plaza square apartments, st. louis - national register of historic places registration form

7/27/2019 Plaza Square Apartments, St. Louis - National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

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NPS Form 10-900(Oc1.1990) OMB No. 100244018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Register of Historic PlacesRegistration Form

II. Name of Property 1historic nanie Plaza Square Apartments Historic Districtother nameslsite number N IA12. Location 1street & number B o u n d e d by Fifteenth, Olive, Seventeenth and Chestnut streets [ nla ] not for publicationcity or town -St. Louis [nla] vicinitystate Missouri code M O co~rnty St. Louis (Independent City) c o d e m zip code 63 103

13. StatelFederal Agency CertificationAs the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, Ihereby certify that this [ x ] nomination [ ] request fordetermination of elig ibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets theprocedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property [ x ] meets [ ] does not meet the NationalRegister criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant [ ] nationally [ ] statewide [ x ] ocally. ( See continuation sheet foradditional comments [ I. )

DateMissouri Department of Natural ResourcesState or Federal agency and bureau


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USDllNPS NRHP Registration FormPlaza Square Apar tmentsSt . Louis ( IndependentCity),MO(5,~lassificationOwnersh ip of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property

contributing noncontributing[x ] private[ ] public-local( 1 public-state[ ] public-Federal

[ ] building+)[x ] district[ I site[ ] structure[ I object

Name of related mu ltiple property listing.N/A

8 0 buildingsitesstructuresobjects

8 0 total

Number of contributing resources previouslylisted in the National Register. 1

16. Function or UseHistoric Function

DOM ESTIC/multiple dwellingREL IGION /religious facility

Current FunctionsDOM ESTIC/multiple dwellingRELIGIO&T!religious facility


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USDllNPS NRHP Registration FormPlaza Squ are ApartmentsSt. Louis (Independ ent City), MO[8.~tatern ent f Significance 1Applicable National Register Criteria Areas of Significance[ X 1 A Property is assoc~ated ith events that have made a significant contribution to COMMUNITY PLA N N ING A N Dthe broad patterns of our history - EVELOPMENT1 I B Property is associated with the live s of persons significant in our past. ARCHITECTURE[ X ] Property embodies the d istinctive characteristics of a type, period,or methodof const ruction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artist~c alues,or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose coniponenls lack Periods of Significanceindividual distinct~on 1956-1961[ ] Property has yelded, or is likely to yield, information mportant n prehistory orhlstory. Significant DatesCriteria ConsiderationsProperty s: NlA[I owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes.[ I B removed from its original location[I a birthplace or grave.[ I D a cemetery.( 1 E a reconstructed building, object, or structure.[ ] F a commemorative property.

Significant Person(s)NI A

Cultural Affiliation[X ] G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. NIA

z ,-. ArchitectlBuilderHeIImuth. Obata & Kassabaum, arch.Armstrong, Harris, arch.Walsh, Patrick. arch.


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USDllNPS NRHP Registration FormPlaza Square Apar tmen tsSt. Louis ( Independent City) , MO

[ 1 0 . ~ e o ~ r a ~ h i c a lata JAcreage o f Property 4 acresUTM ReferencesA. Zone 15 Easting 743 36 0 Northing 4279 520C . Zone I5 Easting 743 560 Northing 4279 320

B. Zone 15 Easting 743 580 Northing 4279 480D. Zone 1 5 Easting 7-17 340 North~ng 279 380

[ ] See contrnua t~on heetVerbal Boundary Description(Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.)Boundary Justification(Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.)[I 1. Form Prepared By 1nameltitle Carolyn To ft/Executive Director and Michael AllentResearch Associateorganization Landm arks Association of St. Louis date January 26, 2007street & number 91 7 Locust S treet, 7th floor telephone 3 14-42 1-6474city or town St. Louis state MO zip code 6 3 101

Additional DocumentationSkibnit the following items with the completed form:Continua tion Sheets


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO.1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEE T

1ection 7-age Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

Summary'The I'laza Squ are Apartm ents Historic Distric t cons ists of six thirteen-s tory ModernMov ement buildings and two historic churches (one w ith a later adjacent rectory) locatedon fou r city blocks in the west end of downtown S t. Louis bounded by Fifteenth Street onthe eas t, Chestnut Street on the south, Seventeenth Street on the west and O live Street onthe north. Constructed between 1959 and 1961 from plans by H ellmuth Obata &Kassabau m w ith Harris Arm strong, the apartment buildings are flat-roofed with concretestructural framew orks and walls clad in brick, wh ite Missouri limestone and enameledsheet metal panels. With long north-south dimensions and narrow east-west dimension sand a lack of traditional b ase-shaft-crown division, the buildings possess a strongemph asis on mass m itigated by the gen erous fenestration and variations in projectingbalconies. The three buildings on the southern blocks (numbered 10 ,2 0 and 30) have awider lateral dimen sior than the buildings on the northern blocks (numb ered 40 ,5 0 and60 ). Built as part of an urban renewal plan, the buildings are situated in a garden-likesetting with law ns, plazas and underground parking that is part of the originalarchitectural plan (see figure #I ). Except for uniformly brown-painted panels on five ofthe ap artment b uildings today instead of the original varied brightly-colored panels, the


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NPSForm 10-900-a(8-86) OMBNO 1024-0018

United S tates Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNAT ION AL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 7 Page 2 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent C ity], Missouri

the site lies the ribbon of parks including Mem orial Plaza (later known as the GatewayM all), part of the urban renewal plan for down town that included projects like the PlazaSqu are Apartme nts. Since their com pletion, the character of this area has change d verylittle. Many o f the surroun ding buildings maintain their long-tim e uses, and many morehave been renovated for new uses, including residential space. The area retains thedensity and vitality o f an urban central business district.

Figure # I : The curren t site plan. (Source: Cohen-Hilberry Architects.)


