council plaza national register of historic places registration form

8/6/2019 Council Plaza National Register of Historic Places registration form

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NPS Form 10-900(rn 990)

United States Department of the InteriorNatlonal Park Service

National Register of Historic Places

Registration FormThis form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for indiiual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the NationalRegister of Historic Places Regisbation Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking 'i n the appropriate box w by entering theinformation requested. If an item does not apply to the property being docunented, enter 'WA' for 'not applicable.' For functions, architectural classifiit ion,materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategoties from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative tems oncontinuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typemiter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items.

historic name Coun cil Plaza

other name/site number Union Plaza, Council House West. Council House East

street & num ber 300 S. Grand Blvd., 212 S. Grand Blvd., 310 S. Grand Blvd. N/A not for publication

city or town St. Louis N/A vicinity

state Missouri code MO county St. Louis [Independent City] code51 0 zip code 63130

As the designated authority under the National Historic Presewation Act, as amended, I ereby certify that this nominaticmrequest for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Regi$ter

of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part'&. In my opinion, theproperly meets does not meet the National Register criteria I recommend that this properly be considered significant

de locally. ( See continuation sheet for addional comments.)

& 2 z z & -Signature of certifying offiiaVrrtle Mark A. MiledDeputy SHPO DateState or Federal agenc andbureau


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fi.-of Property

CChedc a many barow as app(y)[Xl m t eU publi-localu ublic-State

public-Federal

Category of Ropefly(-arlyC=box)

[ ) buitding(s)distridu site

u tructureUoblect

Name of related multiple property listing(Fnter?VAA ifpropectyis not part d a mulbple propectykting.)

Nunber of Resou- withh Property(DOnot i rcCde~kkdresarces i r Ihecovnt . )Confnbulhg ~ ~ n g

5 0 buildings

0 0 sites

0 1 structures

0 0 objects

5 1 Total

Number of contributing resources previously listedin the National Register

6. Function or UseH'ioric hrncCions current Functions~*catesorieslraninstrudronsl E n ( e r c a k w i e s l i a n ~ 1

7. Desmtm.Architectural Classification(bbr-fr#n-1

M N OVEMENT -hndation CONCRElE- walls COkK=RRE

roof ASPHALT


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& Statement of S i n h n c eApphMe National Register Criteria( M r k Y i r o n e u m b o x e s f w t h e a a e r i a ~ t h e p r o p e c t ykr Namlal RegiClstirg.)

[ X J A Property is associated with events that have madea significant mtribubon to the broad patterns of

L] B Property is associated with the ives of personssignificant in our past.

[ ] C Property embodies the distinctive cha radendmof a type, eriod, or method of axlstrucbion orrepresents the work of a master, or possesseshigh artistic values, or repesents a significant anddistinguishable en6ty whose components lackin d ii u a l distinction.

LJ D Property has yielded, or is lik* to yield,information important in prehiory or history.

Criteria Considerations(MrkXhaUthe tms tha tapp ty. )

Property is:

L] A owned by a religious instiMion or used for~ ~ p u r p o s e s .

UJ C a birthplace or grave.

U D a cemetery.UJ

E a r e a m b w M building, objed, or structure.UJ F a mmemorative property.

G less than 50 years of age a achhed sign.kanoe

Areas of Significance(Enter categnie5 mm irsbuctions)

C O M M U N I M N I N G ANDDEVELOPMENT

SOCIAL HISTORY

Period of Significance1964 -1968

S i g n i f i Dates

. .NIA

Cuftural AffiliatknNIA

m-


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10.h m g e of Roperty ammxhaW nine acres

UTM References( P k e addihional boundaries of the propecty on a continuation sheet.)

1 15 7/4/0/7/5/5 /2/7/9/6/7/2Zone Easting Northlng

3 -2kUQ@@Q 4/2/7/9/5/3/5Zone EasBng Northing

Verbal Boundary Description~ t h e b o u n d a r i e s o f t h e p c l o p e c t y m a c o n t i n u a t m s h e e t )

2 1/5 7/41 /O/WO 4/2/7/9/5/2l5Zone Easting Northing

Zone Eastina

Ebundary Justification(F~whytheboundaries~~ceselectedonacwtinwtionsheet)

namellitle Melinda Winchester

organimtion Lafser & Associates date

Slbeet & number 2285 Road 316 telephone 673) 43-6965crtyorbwn Jackson state MO zipode 63755

Conthation SheetMsps

A USGS map (7.5 r 15 mi* series) indicating the m s cation.

'A Sketch map for h i i i nd propecties having large amage or numerws reswrces.

m o ~ r a p h sR e p f e s e n M black and white photographs of the property.

