architecture

St. Louis Public Library–Buder Branch

The St. Louis Central Library is like a cathedral for books. It is a truly remarkable building. But even before I saw that library branch, I was intrigued by another member of the St. Louis Public Library family…the Buder Branch at 4401 Hampton.

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This was actually one of the first buildings I noticed when we moved to St. Louis over 15 years ago, probably because it was located right by the Target store at which we first shopped. The turquoise details, the windows, the unique shape all make it a very notable structure.

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The interior, while modern, also fits the exterior of the building perfectly.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the library is the spiral staircase, which goes from the basement to the third floor, and is flanked by curved windows made of wavy block glass.

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The library wasn’t the first resident of this building. It was originally built as the Hampton Bank of St. Louis in the 1950s (which explains the mid-century modern vibe), and was also home to Missouri Savings and Loan and the Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis. The library moved in in 1998, relocating from another mid-century modern building on Hampton which now houses the Record Exchange. It’s good to see this unique building serving the community and busy with students, families, and other people who have a love of books and learning!

The Central Library

Although I photographed the STL250 cake there in 2014, I never actually visited the St. Louis Central Library before this August. The Fantasy Maps exhibit drew me in, however, and we also took a tour while we were there. I was back again last week, and I’m astounded by what an amazing building it is, inside and out!

The building (actually buildings, as it is a group of five separate buildings that are joined), was a Carnegie library designed by Cass Gilbert, and was first constructed in 1912, and renovated to be completed in time for the 100th anniversary in 2012.

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The brick plaza out front lets you know you’re in a special place:

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Our tour began in what used to be called the “Delivery Room.” There are so many beautiful details on the walls, the ceiling…even the lamps!

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There are many different rooms in the library, and they are all stunning:

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Intricate details abound:

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There are Gorham stained glass windows and skylights (one of which was recently rediscovered!):

The children’s and teen areas are bright and colorful, and seem like fun places to be:

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The part of the building that faces Locust Street has a more modern feel (a relative term for a building over 100 years old), inside and out. I especially love the use of subway tiles on the interior walls! The tiles themselves may be old, but they’re so timeless, they play up the contemporary, urban vibe:

There is a cool marker in the exact center of the library:

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Here’s another look at the beautiful exterior, which includes names, sculptures, quotes, fountains, and more stunning lamps:

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You could spend all day in this library, and not even come close to noticing all the details. The guided tour is an excellent way to learn about what you’re seeing, and I highly recommend taking some time to take a walk through the building to see how beautiful the design is and discover the library’s importance to St. Louis!

The Shell Building

One of my favorite buildings in St. Louis is the Shell Building, located at Locust and 13th.

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Built in 1925 as the headquarters of the Shell Oil Company, the building has a unique, rounded footprint, which both mimics the Shell logo, and fits the way Locust Street curves at this point in the city.

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There are lots of great details on the building, including shells everywhere…even etched into the glass of the first floor windows!

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The building has been renovated, and I’m glad to see it being actively used and anchoring an interesting neighborhood in the downtown west area of St. Louis!

Color on West Main

Most of the pictures I take on Main Street in Belleville are of the buildings on East Main, and usually near the town square. I noticed these buildings down West Main recently, and I was impressed with the variety of colors brightening up the streetscape!

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The Wrigley Building

I’m no expert on the Wrigley Building (although I know that Sinatra mentioned it in “My Kind of Town”), but I do know it looks really cool!

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I love the clock…it’s beautiful and utilitarian. It was quite helpful to us on the day we spent in Chicago! It was modeled after the clock tower at the Seville Cathedral in Spain.

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William Wrigley Jr. (yes, the chewing gum guy), wanted to build a headquarters for his company in the 1920s. He chose what I think is the perfect location on Michigan Avenue by the Chicago River. It was also the first office building in Chicago with air conditioning!

The 30 and 21 floor towers are now dwarfed by their neighbors, but I imagine they were quite the sight when they were first built.

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Chicago Architecture

You know what I really love about Chicago? Every time I visit, I see something new. Sometimes that’s because it is new (it seems like they’re always building something!), and sometimes it’s just something I hadn’t noticed before. The architecture, done in so many different styles, always takes my breath away!

Marshall Field and Company Building

Another one of my favorite buildings in Chicago is the Marshall Field and Company building, which is now home to Macy’s:

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While the clocks outside the building are the first thing you notice, for once, my interest lies with the interior of the building, one of the largest stores in the world. We rode the escalators all the way up to the eighth floor…the children couldn’t believe that there are department stores that big! We saw the beautiful Tiffany mosaic ceiling, the famous Walnut Room, and even a Frango shop (yes, I bought a box of mints)!

We looked out the windows in the furniture department, and admired the view, including  a very cool rooftop garden across the street:

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We also took a look in the windows, which always look great (although never as good as they do at Christmastime, in my opinion!):

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I really enjoyed being able to show the children this store, and ride the escalators all the way to the top with them like Ryan and I used to when we were in college!

Tribune Tower

My favorite building in the world is Chicago’s Tribune Tower.

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I love its neo-Gothic architecture:

What I love most, though, is the collection of building fragments from around the world, which have been brought back from various correspondents and added to the exterior of the building. The Tribune truly brings the world to Chicago…and I even got a little closer to visiting to England!

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It might not be the tallest building in the city, but its presence is unmistakable!

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