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OM6No . 1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 7- Page 3 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

Plaza Square ApartmentsConstnicted 1958-61Modern MovementHellmuth O bata Kassabaum with Harris Armstrong, architects6 contributingThe three buildings numbered 10 ,2 0 and 30 are located on the southern two block s andshare m any co mm on characteristics, with the location of ground-floor entrances the chiefvariable in their design (see photographs #2 and 3). All three have a footprint of 58' by2 11 ' and are thirteen stories tall w ith a high basement. A11 are set back from th e streetwith land scaping decorating the setback. Building 10 fronts onto Fifteenth Street,Building 20 fronts the vacated 9ixteenth Street from the west and faces the St. Johnchurch, and Building 30 fronts Seventeenth Street (gee figure #I) .Each building is clad in brown brick in an American comm on bond, with w indow bays


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NPSForm 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO. 1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection Z_- Page 4 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

On the south elevation , there are three bays all framed by a limestone band. Theouterm ost bays conta in paired windows like those on the other eleva tion, while the centerbays contain four openings with single-pane windows at each end. The bays areseparated by metal panels, with limestone ribbon bands running horizontally above eachodd-numbered floor within the outer frame. The northern elevation is much like thesouthern e levation, excep t that the center bay is blind although having lintels. A narrowconcre te cross -work g rille is at the leftmost end of each center bay, running fully betweenthe lintels.First floor en trances are at the fourth bay from the south, with sets of doors on both eastand west elevations opening to streets as well as to parking. The openings typically areglazed with plate g lass framed in aluminum with a set of double doors ; the bay to thesouth is usually entirely glass divided by three vertical aluminum mullions. Although.most of th e bglcony doors and windows throughout these buildings match the originalprofiles, many are replacem ents. On the basement floor of all six buildings, each windowbay carrie s a three-part fixed aluminum window. The center pane is narrow with twowider flanking panes. This pattern is repeated at each opening regardless of width.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNA1-IONAL REG ISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 7 Page 5 Plaza Square Apartments

St. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

flat concrete slab balconies with wrought-iron railings begin at the leftmost (south) bay ineach bay group except the leftmost (south), extending across the panel-clad wall sections.On the odd-num bered floors, projecting concrete balconies with concrete railing walls arefound on the leftmost (so uth) bay and each outer bay of the group of four bays.On the n orthern elevation, there are three bays all framed by a limestone band. Theoutermost bays contain paired windows like those on the other elevation, while the centerbays contain four openings w ith single-pane windows at each end. The bays areseparated by metal panels, w ith limestone ribbon bands running horizontally above eachodd-num bered floor within the outer frame. As on the other elevations, each windowgroup has a limestone lintel. 'The western elevation is the obverse of the easternelevation, w ith no major differences. The so uthern elevation is much like the northernelevation, excep t that the center bay is blind although having lintels. A narrow concretecross-work grille is at the leftmost end of each center bay, running fully between thelintels. The first-floor entrances are located in the fourth bay from the n orth on both thewest and east elevations to allow access from the street and parking areas. The openingstypically are glazed with plate glass framed in aluminum with a s et of double doors; thebay to the so uth is usually entirely glass divided by three vertical aluminum m ullions.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB No. 10244018

United States Dep artment of the InteriorNational Park S erviceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 7 Page 6 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Indepe ndent C ity], Missouri

on each floor. This includes four studio units, six one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units paired at each end of the building (see figure #2). The finishes in the unitsare simple, leaving the character similar to original condition (see pho tograph #8).Carpeting covers the concrete floors, except in the bathrooms and kitchens where theflooring is linoleum or tile. The walls are plaster on metal lath, and the plaster is mostlyin good condition. The floor plans are intact, as are interior and exterior door andwindow openings. Over the years, many interior doors have been replaced throughoutthe buildings. Simple wooden and metal baseboards and door casements abound in thecomplex, with many replacem ent pieces. Some of the kitchens retain original sheet steelcabine ts. The original heating was provided through a steam radiator system, and airconditioning through room units as mentioned in the exterior description.Overall, the Plaza Square Apartments clearly retain integrity. The site plan remainsmostly unaltered, although som e changes in landscaping and recreational features havebeen m ade. Most doors and windows throughout these buildings match their originalprofiles, although many are replacements. The notable exception among these threebuildings is Building 60 , which had com plete window replacement at some point. Thereplacement window s on Bu ilding 60 maintain a one-over-one division, but the sash


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NP S Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMBNO. 1024-001

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL R EGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEET

7ection I- Page Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Lou is [Independent City], Missouri

Figure #2: Typical floor plans for the building types. (Source: The Dolan Compan y.)

Plan fo r Buildings l0,20 and 30:


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OM B No. 1024-0018

United States D epartment of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONA L REGISTER O F HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUA'TION SHEETSection 7 Page 8 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

The original floor plans are intact throughout the complex, except in Building 60 where afew changes were made in a 1969 remodeling. During that remodeling, the first floorlobby's floor raised the elevator lobby floor to provide elevator access from the entrancelevel at to the firs t floor level for easier use by the elderly. The basement w as finished asa dining are a, with deeper a light well dug around the northwestern end of the building.New , taller window s were installed in the basement at this light well. An addition to thefirst floor on the eastern elevation was also built for this remodeling (see photograph # 5 ) .Throughout Building 60 and others, suspended acoustical tile ceilings have been installedin hallway ceilings. Som e lobbies have had wooden paneling applied, and many originallight fixtures in public spaces have been replaced. However, the basic appearance of theinterior rem ains. The P laza Square Apartments substantially retains integrity of location,setting, materials, feeling, workm anship and association and reflects its historicappearance. - - .-St. John the Apostle and the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and R ectoryChurch: Constructed 1859-60 with alterations, 1956-9; Rom anesque Reviv al; Patrick


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NP S Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OMBNO.1024-0018

United States Depa rtment of the InteriorNational Park Se rviceNATIONAL RE GISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEET

