Ted Wight's St. Louis Style

4 Daniel Road- the house that replaced the Bernoudy-designed Schweiss Home

The Bernoudy-designed Schweiss home located at 4 Daniel Rd in Ladue was torn down last fall.  The new house built on the property is now finished and being lived in. 

I was sad to see the Schweiss home gone forever. It was a difficult house to save being in poor condition, priced at $400,000 and only about 1000 sq. feet. I had a buyer, though it did not appraise for much more than $300,000.  Lots in Ladue are going for $500,000- $600,000. Economics prevail.  It really needed a savior not concerned with buying it and it making financial sense.

Read more:  Getting Ready to Tear Down :(   Pictures  Pictures in the Snow

Here is a picture of the new home.

 

Village Bar in Des Peres- Demolition Expected

Unfortunately everybody's favorite burger dive is soon to be closed. The wood-frame structure from 1890 housing the Village Bar is expected to be demolished, making way for a new development. Don't forget to grab one of their legendary burgers one more time before it is too late!!

Does this mean the Wig Shop is doomed also?

To read more click here

Modern STL Update

Modern STL Now Has 501(c)3 Status When Toby Weiss called together modernist aficionados and preservationists in 2010, the first order of business was organizing cocktail parties at cool retro pads. The quickly-elected second item was creating a new mid-century modern preservation organization. Modern STL incorporated in September 2010, but all along has only dreamed of the esteemed 501(c)3 federal tax-exempt status. The Internal Revenue Service beat Santa to our mailbox this year with notification: Modern STL now has 501(c)3 status. This means that all of your donations and membership fees are fully exempt, and can be claimed as deductions on your federal income tax forms. Ah, yes, what a great time to become a member! Another MCM Loss in Clayton, City Without a Preservation Ordinance In early November, the diminutive neo-formalist bank building at 7520 Forsyth Boulevard -- shown here standing its ground against encroaching high-rise development -- bit the dust. The straw-strewn site of what was built as the St. Louis County National Bank's Auto Bank in 1970 no doubt will lure new development, while marking the failure of Clayton to review demolition at all. Clayton has no historic preservation ordinance at all, so while the AAA and owner of the "flying saucer" were denied demolition in the City, owners of similar landmarks in the second downtown can demolish with impunity. If the clustered concrete columns oft the little bank do not strike your eye's fancy, perhaps the streamline curve of the 1948 Samuel Marx-designed Famous-Barr store across the street does. Or the International Style mass of Harris Armstrong's award-winning Shanley Building of 1937 a few blocks away. the owners of these buildings also could demolish them at any time without public review, under Clayton's current system.

The Schweiss Home- 4 Daniel Rd, Ladue, Designed by Bernoudy...Coming Down :(

Well we knew it was going to happen, though sometime you can just try to ignore reality...though the wonderful Bernoudy/Mutrux- designed Schweiss Home is coming down.  See more pictures of the home HERE.

You may ask....how can this happen? It is the reality of finances. The home is only about 1,000 sq ft and the current owners wanted $400,000 for it....and it eventually sold for $375,000. That is $375 a square foot in Ladue which is very high.  The home was is poor condition. 4 Daniel Rd. was never really listed in the open market. I had it under contract once, though the Buyer could not get it to appraise for anywhere near the purchase price....even with the lot value. Appraisers and banks can't get around price per sq foot. The other challenge was finding other 1,000 sq ft, 1 bedroom homes in Ladue for comps.

We needed someone to buy it who could pay cash and did not care about making it a financial decision....a charitable, architecture enthusiast!  They are out there!

 

Someone snatched the boy off of the frog.  :(    See him in one piece HERE

Downtown Clayton Tour of Mid-Century Modern Buildings

Yesterday I enjoyed a walking tour of Clayton's fabulous Mid-century commercial architecture. Toby Weiss and Darren Snow conducted the tour for Modern STL 

The Guild Building pictured below was designed by Meyer Loomstein and is doomed to be taken down soon for a mixed use development. It was one of my favorites on the tour.  Located at 7912 Bonhomme. Remember the house I featured on Lindell designed by Meyer Loomstein...check it out... HERE

Clayton Buildings In Danger

I looks like these buildings on the "Forsyth Bend" in Clayton are being prepped to be taken down.  No tenants and one was just boarded up.

This picture of the other building across the street is from 2008 when I first heard rumors that it was coming down. It really is empty now. See more pics HERE.