AiddrCional items(Chedc*llhtheSHPOorFPOforanyadclitiarditems)


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NPS Form 10-900-8 O M 8 Approval No 1024-0018 (8861

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park Service

National Register of Historic PlacesContinuation Sheet

Section number 7 Page 1Council PlazaSt. Louis (Independent City], MO

Summary:

The Council Plaza District sits on a nine-acre site in the Mill Creek Valley of Midtown St. Louis onGrand Boulevq~d. The district is composed of two contributing buildings consisting of two steel-frame and pre-cast concrete with exposed aggregate high-rise buildings constructed in 1964 and1968. The design has influences of international and modern styles with the large expanse ofwindows, flat roof tops, smooth wall surfaces and absence of much ornamentation. It also containstwo 2-story buildings constructed in 1967-68 with a streamline design and horizontal bands ofwindows that wrap around all elevations. The second floor is cantilevered providing a covered walk

area around the buildings. A glass and concrete service station was built on the west corner of thesite and a small concrete and aggregate gazebo is located on the northeast corner of the complex.-The complex is an.early example of a publicly assisted housing project constructed specifically forthe elderly in St. Louis. Designed by prominent architects Schwarz and Van Hoefen, it makes asignificant contribution to the midtown area through its mass, height, and fenestration. The originaldesign is intact and it continues to maintain architectural integrity through its historical character,function, setting and design.

Elaboration:

The Council Plaza Complex occupies a nine- acre site in the Midtown district of St. Louis located inh hi l f h i f S L i i i l i il f i l d i i i l


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NPS Form 10-900-e



Section number 7 Page 2Council PlazaSt. Louis [Independent City], MO

Setting-

The setting and design of Council Plaza emphasize an artistic cultural theme throughout the complexwith a combination of exterior artworks not only in the landscaping but also in the exterior fa~ade fTower East. Sculptures and artwork also adorn the interior common areas of the Labor HealthInstitute, Tower West and the Executive office building of the Labor Union. A large rectangularasphalt parking area is located directly north of the commercial building and healthcare facility. Adrive continues around Tower East to the southeast side of the complex where a smaller parkingarea for employees is located. There are open courtyards between the commercial office buildingscomplemented with stone benches and artistic fountains and sculptures. The two residential towersare connected with an arcaded wood scalloped walkway which is flanked by a landscaped sittingarea with trees, tables and square gazebo with the same exterior finish as the towers. Additionalgreen space surrounds the complex on the east and south sides separating the complex from theinterstate.

Individual Propertv Physical and Architectural Descriptions-

212 S. Grand Blvd. - 1967- Schwarz and Van Hoefen- Photo # 1 , 2

This building is glass and concrete featuring a 120-foot circular cantilevered roof supported by largeround concrete pillars. A circular concrete drive encompasses the building. A primary entrance facesG d Bl d d i f l d l d fl k d b l l i d Th


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NPS F m 0-900-a OMe Approval NO 10244918 ( 8 8 6 )



Section number 7 Page 3Council PlazaSt. Louis [Independent City], MO

300 S. Grand Blvd.-Council Tower West - 1964- Schwarz and Van Hoefen- Photo #7 ,8

Council Tower West is a 16-story high-rise built in 1964. It is constructed of pre-cast concrete wallswith exposed aggregate. The first floor is cantilevered to provide a covered walk area into and aroundthe building. The main floor contains a large lobby with elevators and large full height glass and metalwindows with a view of a courtyard to the west. The upper floors are divided from the first floor with ahorizontal band of exposed aggregate with vertical divisions on the east and west elevations. -Thisdifferentiates the main floor from the residential portion of the building. The window fenestration onthe west and east elevations is symmetrical and divided by twelve vertical concrete bands with four

double hung windows in each section. Horizontal concrete bands divide the remaining fifteen floors.The north and south elevations are smooth and unadorned. A small park adjoins the two-high risebuildings and an arcaded walkway provides outside access between them. C

310 S. Grand Blvd.-Council Tower East- 1968- Schwarz and Van Hoefen- Photo #9,10,

Council Tower East is a 27-story high rise rectangular structure constructed of pre-cast concretewalls with exposed aggregate. A 250 foot relief sculpture was designed and created in brick by artistsSaunders Schultz and William Severson, nationally known sculptors and is visible on the St. Louisskyline on the east elevation. The bas relief carving took 15 months to complete and used about100,000 brick. The sculpture utilizes a series of abstract arch geometric designs representing," ' ti l t i i t d G d Th ti t l d i d ll f t i ithi th l


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. integrity of Design through the retention of its original form, plan, spaces, structure and style.NPS Form I&- OM6 ApprovdNo 1024-0018 (8%)

Un ited States Department o f the Interior

National Park Service


Sect ion number 7 Page 4Council PlazaSt. Louis [Independent City], MO

Se ttin g: Setting refers to the physical environment surrounding a historic property. Council Plazahas two settings. A private setting created within its own param eters consisting of open walkways andcourtyards with ben ches and a fountain. The two towers are connected by an arched walkway with alandscaped courtyard with trees a nd shrubs. The perimeter of Coun cil Plaza is surrounded by St.Louis U niversity and Interstate 44. Cou ncil Plaza retains its integrity of Setting through its retention oforiginal, manmade landsca pe features and its relationship between the buildings and surroundingarea.

Materials: Very few alterations have occurred at Council Plaza other than routine maintenance. Itsoriginal exterior materials and character are intact. All of the original glass and windows rem ain andthe interior finish of the first floor lobb ies remains intact.

