Beaux-Arts Style
Although not common, the Beaux-Arts style did appear in ecclesiastical
architecture. The First Church of Christ Scientist, at 475 North Kingshighway,
was built in 1903, from designs by Mauran, Russell and Gardner. The primary
elevation of the church has a projecting central section with a large portico
supported by Ionic columns, covering three pairs of entry doors. The frieze
above the portico has a central incised stone panel; a roundel fills the gable.
Windows are tall multi-light sash under round arches. This was one of the first
Christian Science buildings constructed in the world, and is still occupied by
its original congregation.
Late Romanesque Revival Style
After waning in popularity during the Victorian period, the Romanesque
Revival
church style regained popularity. Those churches built after 1900 were larger
and with a more dramatic presence.
St. Ambrose Church, designed in 1926 by Corrubia & Henderson, replaced an earlier frame building. A prototypical Late Romanesque Revival design, it has characteristic flat wall surfaces, arched openings and corbelling. The central nave is covered by a high front gable roof with flanking aisles. The main entry is a two-story portal with tympanum, and a rose window set above. A high bell tower is located to the rear. St. Ambrose is still the parish church of The Hill neighborhood.
Byzantine Revival Style
The Byzantine Revival design was used extensively in the design of
synagogues, as Jewish congregations sought alternatives to traditional
Christian church styles. The primary features of Byzantine Revival design are
large domes or turrets, semi-circular arches, flat curvilinear ornament and
facades of multiple colors and textures.
The former United Hebrew Synagogue, at 225 South Skinker Boulevard, was designed in 1925 by Maritz and Young, with Gabriel Ferrand of Washington University, who may have been most responsible for the building's unusual exterior detailing. The main block of the yellow brick and stone temple is covered by a large dome, and has a monumental projecting front bay with shaped parapet; within a tall, compound arch are set three round bi-color stone arches, carried by columns with Byzantine capitals. Above the arches is a pierced stone tracery of stylized design. Three entries are placed between the columns, and above them, leaded glass windows with paneled stone spandrels. Set on a high base, the entries open off a large porch, accessed by a double staircase featuring a stone handrail with wrought iron panels. The building now contains the Research Library of the Missouri Historical Society.
An uncommon style for Christian churches in St. Louis, the Byzantine Revival style appears only in the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel, at 1901 Ann Street. Built in 1928, the small brick church served the many Russian immigrants living in the neighborhood. The central entry is located in a bell tower with rose window, which terminates in a pyramidal roof and onion-shaped spire. The sanctuary has a high dome roof with semi-circular transoms.
Late Gothic Revival Style
The popularity of Gothic church design continued well into the 20th
century. However, through the influence of contemporary architectural styles
such as Art Deco, both its form and ornament were transformed and modernized.
There was an increased emphasis on sharply-defined verticals, and a reduced
amount of decoration. Late Gothic Revival church design had two primary
subtypes:
Streamlined Gothic Style
The Westminster Presbyterian Church, at 5300 Delmar Boulevard, was designed by Albert Groves in 1916. The rough-faced stone church features traditionally Gothic windows with pointed arches and tracery, except the windows are more elongated and narrow than those found in Gothic churches of the Victorian period. A multitude of slender, slightly articulated buttresses and pilasters terminate above the roof in needle-like spires. The restrained decoration and extreme verticality of the church mark it as a fine example of Streamlined Gothic.Modern Gothic Style
The Chapel at St. Louis University Medical Center was built in 1933 from the design of prominent Gothic Revival architect Ralph Adams Cram. The building's smooth stone surfaces, with minimal ornament, owes much to the Art Deco and Moderne styles. A high hipped roof caps the building; the front facade has an entry under a compound arch, narrow buttresses, and a blind oriel window. In contrast, a slender spire is elaborately decorated.
Moderne Style
The Moderne developed in the late 1930's, after the Depression had ended
the extravagance of the Art Deco style. An architecturally conservative city,
St. Louis did not see a great deal of Moderne, particularly before World War
II. The Moderne movement broke with historicist styles, seeking to eliminate
"excess," and to concentrate on the functionality of building design. It
emphasized the form of the building's structure, and was often without
ornament-apart from string courses or other elements used to strengthen an
impression of horizontality.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church was constructed in 1939 from plans by Dunn and
Nagel. The church features a severe design of buff brick, with little
adornment. A central entry with a simple pedimented lintel centered on the
front facade with small restrained rose windows above, and a stylized
representation of Christ to the left of the entry. An asymmetrically-placed
bell tower with a narrow steeple is at the rear.
Prairie Style/Arts and Crafts Style
Although the Prairie Style and Arts and Crafts movements were seen
primarily in residential structures, they appeared in the architectural designs
of several social clubs. The former Wednesday Club Building, at 4504
Westminster Place (now the Learning Center), was built in 1908 from plans by
Theodore Link, for a women's organization specializing in social causes. The
first story between the end bays features tall window openings with
multi-light, double hung windows, and transoms. The second story is stuccoed,
with brick window surrounds, and three-over-one windows. In the middle of the
second story, French doors lead to a small balcony. The building has a hipped
roof with overhanging eaves.
Beaux-Arts Style
The Beaux Arts style was used for prominent club buildings. The former St.
Louis Club Building, at 3663 Lindell Boulevard, was designed in 1899 by
Friedlander and Dillon, with Lawrence Ewald. Inspired by French Renaissance
designs, the building has a raised basement of rusticated limestone and a
high-pitched mansard roof. The front facade has a tripartite organization (the
central projecting block displays Ionic columns) and a corbelled entablature.
Flanking sections have tall casement windows with limestone surrounds, and
ornamental wall dormers.
