What's the difference?

...

What's the difference between this:





And this?:



I'll tell you.

The first is in St. Louis, whose official line has always been against its historic architecture. The building, on the vanquished 300 block of Poplar, told the story of a French and Spanish Creole reign in the Upper Louisiana Territory.

The second is in New Orleans, which embraced its history to the fullest extent possible. Millions of tourists flood the streets of the French Quarter annually to marvel at the Creole cottages. Large or small, bedecked in balconies or bare--it matters not. The above example was being rehabbed earlier this year (meaning, of course, that it's still there, unlike the St. Louis example).

It sure would be nice if as many amateur photographers found downtown St. Louis a worthy subject as they do New Orleans.