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The St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians is a non-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment in St. Louis, Missouri and beyond. Use the links at the top of the page to browse our site and explore the wealth of information in our newsletters. See the Events page and latest newsletters for information about our own lecture series.

The Society of Architectural Historians – St. Louis Chapter and the St. Louis Public Library – Central Library/Steedman Architectural Library are pleased to announce that their 2024 Fall Lecture Series will be offered as in-person lectures at the St. Louis Public Library – Central Library again! We will also offer the talk via Zoom and record it for viewing later on the SLPL-CL YouTube site.

The State of Missouri has announced that they plan to sell the Wainwright Building and move staff working there to a facility in Chesterfield. The following letter is from the American Institute of Architects St. Louis.

"On behalf of the AIA St. Louis Board of Directors, I would like to address some recent news regarding the State of Missouri’s decision to vacate and sell the Wainwright Building in Downtown St. Louis. As an institution that has resided and invested in downtown for over 100 years, AIA St. Louis would like to express our disappointment in the decision to no longer keep this historic building a state maintained landmark.

The Wainwright Building is widely considered to be one of the first modern skyscrapers and a listed National Historic Landmark. Since the news of its sale became public, I’ve been presented with the building’s storied history and the work that went into its preservation over 50 years ago. An effort that included AIA St. Louis, then Governor Kit Bond, Mayor Cervantes, and concerned architects.

We have heard from many of our members already expressing their trepidation, including an article I found particularly poignant from ‘The Architect’s Newspaper’ titled ‘Louis Sullivan’s Wainwright Building is up for sale in St. Louis. But will it stay?’.

Below is an excerpted quote:

“It’s a shame that after saving the Wainwright Building from demolition, the mechanisms to ensure its preservation as an anchor of downtown St. Louis seem to be outside the scope of the state’s understanding of its own role and responsibilities.”
—Jonathan Solomon, cofounder of Preservation Futures

A loss for Downtown is not a win for the new location in which 400+ employees will be relocated. Our downtown is both our front door to the rest of the world and unifier for a divided St. Louis Metropolitan Area. These attributes are unique to this region alone and its landmarks should be at the very least preserved.

Whether a new owner utilizes the building as a museum, office space, retail, or other, AIA St. Louis formally offers our institutional knowledge and a genuine investment in Downtown to help facilitate the preservation efforts worthy of such a historic and important piece of its landscape." - Erik Biggs, AIA, LEED AP, President, American Institute of Architects St. Louis.