Plaza Square Apartments Listed on National Register of Historic Places

From Landmarks Association of St. Louis:

The Plaza Square Apartments Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 2007. Located between 15th, Olive, 17th and Chestnut Streets in downtown St. Louis, the district includes St. John the Apostle & Evangelist Catholic Church from 1860 and Centenary Methodist Church from 1870 as well as the signature high-rise apartments completed in 1961. The Plaza Square apartment complex, the cornerstone accomplishment of the city’s first Urban Renewal project, was designed by the newly formed Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum architectural firm in collaboration with Harris Armstrong—an acclaimed leader of the Modern Movement in the Midwest. Evenly divided into two different configurations with a total of 1,090 apartments, the six buildings utilized native limestone, brick, concrete and colorful enameled metal panels (most now painted tan) to create a sleek contemporary aesthetic enhanced by balconies, landscaped grounds and underground parking

Although the "skyscraper home in a garden" initially attracted urbanites of all ages, Plaza Square soon experienced increasing vacancy rates. In 1965, Building # 60 at the southeast corner of 17th and Olive Streets was sold to Bethesda General Hospital which converted it into the Town House retirement community. Now dubbed BLU CitySpaces by a new owner, Building #60 is being converted to condominiums utilizing historic rehab tax credits. Thanks to the National Register nomination prepared by Landmarks Association for that developer, the other five buildings (which have been subjected to repeated foreclosures) are also prime candidates for reinvestment.

Tomorrow: Raimist Lecture on Harris Armstrong at the Ethical Society

Summer Solstice talk

As Platform Speaker at the Ethical Society, Andrew Raimist will be speaking on "Architecture of the Sun" on Sunday 24 June 2007 at 11am. The audio-visual presentation will address climate, sustainability, and solar issues in the architectural designs of Saint Louis modern architect Harris Armstrong. In addition, refreshments, food, and other outdoor activities will follow the talk. The public is welcome to attend and enjoy an exhibit of architectural photographs by the speaker.

The Ethical Society is located at 9001 Clayton Road in St. Louis County.

Architectural Photography exhibit

An on-going exhibition will have its opening following the talk. Featuring architectural photography in color and black & white by Andrew Raimist, the exhibit will present interpretations of the work of Harris Armstrong, other modernist architects, and selected examples of architectural excellence from the Midwest. The exhibit will be on display through 15 August.

Raimist's extensive writings on Harris Armstrong can be read online at Architectural Ruminations.

Gentry's Landing Spared from Make-Over

Word on the street says that the owners of the Gentry's Landing apartment building have scuttled the plans to "re-skin" the building and demolish the adjacent three-story office building for a new condominium tower. Looking at renderings that someone posted to Urban St. Louis, I am relieved. The old plan was a travesty of brick veneer, EIFS and European pretense -- dominant tendencies of the style I'll call post-postmodern (because that sounds as ridiculous as examples of the style look).

The new plan is to rehabilitate the existing buildings, completed in 1966 as part of the Mansion House Center project designed by Schwarz & Van Hoefen. While certainly not an original work of modern architecture, and flawed from an urban-functionalist standpoint, Mansion House managed to achieve the simplicity of form and material as well as drama of site that typifies good modernism. Over forty years later, the buildings maintain a graceful occupancy of the site just west of the Arch grounds. In the face of one of the hardest modernist acts to follow, they don't take the stage -- they are a part of it. Sometimes, architecture need not make a huge point about anything. Sometimes, it needs to provide visual support for something else -- another building or a natural setting. As a lesser contemporary example, Mansion House provides excellent visual support to the Arch as well as that excellent little essay of a building, the Peabody Coal Building.

Of course, Mansion House does manage to make one innovation: the rooftop of its attached parking garage (actually the biggest drawback since it creates a blank wall facing the Arch)
is landscaped as a contemplative garden. The garden is one of downtown's best hidden assets, and a great use of what would otherwise be a wasted and rude parking deck. Also, Mansion House has steadily provided affordable apartments in the heart of downtown. In 1966 and in the condo-crazed 21st century, this service is much needed.

Split ownership at Mansion House forestalls preservation planning. Still, perhaps one day the other owners will make some wise choices, including making more of the garage roof.

Celebrate Mid-Century Modern This Friday at "Blu"

This Friday, enjoy a free drink and cool mid-century architecture at Blu CitySpaces, one of the Plaza Square Apartment buildings downtown currently under rehabilitation.

