Name: Museum of Fine Arts
Address: Locust and 19th
Year: 1881
Date of Demolition: 1906
Architectural Firm/Architect: Peabody and Stearns
Standard Architectural Styles: Renaissance Revival
Sculptor: Howard Kretschmar
Front facade: Stone, ashlar
Property Type Codes: Museum
Neighborhood: 36
History:
The Museum of Fine Arts was opened on May 10, 1881 and dedicated to Wayman Crow, a major financial contributor. Designed by the firm of Peabody & Stearns, it was an elegant structure of brownstone with a red slate roof. An early example of the Renaissance Revival style, it predated McKim, Mead and White´s Boston Public Library, the national inspiration for Renaissance Revival design. Bas-relief busts of Raphael, Michelangelo and Phidias adorned the facade of the building, the work of sculptor Howard Kretschmar. The exterior also boasted a raised central arched entry and bas-relief panels. The building was praised for the light admitted by its large and numerous windows, the interior finish, and high ceilings.
Unfortunately, after the 1904 World´s Fair, the City moved the collections when it acquired Cass Gilbert´s building on Art Hill. Soon after the Museum of Fine Arts was demolished. [Barkley 43,44; Lowic 130,131] .
People
Crow, Wayman
Peabody & Stearn,
Reference
Architectural Heritage of St. Louis, 1803-1891
St. Louis Lost: Uncovering the City's Lost Architecture
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