W or km an sh ip: Workm anship is evident in the quality of the building construction and its overalllayout design. The architects wanted to create an urban environment for residents amidst a growingmidtown area. The use of artwork w ithin the built environment represents skilled craftsmanship anda cultural addition to the P laza. The Counc il Plaza retains its integrity of Workm anship.

Feeling: Council Plaza fully retains integrity of Fee ling. It continues to func tion with the "urban"f h b ff h h l h f h d h l b l f l


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United States Department of the InteriorNational P a r k Service


Section number 7 Page 5Council P l a z aSt . Louis [Independent C i t y ] . MO

SITE PLAN


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NPS Fa m 10-900-s



Section number 8 Page 6Council Plaza

St. Louis (Independent City), MissouriSummary:

Council Plaza, located at 212, 300 & 310 S. Grand, St. Louis [Independent City] is locally significantunder Criterion A in the area of COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT and SOCIALHISTORY. Though constructed between, 1964 and 1968, the property meets CRITERIACONSIDERATION G as a resource that has gained significance in the last 50 years. Council Plazawas constructed during a turbulent period for the St. Louis Housing Authority who was struggling tosurvive financially while trying to resolve a public outcry to mend the substandard living conditionsand severe housing shortages for families and the elderly in the city. The construction and concept ofCouncil Plaza by private sponsors was immediately recognized by the St. Louis Housing Authority as

"a developnient that will be a civic contribution of inestimable value to the community and stimulatethe development of the Mill Creek Area." Envisioned by labor leader and dedicated communityactivist, Harold Gibbons, the complex addressed a great need in the city and became a social andarchitectural experiment within the context of community development for its "total community"concept to specifically address the housing, medical and social needs of the local elderly population.Constructed in the early years of Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959, the complex was the firstand largest publicly assisted housing project built in St. Louis and Missouri and one of only 6% in thenation that offered on-site medical facilities to its tenants. In 1967, it was praised by Governor

George Romney as an "outstanding example of senior citizen housing".

Furthermore, the design concept and managerial administration of Council Plaza set a precedentwith the Departmentof Housing and Urban Development(HUD)for St Louis's local public housing


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NPS F m 0-900-a


National Register of Historic PlacesContinuation SheetSection number 8 Page 7

Council PlazaSt. Louis (Independent City), Missouri

The housing industry was in a crisis situation with the major cities facing issues of dilapidatedbuildings, few amenities and greatly needed maintenance and repairs causing many social and

health concerns for tenants. There was also a severe housing shortage for low income persons andovercrowding became a primary concern by the 1940s. This multi-arena of issues brought "housingpolicy" to the forefront of the public and government administrations not only in St. Louis but all overthe country. The political arena assumed a pi-incipal role in trying to create programs under FranklinDelano Roosevelt's New Deal Agenda to help ensure economic stability and public confidence.

Federal Housing Policy-

In June of 1934, the United States Congress passed the first national Federal Housing Act (FHA)which created the Federal Housiug Administration (FHA) to insure mortgage loans of lower-incomecitizens by approved financial institutions and help people acquire financing through private banks forthe purchase, construction, repair and improvements of houses. It was soon followed by theenactment of the United States Housing Act of 1937 which created the United States HousingAuthority to administer funds for new programs and to replace the Federal Housing Administration.This act was specifically geared toward national low-rent housing, slum clearance projects andprovided loans to local governments to build public housing complexes for lower-income residents.

These projects would be carried out by local public agencies or authorities as designated by statelaw. It proposed to promote the general welfare of the nation by assisting the states in alleviatingunsafe and unsanitary housing conditions and remedying the acute shortage of decent, safedwellings for low income families. ' The 1937 Housing Act did not provide housing for the elderly


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NPS Form 10-900-a OM B Appmvd No 1 0 2 4 W l B ( 8 8 6 )



Section number 8 Page - Council PlazaSt. Louis (Independent City), Missouri

Em phasis was placed on dev elopment and construction, progress was m easured by dollars spent,

wages generated, or numb ers of units produced or demolished. This d irectly affected the quality o fbuilding constr~~ctionhus causing moun ting problems for maintenance of the buildings and forcedhous ing authorities to pass down risirlg costs to tenants by raising rent. Ano ther factor thatcontributed to th e rising problems w ith pub lic housing was the changing social climate and publicopinion of public housing.

After W orld W ar II, populations began to shift from the inner city to the su burbs in m any large cities.Industries bega n to expand and relocate to chea per land on the outskirts of cities and technological

advances in transportation provided accessibility to these areas thus leaving the older areas of thecity full of deteriorating houses and industrial slums. These areas were m ainly occupied by very poor,unem ployed black residents and the elderly. The m ovement of the income -producing populationsout of public housing caused a mass ive decline in rent proceeds to the local housing authorities.These declining revenues forced LHA s to limit repairs and resources causing additional decay andvandalism. The public also posed an additional problem in their prejudice against public housing, andso the US Housing Authority a nd local public agencies had to confront both private sector disinterestand citizen oppos ition. The public began to think that clearance of the slums too often meant simply

transporting the slums to other neighborhoo ds, and that any clearance and construction that did takeplace did s o with insufficientcitizen input.