Classical Revival Style
Classical Revival style buildings were favored by many social clubs in the
early 20th century. The Classic Revival style returned to the traditional
elements of columns, pediments and entablatures but applied them to monumental
buildings of comparatively severe design. The Scottish Rite Cathedral, at 3633
Lindell Boulevard, was built in 1924 from plans by William B. Ittner. The
limestone building has massive, smooth wall surfaces broken only by string
courses and a range of Ionic columns centered on the primary facade. Windows
are deeply recessed into the facade.
Egyptian Revival Style
Fraternal organizations favored exotic Revival styles which personified the
mystery of their ceremonies and rituals. The Masons in particular were
attracted to the Egyptian Revival style, since they traced their origins to the
builders of the Pyramids. Usually these Revival designs are based only loosely
on the original architecture they emulate.
The former Mount Moriah Masonic Hall, at 3625 North Garrison Avenue, constructed in 1903, is an Egyptian Revival building. The front elevation of the buff brick structure has a central entry, framed by two pyramidal columns that rise the full height of the three-story building. The three window bays created by the columns have multi-light windows and interrupt the projecting cornice. Wings of the side elevations have banks of multiple windows under transoms, and bracketed cornices. At each corner, heads of Pharaohs are mounted in bas-relief. The building is now a church.
Neo-Classic Revival Style
Buildings of the Neo-Classic Revival were generally public buildings, and
were based upon the same Greek prototypes as those of the earlier Greek Revival
period, but they are usually larger in scale. Appearing from the late 19th
century to about 1915, Neo-Classic Revival buildings are simpler in ornament
then Beaux-Art structures, with which they were concurrent. Classic Revival
structures have lintels rather than arches, pedimented porticos, and large
expanses of unrelieved wall surface. The Tuscan Temple, home to the Masonic
Lodge No. 360, was designed by Albert Groves in 1908. Despite its name, the
building is a large-scale replica of a Doric Temple, with prominent portico of
six two-story columns. Set on a high base, the building has a wide central
entry on the front facade in a classically-derived enframement.
Moderne Style
Because the City of St. Louis was almost completely developed by the early
20th century, the Moderne style gained scarcely a foothold in St. Louis City
architectural design. It appeared occasionally in larger public buildings, and
in several Masonic Lodges in the 1920's.
The former Lambskin Temple, at 1052-56 South Kingshighway, was constructed
in 1927, from designs by Edward F. Nolte, who was a Mason. The building has a
stepped facade with central slightly projecting section of polychromatic
multi-colored brick and tile ornament in low relief. Three double entries are
united by a marble surround. Centered on the front facade is a Moderne version
of the traditional portico, composed of narrow vertical windows with decorative
grillwork, punctuated by colorful pilasters, carrying a flat, stylized
entablature.
Beaux-Arts Style Beaux-Arts design was often used in government buildings. The style provided a symbolism greatly desired by governments of the period: white stone buildings of immense scale with elaborate classical detailing represented the city as dignified, solid, authoritative and responsible.
The Municipal Courts Building, at 1320 Market Street was designed by Isaac Taylor, and constructed in 1911. It was a part of the 1907 Civic League's plan for new government buildings to be arrayed about Memorial Plaza. The four-story symmetrical building in white limestone has a rusticated raised basement. The central bay has a deeply-recessed entry under a round arch flanked by pilasters, with a stepped parapet wall above that interrupts the building's cornice. A Doric peristyle surrounds the main block of the building, and is continued in a range of pilasters on the other facades. The attic story displays triple windows and a heavy cornice with medallions. A balustrade crowns the parapet.
Art Deco Style
Art Deco design was used primarily in commercial and high rise residential
structures. During the 1930's, however, it appeared in a short-lived wave of
public building design in the United States.
The Federal Courthouse, at the corner of Market Street, and Tucker Boulevard is an Art Deco building. The stone building is on a raised base; a peristyle of multi-story columns with flat, stylized capitals supports a flared cornice. Above, the building steps back slightly at the fifth, ninth and tenth stories, each marked with a simple intermediate cornice, and is topped with a small penthouse. Windows are square with center casements and geometric muntin design.
Moderne Style
In the 1930's the Moderne style appeared in a series of new neighborhood
police stations constructed in several areas of St. Louis.,
The former Third District Police Station, at 1600 Penrose, in Hyde Park, is
a one-story building of strong horizontal emphasis with walls of buff-colored
brick. Brown brick marks the foundation and a multitude of string courses at
the parapet and openings. A cornice of stylized arrowhead motif surrounds the
building, which retains its vertical projecting sign.
Public Baths
Before interior plumbing became available to the majority of St. Louis
citizens, bath houses were an important public service provided by the city.
One of the last surviving examples of this building type is also the last to
have been constructed. The St. Louis Avenue Bathhouse, designed by Building
Commissioner Albert Osburg in 1937, is located at 1120 St. Louis Avenue. An
Art-Deco design, this one-story brick building displays two entrances at each
end of the front facade, flanked by terra cotta pilasters and surmounted by
triangular hoods. Pilasters with stylized capitals also mark the corners of
the building. A wide cornice of abstract ornament is supported by corbelled
brick.
Public Markets
Public markets were still a common sight in the early part of the World's
Fair City. The former Union Market, at Broadway and North 6th Street, was
constructed in 1924, from a design by Mauran, Russell, and Crowell, replacing
an older market on the site from 1866. It was not greatly successful, being one
of the last examples of an older building type soon to be replaced by chain
stores and delivery services. The market building features two-story Gothic
arches with pilasters, and filled with decorative glazing. A restrained cornice
with corbel table is set above the third story. Union Market closed in 1982;
two additional stories were added to the building during its recent conversion
to a hotel.
