Category: Events

Categories
Art Events

Theodore Link Exhibit Runs Through January 8th

Rare are those photographs of architecture that truly inform the viewer about a building’s details. Most architectural photography — even excellent architectural photography — memorializes a beautiful building in whole or part without revealing anything particularly magical. Since architecture is a three-dimensional art, its representation can literally be very flat. Not so with Gary R. Tetley’s images of the architecture of Theordore C. Link, currently on display at Landmarks Association of St. Louis‘ Carolyn Hewes Toft Gallery.

The dynamic image shown here in miniature captures a view of the Mississippi State Capitol. Others in the exhibit present views of the Second Presbyterian Church, Union Station, the Barr Branch Library and Link buildings from other parts of the nation. All are clearly labeled to reconcile the photography with the buildings one must really see in person to know well. Tetley’s photographs are vivid in their color, popping with the energy he finds in the design of one of St. Louis’ most interesting architects.

The exhibit runs through January 8 at the Gallery, 911 Washington Avenue #170 in the Lammert Building. Alas, gallery hours are only 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, requiring time off from work for a proper viewing. (I’d recommend spending a good length of time at the exhibit.) See it soon.

Categories
Abandonment Art Events North St. Louis Northside Regeneration

Matta-Clark in St. Louis: Welcome to the Desert of the Real

by Michael R. Allen

This Friday, October 30, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts (3716 Washington) opens Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Matta-Clark (1943-1978) trained as an architect but ended up as an artist working architecturally. That is, Matta-Clark took to buildings to create his art. Literally. Matta-Clark cut sections of buildings, cut pieces out of and into buildings and rearranged and played with existing architecture. Out of his brutal dissection emerged works that raise more questions about the contemporary urban condition than can ever be answered.


The Pulitzer’s press release contains an evocative quote from the artist, who said that his work engaged buildings “for these comprise both a miniature cultural evolution and a model of prevailing social structures. Consequently, what I do to buildings is what some do with languages and others with groups of people: I organize them in order to explain and defend the need for change.” Matta-Clark’s buildings were slated for demolition and already deemed trash to the modern capitalist economy. From their doomed bodies, Matta-Clark raised out “hope and fantasy” that challenged perceptions of the firmness and commodity of the built form.

Matta-Clark worked in the early 1970s when urban renewal’s bulldozer binge was at its peak. In this time, famously, salvager Richard Nickel in 1972 met his death saving intact pieces of Louis Sullivan’s Stock Exchange Building in Chicago. Matta-Clark’s death only six years later was due to cancer, but there is some mystic coincidence in the untimely deaths of the artifact-seeker and the playfully artistic vivisectionist. Both met the same fate as so many of their subjects did, in the period where American cities lost more historic architecture than ever before or since.

The arrival of the work of Matta-Clark in St. Louis in 2009 evokes another coincidence: the arrival of the exhibition at a great moment in the historic redevelopment of north St. Louis, when Paul J. McKee Jr. is attempting to reinvent urban renewal as a private-side endeavor, with his own company leading and government following. The old model is inverted, but historic architecture — and the social relationships its endurance enables — is as much at risk as it was when Matta-Clark was at over work thirty years ago. The image that I share above is not the result of McKee’s ongoing effort, but it could be. The NorthSide project has created more cut-through buildings than Matta-Clark made, or Nickel ever entered, through the dollars-and-cents underground economy of brick theft.

In the past two years, St. Louisans have seen — or, perhaps more commonly, seen images of — buildings gruesomely reinvented at the hands of people needing quick money to pay a bill or get a fix. The horror is unimaginable for those who live around the shells that haunt north city. Can the aesthetic counterpart found in Matta-Clark’s work draw from this region’s citizens a meaningful discussion on the future of our own historic architecture? Matta-Clark’s work has the power to provoke, inspire and motivate us to move from our own complacent disregard for the inner city. May we not sublimate what is lived as a crisis.

Categories
Events

September is Architecture Month at the Chatillon-DeMenil House

From Lynn Josse, Chatillon-DeMenil House board member extraordinaire:

Architecture Month at the Chatillon-DeMenil House
Both events take place at the Chatillon-DeMenil House, 3352 DeMenil Place.

Sketch Workshop With Emily Hemeyer
Saturday, Sepetmber 19, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Come draw architecture with us! You don’t have to be an artist to create an individualistic work of art. We’ll focus on looking at details as well as the whole, and creatively expressing your observations on paper. Tips, guidance, and inspiration provided by local artist and educator Emily Hemeyer.