During *the1950s, legislation established numerous acts to try and help stabilize housing policy and


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NPS F m 0-900-a




St . Louis (Independent City), Missouri

Because the urban renewal legislation was limited to funding projects that were predominantly

residential either before or after their development; "important areas of the community are left withoutan effective means for improvement..."7 One neglected demographic of society was the rapidlyincreasing elderly population who up until 1956, had not had their social and health needs or livingconditions effectively evaluated. Retirement and insurance programs had been created for ,theelderly, such as the Social Security Act passed in 1935 which provided for Old Age Assistance andOld Age Survivors Insurance and in 1937, the Railroad Retirement Act was established whichcreated pensions for retired railroad employees and spouses. Special agencies were created to aid incoordinating responsibilities for the aging such as the Federal Council on Aging in 1956. The

Housing Act of 1956 under Sections 203 and 20 7 created a subsidy incentive program for Leas toconstruct housing for the elderly. The only requirements for construction were additional safetyfeatures such as, handrails and device warnings making construction costs relatively low with a highreturn and a desirable elderly tenant population with little consequences. These high-rise boxesprovided relatively small apartments for the elderly with very few amenities for a population that hadspecialized needs and wanted more from life than "just a waiting room to pass time."

It wasn't until the Housing Act of 1959 was created that legislation specifically addressed affordable,quality and independent senior housing through the implementation of the Section 202 Program, theoldest active subsidized program.8 It also created the Section 231 Program which was a mortgage


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NPS F m &9X!-a




St. Louis (Independent City), Missouri

Department of Housing and Urban Development Act 1965 enacted an alternative approach tosupply housing for low income by lease of privately owned facilities and it established federalassistance that was administered through local public agencies, to provide rehabilitation grants forhome repairs and rehabilitation. The bill also expanded public housing programs for the elderly andthe disabled. In 1965, The Older AmericansAc t was also signed into law by PresidentLyndon 6 . ohnson. l o This Act created the

Adrr~inistration n Aging and authorizedgrants to States for community plannivg andservice programs, as well as offeredassistance for research, demonstration andtraining projects. The Department ofHousing and Urban Development Act of1965 created the U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development (HUD)

whose primary mission is to increasehomeownership, support communitydevelopment and to increase access toaffordable housingfree from discrimination


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HP S Form 10-900-a OM B Appoval No 1024-0018 (846)


Na tiona l Register of Historic PlacesContinuation She etSection number 8 Page 11


Since its inception, the Section 202 program has been designed to house independent low-income

elderly persons. Although the program has evolved over the last three decades, the primary goal hasremained the same, to defray basic shelter costs for people who could not afford private housing.Since 1980, the construction of public housing has become almost non-existent in the United Statesleaving the Section 202 program as the only available subsidy for low-income housing.'' The successof the program was contributed to its design structure being limited to non-profit sponsors andcharacterized by a unified and specialized administrative structure operating under simple andinformal rules. The Department of Housing and Urban Development produced an executive summaryof the Section 202 Programs from 1959 to 1977. The major finding of their evaluation was thatSection 202 had generally produced good quality, cost-effective and financially viable housingprojects for the elderly.'* Subsequent scholarly analysis determines that the Section 202 programhelped awaken the nation to the social service needs of the elderly and became the basis on whichHUD would build its continuum of care programs for the elderly.13

St. Louis Public Housinq-

The sixty-five year history of St. Louis public housing has like niany other major cities in the UnitedStates, been plagued with the social and economic problems of high unemployment, housingshortages and health concerns. The legacy of failure within the St. Louis Public Housing Authorityand its programs has been examined by numerous scholars who cannot agree on one primary event


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NPS F m 0-900-a

United States Department of the Inter iorNational Park Service




affordable and acceptable housing. St. Louis not only had a crisis among low-income families butalso a rising elderly population whose housing needs had not been adequately evaluated by the cityand were not addressed by the federal government until 1959.

In 1936, the St. Louis Regional Planning Association supported by the Civil Works Administration andWorks Progress Administration Staff, developed a recommendation survey for the city citing that ithad become evident that the lack of a housing program based upon public need had resulted inovercrowding and an inadequate supply of well designed low cost houses. la The Housing Act of

1937 enabled Missouri Legislature to allow for the creation of the St. Louis Housing Authority in 1939to help the citizen's and their needs for housing. Two areas for public housing were cleared andcreated for low-income families: 'The Clinton-Peabody located at Chouteau and Fourteenth, housing657 white families and the Carr Square project, housing 658 African-American families. Both ofthese facilities were intended for the small family with a low-income who couldn't afford higher rentsor to buy a home. Both of these complexes operated successfully through World War II, primarilydue to shifts in tenant occupancy toward war production workers who had fairly adequate incomes.Problems began to occur toward the end of the war when production demands decreased,

unemployment rose and these tenants left the public housing units.

