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!

Steedman Open House and SAH lecture, 9/16/15

John Guenther discusses  Saarinen

Central Library's Second Floor Training Room was packed for September's installment of the Society of Architectural Historians/Steedman Library lecture series.  John Guenther addressed a full house with knowledge and enthusiasm on the life and works of Eero Saarinen. 

Next up:  Esley Hamilton on Scottish architecture on October 22.

Attendees enjoy the Steedman Open House before the talk

Books were available for checkout

The SAH lectures resume this month!

We begin the second half of our lecture series, "Architecture Around the World", this month.  This series is a partnership between the St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians and the Steedman Architectural Library of SLPL.  First up will be John Guenther speaking on "The Works of Eero Saarinen", sure to be a popular topic here in St. Louis.  

It will be held on Wednesday , September 16th.  Starting at 6:00 pm, the Steedman Room will be open for viewing; the talk will be at 6:30.  NOTE:  Because of our Maurice Sendak exhibit in the Carnegie Room, this talk will be held in the "Training Room", a room that is on the same (second) floor as the Steedman Room. 

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