All ages welcome! Materials will be provided (or feel free to bring your own favorites). With permission, work will be displayed at the next weekend’s event:

Greek Revival Architecture and the Chatillon-DeMenil House
Saturday, September 27 at 2 p.m.

Greek Revival became a national style that captured the political idealism of a young nation. Esley Hamilton’s illustrated talk will help us understand how the Chatillon-DeMenil House does (and doesn’t) reflect the dominant architectural classicism of the mid-19th century.

Our six-part Arts Then and Now series is made possible with the support of the Regional Arts Commission.

All events are free and open to the public.

Categories
Events North St. Louis O'Fallon

Good Times in O’Fallon Park

by Michael R. Allen

Last night, vocalist Denise Thimes closed out the last night of the O’Fallon Park Jazz Concert Series. Hundreds of people, including St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, attended the concert, which was packed with a spirited long set from Thimes.

More than once, Thimes proclaimed her genuine giddiness that once again people were spending a beautiful late summer night at a concert in O’Fallon Park. Thimes and the crowd both shared the great feeling that things are on a different track for the historic park and its surrounding neighborhood.

The concert series is one of the many initiatives of the area’s recently-elected Alderman Antonio French (D-21st), and it is definitely a fun, visible way to proclaim that change is here. With the forthcoming groundbreaking on the new recreation center in the park, O’Fallon Park is finally getting its due, and along with it north St. Louis.

Video can be found on the 21st Ward website, and photographs are on Flickr.

No slight is intended toward two of my other favorite north side park-based concert series: the Whitaker Urban Evening Series at St. Louis Place Park and the Concerts at Ivory Perry Park. Alas, these have also concluded — make sure you check one out next year!

Categories
Central West End Events Historic Preservation Mid-Century Modern

Wreck Out!

This Thursday, Off Broadway hosts the Anti-Wrecking Ball, a joyous evening of entertainment for a worthy cause. Great bands and burlesque performers have contributed their talents to help raise money for legal fees needed for the Friends of the San Luis to appeal a circuit court judge’s ruling that citizens have no standing to appeal the actions of the St. Louis Preservation Board.

We seek to overturn that ruling for future benefit. While the San Luis Apartments is lost, there will be future battles and citizens deserve full rights in each one of them. Join us Thursday to have great fun while building necessary financial resources.

Categories
Events Historic Preservation Metro East Salvage

Behind the Scenes at St. Louis’ Future Architecture Museum This Friday

As a newly-minted member of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation, I am pleased to invite my readers to a special event this week:


Photographs of the Foundation’s amazing facility across the river can be found online here. The former Sterling Steel Casting complex, built between 1923 and 1959, is an attraction in itself.

Categories
Events North St. Louis Northside Regeneration

Northside Development Forum Tomorrow

The Northside Community Benefits Alliance is hosting a forum tomorrow entitled “North Side Community Development 101.”

Categories
Architecture Events Mid-Century Modern St. Louis County

A Weekend of Twentieth Century Architecture Ahead

First, Landmarks Association of St. Louis brings an exciting Architecture Weekend:

Architecture Weekend Lecture: Modern Religious Architecture in St. Louis
Date: Friday, July 24 at Noon
Location: Architecture St. Louis, 911 Washington Avenue #170

Esley Hamilton, Preservation Historian for the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation, will provide an overview of the influence of the modern movement on religious architecture across the St. Louis region. Hamilton’s illustrated lecture will cover examples of modernist church design from the city and county in the 20th century. Places of worship designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassebaum, Nagel & Dunn, Joseph Murphy and other architects of St. Louis’ modern era will be included.

Architecture Weekend Tour: Two Modern Churches in Kirkwood
Date: Saturday, July 25 from 10:00 a.m. – noon.
Location: Start at First Presbyterian Church, 100 East Adams in Kirkwood

Suburban Kirkwood is blessed with several notable examples of mid-century modern religious architecture. On Saturday, two of Kirkwood’s most splendid modern churches will open their doors for us. We’ll start with a guided tour at First Presbyterian Church (1956-7, Fisher & Campbell), 100 East Adams. After that, make the short walk or drive to the Kirkwood United Methodist Church (1964, Schmidt, Perlsee & Black), which will be open for self-guided tours. On your way out of town, you may wish to pass by Grace Episcopal Church, 514 E. Argonne (1964, Frederick Dunn) or St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 237 W. Argonne (1955, Joseph Murphy), Kirkwood’s other modern churches.

