history images Mound City on the Mississippi Home Page
image menu Buildings, Sites, and Objects People, Places, and Things Events, Incidents, and Occurrences Bibliography

structures


Name:  Cupples Station Building #72
Address:  900 Spruce
Year:  1897
Architectural Firm/Architect:  Eames and Young
Designation: City Landmark, National Register of Historic Places,
Neighborhood:  35
History:
This building follows the form of the Cupples Station complex with one variant. Like most of the other buildings, the first floor has massive, round, arched windows and doors. Unlike the others, the large arch is repeated again on the second floor. The rest of the building is true to the Cupples Station form, with the middle third through sixth floors treated together and smaller arches on the seventh floor. A rounded brick cornice also appears on the first floor and the roofline.

Cupples Station is located at what is currently the fringe of the central business district, near Busch Stadium and Highway 64/40. In the late 19th Century, Samuel Cupples, a leading woodenware distributer, and Robert S. Brookings created an 18-building warehouse district. The seven-story, red brick buildings were conveniently connected to rail lines via the Terminal Rail Road Association tunnel near Eighth and Spruce Streets. Also, an underground network of tunnels connected the buildings and linked them to the riverfront. The Cupples Station complex was designed for rapid freight handling and transfer. The hydraulic elevators and central pump were innovative technology for the times. In 2002, only 10 buildings remained standing. Some are slated for demolition, while others will be refurbished as part of the City´s $350 million redevelopment project. The Westin St. Louis hotel and garage was completed in 2001, and an office complex is planned.

The Cupples Warehouse District, between 7th and 11th Streets and Spruce and Clark Streets, is on the National Historic Register.




People
Eames, William S.
 Eames & Young,
Young, Thomas Crane

 

 

people • structures • events • sources • home
about historic preservation• new entries• 4 kids only• map it!

This site was made possible by: the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency and
the City of St. Louis Community Information Network.

This site was funded in part by Federal funds administered by the Missouri State Historical Preservation Office, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, The National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior.


Version 1.0