Soulard Market is the last functioning public market in St. Louis City; a
market has existed at this site since the early 19th century. The current
structure was constructed in 1929, the design of Albert E. Osberg. The main
block of the market is based on Brunelleschi's Foundling Hospital, built in
Florence, Italy in the Renaissance. The symmetrical building is five bays wide;
its first story has a central, arched entry flanked by multi-light windows
under a colonnade. The second story also has multi-light windows, grouped in
pairs. Above are porthole windows, topped by a Romanesque corbel table under a
pyramidal tile roof. Four open-air wings supported by metal posts extend from
the main building.
Concrete Tall Office Building
The first quarter of the 20th century witnessed the rise of reinforced
concrete as a competitor to the steel frame for tall office building
construction. Concrete had been first used in molded blocks laid with mortar in
the same manner as other masonry load-bearing materials. It had similar
limitations. The structure of the concrete block building was fairly massive;
intermediate supports were required at short distances and it could not be
built very high before the width of the lower walls, necessary to carry the
weight above, became unmanageable. Although its weight-bearing properties were
excellent, concrete alone lacked the strength of steel for spanning wide areas.
The development of reinforced concrete-where concrete was cast in molds or
forms around metal rods or grids-combined the tensile strength of steel and the
compressive resistance of concrete to create a new building material which was
inexpensive, easy to fabricate and durable. In 1890, the first reinforced
concrete building was completed in Paris by FranÁois Hennebique, who at the
same time created the prototype of slab and beam construction which would
become the model for 20th century concrete construction-where the floor or
ceiling slab was actually a part of the building's structural frame, instead of
simply being carried by other members.
The Lesan/Gould building, at 1320 Washington, is a seven-story concrete structure built in 1907, from the design of Mauran, Russell and Gardner. It is a particularly appropriate example of the concrete office building because its engineer was Julius Kahn, who patented a system of re-enforced concrete construction. The building is an Arts and Crafts design, with banked windows, projecting cornice with oversize brackets, and a multitude of enameled brick detail.
Beaux-Arts Style
The 20th century witnessed a new wave of tall office buildings. Just as in
the case of residential structures, Beaux-Arts designs were popular for their
imposing presence and elaborate ornamentation.
The Lammert Building, at 911 Washington Avenue, was designed by the St. Louis firm of Eames and Young in 1897. The limestone fronted building is divided into three sections, (base, shaft and capital again), each delineated with a classical cornice. The first two stories, with commercial spaces, are rusticated stone, the entry deeply recessed beneath a tall arch, and large expanses of glass. The stories above are divided into three bays by four-story paired Corinthian pilasters, while bays of the top two stories are separated by smaller pilasters and contain elaborate Palladian windows. The building is a former furniture store, now converted to offices.
The Lesser/Goldman Building, at 1201-19 Washington Avenue is another example of the Beaux-Arts office building. The building was designed in 1903, also by Eames and Young. It differs from the Lammert both in material and scale: far larger, encompassing more than half a city block, the building is fronted with red brick and red terra cotta. The seven-story building displays intermediate cornices at the third, fourth and seventh floors; three-story arched window bays; and a wealth of terra cotta ornament in belt courses, brackets and spandrel panels. The original ornate cornice, over a story in height, has been removed, and the first two stories altered.
Arts and Crafts Style
The Arts and Crafts movement appeared in tall office buildings, as well as
residential structures. Arts and Crafts office buildings are identified by the
use of boldly simple, geometric or naturalistic patterns and varied materials
and color schemes. The eight-story Arts and Crafts style building, at 1519
Washington Avenue, was designed in 1917 by Harry Roach. The red brick front
facade is divided into two bays containing banks of four windows. Each bay is
outlined in white terra cotta. Terra cotta panels are centered in the brick
spandrels below rows of windows. The top story has a range of engaged columns
between single windows, which carries an ornamental copper cornice. The
building's Moderne storefront level is not original.
Late Gothic Revival Style
The Gothic Revival style had been seen in commercial structures from the
1850's (see Period II), but waned during the late 19th century, overshadowed by
the popularity of Richardsonian Romanesque and later the Chicago style. During
the beginning of the 20th century, however, the use of the Gothic elements in a
modified form was revived for commercial design: the development of white terra
cotta considerably less expensive than traditional stone, and which could be
cast in varied and elaborate Gothic motives was instrumental in its rebirth. To
distinguish later buildings, this newer revival is generally called Late
Gothic.
The five-story Tober Building, at 1214 Washington Avenue, is a Late Gothic design, constructed in 1918. The terra cotta facade is divided into five bays; the storefront, although somewhat altered, retains its art glass transom windows. The three stories above have slender piers and square spandrels beneath the one-over-one windows. A narrow cornice of multi-colored terra cotta caps the fourth story windows and the high parapet is detailed with geometric ornament and an alternating row of merlins and crockets.
Eclectic
As in residential design, commercial buildings from the first two decades
of the 20th century are often a mixture of stylistic elements. The building at
1517 Washington Avenue, constructed in 1909, is typical. The first story is
clearly Beaux-Arts in rusticated terra cotta, the entry set within a classical
enframement and ornamented with an elaborate cartouche. An intermediate cornice
above is supported by ornate consoles. Above this story, however, the building
becomes more restrained: it has the pronounced pier and spandrel system of the
Chicago school ‚‚ although the piers are pilasters, capped with stylized
capitals ‚‚ and the glazed tile decorating each spandrel contributes an Arts and
Crafts flavor.
Classically-Inspired Tall Office Building
Classically-Inspired office buildings were constructed in St. Louis during
the 1910's. These buildings utilized projecting cornices, heavy window
surrounds, and large expanses of unbroken wall surface, usually in brick. The
most prominent decorative elements are rows of multi-story classical columns at
the top of the building, often highlighting elegant spaces within.