Completed in 1961, the six Plaza Square Apartment buildings formed a unique urban renewal project that used the sleek modern design of Hellmuth Obata Kassabaum and Harris Armstrong to retain city residents amid rapid suburban growth. In contrast with previous large-scale urban renewal housing projects in St. Louis, Plaza Square Apartments forged a deliberate and successful connection with the surrounding urban environment. Before Busch Stadium and the remaking of the eastern end of downtown, the project brought innovative modern design from acclaimed architects to the city's urban renewal efforts. Now the apartments are a unique part of a new wave of city living.

Celebrate the renewal of this mid-century modern landmark with your hosts, Silverstone Development and the Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

Friday, May 18
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Olive and 17th Streets (SE corner)
FREE

Reservations required: 314-421-6474.

Eight St. Louis Area Sites Headed to National Register

At its quarterly meeting Friday in Joplin, the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted to approve the following St. Louis area nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and forward them to the Keeper of the National Register:

• Holly Place Historic District (prepared by Carolyn Toft, Tom Duda and Michael Allen for Landmarks Association of St. Louis)
  
• Plaza Square Apartments Historic District (Carolyn Toft and Michael Allen for Landmarks Association of St. Louis)
  
• Glen Echo Historic District (Ruth Keenoy, Karen Bode Baxter, Timothy P. Maloney and Sara Bularzik)
  
• Ramsey Accessories Manufacturing Company Building (Matthew S. Bivens for SCI Engineering)
  
• Harrison School (Julie Wooldridge for Lafser and Associates)
  
• Hempstead School (Julie Wooldridge for Lafser and Associates)
  
• Olive & Locust Historic Business District (Julie Wooldridge for Lafser and Associates)
  
• Wagoner Place Historic District (Kathleen E. Shea and Jan Cameron for the Cultural Resources Office, City of St. Louis)
  

All votes were unanimous, although the Plaza Square Apartments Historic District is being sent for substantive review due to its construction date within the past 50 years. Nominations forwarded by the Advisory Council are typically listed on the Register within 45 business days of approval.

Notable among the approved nominations are the Plaza Square Apartments district, a local milestone of midcentury urban renewal and modern architecture. Under national regulations, nominations of properties that have achieved significance with the past 50 years require a demonstration of exceptional significance. Such nominations are infrequent, but contribute to greater recognition of the architectural achievements of the middle of the twentieth century.


(Detail of one of the Plaza Square Apartments buildings.)

Also interesting was the deliberation over the Ramsey Accessories Manufacturing Corporation Building at 3693 Forest Park Boulevard in St. Louis city, a nomination that raised issues of integrity due to the yet-incomplete removal of the stucco and concrete slipcover added in 1969 that covers the three-story building,. built in 1923 with addition in 1934. Fortunately, Bivens unearthed a wealth of information on the Ramsey Corporation that manufactured the "Ramco" piston ring and showed that the primary elevation is largely intact underneath the slipcover. The McGowan Brothers have an option on the building and hope to restore its original appearance.

One nomination not approved was that of Big Boy's Restaurant in Wright City. The Council tabled the nomination due to concerns about an underdeveloped statement of significance while generally finding the building eligible for listing. With some improvement, the nomination should be in good shape by the next quarterly meeting in August.

Praising Pius XII Memorial Library

Last week The University News, St. Louis University's campus paper, published a letter to the editor that I wrote about proposed changes to Pius XII Memorial Library, a stunning work in the Modern Movement style.

Here's the link: Architectural Historian Praises Pius

Built St. Louis and B.E.L.T. have extensive photographs of one of the region's best mid-century university buildings.

Duffy on the Lambert Terminal Renovations

Robert Duffy, formerly critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has a commentary on the proposed Lambert Terminal renovations in the March-April issue of the Landmarks Letter, the newsletter of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

Read the commentary here (in PDF format).

Two North County Municipalties Making Progress in Preservation, Design Review

Black Jack creates architectural review board - Brian Flinchpaugh (Northwest County Journal, March 13)

Critics including Toby Weiss and I have long lamented the lack of preservation review in parts of St. Louis County where midcentury buildings lack protection and appreciation. Others have lamented the lack of sound planning policies in the county, and pointed to the inherent difficulty of creating meaningful policy amid 91 different municipalities. At least Black Jack is making the best of the current system.

