There are countless buildings in St. Louis that are worth a good long weekend of touring through the city, but to narrow it down for you, there’s a top 5 list of the notorious St. Louis favorites. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for these edifices the next time you’re in that crazy town known as St. Louis!
1. The Gateway Arch of St. Louis located at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Gateway Arch is located at the Riverfront of downtown St. Louis. Considered to be the most iconic and familiar structure in St. Louis, its architects, Eero Saarinen & Associates, designed and constructed it in 1965. Even today, it continues to bring in rather large number of tourists. The people of St. Louis take pride in this structure, and you’ll see why when you visit it yourself.
2. The Old Cathedral (The Basilica of St. Louis – King of France)
Built by Joseph C. Laveille and George Morton, it was constructed on privately owned land in the Memorial development area. It is the oldest and most spectacular cathedral west of the Mississippi. The site was put aside for church construction back in 1764. The current cathedral is in fact the fourth church to be built on the site.
3. The Old Courthouse in St. Louis
This great old courthouse takes up an entire block of St. Louis and is located on Broadway and Chestnut, as well as Market and 4th street. This historic building is credited to the following architects: Henry Singleton, Robert S. Mitchell, and William Rumbold. This great building is a predecessor to the US capital building dome in Washington during the Civil War. This old courthouse was the epicenter for the Dred Scott case. The verdict was a medium for the Civic War in the US.
4. Wainwright Building
The famous Wainwright Building is located at 709 Chestnut Street. Architects Adler & Sullivan are the masterminds, with renovations by others. The Wainwright Building is known as the first American skyscraper, which puts it in the book of legends in American architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “The Wainwright is a monument to the first perception of the tall building as a harmonious unit – its height triumphant.” The building was purchased by the state of Missouri in 1981, and unfortunately the building is no longer open to the public, except the lobby. But luckily, you can still see the faade from outside.
5. The Old Post Office
The Old Post Office covers Locust, Olive, Eights and Ninth Streets. The architecture can be tributed to Alfred B. Mullet. It has undergone restoration projects by other architects. This historic building was initially built to be a federal court and customs house. Now it houses a nice restaurant, library, as well as some corporations. It has a eye-catching fortress-likes granite exterior.
St. Louis has 5 exceptional buildings, but there is one structure in particular that should be noted. This is Thomas P. Barnett’s great Spanish Mission style building. It is definitely a sight to see with its Art Deco influence. It is located at 3207 Washington Ave.
T.P. Barnett is son of George I. Barnett, another famous architect in St. Louis. The T.P. Barnett building is particularly interesting because it also has Art Deco influences, making it one of the most unique buildings in the Grand Center region of St. Louis. Certainly the next time you’re in St. Louis, you need to visit this Spanish Revival building on Washington Avenue.
Art Deco and Spanish Mission Style Architecture is part of some of the classic buildings of Missouri. To download the original plans of the Thomas P Barnett Historic Building or go here to find out more about St Louis Commercial Real Estate For Sale
Technorati Tags: commercial real estate, Real Estate