9ection Page Plaza Square Apartme ntsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

openings. Torch lam ps with glass globes between the door openings are not original.Centered on the second floor, an oculus with projecting limestone surround is flanked bytwo arched w indow openings divided into a circular header above two arched w indows;all openings a re glazed with decorative stained glass. The oculus originally had a hoodmold rather than a full surround, and the original hood molds for the arched openings arenow replaced by flat doubled solider courses. At the third floor in the gable is an arcadeof openings now infilled with jack-on-jack brick and stripped of hood molds. A statueprojects from the center arch, two rectangular recesses now flank the arcade and acontinuous limestone sill course replaces the original continuous wooden dentillatedcornice that wrapped around three sides of the church. An original wooden dentillatedcornice at the roofline is intact.On the towers, the second through fifth floors feature recessed sections topped by dentils.Originally, the first and second floors were arched windows with hood molds like thoseof other ope nings on the church. Now , the first floor openings are infilled to form -narrow, short w indows while the second floor openings are infilled completely. Thecornice line of the first floor doors originally wrapped around the exposed sides of thetowers but was replaced in the remodeling by a flat limestone belt. On the third floor on


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NPSForm 10-900-a(8-86)

Unite d States De partment of the InteriorNatio nal Park ServiceNATION AL R EGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection L- age 10 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

Throug h the main do orways on the primary elevation is a shallow narthex with graymarble cladding the walls to door height and a red marble floor. Three doors with archedfanligh ts above lead into the rectangular nave with a vaulted ceiling. Original millworksurrounds d oors and windo w openings throughout the nave and in the narthex. Theplaster walls and ceiling are covered in extensive fresco work. False pilasters withCorinthian capitals run ceiling-height between and beside each of the six arched stainedglass w indows o n the north and south walls. The floor is carpeted, and the pews aredivided by a cen ter and secondary aisles. Above the secondary aisles, simple pendantlights suspen d from the ceiling; these were added in the remo deling. On the west wall ofthe narthex, a curved balcony projects outward, supported by a column at either end. Aknee-wall runs along the b alcony. On the east wall, marble steps lead to the chan cel witha white m arble altar sitting in an apse. In the apse, a painted border runs horizontallyhigh on the wall; otherwise, there is no ornament. Despite the lengthening of the exteriorwindows an d the total replacement of the stained glass, the historic qualities of the churchare mostly intact in the interior. During the rehabilitation, the frescoes were ca re hl lyrestored.At the northeast corner of the church, a one-story hallway connects to the two-story


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NP S Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OMB NO.1024-0018

United S tates Dep artment of the InteriorNationa l Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUA1-ION S HEETSection 7- Page 1 1 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent C ity], Missouri

Centenary Methodist Episcopal Churc hConstruc ted 1869-70 with additions in 19 12 and 1924.Gothic RevivalThom as Dixon, architect (1 869-70) and J.B. Legg, builder; M auran, Russell and G arden,architects (1 924).Listed NR 1/16/1997

This limestone Gothic Revival church consists of the original two-story c hurch and athree-story addition housing o ffices and meeting rooms. The church itself, centered onan elevated 60 by 80 foot auditorium , has a steeply-pitched front-gabled roof with slatetiles. The m ain body is of g ray limestone, with buff limestone trim. The auditorium isarticulated through five pairs of Gothic lancet windows, plus a single lancet at the eastend, while the street-level window s have flat lintels. Stone buttresses serve as divisionsfor exterior bays. Th e primary (east) elevation features a large tracery window framedby a stone relieving arch over a buff-limestone belt course in the gable. Three pointed - - -arch doo rways set within triangular pediments are the main entrances; other doors arelocated at the north and south comers. The buttressed south tower features a 200-foot


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OMB NO.1024-0018

United States D ep ar t men t of t h e InteriorNational Park S er v i ceNATIONAL REGISTER O F HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 5.- P a g e -- P l aza S q u a r e A p a rt ment s

St.Louis [In de pe nd en t City], Missouri

windows with smo oth-faced limestone sills and lintels. North of this addition is agymn asium constructed at the same period; the flat-roofed addition is separated from theother ad dition by a light court and is built of painted brick. The gym nasium addition hassteel-sash m ulti-paned windows. Another addition from 1924 is a flat-roofed, one-storykitchen built between the turret at the northeast corner of the church and the gym nasium.The interior church auditorium has black walnut and yellow pine paneled galleries onthree side s, along with black walnut wainscoting throughout. The ceiling features blackwalnut and oak detailing. The original wood detailing is almost completely intact; theoriginal pcw s, pulpit and chancel remain in good condition. The church has receivedlittle alteration over the years, w ith the interior and exterior strongly displaying historiccharacter. In 1924, the firm Mauran, Russell and G arden designed some changes m ade tothe office wing, including co nversion of the original door into a window and replacem entof two window s next to h e urret with the large arched doorway. The stone masonry ofthe chan ges blends seamlessly into that of the original building. During the Plaza Squareproject, the chu rch did not undertake a major rehabilitation project as did nearby St. Johnchurch. Notably, the shingles on the north tower are not historic.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO 1024-0018

United States D epartment of the InteriorNationa l Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 age 13 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

SummaryThe Plaza Square Apartments Historic District, located on four city blocks in the westend of downtown St. Louis bounded by Fifteenth Street on the east, Chestnu t Street onthe south, S eventeenth Street on the w est and Olive Street on the north, is locallysignificant under Criterion A in the area of COM MUNITY PLAN NING ANDDEVELO PMENT and under Criterion C for ARCHITECTURE. The 13-story apartmentbuildings also meet Criteria Consideration G for properties that have achievedsignificance within the past 50 years. Com pleted in 196 1, the Plaza Square Apartmentsare the culmination o f an urban renewal plan for the western end o f downto wn St. Louisand represent the conscious attempt by city leaders to integrate refined mo dernarchitecture w ith urban renewal. City leaders had planned a grand M emorial Plazarenewal project for western dow ntown as early as 1907, but the impetus for developingnew housing facing out onto this civic space came in the 1940s. A 1953 bond issuesparked an ngenious financing plan assembled by Charles Farris, head of the city's newLand Clearance for Redevelopment Authority who had come to spearhead the plazarenew al project from a position at the US D epartment of Housing and U rbanDevelopment. The capstone achievement of the plaza renewal project wa s the Plaza


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO.1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTEROF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection -8 Page 14 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independ ent City], Missouri

in 1870 from plans by Thomas Dixon and expanded in 1924. Wh ile Centenary closelyresembles its original appearance, S t. John's shows notable exterior alterations thatreflect the vision of Murphy & Mack ey, architects of the remodeling. The period ofsignificance for the district is the period of construction work related to the whole project,1956-1961.

