January 27, 2008
UEU314 Visits East Saint
A splinter cell of the Union of Urban Explorers, Local 314, has just visited East St. Louis. Agents Erasmus, Tobias and Jeffy arrived in East Saint only this morning, a decidedly sleepy Sunday in the burg's downtown. Parking just off of 4th Street, the trio wandered first to the Murphy Building (links at conclusion), a massive office structure with a curiously degraded back wall.
The Murphy attempt was seen as a precursor to an entry into the Majestic Theater, a strikingly faded beauty along the downtown streetscape of Collinsville Avenue. While the Majestic has one operating business - the compact Christine Beauty Supply - it's safe to say that no one's done commerce in the Murphy in some time; at least not any sort of legitimate commerce.
Within seconds of entering the Murphy - via, conveniently, an open door - the UEU members encountered a vintage wheelchair, found in a darkened interior, the air a good seven-10 degrees cooler than the outdoors. The strange sight (and chill) proved a worthy omen. This building is sick. The interiors have been wrecked by salvage folk, sure, but mostly by the weather, which has taken a terrible toll. Interior walls look like puzzle pieces, ill-cut for their purpose. Floors sag and the remaining office remnants are arranged as if by storm. From several vantage points, easy views to the streets of East Saint are apparent, views unblocked by, say, walls.
Agent Erasmus attempted a ballsy, Super Mario-like climb along some broken stairwells and eventually emerged on the Murphy's rooftop, a few tense minutes later. Meanwhile, Agents Tobias and Jeffy were perplexed below, facing a sequence of honeycomb entries and exits, none suggesting an opening into the drum-tight Majestic Theatre. Before Agent Tobias began a nerve-addled climb, himself, the telltale sounds of another presence were heard: clicks, clacks, steps. A homeless squatter? A spray can-wielding tagger? A really big dog?
Reconnoitering, the trio exited the structurally-wack Murphy, convinced that there was only one way into the Majestic, other than by key. What it would it take for that prospective journey was not on-hand. They cursed their luck, but decided to scale the stairwells of the nearby Spivey Building, just to enjoy the late-winter sun from the Spivey's scenic rooftop.
Entering the Spivey with no worries - another open door, natch - the trio made a beeline for the roof, up one floor, two floors, three. By about floor six, a clumsy blockade of doors greeted them. Agent Tobias noticed the figure of a man, awoken in a bed, two-dozen feet away. The head of a woman was soon spotted, alongside. Assurances were offered. A moment, or two, of negotiation took place and the climb continued.
The rooftop featured glorious sunlight and a clear view in all directions. Including a look down at the Murphy and Majestic. One, available for exploration by the crazy and the blessed. The other, impregnable, save for the craftiest of the crafty.
Eco-Absence on:
The Murphy
The Spivey
Built St. Louis on:
The Murphy
The Majestic
The Spivey