Its a great collection and vision - I am not convinced that even if rehabbed the current old foundry is a good home - very hard to get to - absolutely nothing around it
Oh, you may well be right about that. Don't want to talk to location. But . . . he's got a lot of neat stuff. Seeing him saving panels from the Rivoli and sculpture from the Ambassador warms my cranky heart. I hope he can manage to find a way to display it somewhere.
Announced on their Facebook, Larry Giles has died of complications from Cancer Treatment. Having met Larry before, it’s sad to see this news. He was very knowledgeable and very “in the know” with the history of buildings that we have lost.
I think the first time I heard about him was an article remembering the Granada, which was my childhood theatre of choice. Very sorry to hear about this, but I sincerely hope his work and his legacy will continue.
I'm now the Executive Director of the National Building Arts Center, so count me self-interested, but St. Louis Magazine just ran a lengthy profile on what to expect for a visit to our campus:
Everyone on this forum is welcome to come use our library during normal hours (Tuesday - Saturday 9AM - 5PM), and of course our tours and events are open to all. You might be surprised by what we have in the library. Please take advantage of it.
Coming soon to The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts:
Urban Archaeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis
Sep 8, 2023–Feb 4, 2024
"Drawn from the rich collection of the National Building Arts Center (NBAC), Urban Archaeology brings together salvaged architectural elements from landmark buildings, residential homes, and neighborhood institutions built in St. Louis between 1840 and 1950. The artifacts on display represent important histories of material innovation, labor, and the everyday lives of the people who inhabit the city. The exhibition sheds light on the city’s history, revealing complicated legacies of power, wealth, and neglect that shape our experience of the built environment and daily life. By studying St. Louis’s architectural past, Urban Archeology encourages us to imagine new ways of building, keeping, knowing, and inhabiting places."
^I'll see if I can't make it. I was really disappointed the curated tour is at the same time as the dress rehearsal for my first concert this season, thus I can't make it to that. But the reception might just work! Thank you!
Class Series: Preservation Perspectives and Urban Archaeology
Facilitated by National Building Arts Center Executive Director, Michael Allen, this five-week class series will examine the multiverse of historic preservation practices in our world today. Relating to the themes of the Pulitzer’s fall exhibition Urban Archaeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis, participants will explore topics such as community memory-keeping, the transmission of intangible heritages, oral histories, and activism against gentrification and displacement. Classes will meet each week at the Pulitzer and will include assigned readings, guest lectures, and open spaces for discussion.
Class Dates:
Wed, Oct 25
Wed, Nov 1
Wed, Nov 8
Wed, Nov 15
Wed, Nov 29
Just wanting to extend an invite for forum members to our summer lectures ahead (one down already). All of these take place at 6:30PM on Wednesdays. More details here: http://web.nationalbuildingarts.org/programs/events/
I finally got the chance to go on one of the NBAC's monthly tours, I would definitely recommend it. It's very cool to see the scale of the collection beyond the Pulitzer exhibit. They have a small statue of liberty from the Brooklyn Muesum they are planning to erect in the near future as a sort of main symbol which is pretty cool. There was also some mention of a visitor's center being constructed in the longer-term future which would be awesome.