BackgroundSt. John the Apostle and Evangelist Roman Catholic Church , a twin-towered LombardRomanesq ue Revival red brick chu rch designed in 1859 by Patrick W alsh (St. Louis),was c omp leted by architect Thom as Mitchell after construction problems forced Walsh'sresignation. Founded in 1848 at the western edge of the city at 1 6 ' ~nd Ch estnut Streets,St. John's (the 8" Catholic parish in S t. Louis) was affiliated with the Archbas ilica of S t.John Lateran in Rom e and could thus hold ordination and con secration services.'Plate 42 from Compton & Dry's PictorialSaint Louis: 1875docum ented St. John's in afully developed residential neigh borhood enhanced by the presence of the pub lic highschool, W ashington University and two well-landscaped parks. (Included in the many


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMBNO. 1024-0018

United States Dep artment of the InteriorNationa l Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTEROF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 15 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], M~s so uri

Figure 3: Plate 42, Compton & D r y (1875) with St. John's at #I and Centenary Methodist a t #2.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO .1024-0018

United States D epartment of the InteriorNationa l Park ServiceNAT IONA L REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLAC ESCONTINUATION SHEETSection -83 Page 16 Plaza Square Apartm entsSt. Louis [Independent City], M issouri

15"' Streets along M arket Street and a distinguished Plaza Com mission was set up toprepare a master plan and schem atic d e si g w 4 Fifteen years later on Mem orial Day 1938,Soldiers M emorial w as unveiled as the last piece in the collection.A stunning accom plishment of public will and architectural collaboration, com pletion ofthe plaza w as nonetheless overshado wed by the continuing Depression and grow ingslum s. Late 1930s studie s by the energetic City Plan Com mission pinpointed "obsolete"areas within fifteen blocks of the core Central Business District where urban ills (infantmortality, illegitimate children, tuberculosis and delinquenc y) were statistically over-represented. Dem olition of substandard housing and construction of large-scale, low-costhousing projects w ere offered as solution^.^ Released in Decem ber of 1942, Saint LouisAfter World War 11 cited additional grim housing statistics and determined that: "Theoldest buildings are in the most centrally located areas of St. Louis." "Obsolete Areasmust be reconstructed by large-scale methods." After summ arizing the Federal role inproducing essential low -cost housing, the Plan Co mm ission suggestEd that middle-classfamilies co uld be retained or enticed to the central city ". . if good accommodations andpleasant neigh borhood con ditions could be provided."6


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO 1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 17 Plaza Square Apartments


fiinds [wh ich] would offer an irresistible appeal because of its improvement overthe old and its convenience to the life of the city."Figure 4: Plaza Squ are Master Plan Rendering from 1950. (Source: Andrew Rairnist.)


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO 1024-001

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 3- Page 18 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

corporation. 2.) The Missouri Redevelopment Act authorized local redevelopmentautho rities to purchase or condemn real estate with the developer liable for taxes only onthe land for the first 10 years and for only 50% of assessed value during the next fifteenyears.ElaborationSt. Louis interests moved rapidly. The private part of the collaboration came together inthe Urban Redevelopment C orporation (URC), a cumb ersome coalition of almost seventyshareholders that bo asted membership from the highest echelons of business leader^.^By December 1950, a rendering that retained two mid-1 9th entury churches dwarfed bythree, twenty-four story bu ildings designed by Hellmuth, Yarnasaki & Leinweber withHarris Arm strong was printed on Mayor D arst's official Christmas card and published inthe St. Louis Post-D ispatch (see Figure 4).9Establishing a potent public partner came next. Governed by a five-person boardappointed by the M ayor, the Land Clearance for Redeve lopment Authority (LCR A) wasestablished in 195 1 "to undertake the acquisition, relocation, demo lition, and site


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO. 024-0018

United States D epartment of the InteriorNational Park Se rviceNATIO NAL REGISTER O F HISTORIC PLACESCONTINU ATION SHEETSection8 Page 19 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Misso uri

A Po.sl-Disputch editorial supporting the bond issue (March 1 1, 1953) noted that URCshareholders had pledged $2 million toward the housing project. An article in the sameedition reported that the F ederal Home & Housing F inance Authority had given tentativeapproval to a $2.6 million loan and accompanying $1.3 federal grant contingent uponpassage of the bond issue. A follow-up article in the P o s f - D i s p a f c h eporting strongsupport from a citizen s' committee (including the Most Rev. John P. Cody representingSt. John's and the Rev. Dr. Franck C. Tucker from Centenary Methodist) and a g ood-government cartoon reminder appeared the next day.''Figur e 5: "Vote for Bond Issue and Clear St. Louis' Front Yard" drawn by Fitzpatrick for theMarch 12, 1953 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO.1024-0018

