Wow, I didn't even know that existed...



More pics?

I vaguely remember the Rodeway Inn. I always thought it was pretty cool, but I like Mid-Century architecture (the good, the bad, and the ugly) better than most people. As much as we tend to rail against architecture that accommodates automobiles, I believe developments like this in the 1950s and 1960s, even when surrounded by asphalt, were more inspired than the cookie-cutter autocentric development that replaced it in the following decades.



I loved approaching downtown eastbound on Market Street when that building was still there. Now there are bland office buildings, a couple of boring mid-priced hotels, and the fortresslike Wachovia Securities campus. Yawn.



In the second picture, you'll notice Boulevard Mercedes-Benz on the RH side just beyond the motel. That dealership moved over a decade ago to Ellisville and became Tri-Star Mercedes-Benz. I think this spot may have been home to a Cadillac dealership back in the 1970s as well, but I'm not 100% sure about that.



Gasm- thanks as always- you and Jive always find great pictures of St. Louis!

I still think about the Rodeway every time I pass that intersection. I miss the Marshmallow Building on West Pine, too.



These kind of Mid-Century buildings are crucial to any successful urban fabric. They not only add variety, but they convey a sense of history, that a city is an evolving organism.



Remember, the "ugly old buildings" that our parents tore down are the ones we miss the most today. Tastes change, but what's out of favor today will inevitably be appreciated tomorrow. Let's not keep making the same mistakes.