St. Louis's early public housing programs were not intended for the unemployed, extremely low-income persons or those dependent on p blic assistance Prior to 1954 fe elfare recipients ere


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NPS Form 10-900a



Section number 8 Page -3 Council PlazaSt. Louis (Independent City), Missouri

The Mayor greatly supported the formation of the Housing Act of 1949 and traveled to WashingtonD.C. to assist with its passage and policies. The importance of this Act to the welfare of the nationwas evident in the Preamble Address,

"The Congress declares that the gen eral welfare and security of the N ationand the health and living standards of its people require housing production

and rela ted community develop ment sufficient to remedy the serious housingshortage, the elimination of substandard housing through the clearan ce of

slums and blighted areas, and the realization as soon as feasible of the goalof a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family,thus contributing to the developmen t and redevelopm ent of communities and

to the advancement of the growth, wealth, and security of the nation. "

The majority of the public housing in St. Louis produced under the Housing Act of 1949 wasdeveloped within a five-year period between 1953 and 1957. The complexes were constructed ofsteel, concrete and brick, located on flat areas that had been part of the slum clearance project.Cochran Gardens (1953) held 704 units of housing consisting of eight buildings. Pruitt (1955) andlgoe (1956) contained thirty-three eleven-story buildings. Vaughn (1957) and Darst (1956) wereidentical, each containing four nine-story apartments. In 1961, the Anthony M. Webbe Apartmentswere constructed which included two nine-story and one twelve-story building for families and oneeight-story building for the elderly. This was the first building constructed specifically for the agingpopulation in St. Louis. In 1963, a nine-story building was added to the George Vaughn complex to


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NCS Fam 10-9a)-a




St . Louis (Independent City), Missouri

The result of this tabulation showed the tremendous magnitude of the problem for suitable elderlyhousing in St. Louis. A general population study was done by the St. Louis City Planning Commissionwhich revealed that the city's age composition in 1960 was strikingly different from that of the nationas a whole. Graphically, the normal age-sex distribution should form a pyramidal shape with a broadbase in the lower age groups and gradually narrow as the older age brackets are reached. (SeeFigure Three) Within the "City", this "normal" distribution did not occur. From 1950 to 1960,compared to the rest of the U.S. the age bracket of "over 65" had increased considerably for the cityof St. Louis and when you look at a thirty-year span it is the only group that had an increase. (SeeFigure Four) 24 This was a general trend across the country but Missouri in particular had a largerthan average senior population (more than 11.8% of the total population).

United Stotes C I T Y O F S T L O U IS


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NPS Form 1LXSOO-a OM S Appovsl No 1024-0018 ( 8 8 6 )



Section number 8 Page-

5Council Plaza


T A B L E 1 3

C H A N G E IN AGE COMPOSITION

C I T Y O F S T , L O U IS

1 9 3 0 - 1 9 6 0U n d e r

6 5

1 5 A n dY e a r s 1 5 - 2 4 2 5 - 4 4 4 5 - 6 4 O v e r T o ta l

1 9 3 0 - 1 9 4 0 - 2 3 4 5 3 - 1 8 0 4 2 - 6 2 8 2 $ 2 3 5 8 7 $ 1 8 7 6 0 - 5 4 3 0

I 1

Figure FourChange in Age Composition

Source: U.S. Census of Population 1950-1960Prepared by S t Louis City Plan Commission 1963

In 1961, due to the rising housing, social and health concerns of the elderly in St. Louis, the U.S.S S b i H i h ld i l i f h i dd h i d


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HPS Form 10---a


National Register of Historic Placescontinuation Sheet


St. Louis (IndependentCity), Missouri

The views expressed at the Senate hearirlgs indicated strongly that along with the rising elderlypopu lation hous ing crisis, a host of ad ditional problems were arising such as p roviding for the socialand healthcare need s for the elderly and designing hous ing units to adequately and safely provide aquality "lifestyle". William Loring of Architectural Forum, addresses the new design criteria necessaryfor the elderly housing market. He states that the "aged" require a sensitive balance of privacy andsociability and that sociolog ical research suggests that any anxiety faced too long alone may bed i ~ i n t e ~ r a t i n ~ . ~ 'is solution is through the design of elderly housing. He suggests outdo or socialareas tha t encourage group sitting loca ted within courtyards or close to main entrances andreco rr~m end s reating indoor common rooms which consist of informal sitting rooms or alcoveslocated within private units and public common areas for laundry, hobbies, or a comm unitymultipurpose social hall. His design theory would be much more than "shelter from the windsn but aresidence suited to the special nee ds and activities of the elderly which can result in a worthwhileenvironm ent and more me aningful life.*' Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen of Illinois stated 'thatolder eople themse lves, plea for the opportunity to work and demand the right to pa rticipate fully inB

Due to the increasing senior pop ulation of St. Louis, housing problems no longer solely belonged tothe low and moderate incom e families but also to the rising elderly population, the city agencies andthe entire comm unity. William Stelpflug, Chairman of the Planning Comm ittee on Aging, Health andWelfare Cou ncil of Metropolitan St Louis addressed the US Senate Com mittee reiterating the


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NPS Fonn 1 0 - m a OM6 Approval No 1 0 2 4 a 1 8 (886)



