The intersection of Grand Boulevard and Gravois Avenue is an unexceptional corner for most people traveling through south St. Louis.
For the characters in Eric von Schrader’s trilogy of science fiction novels, the spot is a portal to a different St. Louis, in a parallel universe — a place teeming with happy tourists, lined by gleaming skyscrapers and powered by energy-trapping bricks.
Von Schrader, a St. Louis native who now lives in California, looked around at the city and spun many of its locations and people into the reimagined version of St. Louis that embodies some of his hopes for the city’s future.
The Intersecting Universe trilogy includes “A Universe Less Traveled,” “A Universe Disrupted” and “A Universe Revealed.” Von Schrader, 75, published the last book earlier this year. He released the audiobook, produced locally by Dogtown Records & Entertainment, earlier this month.
St. Louis Public Radio’s Jeremy D. Goodwin asked von Schrader to describe how bits and pieces of St. Louis morphed into the fanciful version in his novels.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Jeremy D. Goodwin: What is it about St. Louis that made you want to write a novel based here?
Eric von Schrader: I've spent a lot of time in all the neighborhoods of St. Louis. And I've always been fascinated by the history and, in some ways, the disappointments of St Louis — the faded glory of many parts of St Louis. I've always thought it is a fascinating story.
I lived for many years in the South Grand neighborhood. So that's why South Grand and the Tower Grove Park area factors a lot in my books, because I lived there for many years and always thought it was a fascinating place.
Goodwin: There's a spot where your protagonist discovers a portal into the alternate version of St. Louis in a parallel universe — the corner of Grand Boulevard and Gravois. Why'd you pick that specific location?
Von Schrader: There’s a 12- or 13-story building there that was originally the South Side National Bank building. I believe it's now condos. And I always thought, ‘What the heck is this doing here? It has nothing to do with anything around it. How did this building get here?’ And that the corner always fascinated me. It’s two streets crossing, and if you go either direction, up Gravois or a little bit down Grand, the whole area is kind of run-down and kind of forgotten. This should be an intersection of amazing boulevards in a city. So it just came to me that, ‘Well, I think that's where he's going to find his way into this other universe.’
Goodwin: Readers of the Intersecting Worlds trilogy are taken to an alternate St. Louis that you call HD St. Louis, like high definition. Is HD St. Louis your picture of what you'd like the city to be?
Von Schrader: In a lot of ways, yes. Doing this gave me a vehicle to imagine: ‘What would the coolest possible St. Louis look like, and how would that work? What if people from around the world clamored to come to St. Louis because of the amazing festivals and events that are happening all the time?’
When it's hot in the St Louis summer, people turn their air conditioners on and stay inside and watch TV, and they're not out mingling and involved with each other. So I turned that around and made it where in this place people are always out mingling and involved with each other. And from the viewpoint of my main character who discovers this place, it blows his mind.
Goodwin: How do St. Louis bricks factor into the story?
Von Schrader: There’s a St. Louis brick company that was actually a real company called Hydraulic Bricks, which was begun in the 19th century. In my fantasy, it is one of the biggest companies in the world. And how do they get to be that way? They discovered a technology where they figured out how to generate electricity with bricks. So in this alternate world, this brick energy technology powers the world.
And then later I found out that actually there's real research into doing some things kind of similar to that. And some of that work was being done in Washington University. I did not know that when I wrote the book.
Goodwin: Are there pieces of HD St. Louis that you think our real world might head toward?
Von Schrader: I'm hopeful that if St. Louis isn't so negative about itself, it could become more of a magnet for younger people who are creative, to start businesses or do bands and music and culture. I think there's an opportunity for that.
