Comments on: 2 More Gasometers Coming Down

By: Ralph

Ralph — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:49:47 +0000

The advertisement claim is that natural gas is clean. Is this true or is there any kind of environmental hazard with the land? What can the land be reused for safely? Would a park be feasible? Would we want our children playing on the ground?

By: Chuckl

Chuckl — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:34:41 +0000

@bradley: Gasometers were commonly used by local gas companies for the storage of locally produced “town gas” or “coal gas”. Before the creation and widespread use of the national, high pressure, natural gas pipeline grid, local companies would heat coal in airtight ovens, extracting the “gas” that was then captured for heating and lighting. The end product was coke, which was then sold for metallurgical production uses or heating. A stable supply of high pressure, natural gas, stored under high pressure in underground facilities such as salt domes, made the local gasometers obsolete and unnecessary.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:15:01 +0000

As a lifelong resident, these gasometers were on par with the Arch, so far as STL landmarks are concerned. Needless to say, I am very sad to see them go. Thank you, Toby, for this informative post on their history. I appreciated your words, that: “most of us experience these twin towers: sturdy yet delicate-looking guide posts along the highway that change size, color and texture with the distance, time of day or weather.” Very well said (and true of the Arch, too).

I posted a little memorial to them myself-
http://acondradictioninterms.blogspot.com/2009/12/bye-bye-gasometers.html

This post was my introduction to your blog. I’ve spent most of my afternoon perusing your posts here and I really enjoy your work. Thank you for thinking about and documenting our city so beautifully. You’ve done an excellent job!

By: bradley

bradley — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:41:07 +0000

Why did they stop using them? Where do they store the natural gas now?

By: mac

mac — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:02:09 +0000

These folks figured out something to do with them:

Gigantic Coal Gasometers Transformed into Thriving Communities

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/10/14/gigantic-coal-gasometers-transformed-into-thriving-communities/

By: richard stupidhead

richard stupidhead — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:47:49 +0000

P: too few enjoy the foolish joy of youth. were we idiots there and elsewhere? of course. would we have been idiots anyway? (do I need to answer that?)

yeah some would protect us against ourselves and our stories would be that much more tiresome.

juxtapositions between old and new are much more interesting than homogeneity.

By: P.

P. — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:28:14 +0000

In my younger days my friends and I would sneak in and climb to the top of these. Now knowing they were gas meters it was probably not the best idea to sit up there and smoke cigarettes. Anywho…

We swore that on clear days you could see all the way to the arch. Who would thunk it, fond memories of a gas tower.

Perhaps we could do something to keep the view they provided. There can never be enough places with a view. It looks as though the Austrians feel the same.

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:15:15 +0000

“What I can’t understand is why people think that we should keep these up when you have it bound by industrial, rail, and highway, and the Des Peres sewer line, err river des peres. ”

that’s the point. this is not a desireable site for development, so why demolish them for no reason? they’re not hurting anything. at least leave them up until someone comes along with a BETTER use for the land (i.e. NOT a highway-side strip mall, which is the most likely outcome for visionless saint louis.)

By: Robert Powers

Robert Powers — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:30:34 +0000

Damn. There goes the only reason to visit Shrewsbury.

By: richard stupidhead

richard stupidhead — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:02:39 +0000

I’ve always thought of them as Constructivist sculptures, esp when they were in use. driving by they might be empty and a few weeks later the membrane would be full, completely changing the impact of the presence.

There was one in North County near a skating rink that as a child filled me with a combination of fright and awe..