The thirteen-story University Club Building, built in 1918 from plans by Eames and Young, uses classically-derived stone ornament appliquÈd over a relatively simple brick tower. Heavy white stone belt and string courses surround the building at several levels. Windows of the sixth and tenth floors have sash within classical surrounds; on the eleventh, they become multi-light under fanlight transoms; otherwise, windows are without ornamentation. Dominating the building is the penthouse, with a series of engaged Ionic columns between stacked windows, and a pronounced cornice with brackets. The building was constructed for the University Club, which met in the top floor penthouse. The lower floors were rented for offices. The building is now converted to residential apartments.
Art Deco Style
Art Deco office buildings were popular in the United States from the early
1920's through the 1940's. The dominant characteristics of Art Deco design are
verticality, building setbacks on upper stories, and geometric ornamentation.
The buildings were usually sheathed in terra cotta or stone.
The twenty-two story Continental Building, at 3615 Olive street, constructed in 1929 from a design by William B. Ittner, is demonstrative of Art Deco design. Sheathed in glazed terra cotta, the building faces south, with the first thirteen stories divided into five bays by geometric piers which culminate in pinnacles. The next nine stories are set back in a series of stepped bays, with a monumental parapet articulated with patterned tile and spirettes. Forming pinnacles on the east and west facades are stylized human figures.
International Style
The International Style began in Europe in the 1920's; it was characterized
by extreme horizontality created by intersecting boxes and planes; no ornament;
and long bands of windows set even with the building surface, that appear as
part of the wall surface, rather than opening into it. The former St. Louis
Post Dispatch Printing Building was one of the first examples of the
International Style built in St. Louis. Originally three stories in height, the
limestone-fronted building is strongly horizontal, with rows of ribbon windows.
The windows and storefronts of the first story are set almost flush with the
exterior wall. Countering the building's horizontality, a vertical stair tower
with tall narrow window is placed at the right of the front facade.
Bank Buildings
During the early 20th century, many new banks were constructed in the
downtown core. Often on a relatively small scale, with the bank as sole
occupant, these buildings were almost exclusively Beaux-Arts. The style's
monumental classical details produced a conservative and dignified appearance
appropriate to a financial institution.
The former Mutual Bank Building, at 716 Locust Street, was designed by Tom Barnett, in 1917. The white stone building has a massive porch, with two-story recessed central Corinthian columns carrying a full entablature. Corinthian pilasters mark the building corners; casement windows have transoms and elaborate window heads. An attic story has deeply recessed windows and a secondary cornice beneath a shaped parapet. The building is now occupied by a law firm.
Hotels
Hotels have been built in St. Louis since the late 1830's, but all the
major 19th century hotels have been demolished. The remaining hotels, all
located in the downtown core, date from the first three decades of this
century.
The Mayfair Hotel, at St. Charles and 8th Streets, was constructed in 1925 from a design by Preston Bradshaw, St. Louis' premier hotel architect. Similar in design to the Classically-Inspired Tall Office Building, the Mayfair's first three stories are sheathed in stone, and are capped by a dentilled cornice. The first-story is a series of large storefront windows under segmental arches. Fourth story windows have stone surrounds and decorative lintels. The upper stories of the building are delineated with a row of round-arched windows, belt courses and a narrowly-projecting cornice.
Neighborhood Commercial Buildings
Period III commercial buildings constructed in St. Louis' neighborhoods did
not alter significantly in function from those of the Victorian City. They
remained predominantly two stories in height, with commercial space on the
ground floor, and offices or apartments above. But like most other building
types, the size of these neighborhood buildings increased substantially.
The commercial block at 3900 Vandeventer was constructed in 1927. The brick building features cast iron storefronts on the first story, and offices above. This long building is in fact a row of many individual buildings with firewalls protruding through the false mansard roof in a series of stepped gables. Projecting bays on the second story, covered by pyramidal roofs, alternate with oriel windows of curved glass. Entrances to the second-floor offices are set under terra cotta arches, and a pyramidal-roofed tower is placed at the street corner. An obviously vernacular building, this storefront row yet displays the exuberance of Beaux-Art influence.
The Delmar-DeBaliviere Building, at 5642-58 Delmar, was constructed in 1928 from designs by Isadore Shank. The three-story building is heavily influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, particularly Wright's interest in South American vernacular design. The use of red and black-glazed terra cotta sheathing makes this commercial block especially interesting. Art Deco influence is seen in the slender, geometric piers regularly spaced along the facades, rising to pinnacles on the entrance bay. Courses of red terra cotta tiles are placed above the ground floor storefronts, which are rimmed in black terra cotta panels. The basic organization of the building (its siting at a corner on a major street; ground floor commercial and upper story offices) shows that little has changed in basic neighborhood commercial design since the 1870's.
Neighborhood Bank Buildings
During the first four decades of the 20th century, downtown banks
constructed branch offices to serve customers living ever farther from the
urban core. Others located their primary headquarters in these residential
neighborhoods. The most distinctive building of this type is the South Side
National Bank Building, at the corner of Grand and Gravois. The Art
Deco-inspired stone building, unlike downtown bank buildings, was not limited
in its development space and could erect an expansive, three-story base from
which rises a seven-story office tower. The ground floor has a row of
storefront windows; above is a monumental center bay, with two-story
round-arched window. Ornamentation throughout is restrained and in shallow
relief.
Taverns/Restaurants
In the early 20th century, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery constructed several
biergartens or restaurant taverns around St. Louis. Picturesque and romantic,
the restaurants were as highly decorated as those of German folk buildings.
One of the most imaginative of them is the Bevo Mill by Klipstein and Rathman
in 1917. (Bevo was a non-alcoholic drink produced by the Brewery before
Prohibition.) Bevo Mill was a family restaurant, constructed in an unsuccessful
attempt to propitiate early 20th century temperance groups. The building is an
alpine fantasy, with four-story "wind mill" capped with a shingled dome, and
attached village of half-timbering and imitation stone. Today, Bevo Mill still
houses a restaurant, although the original wooden mill blades have been
replaced with aluminum, and the outdoor garden area is now a parking lot.