United States D epartmen t of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIO NAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 20 Plaza S quare ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

a joint meeting of the local AIA Chapter and the Engineer's C lub. ' But enthusiasticsupp ort from both political parties, from the o utside planning expert and the local presswas not enoug h. The bond issue needed two-thirds to pass; it was defeated by a smallmargin. M ore than 13,000 who voted in the hotly contested Mayoral primary did notvote on the bond issues, perhaps because it was recorded too late to be printed in sam pleballots. Within days of the loss, proponents put together a special election. It passed onSept. 29, 1953.The c over in the January 20, 1954 issue of St.Louis Commerce attracted readers to"Urban Redeve lopment in St. Louis" written by forty-two-year-old Charles L. Farris, thenew Exe cutive Director of LCRA who had just taken office on Dec. 28 ,19 53 . 'Theform er Deputy Director of the Federal Slum Clearance and Urban Redevelopm entprogram, Housing and Home F inance Agency, Washington D.C., Farris (a life-longbureaucrat) was appointed by LCRA Board of Comm issioners on the recommendation ofnew Mayor Raymond R . ~ u c k e r . '~By Ma y 23, 1954, a Plaza prospectus prepared by LCRA for potential bidders set anestimated cost of $10,610 ,500 to acquire the land and build 1141 units (reduced from the


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNA TION AL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCON'l7NUATION SHEETSection 8 - Page 21 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

The o riginal plan (see Figure #4) by Hellmuth. Yamasaki & Leinweber with HarrisArmstrong called for elevating the project one story above the street with overpassesspanning P ine Street. The revised version for URC by Hellmu th, Obata & Kassabaumwith Harris Armstrong eliminated the overpass and substituted an o fic e building for oneof the apartments. In early May of 1956, St. John's at 1 6 ' ~nd Chestnut Streets andCen tenary M ethodist at 16'" and Pine S treets voted to join the team and conform to the40160 Plaza Square project ration of building footprint to landscaped open space. St.John 's agreed to pay $105,000 for a 30 ,726-square-foot tract adjoining the church to thenorth plus a section of 16'h Street to be vacated. (A new parish house, not built, wasenvisioned for the tract.) Centenary Method ist agreed to pay $100,000 for 26,743 squarefeet of land fronting on O live where it might erect a Method ist district administrationcenter. 4But the first step in the approval process hit a mcijor snag: The S t. Louis City PlanComm ission rejected the request to close Pine Street, contending that it would be neededto handle downtow n traffic heading to the new freeways.I5 Th is obstacle along withUR C's low offer on the land and the reduced number of parking spaces caused LCR A to


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO. 024-0018

United S tates De partment of the InteriorNational Park S erviceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 age 22 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Indep ende nt City], Missouri

l'rize to twen ty-three-year old Murphy for "A Memorial to the Spirit of the West." Theyoung architect's portrait was carried in Pencil Points along w ith a three-page spreadfeaturing his winn ing drawings.I6 This award allowed him to study for the next twoyears at 1"Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Upon returning to Kansas City, he worked ondesigns for the Kan sas City civic auditorium and the Jackson County C ourthouse. (Hisonly private project from the Depression era, St. Peter's Church and Rectory in KansasCity, was not built.) j 7I n 1935, Murphy moved to St. Louis and joined the faculty at W ashington University'sSchool of Architecture. In 1938, he entered into a partnership with University colleagueand MIT-trained Ke nneth W . Wischrneyer to prepare what turned out to be the winningentry to design the "Muny" (Mun icipal) open air theatre in Forest Park. Neither architectwas yet thirty years old. The young firm, long with Rathman & Koelle, was alsoresponsible for the 193 9 design for Carr Square-St. Louis' first housing project. Thepartnei-ship disso lved when b oth principals left for service in W WII. *Nam ed acting Dean at W ashington University in 1948, Murp hy continued as Dean from1949 until 1952 when h e left to en ter a partnership with Eugene Mackey Sr. Among that


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)United Sta tes D epartment of the InteriorNationa l Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 3- Page 23 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent C ity], Missouri

to put the church in good physical condition for its expected influx of new parishionerswhen new apartmen t buildings go up in the Plaza area." McCue then enum erated theapparently objectionable "con~posite"elements of the original design: a Roman esquebarrel vau lt ceiling, Renaissance ornamental moldings and cornices, Lom bardy towers,mid- 191h centu ry Am erican cast iron half-circle hood m oldings placed above exterio rwindows and doors.Murphy and Ma ckey's renovation of St. John 's removed all of the parts that McCuelisted as ob jectionable. The exterior was streamlined through the removal of the hoodmolds and many cornices, infill of windows and removal of the wooden entrance doors infavor of glass doors. The side windows were lengthened and glazed with modem stainedglass. The elaborate w ooden dentillated, wrapped co rnice at the roof level w ascomplement rem oved, along with the balcony rails on the towers (replaced by angularwrough t iron rails). A two-story Modem Movemen t rectory was built to the north of thechurch. The historic appearance of St. John's exterior was significantly changedaccording to a modern interpretive renovation that combined restoration of key historicelements and introduction of modem, minimal ones. P erhaps somew hat incongruouswith the scope of exterior alteration was the ca re h l restoration of the interior that


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL RE GISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 age 24 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

sources-the two historic churches slated to remain within the Plaza boundaries.Centenary Methodist had agreed to buy project land for $3.7 5 a square foot; S t. Joh n'sRoman Catholic Church, having agreed to $3.20, was already well underway w ith itsrenov ation. The developers proposed to pay only $1.56. This uncomfortable informationwas found in a report from the Federal Housing & Home Finance Agency prepared inresponse to a formal request by Missouri Senator Stuart Symington. Imm ediately, bothCentenary and S t. John's expressed reservations about their comm itments, noting thatL C R 4 had been "rather ungenerous" and "most unsympa thetic" in its negotiations.Th e federal report also expressed concern about delays driving up costs. URC finallycapitulated. On January 29, 1957 it submitted a new bid of $920 ,000 and issued a pressrelease: "... we wish to call attention to the fact that this is the highest price placed uponany sim ilar project for land by the authorities anywhere in the cou ntry, outside New YorkCity, so far as we know. Why this situation prevails for St. Louis, we do not know. Thehigher price which we are required to pay for the land will increase the cost of the projectand the apartments, restrict our equity money, working capital and other plannedrecreational use of the area. How ever, our corporation is a limited profit-civic group,with only one objective-and that is to build and develop this Plaza area so that it will be


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NP S Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMBNO. 024-0018

United States D epartm ent of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 25 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent C ity], Missouri

a gay, happy appearance" and noted that three elements would be used to achieve thiseffect: two-story color panels, open balconies alternating with closed balconies. Thecombination will achieve an effect of "light, shade, color and shape," added partnerGeorg e Hellmuth. "Anyone co ming into downtown St. Louis will be struck by theappearan ce of the Plaza." Harris Armstrong was credited w ith bringing in industrialcolorist Alexander Girard of Santa Fe, N. M., as a project consultant on the colorschemes.22Figure #6: Plaza S quare Apartments u nder construction, viewed from the Central Library at 14Ihand Olive streets. (Source: Landmarks Association Collection.)