Program could help Normandy preserve historic structures - Sonia Ahuja (North County Journal, March 13)

Meanwhile, Normandy is examining participation in the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office's Certified Local Government program. The mayor and several aldermen are already backing participation, which would entail the establishment of a preservation commission.

Lambert Terminal Will Be Rehabbed -- Carefully

According to a post on MayorSlay.com, the $100 million airport terminal reconstruction project will "carefully rehab" airport's landmark main terminal by Minoru Yamasaki. As the region's most widely used modernist building, the integrity of the terminal is an extremely important expression of local stewardship of mid-century design. Alongside rehab, the terminal could be enhanced by removal of some of the intrusive canopies in front and other later alterations. While full restoration is unlikely, a sympathetic rehabilitation could restore much of the modern character of the terminal that is a worldwide gateway to the city (just like another modernist icon).

Harris Armstrong Lives On

Instead of sitting at my desk working through lunch on Friday, at the urging of two friends I headed to Webster University to catch architect Andrew Raimist's slide lecture on Harris Armstrong. While I knew a fair amount about Armstrong before Friday, most of it was through facts gleaned from books and Raimist's own writing.

Armstrong's various work spread across the mid-century make so much more sense when explained by Raimist, who has a wonderful mix of true insight and eager passion for his subject. Raimist's narration against the backdrop of beautiful images projected screen-size make for a compelling hour and for a much more vivid examination of Harris Armstrong than can be found in any other way.

Thankfully, Raimist has published a large amount of his research on Armstrong and an equally vast amount of images. While this is more linear offering than the lecture, these are formidable resources in their own right. After all, few St. Louis architects have bona fide biographers, let alone anyone as intense as Andrew Raimist.

Please visit his websites:

Architectural Ruminations (blog)

Raimist's Flickr page (photos)

Preservation Chicago's 2007 "Chicago 7" List

Preservation Chicago has released its annual "Chicago 7" list of endangered buildings. Far from a useless cry, the list has always been a measured and prescient examination of true threats to historic buildings of all ages and types. For Chicago urbanists, the list is a rallying cry. For those of us elsewhere, it's the best reference for preservation issues in Chicago. (It's also an inspiring model, much like Landmarks Association of St. Louis' annual Eleven Most Endangered and Eleven Most Enhanced lists.)

One of the great things about the list is that its creators are flexible in what make sup a list item. Often, an item can be a district or neighborhood and this year has a few larger districts.

This year's list features the following buildings:

Farwell Building

Rosenwald Apartments

Archer Avenue District

Wicker Park Commercial District

Julia C. Lathrop Homes

North Avenue Bridge

Pilgrim Baptist Church

I'm delighted that Preservation Chicago is focusing attention on the Archer Avenue district amid Bridgeport's gentrification boom, which may lead to massive demolition for admittedly urban new construction. And I'm doubly delighted to see anyone champion the Julia C. Lathrop Homes, an early low-rise federally-funded housing project that is a descendant of St. Louis' Neighborhood Gardens Apartments. Chicago's loss of the ABLA Homes went largely unmourned, although both the design and construction quality of mid-century low-rise housing projects make them great candidates for reuse.

See the Chicago 7 list here.

Bonetti Looks at St. Louis' Threatened Mid-Century Homes

In "Out with the Old"(January 14) and "St. Louis Architectural Legacy is Fading Fast" (January 21), St. Louis Post-Dispatch art critic David Bonetti offers a serious look at the current rash of demolitions of mid-century modern homes in St. Louis. He examines threatened and recently lost works by William Adair Bernoudy, Harris Armstrong, Samuel Marx and Isadore Shank.

It's refreshing to find that the daily paper's critic is tackling an important preservation issue. While the onslaught of demolition of all building types continue, there still is a window in which a greater cultural appreciation of mid-century architecture can be forged.

The critical questions are: Will that appreciation come to pass? And, if it does, will it come too late to make a difference in efforts to preserve more than a handful of examples?

Saving Modernism in St. Louis

The New York Times Magazine asks: Is It Time for the Preservation of Modernism?

St. Louis answers:

On the matter of Northland Shopping Center: No.

On the matter of Truman Restorative Center: No.

On the matter of Busch Memorial Stadium: Yes!?