Harris Armstrong's Magic Chef HQ

Presbyterian · Feb 13, 2013#12013-02-13T18:14+00:00

This is a development project that really needs to happen. Harris Armstrong and Isamu Noguchi team up to build an amazing International Style global headquarters in St. Louis in 1947...

And I sigh everytime I go to O'Connells because I know it's still under there somewhere...

roger wyoming II · Feb 13, 2013#22013-02-13T18:17+00:00

IIRC, there was some kind of talk a few years ago about the owner's interest in potentially gifting this building to SLAM, but I don't know how serious it was.

Alex Ihnen · Feb 13, 2013#32013-02-13T19:24+00:00

FYI - Harris Armstrong was runner-up in the JNEM competition to Saarinen's Arch. Armstrong's design (yes, that's a boulevard):

Presbyterian · Feb 13, 2013#42013-02-13T19:55+00:00

I don't think I had ever made this connection. I guess that massive red brick wall from his JNEM proposal did get built ... on Kingshighway. It's interesting how an architect can have a favorite motif that keeps resurfacing. Massive red brick wall with lighter concrete structure cantilevered out from it. Brilliant simplicity.

That boulevard idea is a good one. You should do something about that...

moorlander · Feb 13, 2013#52013-02-13T20:01+00:00

Thanks for posting. Who would have thought the Uhaul building was once that!

Alex Ihnen · Feb 13, 2013#62013-02-13T20:05+00:00

^ And very likely could be again as it appears that the building has just been skinned, or entombed.

beer city · Feb 13, 2013#72013-02-13T20:31+00:00

Alex Ihnen wrote:^ And very likely could be again as it appears that the building has just been skinned, or entombed.

I have been told that all of the ceiling relief by Isamu Noguchi is still there, in fact covered by a drop ceiling that has been protecting it.

this one would be huge to redevelop, given its location and MCM rise in popularity, but it would have to be some kind of office use, I do not htink residential would lend its self to the form or location of this building.

Armstrong did some real cool stuff around town, was ahead of the curve in the 1930's -

There was a local architect doing a book on him, don't know if it got published.

debaliviere · Feb 13, 2013#82013-02-13T21:42+00:00

beer city wrote:There was a local architect doing a book on him, don't know if it got published.

Andrew Raimist. Lots of good stuff on Harris Armstrong on his blog: http://andrewraimist.com/search/label/% ... mstrong%22

framer · Feb 13, 2013#92013-02-13T22:06+00:00

Part of the ceiling relief is still visible; it's just off the main customer service area. Ask the staff, and if they're not too busy, they're usually happy to show it off.

goat314 · Feb 13, 2013#102013-02-13T22:49+00:00

wow we really dodge a bullet with that riverfront proposal

Armstrong Fan · Jul 31, 2014#112014-07-31T01:05+00:00

I ran across the post and commentary here on St. Louis's "Magic Chef" Building, built in 1947 by architect Harris Armstrong and it's Isamu Noguchi ceiling.

I appreciate the information, discussion and data you have gathered and the respect paid to what has always been one of my favorite, albeit the most sadly misused, buildings in the St. Louis area.

Having grown up practically in the shadow of Mr. Armstrong's work, I've spent most of my career contemplating it each time I drove by, always dreaming of a time when it could once again function nearer to it's designed intent. I recently devoted bit of free time to working up a conceptual rescue, restoration and reuse design.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lv2smm6avrn2x ... ul2014.pdf

Let me know what you think.

framer · Jul 31, 2014#122014-07-31T04:26+00:00

^Hmmm...won't load on my computer.

dbInSouthCity · Jul 31, 2014#132014-07-31T17:12+00:00

worked fine on my ipad, some interesting drawings

DogtownBnR · Aug 01, 2014#142014-08-01T19:48+00:00

Very cool... I was not aware of the fact that this building was hiding under the U-Haul façade. Too bad!

Presbyterian · Aug 02, 2014#152014-08-02T02:02+00:00

Man, I love that building and would love to see it redeveloped. With a little work, it would qualify for state and federal historic tax credits covering almost half the redevelopmemt cost.

bprop · Aug 02, 2014#162014-08-02T02:34+00:00

To each his own of course, but IMO that interior is hideous.

(True, the U-Haul building is nothing to look at either.)

chaifetz10 · Sep 04, 2014#172014-09-04T13:56+00:00

Ugh. This building would be perfect for an outpatient clinic or small office set up. Heck, even if U-Haul would go back to the glass windows on the first floor it would make the building more inviting. This is now a top 10 wish list item for me in St. Louis.

framer · Dec 09, 2015#182015-12-09T17:48+00:00

Word on the street is that they're gonna open-up the Noguchi Ceiling.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/mod ... r-spring-0

hiddeninput · May 04, 2016#192016-05-04T16:51+00:00

The NY Times is reporting that the ceiling has been uncovered.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/arts/ ... louis.html

framer · May 04, 2016#202016-05-04T21:10+00:00

Curbed picked it up too, with more photos:

http://www.curbed.com/2016/5/3/11581220 ... uis-u-haul

hiddeninput · May 05, 2016#212016-05-05T19:02+00:00

A similar set of pictures were in the Hyperallergic article about it, too. They add the detail that a "community open house is being held on Thursday, May 19, from 7 to 8:30 pm."

http://hyperallergic.com/296383/a-noguc ... mer-glory/

rbb · May 06, 2016#222016-05-06T15:06+00:00

Really cool that they did that, and it gives them tons of free press in the process.

Now, how do we convince them to uncover the rest of the building?

-RBB