Public Schools
The St. Louis City public school changed dramatically at the turn of the
20th century, when William B. Ittner became commissioner of City schools and
their architectural consultant. From 1897-1914, Ittner designed fifty schools
in St. Louis and in twenty-five other states. His innovation came to be called
an "open floor plan:" instead of the rectangular box of older school buildings,
Ittner schools are designed with long hallways extending from a central block.
By ranging classrooms on either side of these hallways, he was able to maximize
the amount of light and air available to each room, and improved the
circulation pattern. The exterior of the building changed as well. A large
central block was highly articulated and decorated; flanking wings were more
restrained, but displayed large banks of high windows with transoms. The end
pieces repeated the decoration of the center block. Ittner designed schools in
almost every current architectural style, but usually favored Tudor Revival or
Georgian, a subset of the Colonial Revival style.
The William Clark School, at 1020 Union Boulevard, was designed by William B. Ittner in 1906. The central block, topped by a high shaped parapet, is flanked by two wings, with end pieces set perpendicular to the main structure. In the Jacobethan style, the school is symmetrical; its center entry recessed beneath three delicate arches carrying a balcony of pierced stone work. The front facade has a brick diaper pattern, with heavy stone quoins. Windows are tall, multi-light sash, set deeply into the wall surface. Stairs are withdrawn into two exterior towers, capped by bell-cast metal roofs.
Sumner High School was constructed in 1911, and also designed by Ittner. Its plan is similar to the Clark School, having a monumental three-story central section, with Ionic portico and bell-cast cupola. Two-story wings extend between the center block and two-story end pieces. The exterior design of the school is Colonial Revival, and presents multi-light windows under brick arches with keystones, and a central entry with classical enframement and segmental crown. The original Sumner high school, the first high school for African-Americans west of the Mississippi, was located in older, surplus school buildings until parental pressure for a better facility caused this building to be constructed in 1911.
Private Schools
Private school buildings continued to be built in St. Louis as the
population expanded towards the City's western edge. In general, private
schools were smaller in scale than public schools of the period, with smaller
numbers of students. The former St. Matthew's School, at 4100 Maffitt in The
Ville, was constructed in 1901, with an addition in 1913 by architect William
McMahon. An Arts and Crafts design, the school has a three-bay front facade,
with central entry under a large transom. Flanking bays rise to shaped
parapets, containing triple windows under stone lintels, and decorated with a
variety of glazed brick and terra cotta detailing. A shaped parapet with
similar decoration is centered on the side elevation. Windows are multi-light,
nine-over-one sash. The school has been converted to apartments.
Hospitals and social service buildings constructed in the World's Fair City were more numerous than in other periods, and varied greatly in size.
Hospitals
Firmin Desloge Hospital is the main hospital building of the St. Louis
University Medical Center. Built in 1933 from plans by Study, Farrar and
Majers, with Arthur Widmer, the structure rises ten stories above a high
basement, and reflects the Modern Gothic Revival style. The basement and first
two stories are covered with ashlar limestone, projecting out from the building
at the center and end blocks. These projections display Gothic pointed-arched
openings and flat, slender pilasters; the central projection has a monumental
porch with compound arches. Above this three-story base, the building steps
back, its five divisions composed of narrow piers with double hung windows and
brick spandrels. The building is crowned by a steeply-pitched hipped roof of
copper, pierced with wall and roof dormers in a variety of configurations.
In contrast, a much smaller, private hospital appeared in 1903. The former Peoples Hospital, at 2221 Locust Street, was built to serve African-Americans during segregation: at the time, it was the only medical facility which allowed African-American physicians and surgeons to treat private patients. The hospital had seventy-five beds; it closed in 1978. The three-story building, of brown brick, has a central arched entry with stone entablature and false balcony. Windows are large double hung sash with flat arches and stone sills. Arts and Crafts influence is shown in colorful tile details at the attic story, which is pierced by small square windows. A projecting cornice with modillions surrounds the building.
Children's Services Buildings
Social services for the sick and indigent children of St. Louis dated back
to the mid 19th century. One of the few institutions for African-American
children was the Annie Malone Children's Home, at 2612 Annie Malone Drive in
The Ville neighborhood. The home was originally founded in 1888 as the St.
Louis Colored Orphans Home, in a building at 1427 N. 12th Street; a donation
from Annie Malone, a prominent African-American businesswoman, allowed
construction of this facility in 1922. It was renamed for her in 1946. The
Colonial Revival building has the appearance of a large, single-family
residence, with a two-story central block, under a gable roof with three
dormers. A porch with two-story posts covers the main entry, which is set
beneath an elaborate broken pediment. One-story wings flank the central
section.
Father Dunn's New Boys Home and Protectorate (now the Harbor Light) was
constructed in 1913, as a refuge for orphaned and troubled youths. Actually two
attached buildings, the easternmost has a central projecting bay, containing a
pedimented entry. Narrow, double hung windows with transoms are placed under
jack arches of terra cotta. A projecting metal cornice is located below the
parapet. The adjacent building, more modestly detailed, has regular rows of
double hung windows and transoms, and repeats the metal cornice design.
Street cars were firmly established by the beginning of the 20th century, and railroad transportation continued to become more efficient; but the most dramatic transportation development during this period was the rise of the automobile, which would have an unimaginable impact upon the built environment of St. Louis. Several property types were developed in response to this new transportation technology.
