The next lecture in the Architecture Around the World Series, presented by the Steedman Architectural Library and the Society of Architectural Historians, features Betsy Bradley speaking on “St. Louis Modern: A Thematic Survey of Modern Movement Non-Residential Architecture, 1945-1975.” The program takes place in Central’s Carnegie Room on March 22 at 6:30 p.m.

Betsy Bradley

Bradley is the Director of the Cultural Resources Office of the Planning & Urban Design Agency of the City of St. Louis. She will review some of the physical changes in St. Louis by tracing a dramatic transformation in outlook and image in St. Louis through its architecture in the Mid-Century Modern Movement.
At the end of World War II, the city had the form and mind-set of a conservative nineteenth-century urban area for which Downtown was the Central Business District of a small metropolitan region. By 1970, nearly everything had changed – socially, and culturally, and in many ways physically.
Her talk will provide an overview of what took place and begin to establish how we can understand the changes the city experienced during the Gateway Years.
From 6-6:30 p.m., visitors can step inside and view one of Central’s most special rooms, the Steedman Architectural Library. The group will then move to the Carnegie Room for Bradley’s lecture.
The next talk in the series will be “St. Louis Flounder Houses,” presented by Jan Cameron on April 26.
The event is FREE and open to the public.

Propping up the Past lecture of 2/23/16

Many thanks to Jesse Francis and Marie Taylor for their very interesting and informative presentation about their adventures in preserving early log structures.   Please join us again on March 22!

Karen Bode Baxter, John Guenther, Jesse Francis

 Steedman Room with new books  on display

The Steedman Library is again pleased to be co- hosting this year's series of talks by the St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians.  The first one will be held on the evening of Tuesday, February 23, at Central Library.  The Steedman Room will be open for viewing from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm, followed by the lecture in the Carnegie Room.  Jesse Francis and Marie Taylor will be discussing "Propping Up the Past:  Restoring Early Midwest Structures".  

Jesse Francis, Museum Curator, St. Louis County Parks & Recreation, has become widely recognized as an authority on pioneer architecture, particularly timber frame, French vertical log, and American horizontal log construction.  With Jack Luer, he recently published Vanishing French Heritage: A Complete Study of the Vertical Log Homes of the Illinois Country.  In 2015 he received special awards from the St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission and the St. Louis County Council.   Among the buildings to be discussed in this talk are the Pierre Martin House in Dupo (Prairie du Pont), Illinois; Zumwalt’s Fort in O’Fallon, Missouri; the two-story log Davis House; and the Brightfield Smokehouse at Faust Park in Chesterfield.  Marie Taylor, Preservation Technician with the National Archives in St. Louis, has worked with Jesse on many of these projects .

** For the list of all six lectures, see the post on this blog dated January 14, 2016.

Steedman/SAH lectures for 2016 are announced

We are thrilled to announce a second year of architectural talks jointly sponsored by the Steedman Library and the local chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians.  All will be held at the Central Library of the St. Louis Public Library on Tuesday nights.  At 6:00 pm, the Steedman Room will be open for viewing, and at 6:30 pm the talks will begin.  Here is a brief schedule -- keep tuning in for more details as the date for each one draws closer.

Tuesday, February 23
Propping up the Past:  Restoring Early Midwest Structures

Jesse Francis, Museum Curator, St. Louis County Parks & Recreation with Marie Taylor, Preservation Technician with the National Archives in St. Louis

Tuesday, March 22
St. Louis Modern:  A Thematic Survey of Modern Residential Architecture, 1945 - 1975, in St. Louis City
Betsy Bradley, Director, Cultural Resources Office of the Planning & Urban Design Agency of the City of St. Louis

Tuesday, April 26
St. Louis Flounder Houses
Jan Cameron,  Preservation Administrator, Cultural Resources Office of the Planning & Urban Design Agency of the City of St. Louis

Tuesday, September 27
Historic Cemeteries:  Maintenance, Documentation, Restoration, Funding
Amanda Burke, Preservation Specialist, Missouri State Historic Preservation Office

Tuesday, October 25
The Architecture of Scotland, Part Two
Esley Hamilton, Preservation Historian, St. Louis County Parks

Tuesday, November 15
The Architecture of Norway
John Guenther, FAIA, LEED AP

This year's final architecture talk, November 19

UPDATE:  The final talk of the 2015 SAH/Steedman lecture series featured Dr. Eric Mumford, speaking on "Josep Lluís Sert and Urban Design".  Books by Mumford and Sert, and other books on urban planning, were available for attendees to peruse and check out.  Watch This Space, because plans are underway to organize next year's series; please plan to join us! 

Please join us for the final event of the 2015 Society of Architectural Historians / Steedman Library architecture lecture series.  



Dr. Eric Mumford, author, architect, and Professor of Architecture at Washington University, will discuss "Josep Lluís Sert and Urban Design" at 6:30 pm in the Carnegie Room at Central Library.

The Steedman Room will be open for viewing from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm.

Steedman Open House and Scottish architecture talk, 10/22/15

SAH Chapter President John Guenther introduces Esley Hamilton

Esley Hamilton spoke to a standing room only crowd about architecture in Scotland.  The talk was preceded by an Open House in the Steedman Room.

Don't miss the next SAH lecture on October 22!

Please join us for the 5th in our series of talks co-sponsored by the  Society of Architectural Historians, "Architecture Around the World".  

Architectural historian Esley Hamilton will speak on "The Architecture of Scotland" at 6:30 pm on Thursday, October 22 in the Second Floor Training Room of Central Library.

The Steedman Room will be open for viewing from 6:00 to 6:30, as well!