First and Last

Heat and humidity left everyone in our group soaked with sweat, traipsing through the overgrown alleys that reached behind dark and vacant buildings in downtown East St. Louis. Despite the uncomfortableness, the Majestic Theater was simply amazing to see on the outside. Intricate scroll work and tiles inlaid with decorative patterns made the building seem like a true palace left to rot in some far-away land. Small sculpted faces stared out from underneath the ledges, seemingly strained from holding up the additional weight of the saplings growing from the mortar joints. Our curiosity was piqued.

Finding a way in, we were impressed with the vastness of the performance space. Although the furniture was removed, a fair amount of plaster ornamentation remained. A hole in the roof above the stage let in the intense sunlight above into an otherwise pitch black cave, making it a somewhat difficult space to photograph. Also, this building was even more oppressively hot than the outside air somehow.

It hadn't looked like any electricity flowed here since the 1970s, but there seemed to be something rhythmically humming on the second floor. I thought it was the sweat in my eyes, but it sure looked like a giant industrial sized air conditioner sitting in the middle of the floor, and running! As I got closer, I was disappointed to find the unit only blew more hot air and loads of plaster dust around.

Walking out onto the desolate ghost town-like street, I could only think that the Majestic could very well be the first and last building with air conditioning in this city!