Concrete Bridges
Before the 20th century, the structural materials of bridge construction
were wood, iron and steel. To the benefits of reinforced concrete-its
durability and ease of fabrication-was added its ability to give the appearance
of decorative stone at little cost. Although rarely used until the 1920's,
reinforced concrete became a favored material for St. Louis vehicular bridges.
The Bellerive Bridge into Bellerive Park is built of reinforced concrete. Heavy
concrete piers, with recessed panels and stylized capitals, support the gently
curving arch over South Broadway. A decorative pattern of arches forms the
handrail.
Street Car Stations
Late in the 19th century, the street car became the major means of mass
transit in St. Louis. As people moved further away from the city, new street
car lines developed. At the far northwestern edge of the City, a street car
stop was constructed to serve Wellston, a turn-of-the-century suburb in St.
Louis County. Wellston Station, from about 1910, is located at 6111 Dr. Martin
Luther King Drive, west of Hodiamont. The two-story station is residential in
character, reflecting the Arts and Crafts style. From a small brick structure,
a large gable roof extends to form sheltered waiting areas, its eaves supported
by decorative posts. Brackets appear on the wide eaves of the front and back
gables, which have projecting window bays trimmed with false half-timbering.
Four gable-roofed dormers pierce the roof on either side. The station is still
in use today as a bus stop.
Generating Plants
Generator buildings were constructed to house electrical plants for street
car operation. The building at 1711 Locust Street, is one of the few remaining
examples. The red brick structure, constructed in 1903, has a narrow gable
front; three bays with deeply-recessed multi-story openings are marked by
pilasters and brick panels. The building was once crowned by a large pediment;
its cornice has been removed, although the terra cotta roundel in the center
remains. Side elevations display the same narrow bays with pilasters and paired
windows.
Railroad Stations
Railroads also continued to grow and develop between 1900 and 1940, and
were a common means of transportation for business commuters to the downtown.
The continued growth of the railroads is exemplified by the Wabash Rail
Station, constructed in 1928 at 6005 Delmar. The station is a relatively small,
Classic Revival limestone building with a gable roof and flat-roofed wings at
either end. The entry is recessed in a projecting bay with entablature that
extends around the building. Ionic columns are placed between tall,
round-arched windows. The station is set high above the train tracks, which are
reached by both interior and exterior staircases. Wabash Station is now a stop
on the Metrolink line.
Automobile Showrooms
A completely new commercial building type was the automobile dealer showroom.
These buildings were constructed in the latest architectural styles and
featured large storefront windows with wide expanses of plate glass, the better
to display large-scale merchandise. The greatest concentration of St. Louis
auto dealerships was located before World War II between Jefferson and Grand
Avenues, north of Olive. The former Chevrolet dealership at 3370 Locust Street,
was constructed in 1915, from plans by Preston Bradshaw. Called the Pink
Building because of the unusual color of its exterior stucco walls, it reflects
the Mission Revival style. The building is located at the intersection of three
streets, and is a distinctive "flatiron" triangular shape. The primary facade
faces Locust, and has a tall, projecting central bay, containing an ornate
entry, with ornate surround, and large bas-relief sculpture above. The
remainder of the building is lightly decorated by belt courses and triple
windows with transoms. It has been rehabilitated into apartments.
Filling Stations
Another new property type created to serve the automobile was the service, or
filling station. Soon appearing throughout City neighborhoods, these small
one-story structures were designed to complement the residential areas in which
they were located, reflecting popular housing styles of the time. The filling
station at 4401 Laclede in the Central West End is typical. A Mission Revival
design, the building has a red tile roof, with white glazed brick facades. The
central bay of the front elevation has a high, shaped gable; a smaller gable is
placed at the corner. Both entries are set under semi-circular transoms. The
station is still in use, and except for the replacement of some original plate
glass windows, remains nearly unaltered.
Parking Garages
In downtown, the need for parking garages became evident quite early. More
people acquired cars, and the resulting traffic added to relatively narrow car
lanes (street cars occupied the center of most avenues) made parking on the
street difficult. The garage at 926 St. Charles was constructed in 1905, and
was intended by its exterior detailing to complement surrounding office
buildings. The brick-faced, reinforced concrete building has five levels of
parking. Large open arches supported by brick piers rise three stories at the
street facades; the fourth story is marked by large rectangular windows. The
building still functions as a garage, although its exterior has been greatly
altered.
The Municipal Garage at 300 Tucker Boulevard, was constructed in 1928 of
reinforced concrete with brown brick walls. Three stories in height, the garage
is designed in a modified late Romanesque Revival style, displaying a central
block with semi-circular windows centered above vehicle doors, and a
battlemented parapet above. Corbel tables mark the bays of the third story, and
extend around the building at the second floor level. Windows throughout are
metal multi-light industrial sash. The Municipal Garage has four levels of
parking, including the roof, and is still used as the City garage; the southern
half of the building is a Fire House.
Two utilities produced structures identified as individual property types during the World's Fair period. The first was the St. Louis Water Works (see Period II), which greatly expanded its facility at Chain of Rocks Park. Water Intake Tower No. 2 was constructed in the Mississippi River in 1913, from designs by Roth and Study. The structure is built of white limestone, in the Renaissance Revival style. Elliptical in plan, with rounded ends, the building has a central entry flanked by banded columns, under a semi-circular transom; a projecting cornice surrounds the building. An attic story, pierced by small windows, is broken by a square tower with quoins and pedimented windows. Roofs are sheathed in green slate.
Electric Plants and Generators
Constructed from designs by Charles H. Ledlic, the Ashley Street Powerhouse is
the main power plant for Union Electric. In contrast to its function, the brick
building is an ornate example of Renaissance Revival design, constructed for
the newly formed Union Electric Light and Power Company in 1902. Tall,
multi-light industrial sash windows are stacked into multi-story bays,
separated by decorative Ionic pilasters supporting a series of heavily-molded
arches. Overscaled ornament in the form of projecting pediments, brackets and
dentilled courses enliven all four facades of this industrial building
constructed on the riverfront.