Come on the Modern STL's Clayton Mid-century tour on October 11th.  Read more HERE

Good News! High Rise on Optimist Site Falls Through

From the Modern STL Group newsletter:

We've learned since our last newsletter that Covington Realty Partners has walked away from its plans for a 14-story apartment tower to replace the Central West End's Optimist International Building after failing to obtain tax abatement for the project. This leaves us guardedly hopeful that a new buyer can be found who will appreciate the building for its beauty and reuse potential rather than as a tear down. Interested in owning one of the city's most important modern buildings, or know someone else who is? Check out the real estate listing here.

 

McBride to Build "Suburban" Homes on Mississippi River Bluff

STL-Style Blog reports that a McBride Homes development is going up on the Mississippi River Bluffs in South St. Louis.  It will be next to the Mississippi Bluffs condo building and a historic mansion.  We should call it "Ballwin on the River"!....ugh...with the main front elevation feature being a garage.

Read more HERE......wish it was something more like the Mississippi Bluffs condo building....see it HERE

 

Sign a Petition to Save the Lewis and Clark Library- Designed by Frederick Dunn

Hi Blog Fans,

Help inform the Library Trustees that residents of St. Louis are interested in saving the Lewis and Clark Library and do an renovation, not destruction of present facility.

Please sign the petition. Click here to add your name: 

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-lewis-and-clark?source=s.fwd&r_by=10005906 

Thanks!

Read more from my previous post HERE

 

Post-Apocalyptic Portraits of Abandoned YMCA Taken by St. Louis Pastry Chef

In case you missed this article in the Riverfront Times Blog....check it out:  HERE

Tell the Library Trustees That You Support Preserving the Lewis and Clark Branch Library

 

Tell the Library Trustees That You Support Preserving the Lewis and Clark Branch Library The plight of North County’s landmark Lewis and Clark Branch Library (depicted above in All Along Press’ stunning design soon to be featured on one of our T-shirts) is dire. The St. Louis County Library Board of Trustees has circled its rhetorical wagons around demolition of the Frederick Dunn-designed building, completed in 1963. Meanwhile, the Lewis and Clark Branch Library has garnered more national attention in the last two months. In October, Next City placed the library on a list of significant endangered or demolished modernist buildings following an article by Modern STL President Michael R. Allen on Chicago’s under-demolition Prentice Hospital. Then the December issue of Metropolis Magazine included Lewis and Clark in an article on modernist buildings worth preservation. The article included a quote from Modern STL board member Lindsey Derrington. National press ranking Lewis and Clark among landmarks designed by Richard Neutra, Bertrand Goldberg, A. Quincy Jones and Eero Saarinen caught local attention. Still the Trustees of the St. Louis County Library press to tear down Lewis and Clark. In the minutes of the September 2013 meeting of the Board of Trustees is this section: Regarding Lewis and Clark, the Administration is working with Landmark and the architects at KAI on programming the new building. It is our plan to build a new and bigger branch that will better meet the needs of the patrons as well as the community. We plan to save the stained glass windows and incorporate them into the new building in a prominent location. Modern STL and preservationists oppose removal of the Emil Frei Art Glass Company windows, because they are integral to the building’s overall design — which is significant for a lot more than its distinctive windows. According to minutes from the July meeting, KAI (working with Perkins & Will of Chicago) started design work on Lewis and Clark in early August. Details on where the new library building will be built are not public yet, although the Library has retained Centrex Strategies to provide public relations services for the facilities projects. For the Meramec Valley and Tesson Ferry branches, the Library has purchased new sites. A new Lewis and Clark Branch Library need not entail demolition of the old, it seems. Modern STL offered former Library Director Charles Pace assistance in finding a compromise that would balance the system’s needs with preservation concern. We renew that offer to his successor, Kristen Sorth, and the Trustees. As we await news of the Library’s plans, we ask supporters of the building to take a small step toward its preservation. TIME TO ACT: Send a copy of the following letter directly to the Board of Trustees of the St. Louis County Library. We especially urge patrons of the County Library system to sound off — even if you do not use the Lewis and Clark Branch, you are a stakeholder of the system and the Trustees’ ultimate decision represents your library system!

