Superman & A Saint

My favorite architectural style is art deco and its cousin streamline moderne.  I love this style because it is less of a defined architectural style and more of an ornamental feature of the early modern styles, making it a versatile style that was incorporated in the stylings of buildings, homes, bridges, cars, trains, furniture, and graphic design of the 1920s through the 1940s (the website www.decopix.com has wonderful galleries full of art deco and streamline moderne subjects).  The two most recognizable examples of art deco architecture are located in New York City: the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.

Two of my favorite art deco buildings in Saint Louis are the Continental Life Building in Midtown and the Church of Saint Gabriel Archangel in the Saint Louis Hills neighborhood of southwestern Saint Louis city.

The first on our Saint Louis art deco tour is the Continental Life Building, known to some locals as the "Superman" building due to its resemblance to the Daily Planet building on the 1950s television program "Superman" with George Reeves as the Man of Steel.  The first season of the show used the E. Clem Wilson Building in Los Angeles, California as the home of the Daily Planet, while later seasons used footage of Los Angeles City Hall as the fictional newspaper's headquarters.

A view of the Continental Life Building from the Saint Louis University campus.  The building is the tallest in Midtown's Grand Center district and one of the tallest buildings in Saint Louis, easily visible from Highway 40/Interstate 64 and Interstate 44 to the south.  Grand Center is also located on top of a hill, making the top of the Continental Life Building one of the highest points in all of Saint Louis.

The many vertical lines of the building force your eyes upward, making this structure seem taller and slimmer than it is.

From Built St. Louis, "...it stood abandoned and rotting for over twenty years -- too big to ignore, too expensive to destroy, too excessive to be restored."  Thankfully, this building is coming back to life.

One of the soldiers guarding the building and a mother protecting her child.  These figures are located very high on the building, but are easily seen from street level.  However, these soldiers could not prevent Saint Louis's largest unsolved bank robbery from occurring in the old Grand National Bank in May 1930!

Detail above the entrance to the Continental Life Building.

Another one of my favorite Saint Louis art deco structures sits about seven miles southwest of the Continental Life Building - Church of Saint Gabriel Archangel:

A view of Saint Gabriel's from Francis Park in the Saint Louis Hills neighborhood.  This neighborhood was developed in the 1930s and 1940s - urban planners placed lots specifically for churches at the four corners of this 60 acre park, Saint Gabriel's being the Roman Catholic representative of the group.

I cannot help but share some of the local history at this point!  Francis Park is named after David Rowland Francis, an American politician in the late 1800s and early 1900s, who donated this land as a Christmas gift to the city of Saint Louis.  A short list of his contributions and services:

• Elected Mayor of Saint Louis in 1885
• Elected Governor of Missouri in 1888 (only Saint Louis mayor ever elected governor of Missouri)
• 1895 - University of Missouri dedicates the Francis Quadrangle in honor of Gov. Francis's efforts to keep the state's flagship university in Columbia rather than move the school to Sedalia, Missouri after Academic Hall burned, leaving Mizzou its iconic columns (Sedalia was awarded the Missouri State Fair instead)
• United States Secretary of the Interior, 1896-1897
• Appointed U.S. Ambassador to Russia by President Woodrow Wilson from 1916-1917, during the Russian Revolution of 1917
• Served as President of Louisiana Purchase Exposition (Saint Louis's famed 1904 World's Fair) from 1889 to 1904

And back to the photos!

Saint Gabriel's was constructed in 1947 - at this point, art deco was giving way to the post-war, mid-century modern style.  I find it interesting that this style was chosen well after art deco's heyday.

A closer look at the church's spire.

A closer look at the façade of the church.

Prayer to Saint Gabriel:

O loving messenger of the Incarnation, descend upon all those for whom I wish peace and happiness. Spread your wings over the cradles of the new-born babes, O thou who didst announce the coming of the Infant Jesus.

Give to the young a lily petal from the virginal scepter in your hand. Cause Ave Maria to re-echo in all hearts that they may find grace and joy through Mary.

Finally, recall the sublime words spoken on the day of the Annunciation-- "Nothing is impossible with God," and repeat them in hours of trial--to all I love--that their confidence in Our Lord may be reanimated, when all human help fails. Amen.