A much smaller example of the same property type is the Art Deco style
Substation No. 23, built at 710 North Fifteenth Street in 1931. A one story
building, it presents an ashlar stone facade of five bays, with stepped
pilasters between tall, narrow window openings. Ornamentation is restrained,
and confined to sculptural cartouche-like ornament centered above each window,
and the window grills themselves, which are elaborately geometric metal
designs.
Forest Park
Forest Park represents 20th century park design in St. Louis. Although the park
first opened in the 1870's, its current configuration is a result of planning
efforts during the early part of this century. Unlike Victorian parks, notably
Tower Grove, the park was not intended to be a private aesthetic experience but
the cultural and athletic center for the City. Forest Park was the location of
the 1904 World's Fair, which entirely altered its original appearance
(including draining a swamp on the western side), and left St. Louis a number
of benefits ‚‚ the foremost being the Art Museum ‚‚ but also including paved
roads, sewers, drinking fountains and a chain of lakes. Contrary to
expectation, the Fair actually showed a profit, which was conveyed to the City
and used for the construction of the World's Fair Pavilion and the Jefferson
Memorial in 1913. George E. Kessler, Kansas City's premier landscape architect,
supervised both the design of the Fair's grounds and the restoration of Forest
Park afterward.
The World's Fair Pavilion was designed by Henry Wright in 1909, with landscaping by Kessler. Sited on a high rise overlooking a fountain, the Mission Revival building has an open arcade on front and back facades, between highly ornamental towers. Hipped roofs covered in red tile have extended eaves with exposed rafter ends, supported by large brackets..
The Jewel Box was added to the park in 1936, as a conservatory and
greenhouse. Designed by engineer William Becker, the structure is influenced by
Art Deco motives. A stepped pyramid, it has walls and roof of large glass
panels. A monumental entry of limestone has multi-light doors and transoms set
between fluted pilasters with stylized capitals.
The design of industrial and manufacturing structures changed after the turn of the 20th century. Like other property types, new construction methods of steel frame and reinforced concrete became common; facilities grew larger to accommodate technological advances in mechanization, and the current architectural styles were reflected in the buildings' exteriors. Romanesque Revival, so prevalent in the Victorian period, began to give way, at first to the Arts and Crafts style, and later to modern styles like Art Deco. Under their influence, buildings became more functional in their exterior appearance.
Factories
The American Brake Company complex, at 1934 North Broadway, north of Lacledes
Landing, was constructed in two phases. The first building on the site was the
office facility, a three-story, red brick building in the Renaissance Revival
style, constructed in 1901 from designs by Weber and Groves. The building has a
rusticated first story. The two-story entry is placed beneath a terra cotta
entablature supported by brick pilasters. A semi-circular door head is set
above, filled with a decorative roundel. Windows to either side and above are
paired beneath segmental arches, also displaying roundels. A heavy bracketed
cornice is broken by a central shaped gable. The same ornate decoration
continues for the first bay of each side elevation; the remainder of the
building has banks of rectangular windows with transoms.
In 1919, Eames and Young designed a factory addition attached at the rear of this building. Far more modern in appearance, the factory has little ornamentation: banks of large windows are deeply recessed into the wall surface; the pilasters between each bank run the full height of the building to a simple parapet.
The millwork and machine building at 1931 North Broadway was designed for the Hall and Brown Woodworking Company by Gerhard Becker in 1910, a St. Louis architect who designed numerous industrial buildings during the early 20th century. The red brick, two-story building, in the Romanesque Revival style, has a three-bay front facade with center vehicle entry. Second story windows of the center bay are round-arched; those of the flanking bays have segmental arches. The bays are delineated with corbelling below a simple, paneled cornice. The first story windows have been infilled with brick. The adjacent building at 1935 North Broadway was constructed for the company a few years later. Of similar scale, it is a subdued representation of industrial Arts and Crafts design: its only decoration paneled spandrels beneath the industrial sash windows, and light corbelling above each bay.
The present Guth Lighting facility, at 2623 Washington, was constructed in 1912. The reinforced concrete structure has red brick walls (currently painted gray). The monumental first story of the five-bay front facade displays recessed industrial sash windows, with heavy mullions and transoms. The entry, placed within the center bay, has sidelights and an entablature. The four upper stories above an intermediate cornice are separated by piers into bays, each containing stacked industrial sash windows and spandrels. A heavy projecting cornice with brackets marks the parapet. The rest of the building is unarticulated, and its slab and pier concrete construction can be clearly seen.
Breweries
The facility at 1510-1518 North Broadway was constructed in 1905, by Charles
Mueller, for the Gast brewery, as an office, depot and stable. The asymmetrical
red brick building has two stories; the entry is at the right, and has a stone
surround of alternating smooth and rough-faced bands. Windows of both the first
and second stories are set in pairs. The dominant feature of the building is a
large, brick gable, projecting above the roof line, and interrupting the simple
copper cornice. The gable has a tall center window, flanked by smaller windows.
Automobile Manufacturers
By 1910, the automotive industry was beginning to have a major impact on the
economy of St. Louis, which was home to many small independent automobile
manufacturers. The Dorris Motor Company had a manufacturing and sales facility
in St. Louis at 4100 Laclede. It was the first company in the city to produce
automobiles. Designed by John Ludwig Wees, the 1912 building is three stories
tall and a fine example of the use of Arts and Crafts details in industrial
design. The first story of the building is sheathed in white terra cotta, and
displays large storefront windows. Above on the second and third stories,
industrial sash windows are recessed only slightly into the walls, and delicate
terra cotta decoration appears at the corner bays and parapets, and forms a
belt course at the second floor level. The facility has been rehabilitated into
condominiums.
