Matt Averett
@matthewaverett.bsky.social
Architectural historian at Creighton University.
St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Aura farmer.
St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Aura farmer.
Pinned
Matt Averett
@matthewaverett.bsky.social
· Dec 19
My new book, Canfield Drive, is available now. The book is the first comprehensive history of Black spaces in St. Louis and it reconstructs the urban context of the 2014 killing of Michael Brown and the #Ferguson Uprising. #STL
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
“For decades, a fatal assumption of American downtowns has been that, to compete, they must offer their best approximation of the big, blank parcels and ample parking of their suburban rivals. It’s an impossible game to win.”
People Who Don’t Understand Downtowns Are Destroying Downtowns
A far-fetched plan to demolish Dallas’s seat of government reflects the city’s diminished role in the region.
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:07 AM
“For decades, a fatal assumption of American downtowns has been that, to compete, they must offer their best approximation of the big, blank parcels and ample parking of their suburban rivals. It’s an impossible game to win.”
Matthew Knox Averett, author of CANFIELD DRIVE: A History of Race and the American City on a Street in St. Louis, will discuss his new book on Thursday, February 12, at Leviathan Bookstore in St. Louis at 7 p.m.
For more information:
leviathanbookstore.com/events/matth...
For more information:
leviathanbookstore.com/events/matth...
February 9, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Matt Averett
👀 What if I told you there was a hidden art gallery scattered across the country?
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
The disappearing art gallery in your post office
The U.S. Postal Service is home to thousands of historic works of art in post offices nationwide. Hundreds have been lost, sold or destroyed.
wapo.st
February 8, 2026 at 2:08 PM
👀 What if I told you there was a hidden art gallery scattered across the country?
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
"Through Prop NS, the city stabilizes homes in the city land bank and lists them for sale to investors or prospective home renovators. However, after five years, only 12 homes have been fully rehabbed through the program." #STL
Struggling St. Louis program to repair vacant land bank homes gets boost from aldermen
The struggling Prop NS program aimed at repairing vacant homes in the city’s land bank will have more relaxed spending rules under a bill approved by the Board of Aldermen.
www.stlpr.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:18 PM
"Through Prop NS, the city stabilizes homes in the city land bank and lists them for sale to investors or prospective home renovators. However, after five years, only 12 homes have been fully rehabbed through the program." #STL
February 4, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Happy to be at Leviathan Bookstore in St. Louis next week to talk about my new book, CANFIELD DRIVE. #STL
@leviathanbookstore.bsky.social
@umissouripress.bsky.social
#4theVille
@leviathanbookstore.bsky.social
@umissouripress.bsky.social
#4theVille
Matthew Knox Averett, Author of Canfield Drive — Leviathan Bookstore
Join us on the evening of Thursday, February 12 for a conversation with Matthew Knox Averett about his book Canfield Drive: A History of Race and the American City on a Street in St. Louis . If you...
leviathanbookstore.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Happy to be at Leviathan Bookstore in St. Louis next week to talk about my new book, CANFIELD DRIVE. #STL
@leviathanbookstore.bsky.social
@umissouripress.bsky.social
#4theVille
@leviathanbookstore.bsky.social
@umissouripress.bsky.social
#4theVille
MoDOT has proposed plans to remove or significantly alter the I-64/Compton Avenue interchange in St. Louis. #STL
In MoDOT’s plan to kill I-64/Compton interchange, the devil is in the details
You can add Saint Louis University to the list of organizations and business owners speaking out against the Missouri Department of Transportation plan to rip out the Compton/I-64 interchange. In a st...
www.stlmag.com
January 31, 2026 at 9:24 PM
MoDOT has proposed plans to remove or significantly alter the I-64/Compton Avenue interchange in St. Louis. #STL
"Recovery officials urged property owners to apply if there’s any outstanding need before that deadline. After that, unsafe properties that haven’t applied for assistance and have shown no signs of improvement will be condemned..." #STL
City weighs condemnations as deadline looms for tornado relief applications
Eight months after the May 16 tornado, St. Louis officials are considering condemnation to address deteriorating, derelict properties whose owners have shown no interest in getting help for them. A Fe...
www.stlmag.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:43 PM
"Recovery officials urged property owners to apply if there’s any outstanding need before that deadline. After that, unsafe properties that haven’t applied for assistance and have shown no signs of improvement will be condemned..." #STL
Bill Pulte’s St. Louis “Blight Authority” and the Rise of MAGA Disaster Capitalism moundcitymessenger.com/2026/01/21/b...
Bill Pulte’s St. Louis “Blight Authority” and the Rise of MAGA Disaster Capitalism
Michael Allen reflects on Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte and his quickly abandoned plan to build a nonprofit “blight authority” in St. Louis with Block CEO Jack Dorsey.
moundcitymessenger.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Book Review: Canfield Drive: A History of Race and the American City on a Street in St. Louis moundcitymessenger.com/2026/01/19/b...
Book Review: Canfield Drive: A History of Race and the American City on a Street in St. Louis
A new book examines Black space in St. Louis, tracing a long history of racism in local urban planning.
moundcitymessenger.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Thanks to the Mound City Messenger for this review of Canfield Drive. #STL.
@umissouripress.bsky.social @moundcitymessenger.bsky.social
@umissouripress.bsky.social @moundcitymessenger.bsky.social
Book Review: Canfield Drive: A History of Race and the American City on a Street in St. Louis
A new book examines Black space in St. Louis, tracing a long history of racism in local urban planning.
moundcitymessenger.com
January 19, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Thanks to the Mound City Messenger for this review of Canfield Drive. #STL.