Then, a new group has its first meeting:

St. Louis Arts and Crafts Society Open House
Sunday, July 26 from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
700 Bellerive Boulevard in south St. Louis

Are you interested in St. Louis architecture from 1900 to 1940? Do you describe your home as Arts and Crafts, Craftsman, Mission, Bungalow or Prairie? Does your vocabulary include: exposed rafters, corbels, mortised & tenoned, pergola, Inglenook and thru-tenon-keyed? St. Louis has a rich stock of Arts and Crafts architecture that is often overlooked.

Please join us if you are interested in becoming a member of the St. Louis Arts and Crafts Society. Bring pictures of your home or furniture to discuss with other enthusiasts. FOR more information, call Patrice at 314-412-1382 OR e-mail at rjppwp@charter.net

Categories
Events North St. Louis Northside Regeneration

Community Benefits Agreement Discussed at NorthSide Meeting

by Michael R. Allen

Photograph by Jeff Vines.

Yesterday was the occasion of the latest City Affair, a monthly discussion forum on urban design issues. The discussion topic was the McEagle NorthSide project and how to build a consensus agenda for meaningful public involvement. The 42 people who attended included a cadre of Washington University students, residents of the project area, preservationists, architects and an editorial writer for the daily newspaper. Discussion was lively and thorough, focused largely on the problematic process through which the project’s ordinances are being proposed. People wished that the open discussion format would have been great for the May 21 meeting at Central Baptist, and many expressed concern that there will be no more chances to ask questions of McEagle team members or the aldermen in a public setting before there is a redevelopment ordinance drafted.

Most in attendance agreed that while the NorthSide project was not ideal as proposed, it’s not too late to create a role for public input that will make changes. Some expressed the sentiment that the scale of the project will doom it, or that the plans as presented by Mark Johnson of Civitas was a smokescreen for a larger north side project or commercial development. People talked about the benefits of form based zoning, preservation review, incremental sale of city-owned property to guarantee development occurs in each zone, and the need to create mechanisms for removing existing residents and businesses from the authority granted to the developer. The ideas of private transit and power districts as well as property assessments worried many people who attended, who thought that those are already functions of government. There was discussion of development inequity between north St. Louis and the rest of the city, and how much north St. Louis needs the amount of investment that McEagle proposes.

The meeting concluded with discussion of the merits of crafting a form-based zoning code and a community benefits agreement (CBA) to ensure high-quality development and a contract between all stakeholders in the project. The idea of a CBA, which could be inclusive of the goals of diverse stakeholders (including McEagle), gained a lot of positive feedback.

A CBA an expansion of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s idea of an advisory council for the project. It would also place all of the promises made by Paul J. McKee, Jr. and his team at the May 21 meeting into a real agreement between the developer and the project’s many stakeholders. On May 21, McKee listed promises that included saving buildings that can be saved, keeping existing residents in their homes, not moving a single job out of the area, including minority-owned businesses in the project and building urban and respecting the street grid. While the audience at City Affair was critical of some aspects of the project, by and large people expressed support for these promises — a critical starting point for consensus.

Categories
Events North St. Louis Northside Regeneration

Meeting on McEagle North City/Downtown Project Tomorrow Night

by Michael R. Allen

Tomorrow night, there will be the big truly public meeting on the McEagle north side/downtown project. Here are the details:

Time: 7:00 p.m. Thursday, May 21
Place: Central Baptist Church Educational Center, 2837 Washington Avenue (across from the church)

While open to the public and the press, Tim Logan of the Post-Dispatch reports that organizers (it’s unclear is that means McEagle or elected officials) have aimed this meeting toward 5th and 19th ward residents. Apparently, every 5th and 19th ward registered voter was supposed to receive a mailer about the meeting, but as of mail time yesterday residents whom I know had not received any such thing.

Realtor Myrtle Bailey is serving as “public engagement coordinator” for the “North City Development Project” (for whom she works is unclear) and told Logan that 5th and 19th ward residents will be given the first crack at asking questions.

I understand the aim at the 5th and 19th ward residents, but according to McEagle this project will include a large section of the 6th ward as well as parts of the 3rd and 7th. Outreach ought to be aimed ward-wide, and all elected officials who represent those wards engaged in the first and last public meeting before McEagle plans to submit a blighting study to the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority on May 26.

Realistically, the project transcends ward boundaries. The project will be one of the largest in the city’s history, may include unprecedented tax increment financing and sale of hundreds of acres of city-owned land. If this were a simple matter of a private developer developing land that he owned on his own or with moderate incentive use, the aldermanic system could handle the deal. However, this project falls outside of the aldermanic system — or severely overloads it. Every city resident and alderman has the right to be part of the process.