Pardon moi

Sorry it's been a while since the last mal mansard.  Here's one on Brentwood Boulevard between Manchester and the Bi-State terminal.I took this picture after a long rain, but that doesn't explain why the back of the roof looks burned.

Where have I been?  My 20 year high school reunion was this past weekend.  Oui!  Vingt ans!  I graduated on 6-7-89 from Webster Groves High School.

As part of the reunion I hosted a party/fundraiser for a slain city police officer Bobby Stanze.  He was shot and killed back in 2000.  He too was a WGHS Class of 1989 graduate.  People paid to come here to the house for free food and beer.  We are giving the money we raised to the Friends of Bob Stanze- read about the foundation here.  

The fundraiser event was a success and the weekend reunion activities were a blast.  I went to high school with a lot of terrific, generous people.  

At least it's in Clayton Schools...

Richmond Heights on Dale Avenue.

Mansard mullet

Definitely business in the front, mansard mullet party in the back.  

Mansard pour la voiture

Being a parking lot owner must be hard.  There are the obvious issues- security, maintenance, advertising and taxes.  And the more complex issues- those pesky urban preservationists who have valid-but-annoying reasons that the historic building shouldn't be knocked down to pave your crappy parking lot.  And the antitrust collusion inquiries by states' attorneys general.  Finally, can you find an attendant who won't sell crack from the booth? (see article here)

Assume you have all of those issues under control with your parking lot.  Let's say you really want your parking lot to look classy so you add a touch of 1880's Second Empire Victorian.  A mansard parking lot!  This photo is located in Alameda, California and courtesy of reader Paul at Vanishingstl.

Mansard pour les dents

Webster Groves- shame on you.  This is tres mal.  And this is a recent 'development.'  Dieu only knows what got knocked down or what is under that mansard d'ugly.  Seems like every dentist's office is in a bad mansard, but those are all 1960's-1970's vintage mansard.  This is a crappy knock-off bad mansard.

Next Community Days parade I'm protesting.