8 17ection number Page-


Council Plaza Siqnificance-

Harold V. Gibbons, founder of Council Plaza, was a nationally and locally recognized labor leader forpioneering and labor activism on democratic, progressive unionism. He avowed that "any local,state, or national problem affecting the social and civic well-being of our citizen-members andcommunity is the concern of our union." 31 He arrived in St. Louis in 1941 becoming the director ofthe St. Louis Council of the Congress of Industrial Organizations Retail, Wholesale and DepartmentStore Employees Union. 32 In 1949, he became the leader of the Local 688, chartered as an affiliateof the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He lead numerous organizing campaigns as an officialwith the CIO in Chicago and served as Teamsters Joint Council 13 President, Missouri-KansasConference of Teamsters President, Director of the Central Conference of Teamsters and served asexecutive assistant to IBT General President James R. Hoffa from 1957 to 1963. Hoffa and Gibbonshad a "public disputen over conduct related to the death of President John F. Kennedy. Gibbonsissued a statement of condolence on behalf of the International. Upon hearing the statement, Hoffa

ordered that it be retracted and his own statement issued,

MAY 1 1 1969 post-D~S "the President's death made Attorney General Kennedy,just another lawyer." Hoffa also became enraged whenGibbons flew theheadquarters flag at half staff the day ofthe President'sfuneral and sent the employees home.


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NPS form 10900-a OM 6 Approval No 1024-0018 (886)





The plan included gradual integration including mixed participation in some athletics, employment ofteachers of both races and a mandatory high school course in human relations. Gibbons and otherlocal members participated in the a civil rights march in Washington in 1963 and a delegation wassent to Selma, Alabama in 1965 to give moral support to the African American campaign for fullvoting rights and participate in the march from Selma to Montgomery. 35 Local 688 have had non-discrimination clauses written into its contracts since 1944.

Not only was community service an emphasis among the Local 688, but Gibbons pronioted healthcare providing thousands of Local 688 members complete health care security for the first time intheir lives. The Union's Labor Health Institute was founded in 1948 and is one of the first HMO'sdeveloped in the United States. It provided full medical and dental services to members and theirfamilies and was financed totally by employer contributions. It also offered medical and dental-services to all tenants of council Plaza who were non-union members for the low cost of $4.00 a month. TheLHI stressed preventive medicine and became a modelfor other health maintenance organizations throughout

North ~ m e r i c a . ~ ~he

Labor Health Institute stillcontinues to operate a successful medical facility atCouncil Plaza.


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NPS Form 10-900-8




St. Louis (Independent City), MissouriDue to Harold Gibbon's unique brand of progressive and community-based unionism, he was widelyconsidered the "father" of Local 688. While many people associate the Teamsters with a tough

"bread and butter" unionism tainted by corruption, Gibbons challenged these labels and fought tochange these perceptions. He avowed that "any local, state, or national problem affecting the socialand civic well-being of our citizen-members is the concem of our union." 38 Gibbons believed thattrade unions had an obligation to represent the concerns of workers where they lived. Gibbonsencouraged the Local 688 to become community activists by creating a community stewards programin the early 1950s to benefit assigned areas throughout the city. They represented fellow citizens'grievances about the slow removal of fallen trees or garbage, the need for playgrounds, locations ofbus stops, etc. The city's rat-control ordinance in the slum sections was one of their first successful

actions. By the mid 1950s, the local had established community service centers throughout the city.39The union also supported the Metropolitan Sewer District, the Bi-Sate Developmental Agency(urbanmass transit district), the Community College District of St. Louis and the Tandy area Council,Missouri's Fair Employment Practices Law and the Public Accommodation Law and the Mill CreekUrban Renewal Program.

In 1959, the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of St. Louis began the Mill Creek UrbanRenewal Project with funds from a $7 million bond issue approved in 1955 and with $21 rr~illion n

federal funds. The project cleared a 454-acre site of blighted areas, slum homes and dilapidatedcommercial and industrial buildings between Lindell-Olive Avenue, Scott Avenue, Twentieth Streetand Grand Avenue displacing up to 13,860 people of which 2,426 were over the age of sixty.40 The


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NPS Form 10-900-a OMS nppoval No 1024-Wl8 8 8 6 )

United States Department o f the InteriorNational Park Service

National Register of Historic PlacesContinuation SheetSect ion num ber 8 Page 20


In November of 1962 ,the w a l l ~ t r e e t~ o u rn a lnnounced,"Teamsters Will Build Apartments in St. Louis for ~ e t i r e e s " . ~ ~In January of 1963, Gibbon 's and the Jo int Council of

Teamsters approached the S t. Lou is Land Clearance forRedevelopment Authority regarding the acquisition of a nine-acre tract in the M ill Creek project area. The C ounc ilproposed the construction of an ou tstanding non-profit typeelderly residential and ancillary comm ercial developmentthat would greatly benefit the co rr~m unity nd the city. Atthis time, the site was occupied b y two businesses the

Bissell Auto & Body Company and the ADA RedevelopmentCorporation both of which were supportive and coope rativein releasing their property. Additional nego tiations tookplace with the city for the relocation of a fire station that wasslated to be b uilt on a portion of the site and the project

' ~ b r * i r r ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . & , + , ~ received full support from the St. Louis Board ofCommissioners on June 20, 1963.

