town.
The short 4-pillared building just to the right is still there. It's the former Mississippi Valley Trust Company, a local bank which "financed transportation and communication networks in the St. Louis region, and was a supporter of the St. Louis World's Fair"
On the left, across Chestnut Street and outside the photo, is the Old Courthouse. This was the site of the famous (or infamous) Dred Scott Decision in 1857.
When I first viewed this photo, I noticed the electric streetcar in the distance. Then I saw what appeared to be extra tracks, which could have been dual gauge, as Los Angeles once had. Closer examination revealed a slot between some of the tracks, and sure enough St. Louis had cable cars at one time. There were five different companies that operated there, and the last systems closed in 1901, the time of this image. They operated on a unique track gauge of 4' 10". If you need to know where else cable cars operated, you can find that information here.
So many windows, and not a single person gazing from any of them!
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