Steedman Treasure: The Wainwright Tomb drawings

In 1892 St. Louis businessman Ellis Wainwright commissioned Louis Sullivan to design a family mausoleum in historic Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.  The groundbreaking architectural masterpiece Wainwright Building was nearing completion in downtown St. Louis when Wainwright's young wife died suddenly.  The tomb's design, a domed cube simply decorated with Sullivan's signature vegetal patterns, was a marked departure from those of its elaborate revivalist neighbors.

The Steedman Collection owns the 18 original tracings for the tomb. They are executed primarily in black ink, with red ink details and graphite notations.  They vary in size, but average about 22 by 27 inches. Each bears the initials G. G. E., indicating that they were drawn by George Grant Elmslie.  Elmslie was Sullivan's chief draftsman at the time and went on to have a stellar career of his own. 

The entire set was generously donated in 1977 by its previous owner, St. Louis architect Albert C. Maack.

All can be seen within the Steedman's online exhibit:   http://exhibits.slpl.org/steedman/index.asp.  Just enter the word "Wainwright" in the Search Box.

New books for the collection!

These new titles have arrived for the collection.  If you would like to consult them for research purposes, please contact the Fine Arts staff.

Brown, David.  Durham Cathedral:  History, Fabric and Culture.

 -- Durham Cathedral is one of the great British Cathedrals, and this book fits into the collection as a title that documents an important building.

Cheek, Richard.  Selling the Dwelling:  The Books that Built America’s Houses, 1775-2000.

This book features many of the pattern books that the Steedman holds, as well as being a beautifully produced book.  It fits into the collection as a title that documents American residential architecture and supports research about the books already in the collection.

Le Corbusier, Pierre Jenneret: Chandigarh, India, 1951-66.

  --The city of Chandigarh was the first planned city in India post-independence in 1947, and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design. The master plan of the city was prepared by Le Corbusier, one of the founders and giants of modernist architecture.  He considered it one of the crowning achievements of his career.  More than 50 years later, The Beautiful City, as it is known, has become an essential stop for devotees of mid-century urban planning and architecture, and is being considered for UNESCO designation as a World Heritage Site.   This book fits into the collection because it documents a major monument of architectural history, and one by a major architect.

Pfeiffer, Bruce Brooks.  Frank Lloyd Wright Designs:  The Sketches, Plans, and Drawings.

--This book describes itself as “the first major presentation in decades of the visionary drawings” of Frank Lloyd Wright.  The book fits into the collection because it supports its already strong Wrightian holdings.

Tyack, Geoffrey, ed.  John Nash:  Architect of the Picturesque.

   English Heritage, 2013.  $120.00

--John Nash is one of the most important architects of late 18^{th /}early 19th-century Britain.  Best known for the designs of Regent Street and Regent's Park in London, the Brighton Pavilion, and Buckingham Palace, he was also one of the most successful and influential of the “Picturesque” style architects.  This book originated from a 2009 symposium that presented new scholarship, and is the first complete study of Nash’s work in many years.  It is the first book on Nash for the Steedman collection. 

The *online* Steedman exhibit continues

Although the Great Hall display is over, don't forget that you can still learn about George Fox Steedman and the books he gave to St. Louis Public Library at the online Steedman exhibit.  See over 400 images from this exquisite collection by clicking here: 

http://exhibits.slpl.org/steedman/index.asp

The Steedman exhibit has closed

Early this morning the books and other items that had been displayed in the Great Hall since December were taken out of the cases.  Thanks to everyone who came by and enjoyed it! 

Last WEEK to see the Steedman exhibit!

Don't miss this rare opportunity to see some of the most beautiful, important, and interesting materials in the Steedman library.  Eight display cases in Central's Great Hall contain some of the gems of the collection -- Palladio, Piranesi, Frank Lloyd Wright, etc.  They are enhanced by a 5.5-foot high by 85-foot long mural that wraps around the entire south wall of the room, comprising images taken from the books themselves.  Saturday, May 30 is the last day it will be on exhibit, so hurry on in before it's too late!

Steedman Open House and SAH Lecture, April 16

The third in the Steedman/Society of Architectural Historians lecture series, "Architecture Around the World" was held the evening of Thursday, April 16.  Once again attendees had to negotiate through the traffic of a St. Louis Blues game, but we ended up with a good attendance of 35.  As before, the Steedman Room was open for viewing before the lecture, and folks enjoyed the Steedman exhibit in the Great Hall.  Paul Hohmann spoke and showed photos of a wonderful Danube River cruise, with many interesting shots of architecture, decorative details, and street art. 

Before and after, attendees browsed books on related subjects and recent architectural book acquisitions.

After a summer hiatus, the series will continue in the Fall with John Guenther speaking about Eero Saarinen on September 16.  Mark your calendars now!

Don't miss the next SAH lecture on April 16

Paul Hohmann, architect at E + A Architecture and blogger at Vanishing STL, will speak and show slides on the topic, "From Abbeys to Street Art--Germany and Austria Along the Danube." 




The Steedman Library will be open for viewing at 6:00 pm, then the lecture will begin at 6:30 pm in the third floor Carnegie Room at Central Library, 14th and Olive.