Resdents of retirement mtrr p q p in V I U I ~

d e nght in middle of -After six months of ne gotiations, the Joint Councilf ll h d bl


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NPS F a m 10-900-a OM8 Appmvel No 10244018 (886)





He also said the Authority is convinced that this proposal willencourage and strengthen the residential development of MillCreek and that the cooperation and encouragement of MayorTucker and other city officials have been of crucialimportance in its success.43

After approval by the city and acquisition of the property, theCouncil House Redevelopment Corporation applied to theHousing and Home Finance Agency for a loan through theSenior Citizens Housing Loan Program (Section 202). TheCorporation stated that it was apparent from the records ofthe Public Housing Administration that there was a greatneed for elderly housing with no vacancies for senior housirlgand extremely long waiting lists for current facilities. The St.Louis Public Housing authority was planning to buildadditional units for the elderly but many the senior citizenswould not qualify to occupy them due to "over incomen. The

construction of Council Plaza was to help fulfill a marketneed which falls between low-income and private rentalunits.44 Between 1959 and 1979, St. Louis had sevenh i j d d h H i A f 1959 f


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NPS Fcfm 10-900-a OM6 Approval No 1 0 2 4 W 1 8 886)

United States Depa rtment of the InteriorNational Park Service


Sect ion num ber 8 Page 22Council Plaza


Council Plaza was designed by p rominent local architects, Schwartz & Van Hoeffen of St. Louis whoalso designed a 1966 addition to the Henry Shaw M emorial Pavilion in Tower Grove Park and whowere part of the arch itectural team for the construction of Busch Stad ium. The first tower-CouncilTower W est and the Te amsters office building was constructed and completed in 1964-66. Thesecond tower- Council Tow er East was completed in 1968. On C ouncil Tower East a 250-foot reliefsculpture was designed and created in brick by artists Saunders Schultz and William S everson,nationally known sculptors and is visible on the St. Louis skyline. Th e artists also designed a smallfountain within the complex and a sculpture within the fountain, Catfish and ~ r y s t a l . ~ ~

Th e apartments were designed for retired or semi-retired persons 62 years or older. A consciouseffort was made w hen d esigning and decorating the tower to avoid the appe arance or atmosphere of49a project or nursing hom e. Arthur Klein, development consu ltant for Council Tower, stated, our

com plex will offer more than swimm ing pools and shuffleboard courts; we are going to give retiredpeop le a new purpose in life." The development was a unique concept designed to help meet theneeds of citizens and to continue to offer them a produc tive lifestyle. Residents of Co uncil Towerswere offered ways to take part in runn ivg the complex, such as assisting with maintenance, cookingand being a member of the 'Good Neighbor programn." All tenants were involved somehow with the

upkeep of either the facility or m oral at Counc il Plaza.

The plaza design addressed a ll concern's that were brought before the U.S. Senate in 1961,f l l f b d l d d l l


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NPS F m 0-90011




Because of Harold Gibbon's contributions to the community with the construction of the CouncilPlaza complex, new doors were being opened up to him in the political and business elite of St.Louis. No longer viewed as the "labor boss", he was appointed secretary-treasurer of the Chamberof Commerce, appointed to the board of the Herbert Hoover Boys Club and his relationship wi'th thecivic leaders was one of mutual respect5* The Council Plaza Corr~plex ot or~ly evolutionized theidea of senior housing in St. Louis but constituted a change in the social standards for the elderly andthe city's obligation to this demographic. It also set a precedent for public housing as a successfully

managed and operated public housing project. In February of 1969, the time bomb within the City ofSt. Louis's Public Housing system exploded into a revolutionary tenant rent strike. In November of1968, public housing tenants were taxed with an unrealistic rent (50-75% of their monthly income)increase on public housing units that were unsanitary and unsafe to live. With no support from theMissouri Legislature or the HUD office, tenants were forced to find additional resources to aid them.Many local ministers, the Legal Aid Society and the National Tenant's Organization helped organizeand prompt the strike. 'The tenants in Carr Square, Cochran Gardens and the Vaughn Apartmentsbegan their rent strike, paying their monthly rent to the leaders of the strike who placed the funds intoescrow instead of paying the Public Housing Authority. The striker's demands were reasonable andjustified, asking for rent reductions, improved maintenance, garbage collection and increasedsecurity. The Housing Authority had no means to negotiate and the problems could not be solved


