The Royal was one of at least four movie houses on the South Side. From the architectural style we can guess that it was one of the earlier ones, dating from the silent era. These two buildings are currently under restoration.
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The Royal (and Its Neighbor)
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St. George’s Serbian Orthodox Church, South Side
Like most of the other churches on the South Side, this one—at 15th and Roland Streets—has been repurposed, in this case as a studio. But its outward appearance has hardly changed.
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A Stroll Down Sarah Street
Sarah Street is the most splendid residential street in the New Birmingham section of the South Side—the part from 17th Street eastward that was developed after the Civil War. “Splendid” is relative, of course: even the richest parts of the South Side were not millionaires’ neighborhoods. But there are many fine and substantial Victorian rowhouses on Sarah.
Although Carson Street is the commercial spine of the South Side, commercial buildings also sprouted on the back streets, and Sarah Street has some good Victorian commercial architecture. Some of the buildings are still backstreet bars or stores; others have had their ground floors turned into apartments.
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B. M. Kramer & Co Building, South Side
Old Pa Pitt has always regarded this as a masterpiece of industrial architecture. It occupies a whole block of Sidney Street between 20th and 21st.
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The Third-Largest Clock in the World
It used to be the largest, but it was surpassed by the clock on the Istanbul Cevahir shopping mall in 2005, which in turn was surpassed by the almost comically enormous Mecca Clock in 2011. But the Duquesne Brewery clock is still the largest clock face in the Western Hemisphere, and it is the South Side’s most visible landmark, easily readable from across the river. Since the brewery stopped brewing, it has carried various advertisements; but for the moment it carries no message, except for the time, which is still correct.
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A Passage Between Houses, South Side
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The Slopes Seen from the Flats
The South Side Slopes are a vertiginous neighborhood of narrow streets crowded with little frame houses. Traditionally the neighborhood was mostly German Catholic, whereas the flats below were mostly East European. Above, we see the Slopes from the intersection of Sidney Street and 27th; below, a view from 24th Street that includes the back of the old St. Josaphat’s church.
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Row of Houses on 24th Street, South Side
This row of attractive houses is on the west side of 24th Street at the corner of Sidney. Note the arched windows: Richardsonian Romanesque was popular, and filtered down even to this level of domestic architecture.
Camera: Samsung Digimax V4
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Houses on Sidney Street, South Side
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St. Matthew’s Church, South Side
Like many other churches on the South Side, this one is becoming loft apartments. The exterior, at any rate, will be preserved.
Camera: Canon PowerShot 590 IS.
Addendum: The architect was Marius Rousseau, according to the parish’s Golden Jubilee book.