@umissouripress.bsky.social @moundcitymessenger.bsky.social
@umissouripress.bsky.social @moundcitymessenger.bsky.social
"McKee and his firm are frequently cited as barriers to growth in North City. They’re accused of sitting on empty or deteriorating properties and not delivering on promises to redevelop the area after cutting a deal with the city to obtain around 1,500 acres of North St. Louis 17 years ago..." #STL
After McKee’s firm demanded $116M, city moved to seize Northside land
The St. Louis Development Corp. only moved to seize land from developer Paul McKee after he sought to demand $116 million for the acreage, according to a letter released by the agency Friday. The lead...
www.stlmag.com
January 18, 2026 at 3:34 PM
"McKee and his firm are frequently cited as barriers to growth in North City. They’re accused of sitting on empty or deteriorating properties and not delivering on promises to redevelop the area after cutting a deal with the city to obtain around 1,500 acres of North St. Louis 17 years ago..." #STL
Happy to chat about my book on "The Way of Improvement Leads Home" blog.
#STL #Ferguson @umissouripress.bsky.social
#STL #Ferguson @umissouripress.bsky.social
The Author’s Corner with Matthew Knox Averett
Matthew Knox Averett is Professor of Art History at Creighton University. This interview is based on his new book, Canfield Drive: A History of Race and the American City on a Street in St. Louis (…
thewayofimprovement.blog
January 14, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Happy to chat about my book on "The Way of Improvement Leads Home" blog.
#STL #Ferguson @umissouripress.bsky.social
#STL #Ferguson @umissouripress.bsky.social
"The proposal lays out short-term actions including home repair, home down payment assistance, flexible retail permitting and more long-term plans like creating mixed-income housing, establishing a land trust and creating community improvement taxing districts." #STL
Plan to revitalize north city neighborhoods aims to reverse more than just tornado damage
St. Louis officials hope to reverse the impact of decades of disinvestment in the Ville, the Greater Ville and Kingsway East through a new neighborhood plan.
www.stlpr.org
January 7, 2026 at 2:39 PM
"The proposal lays out short-term actions including home repair, home down payment assistance, flexible retail permitting and more long-term plans like creating mixed-income housing, establishing a land trust and creating community improvement taxing districts." #STL
The Missouri billionaire is expected to soon become chairman of the board of Lee Enterprises.
Hoffmann’s takeover of Post-Dispatch parent co. means change—but how much?
David Hoffmann got what he wanted. The Missouri-born billionaire spent the better part of 2025 pursuing the newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises, and on December 30, he closed the deal. The company’s I...
www.stlmag.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by Matt Averett
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said this about CANFIELD DRIVE by Matthew Knox Averett:
“Combining a narrative of racialized housing policies with deep, statistical dives into local history, including an illuminating series of maps, CANFIELD DRIVE provides a convincing systematic analysis.”
“Combining a narrative of racialized housing policies with deep, statistical dives into local history, including an illuminating series of maps, CANFIELD DRIVE provides a convincing systematic analysis.”
January 5, 2026 at 9:18 PM
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said this about CANFIELD DRIVE by Matthew Knox Averett:
“Combining a narrative of racialized housing policies with deep, statistical dives into local history, including an illuminating series of maps, CANFIELD DRIVE provides a convincing systematic analysis.”
“Combining a narrative of racialized housing policies with deep, statistical dives into local history, including an illuminating series of maps, CANFIELD DRIVE provides a convincing systematic analysis.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a short review of my book on the urban history of Black spaces in St. Louis.
#STL @stltoday.com @umissouripress.bsky.social
#STL @stltoday.com @umissouripress.bsky.social
'Canfield Drive' traces the history of race relations in St. Louis and beyond
Anyone who wants to trace the history of race relations in St. Louis, and its effect on housing, could start by listing the chapter headings in this comprehensive, exhaustively researched
www.stltoday.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:00 PM
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a short review of my book on the urban history of Black spaces in St. Louis.
#STL @stltoday.com @umissouripress.bsky.social
#STL @stltoday.com @umissouripress.bsky.social
"Primed for tragedy long before."
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @matthewaverett.bsky.social & @umissouripress.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @matthewaverett.bsky.social & @umissouripress.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
December 31, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by Matt Averett
"Primed for tragedy long before."
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @matthewaverett.bsky.social & @umissouripress.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @matthewaverett.bsky.social & @umissouripress.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
December 31, 2025 at 3:36 PM
"Primed for tragedy long before."
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @matthewaverett.bsky.social & @umissouripress.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @matthewaverett.bsky.social & @umissouripress.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Suburban Omaha strip mall: Starbucks, vape shop, bar, and shoe store.
December 20, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Suburban Omaha strip mall: Starbucks, vape shop, bar, and shoe store.
I wrote about the Bernard Lynch “slave pen” in my book about #STL, Canfield Drive:
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
New plaque will mark notorious St. Louis slave prison site near Busch Stadium
The bronze historical plaque will be installed at the site of a slave prison once owned by Bernard M. Lynch, a nationally known trader of enslaved men, women and children.
www.stlpr.org
December 20, 2025 at 1:01 AM
I wrote about the Bernard Lynch “slave pen” in my book about #STL, Canfield Drive:
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
My new book, Canfield Drive, is available now. The book is the first comprehensive history of Black spaces in St. Louis and it reconstructs the urban context of the 2014 killing of Michael Brown and the #Ferguson Uprising. #STL
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
December 19, 2025 at 8:23 PM
My new book, Canfield Drive, is available now. The book is the first comprehensive history of Black spaces in St. Louis and it reconstructs the urban context of the 2014 killing of Michael Brown and the #Ferguson Uprising. #STL
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social
upress.missouri.edu/978082622339...
@umissouripress.bsky.social