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NP S Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO 1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNation al Park ServiceNAT IONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection -8 Page 26 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Lou is [Independent C ity], Missouri

'I'he Ilo lan R eal Estate Company, with a rental office in Building 60 at 17Ih and Pine,reported that more than 240 units (about 25%) had been rented in advance. Publicillspection of th e first sixteen apartments in Building 60 on January 2, 1960 was timed tocoin cide with a ceremony presenting a gold key to the first tenants to move in-Mr. andMrs . Carl M. Baco a, formerly of 854 Victoria Place in Glendale. (He was em ployed asman ager of the budget section of Ralston-Purina.) A few other early tenants also camefrom St. Louis County but more had been living in apartments along Kingshighw ay andLindell Boulevards in the Central West End.The m odel apartments at Building 60 were decorated and furnished by se ven of S t.Lou is' leading furniture and department stores in styles ranging from contemporary to ajarring Early American. Clearly, the revision-weary architects had finally relinquisheddesign control. But how did they get the job to start with? The answer probably issparkp lug George Hellmuth, whose political acumen along with his carefully maintainedlocal connections had pusitioned his new St. Louis firm in the forefront of a post-warbuilding boom.George Hellmuth (1 907- 1999) graduated in 193 1 from W ashington Un iversity's School


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMBNo. 1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 27 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

'I'he early Plaza Square Master Plan rendering from 1950 (see Figure 4) was apparentlydrafted as a pro b ono investment on future St. Louis work.A partial list of works credited to Yamasaki, the firm's initial designer, opened with a1952 urban redevelopment plan for St. ~ o u i s . ~ ~he only other S t. Louis projects listedare the Pruitt-Igoe Public Housing project (opened in 1955 and imploded as a nationalfailure in 1976) and the 1956 main terminal at Lam bert-St. Louis International Airport-considered h is first signature building and a model expression of flight in architecture.But finding time for com peting projects in the St. Louis and Detroit offices put a terriblestrain on Yarnasaki. The result was an almost fatal attack of ulcers in 1954. 25Both partnerships split in 1955. Hellmuth chose to regroup only in St. Louis, retaining50% of that partnership while offering 25% to G yo Obato (Yarnasaki's St. Louis deputyof design) and 25% to George Kassabaum , Leinweber's St. Louis production manager.The three partners m anaged to open HOK doors with a sizable staff of twenty-four. Afterrecuperating, Yarnasaki continued in Detroit with Leinweber until 1959.A biographical stretch of H arris Armstrong (1899 -1973) in the AIA archives at the


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OMB NO.1024-0018

United States Departmen t of the InteriorNationa l Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection -8 Page 28 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent C ity], Misso uri

practice in suburban K irkwood, Missouri. Within a short few years Arm strong hadestablished h imself as the foremost St. Louis modernist, receiving the Silver Medal at the1937 Paris Exposition for his International-Style Clayton officc for Dr. Leo Sha nley.Prestigious residential comn ~ission s,which kept the office open during WW II, continuedto be a staple throughout his career. The Architectural Record devoted eleven pages tothe S hanley Building in 1936, beginning annual appearances of Armstrong's work in thejournal for the duratio n of his career." In 1945, Arm strong's recent work was surve edin Architectural Forum; Pencil Points published a biographical ske tch the next yea r.&Armstrong rose to become the leader of the Modern Movement in the Midwest,experimen ting with the International Style and Prairie School movements ahead of hispeers a s he created his own idiosyncratic modem style.Figure 7: Portrait of Harris Armstrong, c. 1930. (Source: Andrew Raimist.)


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO. 024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 age 29 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

Research B uilding at Washington U niversity and a home for Magic C he fs ArthurStockstrom. He was also the only St. Louis architect to have achieved an internationalrcpuration, according to a recent comment by the Pos t-Dispatch 's visual arts critic.30 Justwhen Armstrong brought Alexander Girard into the Plaza Square mix is not k n ~ w n . ~ 'The final plan for the Plaz a Square Apartments called for six Modem M ovementapartment buildings and the two existing churches set amid landscaped open sp ace andsome parking (see figure #6). Sixteenth Street running no rth-south through the site wasclosed, while Pine Street running east-west remained open. The buildings' lateral sideswere to face east and west, rather than north and south. The six buildings would havevery sim ilar execution except that there would be tw o different types based on differentlateral dimensions. Th e wider buildings (numbered 1 0 ,2 0 and 30 Plaza Square) werelocated on the southern blocks, while the narrower ones (numbers 40 ,5 0 and 60 PlazaSqu are) were on the northern blocks. Unlike other urban renewal projects of the time, themain entrances to each building faced straight out, upon p ublic streets or vacated ones,thus creating a firm connection with downtown. Rear entrances led to parking areas, withan underground garage between buildings 40 and 50.While remaining angular, slee k modem buildings, each of the Plaza Square Apartment


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OM B N O . 1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 30 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

Especially notable w as that this design was being employed for a large-scale inner cityhousing project, establishing the importance of good design in urban renewal efforts.Figure 8: An aerial rendering of the Plaza Square Apartments. (Source: Cover of the Plaza Squarebrochure by the Urban Redevelopment Corporation, 1958.)


