The Saint Louis University Museum of Art is the formal art museum for

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

. It is located at 3663 Lindell Boulevard in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

and is also known as Doris O'Donnell Hall.

Architecture

Designed in the Beaux-Arts

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

, the building has a raised basement of rusticated

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

and a high-pitched

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

. The front(south-facing) façade is organized in a tripartite fashion, with the central block displaying Ionic-style columns, as well as corbelled entablature. The flanking sections have tall

casement windows A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges at the side. They are used singly or in pairs within a common frame, in which case they are hinged on the outside. Casement windows are often held open using a case ...

with limestone surrounds and ornamental wall dormers.

History

Completed in 1900, the four-story building originally hosted the St. Louis Club, an organization founded in 1878. The principal architect of the building was Arthur Dillon of the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

firm Friedlander and Dillon. While hosting the St. Louis Club, the building became the location of many historical moments. In 1902, Prince Henry of Prussia was entertained at the club during a visit to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. Much of the planning for the

1904 World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 mi ...

was carried out on the site. The building was also visited by U.S. Presidents

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

McKinley McKinley may refer to: People *McKinley (name), a page for people with the surname and given name "McKinley" **William McKinley, 25th president of the United States. Places Philippines * Fort William McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio) in Metro Ma ...

, Taft,

Roosevelt Roosevelt most often refers to two American presidents: * Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919, president 1901–1909), 26th president of the United States * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945, president 1933–death), 32nd president of the United State ...

, Wilson, and Harding. After a fire in 1925, the

F. W. Woolworth Company The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's or simply Woolworth) was a retail company and one of the pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was among the most successful American and international five-and-dime businesses, se ...

bought the building and converted it into offices which served as the regional headquarters for the company.

purchased the building in 1992 from alumnus Dr. Francis O'Donnell Jr. and used it for classrooms until it converted the structure to a museum in 1998. The building is named Doris O'Donnell hall in honor of Dr. O'Donnell's mother, who was a long-time employee of the university. It is a designated historic landmark by the city of

Permanent collection and past exhibitions

As of April 2022, there are 241 pieces in the museum's permanent collection, including works by

Achille Perilli Achille Perilli (28 January 1927 – 16 October 2021) was an Italian painter and sculptor. Biography Born in Rome on 28 January 1927, Achille Perilli attended classical secondary school and earned a degree in literature with a thesis on Giorgio ...

Adam Emory Albright Adam Emory Albright (August 15, 1862 – September 13, 1957) was a painter of figures in landscapes. He was born in Monroe, Wisconsin and spent his working life in Warrenville and the Chicago area. Early years Albright studied at the Chicago ...

Anton Heyboer Anton Heyboer (; 9 February 1924 – 9 April 2005) was a Dutch painter and printmaker. Biography According to the informational booklet "Anton Heyboer: Timeless Work", he was born on the small island of Pulau Weh in the north of Sumatra as the ...

, and

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

. Past exhibitions at the museum have showcased the work of

Leon Bronstein Leon Bronstein (; born July 20, 1951) is an Israeli sculptor. Early life, family and education Bronstein was born in Tiraspol, Moldova, part of the USSR at the time. He graduated from the Tiraspol Technicum (College) after completing his studie ...

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

, Leo Ray, and

Edward Boccia Edward Eugene Boccia (1921–2012) was an Italian Americans, Italian American painter and poet who lived and worked in St. Louis, Missouri and served as a university professor in the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, School of Fine Arts, Washington ...

References

External links

Official Museum Site
Museum Of Art Art museums and galleries in Missouri Museums in St. Louis University museums in Missouri Art museums and galleries established in 1992 Landmarks of St. Louis Department store buildings in the United States F. W. Woolworth Company buildings and structures Beaux-Arts architecture in Missouri 1992 establishments in Missouri Midtown St. Louis Tourist attractions in St. Louis Educational buildings in St. Louis {{StLouis-struct-stub

Architecture

History

Permanent collection and past exhibitions

See also

References

External links