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Four Kirkwood Landmarks Designated After A Lull Of Several Years

Kirkwood, Missouri -- Thursday, October 18, 2007 -- At a recent public hearing held by the Kirkwood Landmarks Commission, four local properties were unanimously designated as local landmarks, after a lull of over five years.

            Regarding the four recently designated Kirkwood landmark properties, the process began last month when official applications requesting landmark status were presented to the Commission by the property owners. Staff then compiled a working historic inventory of each proposed landmark. Earlier this month, the Commission toured each nominated property.

            For the past two years, the Commission has worked to improve the process of designating and protecting local landmarks, by writing better procedures for nominations, suggesting a revised landmarks ordinance to the City Council, and improving the methods and means of communication with Kirkwood residents.   The primary duties of the Kirkwood Landmarks Commission’s, which are defined by ordinance, remain unchanged: to survey and consider designations of landmarks and historic districts in Kirkwood, and to conduct design review of certain improvements planned for landmarks and places in historic districts.  

            With the additional four landmarks, Kirkwood’s total local landmarks now stand at 92 properties. This includes properties located within two local historic districts: Meramec Highlands with 18 contributing (historic) resources (cottages, railroad depot, railroad tunnel); Central Place with 16 contributing homes; and two national historic districts: Jefferson-Argonne and East Monroe, each containing over 80% historic homes. 

            The four properties recently designated as Kirkwood landmarks are:

Saint Peter Cemetery, 520 West Monroe Avenue (south of Kirkwood Park). 

The cemetery is part of Saint Peter Parish, which preceded the founding of Kirkwood in 1853. It is the oldest Catholic cemetery in Saint Louis Archdiocese that is in active use.  The site is a serene resting place for over a century of parishioners and reverend fathers.  During the 1860s, it was the site of the original church and school.  Today you can find an ethereal landscape with tall trees intermittently shading gravesites, old and new, weatherworn and majestic. The oldest grave markers are near Geyer Avenue. Ann Morris in the year 2000 surveyed several historic cemeteries in Saint Louis and identified several historic features at Saint Peter, including white marble tablets with crosses and flowers and lambs carved on them, and square marble columns topped with urns or draped urns.  Granite blocks and slants are found throughout the site, including two unusual vitreous clay crosses.    The site has a unique architectural feature: a land crypt – a row of graves in front of a small, stone wall adorned with family plaques.  The historic cemetery fulfills all of the possible criteria set by the commission: it contributes to the understanding of Kirkwood's culture and community, it is associated with people and events of importance, it contains architectural significance, and it has aged.  Saint Peter (then known as Gravois Parish) was established on the property in 1832.  The founding families (including Holmes, Collins and Sappingtons) purchased 80 acres from the U.S. government for 100 florins.  A stone church was erected on the property in 1834.  The first recorded burial is that of Unity Breen, wife of Peter Breen, who died January 28, 1835, at age 28.  Furthermore, the Parish maintains a registry of all whom were buried there.  In 1851 the Archbishop sold five acres of the property to the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1867 the Church was moved to a three-acre site within the city limits of Kirkwood.  The original stone church building was destroyed by fire in 1875.  A black granite monument memorializes the site. 

Saint Peter Church, 237 East Argonne Drive.

Built in 1950 with renowned architect Joseph D. Murphy, Saint Peter Church is the second post-WWII cotemporary Catholic Church in the Saint Louis area.   It is significant in the architectural, civic, artistic, cultural, social and ethnic heritage of the development of the city of Kirkwood after the mid-20^th century. The church, with its modern design, includes embossed anodized copper work at the cornice, unmatched in other modern works.  Francis Deck designed stained-glass windows from the atelier of Emil Frei, both members of the Kirkwood parish.

Joseph Murphy, a progressive Dean of Washington University College of Architecture during 1948 through 1952, was instrumental in encouraging the Archdiocese of Saint Louis toward contemporary design in its building process.  Murphy had designed Saint Ann Church in Normandy in this style in 1949.  Later, Murphy, in partnership with Eugene Mackey, was responsible for: Resurrection Church in St. Louis, 1954; the Climatron in Missouri Botanical Garden, 1960; Washington University's Olin Library, 1962; Barnes Hospital Queeny Tower, 1962 among others.  Saint Peter Church is built in classical basilica style with modern features: clean sight lines, no pillars.  The emphasis of the building is on the altar.   An addition made a couple years ago does not detract from the historic primary building because of its complementary implementation.

The Woodworth Building, 212 North Kirkwood Road.

This two-story rectangular retail building with front bay window and symmetrical alcove front entrance with four steel pillars has historic significance in the commercial development of Kirkwood after the turn of the 20^th century.  The building has seen many tenants over the years, including a bakery, card shop, barber, eyeglass & optical shop.  In the latter half of the century, it was home to Casey's Sports store, the St. Louis Steamers, Self Help Center and Alliance for the Mentally Ill.  Since 1999 it has been reservation headquarters for Gwin’s Travel. The second floor had served as rooming house or apartments for many years before being converted into office space by Ken Connor, a past owner.  Photography from the 1920s shows the building along on Webster Avenue (now known as Kirkwood Road) during a promotional event with Buster Brown and his dog Tide selling children’s shoes. 

The brick architecture is similar to many of the railroad depot stops that were built to support the railroad and passengers, also found in Herman, Missouri.  After purchasing the building from the Connors in 1997, Graydon “Gig” Gwin obtained historic photos and, using them as reference, endeavored to restore the building to its former glory.  Artist and architectural historian Bob Whitesitt was consulted. Whitesitt is well-known for several murals he’s painted in Kirkwood, including a colorful treescape in nearby Ken Conner Park, located in downtown Kirkwood.  A two-year effort removed the post-1950s cladding that obscured the historic features underneath, including several windows, and restoration of the exterior brick and installation of windows are conducive to the original historic look.  Other improvements made were an enclosed staircase to the rear of the building and cement handicap ramp that leads to Amici’s restaurant, next door. 

Kirkwood Public Library, 140 East Jefferson Avenue.

The Kirkwood Public Library also has historic significance in the educational, civic, social, and cultural development of the city of Kirkwood, and has continued to play an essential role in the community.  Organized in the 1920s by the League of Women Voters, initially the library was situated on the top floor of City Hall. The organization thrived, and a bond issue was passed in 1938 to construct a separate building for the library.  In 1939, an application for federal funding to assist in construction was denied due to transitional changes in the WPA and PWA programs.  The Kirkwood community therefore raised funds to construct the library.  Construction began early in 1940 with the cornerstone laid in March 1940. 

The architectural firm that designed the building, Bonsack and Pearce, had many institutional building commissions during the 1930s and 1940s.  In Kirkwood, the firm also designed Osage Hills School (1937-38; recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and the current City Hall.  The original building of the Kirkwood Public Library is of masonry construction in the style of Colonial Revival with a gable & hipped roof, topped with a cupola with louvered vents.  A west wing was added in 1955, and a south wing in 1962.  Alterations made in 1991 included an ADA-accessible foyer entry constructed on the presently intact façade.  Other intact exterior details include concrete quoins, keystones above windows and gable vents, and a concrete water table that was scored to imitate limestone.  

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