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*NPS Form 1C-900-8





In July of 1969, the Department o f Housing and Urban Development (HUD) se nt a "special panel" toSt. Lou is to assess the city's public housing program. Appa lled by the local authority's inability tosettle the rent strike and its lack of m anag erial control of the situation and the authority, the paneloffered their full support to H arold Gibbons and the Teamsters Union. HUD reported being"impressed" with Loca l 688's housing expertise with the C ouncil Plaza developmen t and sent a letterto Mayor Cervan tes asking that "full consideration be given to the possibility that the m anagem entand operation of the total housing program be turned over to the Teamsters Union ." Bolstered bythis end orsement G ibbons sought the Mayor's approval to negotiate as he saw fit. Receiving officialapproval from the Mayor in August, Gibbons took steps to unite the city's top business andcommunity leaders beh ind a pro posed settlement and created a civic partnership to administer publichousing in St. Louis, the St. Lou is Civic Alliance for Housing. An agreem ent was reache d betweenthe tenant strikers, the public housing authority and the city on Octobe r 29, 1969 that not only rolledbac k rents but also handed over administration of public housing to the newly formed business-labor-comm unity partnership. The Civic Alliance for H ousing, largely manage d by Lo cal 688 and a closeGibbons aide, managed p~ ~ b l icousing in St. Lou is for the next two years. The alliance was able toimprove the physical aspects o f public housing by obtaining necessary funds from HUD and gaining

building trade agreem ents from local unions for lower maintenance costs and help prom ote tenantparticipation, much like the Council Plaza concept. By April of 1970, HUD secretary George Romneywas praising the nianage me nt of the Civic Alliance for installing new competency and stabilizationinto a failing system

55


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NPS Form 10-900-a



Section number 9 Page 25

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Council Plaza DistrictSt. Louis, MO

A Statement of Policy on UnSan Renewal. The American Institute of Planners. 1959.

An American City. Four Years' Progress St. Louis 1949-1953. March, 1953

Brown, Raymond. A Time for Accounting: The Housing and Communitv Development Act in theSouth. (Atlanta: Southern Regional Council ,1976).

Bussel, Robert. A Trade Union Oriented War on the Slums" Harold Gibbons, Ernest Calloway andthe St. Louis Teamsters in the 1960s. Labor History, Vol. 44, No. 1, 2003

City of St. Louis building permit records. St. Louis City Hall, Office of the Assessor.

City of St. Louis deed abstracts. St. Louis City Hall, Office of the Assessor.

Commercial and Architectural St. Louis. (St. Louis: Jones and Orear, 1888), p. 309.

Cox, James. Old and New St. Louis. St. Louis: Central Biographical Publishing Co., 1894.

Globe Democrat Sunday Magazine. February 26, 1967.


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NP S F m 0-900-a. O M 6 Approval No 10240018 (8 86)United States Department of the InteriorNational Park Service


Council Plaza DistrictSt. Louis, MO

Meehan, Eugene J., The Quality of Federal Policymakinq.(Columbia: University of MissouriPress, 1979).

Missouri Humanities Council. St. Louis Labor History Tour.1994.

Office of Multifamily Housing Development. US Housinq Developments for the Elderly orHandicapped. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, March 1979.

Primm, James Neal. Lion of the Valley,St. Louis, Missouri, 1764-1980. (St. Louis, MO: Missouri

Historical Society Press), 1998.Public Housing Problems. Public Housing and Urban Renewal Policy),1959.

Purdy, I-indahl & Carter. Corporate Concentration and Public Policv. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc,1946.

Quirk, Richard John. The Continued Decline of the Social and Economic Fabric of the City of St.

Louis. (Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest Company) 2001.

S.I.U. E. Harold GibbonsCollection, Box 1 3, Council House Development. Application of Council


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>

NPS Form 10-9004 OM B Appmval No 1024-0018 (886)



Section number 9 Page 27Council Plaza DistrictSt. Louis, MO

St. Louis Housing Authority: Public Housing: St. Louis Urban Initiatives Program. 1 9 7 8 .

Statement of Bethune, Roderick A. Regional Administrator Housing and Home Finance Agency.U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Housing of The Senate Special Committee on AgingDecember 8, 196 1.

Statement of Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen of Illinois, U.S. Senate Committee HearingsDecember 8, 1961.

Statement of William J. Stelpflug, Chairman of Planning Committee on Aging, Health and WelfareCouncil of Metropolitan St. Louis. U.S. Senate Committee Hearings. December 8, 1961.

The St. Louis Regional Planning Association. Preliminary Report on a Regional Survey and Plan forSt. Louis Regional Area., St. Louis, MO 1936.

United States. Congress. Senate. Special Committee on Aging. Subcommittee on Housing for theElderly. December 8, 1961.

University Missouri at St Louis AJC Collection Box 52 Correspondence from Edgar M Ewing to


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NPS F a m 1C-900-e

Unite d States Department of the InteriorNational Park Service


Section number 1 Ol~hoto oa Page 28 Council PlazaSt. Louis rlnde~endent Citvl. Missouri

Verbal Boundary Description

The boundaries of Council Plaza are shown as the highlighted area on the accompanying map

entitled 'Site Plan." (See Section 7, p. 5) It is bounded on the west by South Grand, on thenorth and east by Forest Park Avenue, and on the south by Interstate 64 E.

Boundary Justification:

The current district boundaries encompass the nine acre tract historically associated with thedesign, construction and history of Council Plaza.

Photographs:The following information is the same for al photos:

Council PlazaSt. Louis [Independent City], MissouriPhotographer: Melinda R. WinchesterDate: July 2005Negatives on file with: Melinda R. Winchester, Lafser & Associates

2285 CR 31 6, Jackson MO 63755

Photos:1. 212 S. Grand, Circular Garage, Facing west

S


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council plaza national register of historic places registration form

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