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

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

. It is located at 3663 Lindell Boulevard in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

and is also known as Doris O'Donnell Hall.

Architecture

Designed in the Beaux-Arts

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

, the building has a raised basement of rusticated

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and a high-pitched

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

. 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 cas ...

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 City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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 Prince Henry of Prussia can refer to: *Prince Henry of Prussia (1726–1802) *Prince Henry of Prussia (1747–1767) *Prince Henry of Prussia (1781–1846) *Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929) *Prince Henry of Prussia (1900–1904) Prince Henry ...

was entertained at the club during a visit to St. Louis. 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 World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

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

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, McKinley, Taft, Roosevelt,

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People * Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...

, and

Harding Harding may refer to: People *Harding (surname) *Maureen Harding Clark (born 1946), Irish jurist Places Australia * Harding River Iran * Harding, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province South Africa * Harding, KwaZulu-Natal United Sta ...

. After a fire in 1925, the F. W. Woolworth Company 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 St. Louis.

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,

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) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

. Past exhibitions at the museum have showcased the work of

Leon Bronstein Leon Bronstein (born July 20, 1951) is an Israeli sculptor. Life Bronstein was born July 20, 1951 in Tiraspol, Moldova. He graduated from the Tiraspol Technicum (College) after completing his studies in the field of Engineering. During his last ...

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 thre ...

, Leo Ray, and

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

References

External links

Official Museum Site
Museum Of Art

Art museums and galleries in Missouri Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, A ...

Museums in St. Louis University museums in Missouri Art museums established in 1992 Landmarks of St. Louis Historic 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 Buildings and structures in St. Louis {{StLouis-struct-stub

Architecture

History

Permanent collection and past exhibitions

See also

References

External links