I am not a native of St. Louis, thus, I have spent a lot of time researching the history of this land and the people who live here. Below are some of the films, YouTube videos, books, and podcasts that helped me learn about this region.
Films
Atomic Homefront documents the citizens of Coldwater Creek in Bridgeton, Missouri who want answers about the radioactive waste dumped in neighborhood landfills.
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Brick By Chance and Fortune tells the story of brick in St. Louis. This documentary tells why St. Louis is one of America's great brick cities, as well as the threat that brick thieves and poor urban planning is to the classic architectural heritage of the city.
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In Our Backyard is an expose on the polluted industrial towns surrounding the St. Louis area, and their connections to a well known chemical company known as Monsanto.
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Monument to the Dream traces the adventures of the Arch's evolution, from the early concepts on the drawing board to the fabrication of its stainless steel sections, and the triumphant placement, in a race against the sun, of its final section in the fall of 1965
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Target: St. Louis tells the secret history of U.S. Army aerosol radiation tests in segregated neighborhoods of North St. Louis during the Cold War.
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The Pruitt-Igoe Myth explores the social, economic and legislative issues that led to the decline of conventional public housing in America, and the city centers in which they resided, while tracing the personal and poignant narratives of several of the project's residents.
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The First Secret City tells the story of environmental issues, the history of World War II in St. Louis, and how decisions made decades ago continue to impact citizens today.
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Spanish Lake chronicles the area of Spanish Lake, Missouri and its transformation from a 1950s white suburb to a mostly black population via white flight.
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YouTube
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Race relations issues and racism are still alive and well in the United States. They're symbolized by The Delmar Divide in St. Louis which splits the city into Black (African American) and White. The Delmar Divide results in racial inequality. People in St. Louis protest with the March of Delmar, down Delmar Boulevard to call out systemic racism and police brutality. Black Lives Matter takes a stand for Anthony Lamar Smith. The racial divide, and literal racial segregation in America will not go away if we don't address it.
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The video covers "secret" locations around St. Louis, Missouri such as Lafayette Park, Soulard Market and Calvary and Bellefontaine Cemeteries. Places that no longer exist are also explored including Kerry Patch neighborhood as well as renovated landmarks like the DeMenil Mansion, the Old Post Office, the Central West End and Eads Bridge.
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The History of East St. Louis, from swamps, to industry and crime, to rock-n-roll.
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Sam Moore talks about how the brick stealing business works.
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A documentary on the historic site of a pre-Columbian city in western Illinois near St. Louis, MO.
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Ancient Americas explores Cahokia in detail and discovers how it helped usher in a new Mississippian order across the Eastern United States.
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A documentary about how the city of East St. Louis became one of country’s largest rail and industrial centers.
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This documentary reveals "secret" locations around St. Louis, Missouri such as Lafayette Park, Soulard Market and Calvary and Bellefontaine Cemeteries. Many places that no longer exist are shown including the Kerry Patch neighborhood, as well as renovated landmarks like the DeMenil Mansion, the Old Post Office, the Central West End and Eads Bridge.
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Books
Mapping Decline examines the causes and consequences of St. Louis's urban crisis. It traces the complicity of private real estate restrictions, local planning and zoning, and federal housing policies in the "white flight" of people and wealth from the central city. And it traces the inadequacy—and often sheer folly—of a generation of urban renewal, in which even programs and resources aimed at eradicating blight in the city ended up encouraging flight to the suburbs. The urban crisis, as this study of St. Louis makes clear, is not just a consequence of economic and demographic change; it is also the most profound political failure of our recent history.
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The Broken Heart of America is searing portrait of the racial dynamics that lie inescapably at the heart of our nation, told through the turbulent history of the city of St. Louis.
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The Last Children of Mill Creek chronicles the everyday lived experiences of Gibson’s large family―her seven siblings, her crafty, college-educated mother, and her hard-working father―and the friends, shop owners, church ladies, teachers, and others who made Mill Creek into a warm, tight-knit African American community
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Common Fields contains thirteen original essays telling the history of the city’s constant tension between urban growth and environmental sustainability. Geographers, archaeologists, and historians examine the relationship between the city’s diverse residents and the environment on which their well-being depends.
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St. Louis Disappearing Black Communities tell the story of African Americans who have lived in communities throughout St. Louis. Although St. Louis' 1916 "Segregation of the Negro Ordinance" was ruled unconstitutional, African Americans were restricted to certain areas through real estate practices such as steering and red lining. Through legal efforts in the court cases of Shelley v. Kraemer in 1948, Jones v. Mayer in 1978, and others, more housing options became available and the population dispersed. Many of the communities began to decline, disappear, or experience urban renewal
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Podcasts
99% Invisible Episode 283: Dollhouses of St. Louis is a searing portrait of the racial dynamics that lie inescapably at the heart of our nation, told through the turbulent history of the city of St. Louis.
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Blinders Off is a podcast about St. Louis. The hosts Matthew and Lucas explore the past, present, and weirdness of St. Louis. In a city older than the United States, there is plenty to explore. This podcast covers stories you wouldn’t typically expect in a radio show format: A lawsuit involving a building mural that has stretched into a decade long fight. Sensor microphones installed in hidden locations to track gunfire. The confusion of St. Louis city street design, and more.
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Online Blogs, Articles, & Other Resources
Vanishing STL was created to illustrate the continuing loss of irreplaceable architecture from landmark buildings to ordinary homes due to demolition, abandonment and neglect. Often I write about structures threatened with demolition to bring awareness of the situation and promote preservation as an alternative.
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The Preservation Research Office is an independent, research-based heritage consultancy based in St. Louis. Preservation Research Office’s projects draw people not only to better steward and appreciate historic places, but also to recognize the inherent social capital of places and buildings. P
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