Lewis & Clark Library- Distinguished Building Award

 

Tonight, we have seen history, in some small part, repeat itself. The figures of Lewis and Clark find a modern day kinship in the persons of Frederick Dunn and Bob Harmon. Both sets were pioneers, both succeeded because of a shared common vision with their colleague, both were greatly inspired by the future possibilities that lay before them. In short, Lewis and Clark, Dunn and Harmon ventured beyond the boundaries of the status quo. So it is no accident that Dunn and Harmon were able to capture the spirit of Lewis and Clark in that remarkable building, for they themselves possessed it.

The cathedrals of Chartres, Notre Dame, Cologne are magnificent structures. But they would not attract such attention without the harmony they possess, the harmony between art and architecture. This principle is wonderfully displayed in the Lewis and Clark library. The open space of the library, the penetrating presence of the trees and light through the windows, and the figures of Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea all serve as a canvas for a spirit of exploration and adventure. How many other libraries can lay claim to such a backdrop? And what a fitting backdrop for a library, where minds young and old, can explore the treasures of mankind's acquired knowledge.

I think St. Louis may not realize what it possesses in the windows of the Lewis and Clark Library. Departing from the norm, they provide visual interest from both the inside and the outside of the building. Prior to this, stained glass was almost exclusively an interior interest. The library also moved a primarily religious medium into the secular world, without compromising its integrity. Sure, there are libraries out there that contain a stained glass window here and there, but they are almost always displayed as a museum piece, no different from a painting on a wall.

Very, very few libraries possess windows that are integral to the building and its identity.

I could go on and on about the stained glass and its beauty and contribution to the building, but two minutes were alloted to me and I fear that I've already abused that. We at Emil Frei would like to thank you for recognizing the work of our artists and craftsmen and for bringing attention to the great pillars of the past.

Presented by Steven Frei, September 19, 2013

Written by Aaron Frei

Read more about how this building is in danger HERE

Lewis and Clark Library, Moline Acres, North County- Designed by Frederick Dunn IN DANGER

Last night I ventured out to North County to see the historic Lewis & Clark Library and hear a talk by Esley Hamilton on Frederick Dunn.  It features incredible stained glass windows by artist Robert Harmon of Emil Frei & Associates and is by far the most architecturally significant building in the St. Louis County Library system. It is also, coincidentally, slated for demolition under SLCL’s 2012 Facilities Master Plan. It all comes down to politics. Other parts of the county are getting new libraries...politicians feel that there will be an uproar if North County just gets a renovation project. I don't think the City of St. Louis was unhappy with the gorgeous renovation project of our City Library!

Please take a moment to write these people to express your concern.

Your input is crucial!
To write in favor of preserving and renovating the historic Lewis & Clark Branch for future use, send a few words to:

St. Louis County Library

Lynn Beckwith, Jr. President of the Board of Trustee 1640 S. Lindbergh Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63131.

St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley: http://www.stlouisco.com/YourGovernment/CountyExecutive/DearCharlie

We are all so used to seeing religious scenes in stained glass. I found it exhilarating to see the Lewis & Clark depictions in stained glass. It is worth the jaunt to see these wonders- 9909 Lewis-Clark Boulevard

Clayton Mason Lodge Coming Down

The Mason Lodge on S Brentwood is targeted to come down to make room for buildings sites for 3 homes.

St. Louis Makes the List Twice for Historic Buildings Saved in 2012

Click HERE to see a list of historic building Wins and Losses this year.  St. Louis has two Wins....the AAA Lindell building and the Del Taco Flying Saucer!

Clemens House Update

Click HERE to read/see about the status of the historic Clemens House on the North Side.

Fred Dunn's Lewis & Clark Branch Library- in Danger

Read more about this Fredrick Dunn masterpiece that is in danger of demolition:

http://andrewraimist.com/2012/10/lewis-clark-branch-library.html

U City Mid-century Building Coming Down

This fine Mid-century building on Delmar just East of 170 will be coming down to make room for a new Walgreens.  I have always liked this restrained building.

 

 

Schweiss Bernoudy Home in the Snow- 4 Daniel Rd, Ladue, MO

My blog does have readers!  I have been getting a nice response from Bernoudy/ architecture/ MCM enthusiast who want to make sure that this treasure is not lost. Everyone is just in love with the small home. There is real danger of the property being purchased just for the valuable Ladue lot. See my previous post HERE. There are some serious parties, though there is no resting until "they put their money where their mouth is!"