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OMB No. 1024-0018

United S tates Departmen t of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNAT ION AL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 8_ age 3 1 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

installation was already allowed under many building codes in the St. Louis suburbs,where new co nstruction was booming. Successful proponents of changed to the city'scode thought that the ch ange was crucial to urban renewal efforts.33?'he interior spac es were similarly refined. Expansive lobbies with large glass entries andwindow s were clad in travertine marble and given terrazzo floors. These light spaces ledto eleva tors arriving at stark, minim ally-decorated hallways. The apartme nts came indifferent types, with 16 units per floor in the larger building type and 12 in the sm aller.There was a one-room efficiency, suitable for a single person. There was a spacious two-room unit where one room was the private bedroom. Then there was the three-room unitwhere tw o rooms were private bedrooms; these were located at the corners to provide forma xim um natural light in the spaces. The units all had full bathrooms and sm all butefficient kitchen areas. Steam heat and individual air conditioning units providedcom fort. The apartm ents featured carpeting, plaster walls and incredible views of thecentral city. W hile not ostentatious, the units exhibited a level of privacy, convenienceand urbanity missing from contem porary local projects. In short, the apartments werewell-suited fo r the purpose of attracting middle-class residents.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

United States Departmen t of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection & Page 32 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Indepen dent C ity], Misso uri

Apartm ents was making a co nscious choice to remain in or return to the city, and wouldlive connected with the abundant cultural and economic activities of the downtow n area.The design offered in return for the choice was colorful and lively. The Dolan Compan yma de extensive use of advertising to attract residents, ensuring that a wide range of thepublic would be aware of the new apartments.As residents m oved in, the new apartment buildings received favorable local press."Probably nothing b uilt in S t. Louis since the airport terminal has captured the publicfancy and been the subject of so m uch conversation," began an article in the Augu st 7,1960 issue of the St. Louis ~ o s t - ~ i s ~ a t c h . ~ ~he article noted that occupants of the firstthree b uildings to be co mpleted already had launched a monthly new sletter, calledthemselves "residents" rather than "tenants" and were enjoying the am enities ofdow ntow n living. Plaza S quare Apartmen ts attracted a mix of residents moreeconom ically diverse than other urban renewal projects in the city. Especially notablewas the num ber of middle-class residents lurcd to living in the inner city, an aspectmissing from other housing p rojects aimed exclusively at working-class people. The firstresidents rang ed fiom M issouri H istorical Society Director Charles van Ravenswaay todowntow n office workers.36 The St. Louis Globe-Democrat lauded Plaza Square


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OM B No 1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL RE GISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 3- Page 33 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

"differentiate spaces by function" and that they "provide for use sequence of spaces"from street to lobby to apartment.39 Obata also called for concrete flat-slab construction,use o f as few different materials as possible in construction, and placemen t of largestunits at the c orners of apartm ent buildings. All principles were fully implem ented atPlaza Square, show ing a mutual impact between Obata and the Plaza Square project atthe early part o f Obata's long and distinguished career.Figure 9: Line drawings showing scenes from Plaza Square Apartments. (Source: ArchilecluralRecord, July 1958). -


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OM0 No. 10245018

United States D epartment of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 34 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Indepen dent City], Missouri

Along with other factors, the balance of differentiated spaces and a connected totalexperience set Plaza Square Apartmen ts apart from other large-scale renewal projects inSt. Louis. The concern for both quantity and quality of spaces was in sharp contrast tothe nature o f contem porary large-scale urban apartment projects like Yamasak i'snotorious Pruitt-Igoe prqject, where the sheer number of voluminous buildings dominatedan otherwise mostly-open site. The visual effect of the design at housing projects likePruitt-Igoe w as one of too sharply distinguished spaces that failed to make a harmoniousbalance. By maintaining a high regard for natural light and balance of spaces, thearchitects of Plaza Square Apartmen ts avoided common pitfalls of the time.How ever noted a model it was, the success at Plaza Square could not stem the flight tosuburbia. In 1960, during construction, the U.S. Census reported a total population of750,026 for the city of St. Louis. By 1970, the census reported that the city had 622,236residents. Meanwhile, St. Louis Coun ty's population went fiom 703,532 in 1960 to95 1,67 1 in 1970--overtaking the city's population.Within a few years of construction, Plaza Square mortgages initially held by theManufacturers Trust Company of New York had passed to the Federal National


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUA'TION SHEETSection 8- age 35 Plaza Square Ap artnientsSt. Louis [Independe nt City], Missouri

(Vice President of Western Printing and Lithograph) reported that Wolff had made a personalcontribution o f $100,000 toward the addition of a lounge, recreation area, nursing station andadministration offices on the first floor and a lower level dining room and kitchen.42 Aproposed roof top garden at the newly named Town House did not materialize.The 1967 edition of George McC ue's T he Building ArT in ST. Louis: Two CenTuries, aguide sponso red and published by S t. Louis AIA, devoted over a page to the Plaza Squareproject, noting that the urban design scheme ". ..admits light to all apartm ents, and letspassersby see through the development. Sand-colored brick w alls are enlivened bycolored porcelain panels and by an alternation of balconies overlooking patios." Mc Cuealso included short descriptions of the two churches and mentioned a subsequent growthin membersh ip a t Cen tenary ~ e t h o d i s t . ~ ~Both Centenary M ethodist and St. John'swere designated official city landmarks by the St. Louis Landmarks & Urban D esignComm ission in March 1971 )Dolan Realtors continued to manage the remaining five Plaza Square buildings until January1981 when Lov e Managem ent purchased them from the Urban Redevelopm ent Corpo ration.Encouraged by an occupancy rate of 90% , Love invested about $3 m illion in 1987. Two years


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection8 Page 36 Plaza Square Apartments


occupancy stood at only 4 0 % . ~ ~oday, a new owner is adapting the former BethesdaTow n House property (# 60 Plaza Square) to plans by Cohen H ilberry (St. Louis)desig ned to appe al to its original market: moderate-income urbanites of all ages. Thisproject, dubbed BLU Cityspaces, may well encourage historically correct reinvestment inthe o ther five Plaza Square buildings.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86) OMB NO. 024-0018

