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The beauty of cyberspace is access to vast resources that eventually provide answers to most questions.

Question: What was the original use of the building at 3504 Washington?
Christian Herman answers:

“The building at 3504 Washington was an Arby’s restaurant in 1969, it’s original use. The interior makes use of the color psychology of the day: orange and brown to stimulate the appetite. I remember orange vinyl booths.”

CORRECTION
And cyberspace brings about fast edits! Upon seeing this post, Darren let me know that the building couldn’t have been an Arby’s, since there was already one at Grand and Lindell. This building was a Neba’s Roast Beef restaurant, as evidenced here (scroll halfway down).

Question: What’s the story on the sculpture plopped in the middle of a South City block?
Grant Alexander answers:

“The story behind “White Mountains” is pretty interesting. My friend, Rick helped assemble it when it came to the STL area in 1978 but this isn’t where it was first built. It was conceived and constructed in NY by artist Clark Murray. Its birthdate was probably in the early or mid ’70’s but I don’t know for sure. In NY the piece sat in front of PS-1, a school that, to my understanding, had been adapted for use by artists.

In ’77 a friend of Murray’s named Adam Aaronson(sp?) saw the sculpture and wanted to use it in STL. Mr. Aaronson ran some banks here in town and he employed local artists to make furniture, sculpture or other artwork for his banks. (This is where Rick enters the story, he was working for Aaronson) Murray agreed to have the “Mountains” moved to STL and they sat in a field behind the State Bank on St. Charles Rock Rd. for a time.

From there it was loaned to Laumier Sculpture Park and was on display there. According to Rick the sculpture disappeared from the park when the director changed and from there he lost track of it. About two years ago he was riding through the neighborhood, saw the sculpture and was dumbfounded as to how it made its way to its current location. As far as he knows it still belongs to Murray but he doubts the artist knows its whereabouts.

Currently the firm I work for is working on the new Pepose Vision Center (in Chesterfield) and Rick is working on the interiors. He is trying to persuade the Pepose family to refurbish the “White Mountains” and install the piece in front of their new building. So the life of these tubes is far from over.”

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South Side St. Louis
Esley Hamilton, the ultra-busy, ultra-informed and ultra-sweet Preservation Historian for St. Louis County, sent me a message.

“I just was looking at B.E.L.T. and noticed two pieces about properties that we included in our 1987 Art Deco study. “
Oh, I love that study! In the past, a friend and I have spent time picking an area and tracking down and photographing as many on those lists as was possible in an afternoon.

He continues:
The South Side Streamline at 4679 South Grand was built in 1947 for Alvin and Gertrude Mueller. He was an optometrist and had his office and residence in the building. The architect was Adolph L. Struebig, the same architect who designed the Coral Court Motel. At this time he had his office in the South Side National Bank Building. A year or two later he went to work for the State of Illinois and stopped designing buildings like these.”

The Vedder was built in 1938 for and possibly by Gus Sturmfels, who was primarily a builder. I knew his widow and son in the 1980s, when the construction of Highway 141 went right through their property in Town & Country. Elements of the design of the Vedder are picked up in other buildings along Nottingham, but as they are all by different architects, it’s difficult to attribute this design. But see 6202 Nottingham, 1940, Cay Weinel; 6263 Nottingham, 1941, A.F. & Arthur Stauder; and 6475 Nottingham, 1939, Frank G. Avis. The Vedder was recently remodeled and I believe turned into a condo, and the original metal-frame windows were removed, which makes the building look hollow-eyed now.”

I wish there was a pocket-size version of him – and Micheal & Claire – to carry around with me as I roam the area. Preservationist Palm Pilots, as it were…
Thank you, Esley.

Busch Stadium
Not once during the demolition did I roam downtown to take pictures of the rapidly dwindling Busch Stadium. I’ve swallowed more than enough concrete dust this year, photographed far too much demolition debris.
Plus, I work in a camera store, so I’ve seen plenty of
others snapshots.
Besides, it’s been really frickin’ cold!
And, this man did a brilliant job capturing the destruction. Simply gorgeous work.
Plus, the Post-Dispatch has that “all access” angle. There’s some wonderful images in their Busch Photo Galleries.
And, as always, Urban Review St. Louis – and his readers – have it covered on every level.

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