My Modern Midwest: The Quiet Grandeur of St. Louis

Jeff Vines knows some people carry a negative view of St. Louis. There’s a perception that the city is “decrepit and depressing,” he says. But Vines has made it his life’s work to share the beauty and creativity inherent in the Gateway to the West.

He founded STL-Style, a graphic design and apparel company, with his twin brother Randy. Their shop and St. Louis-centric designs help spread hometown pride throughout the city and beyond.

Jeff also expresses his St. Louis spirit through his photography. “I don’t shy away from grit,” Vines says,“Because that is a very real, and I think, very appealing, aspect of the urban landscape. The physical density and endless blocks of solid brick architecture are reminders that St. Louis was built to be one of the biggest and most important cities in America.”

Vines trains his camera on “everyday urban scenes that capture St. Louis’s quiet grandeur.” He shared some of these shots with us for My Modern Midwest.

 

#MyModernMidwest photographer @stlgasm: Hickory Street vintage

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#MyModernMidwest photographer @stlgasm: “This is why St. Louis is the last Eastern city.”

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#MyModernMidwest photographer @stlgasm: Olive Street canyon, downtown

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#MyModernMidwest photographer @stlgasm: Lafayette Square house portrait #stl #stlouis #architecture

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#MyModernMidwest photographer @stlgasm: “The East Coast (of Missouri).” #stl #stlouis #missouri #architecture

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#MyModernMidwest photographer @stlgasm: Skinker Blvd: Classy, glassy and a little sassy #stl #stlouis

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#MyModernMidwest photographer @stlgasm: It’s not called the Red Brick Mama for nothing. #stl #stlouis

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