United States Departmen t of the InteriorNational Pa rk ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection -5- Page 37 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

Bibliography"A New Face for a Large Area in Downtown St. Louis." Architectural Record, July1958.Armstrong, Harris, Collection. Washington University Archives.Ballman, Jewel. Highlights on U rban Renew al. St. Louis, Mo.: Land Clearance for

Redevelopment Authority, 1974.Baluch, Vivian M. "Minoru Yamasaki, World-Class Architect." The De troit News.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL R EGISTER O F HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUA'TION SHEETSection 3 Page 38 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

McQuade, Walter. Architecture in the Real World: the Work of HOK. New York:Abrams, 1984Ob ata, Gy o. "Apartments: Some Suggestions for Urban Housing." Arch itecturalRecord, March 1961."I'laza Developm ent Envisioned on Ma yor 's Christmas Card," St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Everyday Magazine, 1 December 1950."Plaza Project Hailed as one of the Best in Nation by Planning Expert," St. Louis-PostDispatch, 13 May 1953.Pla za Squ are . St. Louis: The Urban Redevelopmen t Corporation, 1958.Plaza Square Apartments. Clippings File, Fine Arts Department, St. Louis Public

Library.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8 -86)

United States Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATION AL REG ISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCON'l7NUA1-ION SHEETSection 3 Page 39 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent City], Missouri

'Tucci, Lind a. "HUD wan ts to shake things up at Plaza Sq uare Apartments," St. LouisPost-Dispatch, 13 Novem ber 2003.

"[J.S. Age ncy OK 's $92 0,000 Plaza Housing Site Bid." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 19February 1957.


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NP S Form 10-900-a(8-86) OM B NO.1024-0018

United States Department of the InteriorNationa l Park ServiceNA TION AL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLAC ESCONTINUATION SHEETSection 10 Page - 40 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independent C ity], Missouri

Boundary DescriptionThe n o~ nin ate d arcel is located at on city blocks 497 ,49 8, 507 and 508 in St. Louis,Missouri. Th e site is legally known by the assessor's office as parcel numbers04970 000200 ,0498000 0300,050 700002 00 and 05080000200. The nominated propertyis indicated by a dashed line on the accompanying map entitled "Plaza SquareApartm ents Boundary Map."Boundary JustificationTh e noilliilated parcel includes all of the property historically associated w ith the PlazaSquare Apartments located on city blocks 497 ,49 8,5 07 and 508.Plaza Square Apartments Boundary MapSource: SanbornFire Insurance M q , c. 1968.


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NPS Form 10-900-a(8-86)

OMBNo. 1024-0018

United States Departmen t of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCONTINUATION SHEETSection owners Page 41 Plaza Square ApartmentsSt. Louis [Independe nt City], M issouri

Owners of Record:10 -- 50 Plaza SquarePlaza Square Partners LLC30 Plaza SquareSt. Louis, MO 6310360 Plaza SquareOlive Condominum s-St. Louis LLC or affiliated entity c/oHearthstone, Inc. (authorized agent for Olive Condo miniums-St. Louis, LLC)220 N . Sm ith Street, Suite 406Palatine, IL 60067St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Roman Catholic ChurchArchdiocese of St. Louis4445 Lindell BoulevardSt. Louis, MO 63108


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NP S Form 10-900-a(8-86)OMB NO.1024-0018

United States Depa rtment of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNA1-IONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLAC ESCON'TINUATION SH EETSection photographs Page 42 Plaza Square ApartnientsSt. Louis [Independen t City], Missouri

Unless otherwise indicated, the following is true for photographs 1 through 5 submittedwith this nomination:Plaza Square ApartmentsBounded by Olive, 151h,Chestnut and 1 7 ' ~treetsSt. Louis [Independent City]Photographer: Michael AllenJanuary - February 2007Neg atives on file at: Landm arks Association of St. Louis.Unles s otherw ise indicated, the following is true for photographs 6 through 8 submittedwith this nomination:Plaza Square ApartmentsBounded by Olive, 15th,Chestnut and 17thstreetsSt. Louis [Independent City]Photographer: Chris JacksonNovember 2006

La - iviap or rnorograpn LocaclonPb= $-ace Amr+.n,ts Hi5-wiL,


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O : L I V E S T R E E T a-o--, [T~J.'& fl*

P I N E S T R E E T

CHURCH

C H E S T N U T S T R E E T/,

. ' @' A@GENERAL SITE PLAN


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720 000 FEETIILWEST)

Produced by th e United Stat es Geological SurveyTopography compiled 19 52 . Planimetry derived from imagery taken19 93 and other sources. Photoinspected using imagery dated 1 998 ;no major culture or drainage changes observed. PLSS and survey controlcurrent as of 195 4. Boundaries, other than corporate. verified 19 99North American Datum of 1 98 3 (NAD 83). Projection and 9 MILS -o 45 '1000-meter grid: Universal Transverse Mercator, zone 15 31 MlLS1 0 000-fo ot ticks: Illinois (west zone) and Missouri (east zone)Coordinate Systems of 19 83

IJlMGRID AND 1999MAGNEllC NORTHNorth American Datum of 1 92 7 (NAD 27) is shown by dashed D E m A n o NATCENlEROFSHEETcorn er ticks. The values of the shift between NAD 83 and NAD 27for 7.5-minu te intersections are obtainable from National Geodetic

1 - 0 - 0MIU

CONTOUR INTESUPPLEMENTARYCONTi

NAllONAL GEODEllCMTOCONVERT FROM FEETTOl H I S MAP COMPLIES WITH NAllON

FOR SALE BY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,P!A A r n 11I ~ n i c r n r n r r c - r r* n r .


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plaza square apartments, st. louis - national register of historic places registration form

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