Midtown! This was St. Louis's second downtown for years, and was once as alive and bustling as any point in the city. This was the city's theater district, the center of its nightlife, the crossroads of its transit lines, and home to uncounted businesses, shops, offices, institutions, and residents. Set at the top of a rise in the terrain, it presents dramatic skyline views from most directions.

Much has passed away today. Midtown has been largely stripped of its urban vigor; once an integral part of the urban matrix, it is now a series of disconnected points. Yet, many of the institutions remain.... and with them, a group of spectacular buildings and vistas.