It's Crazy

Found in the pavement at Cherokee and Pennsylvania on the south side, a short walk from my daughter's home. It's made with the same technique as Toynbee tiles, strips of linoleum pressed into the asphalt. (Well, there are a few more steps.) It looks very new.

There used to be a few genuine Toynbee tiles downtown. A few have been paved over and at least one has been torn out and stolen.                       

Another House Of Hades Tile Discovered

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Southeast corner of Market and Broadway downtown. I thought I had seen this last summer but I was out on a business errand - no time to stop and take a picture. Later searches drew a blank. These things are hard to spot. Then, while walking back from the Arch to my car last weekend, it caught my eye.

Hades tiles are based on the classic Toynbee design but many have more decorative elements. Note the traffic signal on the right of this one. Similarly, see this and this one, also in downtown St. Louis. All that pink on the top and left is mysterious. Mrs. C views it as the bare legs and netherland of a woman. The topic needs much more scholarly research.

I must work harder . .   

Thursday Arch picture tomorrow.

A New Tile

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I heard there was a new House of Hades tile (to me, anyway) in front of Left Bank Books at 10th and Locust so I went to check it out. It's in the traditional Toynbee tile colors with no picture border (like some of these).

If you have never seen one of these it's hard to imagine the scale and location in the street. The bottom two pictures give you some idea.

One of St. Louis' original Toynbee tiles has been stolen, the one between Starbucks and Macy's at 6th and Olive. Vandalism, I say, more private interest over public good. Which reminds me, tomorrow is election day.

Link Between Downtown STL And Hades

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We saw a few House of Hades tiles in Philadelphia and several in New York. These appear to be the contemporary successor to Toynbee Tiles. Well, the sharp eyes and research skills of Mrs. C. found a reference to one in downtown St. Louis. It's at 7th and Olive Streets in front of Macy's, a block from my office. I walk through that intersection frequently and I am embarrassed that I have not noticed it. It is a bit out of the crosswalk, though.

There may be more. Now I want to walk through every downtown intersection and search. They could be in any other part of the city. The mystery continues.

Toynbee Tiles In New York City

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Park Avenue and 51st Street

The mystery and adventure of Toynbee Tiles continues. I photographed several in Philadelphia, seen on the blog last week. The creator of the original style of tiles (for example, this one in St. Louis) is thought to be one James Morasco of Philadelphia, who died in 2003.

There was a new kind in Philly. The top line of all of them is "House Of Hades." They criticize journalists and the rich. Some of them have a new feature. clever images on the side. I particularly like the martini glass above. There doesn't seem to be anything on the web yet about this new artist.

Interest in the subject has been so great that a documentary film was released last year, Resurrect Dead - The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. You can get it on Amazon, at least in the U.S. My copy should arrive tomorrow.

It wouldn't surprise me if the new artist or artists scans the web for references to the work. If he or she does, please come to St. Louis. I will help you lay tile. I will keep your secrets.

Fifth Avenue and 83rd Street

Fifth Avenue and 86th Street

Park Avenue and 82nd Street

Philadelphia Archeology: The Search For Toynbee Tiles

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We spent a couple of hours yesterday hunting for Toynbee tiles. I've rambled on about this obsession before. There were four in St. Louis but two have been paved over. Philadelphia has by far the most and is thought to be the point of origin. They are apparently cut from linoleum, placed between sheets of tar paper and placed on the pavement at the beginning of hot summer days. The traffic presses them down into the warm asphalt and wears away the tar paper.

There are variations on the tile technique in Philly. We saw several of what the locals call Stickman. The bottom tile is in German. It translates as "I'm sorry" in English.

Train to New York this afternoon.  

You Could Even Say It Glows

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The wacky architecture of the Civil Courts Building in the sunset, with a certain amount of electronic modification. Thirty or forty years ago, viewers might have assumed that there was a certain amount of chemical enhancement involved in the production. I'm old enough to remember.

A SAD NOTE: St. Louis lost two of its Toynbee Tiles in recent days. We only had four. Both of them in the crosswalk at 7th and Market were covered by repaving. The bizarre, mysterious plaques in the street are slowly being lost to time. I wonder how many are still left in Philadelphia, where theory holds they originated. I covered these on three consecutive posts in the early days of the blog and one more a month later. See the background story and first local tile here and my second discovery with more research here. The dear departed tiles and further inquiries may be viewed here and the second photo in this post. If you know of any Toynbee Tiles in your city, please let me know. This deep art must be preserved.