someone's badmansard garage

Nestled in a forested Chesterfield neighborhood is this badmansard garage. I'm told the house is actually normal looking but that's hard to imagine.

Thanks to my architect friend JR for sending me the picture. I really appreciate the efforts people make to send me badmansards. I know from experience what a PITA it is to get the right badmansard shot-- slowing your car, trying to frame the picture, and worrying the homeowner may calls the police on you. If I ever am approached by homeowners or the police about taking pictures of people's houses, my response is that I write an "architectural blog" not "I'm making fun of your ugly house on the internets."

In JR's case, he was on a long bike ride and stopped to take a picture for me.

I dunno

Driving down Lynch Street in Benton Park, this mansard jumped out at me. As I slowed my 2005 minivan (it may be dorky and dirty, but paid off), the kids screamed in unison, "MMMMOMMMMMM! NOOOOOO! You're embarrassing us. do NOT take a picture."

But I did. And here it is. This place bothers me. I think it's the brick color and siding. The mansard is nice as is the 2nd floor window. I like the paint colors. The windows are smaller than they should be, but interesting. No vestibule so that's weird. It shouldn't bother me but it does.

Please comment.

Quelle Horreur!

From our favorite badmansard enthusiast in New Orleans, Karen Gadbois. According to the comments in Flickr, this is (or used to be) a Popeye's. And it would appear that lava rock or some other type of landscape rock was used in the facade. Now St. Louis has its fair share of badmansards and Popeye's chicken, but I have never seen anything like this.

Disturbing images, City of St. Louis

Disturbing yes, but also very funny.

Look closely at the trash truck. There is a baby face sticking out of the bumper. I've also seen a refuse truck with an Elmo affixed to the front grill. I am going to start collecting pictures of trash trucks.

The second picture is the message board at the Lafayette Square playground: "Have fun kids. You could die tomorrow." Brutal!