Stike and Spare Bowling Lanes- N Lindbergh Near JCCA....Coming Down

The fun building on N Lindbergh before Page Ave near the JCCA is coming down.  The windows are boarded up and fencing surrounds the perimeter. Sad. I wrote about this building on my post HERE.

"Stranger helps Emily Rauh Pulitzer save childhood home"

Check out this article concerning our town's favorite benefactor, Emily Pulitzer!   Click HERE

 

Heavens NO! Grand Ave's Del Taco "Spaceship Building" to be Raized!

Read more HERE.  This is one of my favorite buildings in St. Louis. How could they consider tearing it down! I have to admit that I have been in that Drive-thru a few times in the wee morning also.....just not recently.

The former Phillips 66 at Council Plaza. Photograph by Toby Weiss, 2001

Everett D. Fry House...Art Deco Gem, North County, For Sale

The cool Art Deco house up in North County at 11851 Benham Rd,  St. Louis, MO  63138 is for sale. It looks like it is bank-owned. Only $54,900.  Listed by St. Louis County as a historic home.

Offered by Benjamin Niocholas, Realty Executives of St. Louis, 314-756-9100

Now as it appears without the awnings.

 

Lake Forest Pastry Shop Building- RIP

I was sad to drive down Clayton Road the other day and see the demolition trucks tearing down the Lake Forest Pastry Shop building.  It is not often that Ladue News is quoted, though it says that the building is being replaced with a nail salon.  I hope the sign found a nice home.

San Luis.....to become a parking lot

I understand that the city approved the demolition of the San Luis.  Read more HERE.

Picture "borrowed" from the blog linked to above.

Save the San Luis Video

Take a few moments to look at the video documentary concerning saving the San Luis.

San Luis Lovefest

This Saturday before you start your plans with your loved-one, come to the CWE and show your support for an endangered Mid-century building.  Remember...once building like these are gone... it is forever. With the proper vision and design, this building could be the coolest boutique hotel in St. Louis.

Here is a link to a website that has been focused on the San Luis.

Here are some pics of The Standard Hotel on the Sunset Strip in LA. Once a shabby mid-century eyesore....now it is one of the hippest hotels in the area. All the San Luis needs is someone with the right vision for the mid-century building.

San Luis Apartments

As I previously mentioned in a post the De Ville Motor Hotel (San Luis Apartments) on Lindell is due to be torn down by the Archdiocese of St. Louis and turned into a parking lot. With the right eye...this building could be an amazing, hip boutique hotel along the lines of The Standard or Mondrian in LA. See below for a statement from the Landmark's Association. Thank you to EcoAbsence  BLOG where I stole this item.

former Hotel De Ville (San Luis Apartments). Landmarks' photo

The Board of Directors of Landmarks Association of St. Louis, Inc. urges retention and rehabilitation of the former De Ville Motor Hotel at 4483 Lindell Boulevard. Designed by Colbert, Lowery, Hess & Boudreaux of New Orleans and completed in 1963, the building is a strong example of mid-century modern architecture.  Through curvilinear forms and differentiation of wall materials, the hotel possesses a striking geometric presence.  With covered parking placed in the rear away from Lindell Boulevard, the Hotel DeVille promotes the pedestrian-friendly quality of the Lindell streetscape. 

Additionally, the building is a complementary member of a collection of modern buildings around the intersection of Lindell and Taylor, including Lindell Terrace to the west, the Archdiocesan Chancery to the east and the Optimists' Club building to the south.  Most recently the San Luis Apartments, the building maintains the street wall on Lindell, enhancing the context of the Cathedral.  Loss of the building for a surface parking lot would dramatically demean this context.  Thus, the Board emphatically opposes the creation of a surface parking lot on Lindell Boulevard in the Central West End Historic District.

Clayton Forsyth Building is Doomed

I understand that the lovely, mid-century Clayton Forsyth Building is targeted to be torn down in the next couple years. It will be replaced with a retail and condo complex. I have always admired this building that echos the curve in Forsyth. It is too bad that St. Louis continues to tear down its mid-century architecture.

San Luis Apartments to be Torn Down

Check out the story here concerning the plans for the Archdiocese of St. Louis to tear down the San Luis Apartments on Lindell. This building has/had tons of potential to become a very hip boutique hotel along the lines of The Standard and the Mondrian in LA.  The hallways are all exposed on one side to the outside of the building with just a glass wall. Imagine if you had colored lights in the hallway that cast a blue light out. So many options...too bad the building is going to become a parking lot????  right on Lindell????