The most important warehouse buildings still standing are the Cupples Station Complex, located just west of Busch Stadium. Most of this group of ten remaining buildings were constructed in Period III, although the oldest dates from 1894. Several of the warehouses were demolished during construction of Interstate 64. The complex itself was the inspiration of Robert Brookings, a partner in the Samuel Cupples Woodenware Company, and when constructed, the complex was internationally acclaimed as the ultimate in warehouse design. Brookings connected the buildings to the railroad with a system of tunnels and spur lines: raw material could be transported directly beneath the buildings by rail, and brought by elevators to the upper floors, where the finished products were manufactured. The products reversed the journey, returning to the ground floor to be shipped to merchandisers. The savings in transportation costs and time was substantial over the earlier process of goods sent and delivered by wagon from railroad station and riverfront.
Almost exclusively the work of one architectural firm, Eames and Young, the
Cupples Station warehouses are unified by material, scale and architectural
style. All Romanesque Revival designs, the multi-story, heavy timber structures
each display a prominent two-story base with tall arches sheltering multi-light
windows, and an intermediate cornice. Above are multi-story piers dividing the
facades into window bays, with brick spandrel panels below. Attic stories
generally have a row of smaller arched windows regularly spaced across each
elevation. Brick detailing throughout is elegant, but restrained; the major
ornamental elements are confined to the major entries, which carry
classically-inspired stone or terra cotta surrounds.
Zoo Structures
A zoological garden had existed in Fairgrounds Park in the late 19th
century; when it closed in 1891, a few of its animals were purchased by
citizens and housed in Forest Park, but no zoo was contemplated until the St.
Louis Zoological Society was formed in 1910. Seventy-five acres near the
Flight Cage were set aside, but there was little money for maintenance or
building construction until a zoo tax was passed in 1916.
The Flight Cage is, in fact, a giant walk-through bird cage, exhibited at the 1904 World's Fair by the Smithsonian Institute, and later purchased by the City for $6,000. This enormous aviary is constructed of arched metal ribs covered with screening, placed over a sunken concrete basin. The Flight Cage is 228 feet long and 50 feet high, and may be the largest in the world.
The Bird House is typical of the many zoo structures created as a result of the zoo tax funding. It is a stucco building in the Mission Revival style, but with a wealth of fanciful terra cotta ornament. The low-pitched gable roof is sheathed with red tile; a projecting gable, also tiled, contains the entry, in an elaborate surround of brightly colored tile. Low wings extend on either side, with arched, multi-light windows, and a terra cotta cornice of large sea shells.
Completed in 1919, Bear Pits were highly admired and imitated in zoos throughout the country. Cast concrete, they are remarkable for their simulation of natural environments.
Museums
Museums displaying collections of natural and human objects have existed
in St. Louis since the mid 19th century. The first art museum in the City was
built by the Boston firm of Peabody and Stearns, and was located at the corner
of Locust and Nineteenth Streets. The St. Louis Art Museum, a Classic Revival
building, was the only permanent structure of the 1904 Fair. Designed by Cass
Gilbert, it was the Fine Arts Palace, and had temporary wings attached at each
end and at the rear. After the Fair closed, the building was operated as a
department of Washington University until the City accepted it in 1907.
Constructed of limestone and Roman brick, the museum has a monumental central
block with gable roof covering the barrel vault of the Sculpture Hall, 78 feet
above the floor. The front facade presents a classical Corinthian portico with
tripartite window set under a semi-circular arch. A heavy cornice with
modillions and an elaborate frieze surround the building. The flanking end
pieces display deeply-recessed, round-arched windows under pediments of the
Ionic order.
Theaters
Theaters for live plays and operas are one of the oldest public building
types in the United States, and before the Civil War were a major cultural
component of American life. The first theater in St. Louis, the St. Louis
Theater, was constructed in 1837. The remaining theaters in the City date from
the early 20th century. Live performance theaters were located primarily in the
downtown area.
The American Theater, formerly the Orpheum, was constructed in 1917 from plans by G. Albert Lansburgh, of San Francisco, as a vaudeville house. A Beaux-Arts design, the white terra cotta front has a central entry with three windows under recessed arches, flanked by impressive sculptures of human figures by New York artist, Leo Lentelli. Corinthian pilasters between the windows are topped by a full entablature, which continues around the building, carrying an attic story. Windows and niches throughout are heavily decorated.
Movie Palaces
There were numerous theaters built in St. Louis during the 19th century.
With the rise of motion pictures early this century, the buildings constructed
to provide this new entertainment were of such large scale, exotic design and
elaborate decoration as to constitute an entirely new building type: the Movie
Palace.
The Fox Theater, at 523 North Grand Avenue by C. Howard Crane in 1929, is an exuberant Movie Palace example: its seven-story front is extravagantly trimmed with rusticated terra cotta panels and elaborate window surrounds. The dominant element is a monumental multi-story and multi-light window centered on the front facade under a shaped arch embellished with foliated ornament. The same flamboyant detailing appears as a frieze below the heavy cornice. Interior decoration is equally lavish. At one time, the theater could seat 5,060 and was the second largest in the country. The Fox was carefully restored in 1982 as a performance hall.
Neighborhood Movie Theaters
Small movie houses began to be built in outlying city neighborhoods during
the 1910's. These theaters were much smaller in scale than the downtown
theaters, showing second run movies after they closed at the downtown movie
palaces. Many of these smaller theaters also exhibited exotic architectural
designs, although decorative detail was understandably more modest. The theater
at 5101 Virginia, in Carondelet was constructed in 1911. Its flatiron shape is
dictated by its triangular lot, at the intersection of three streets. The
dominant feature of the small brown brick building is a