As we reach the peak of summer, we also reach a season that cannot be defined by the sun, which is family reunion season. One way to celebrate your family’s history is to take a deeper look at the city’s history.
Landmarks Association of St. Louis seeks to preserve and educate the public on the architectural heritage of St. Louis as well as encourage sound planning of creative contemporary design. The Landmarks Association tours of Downtown, East St. Louis, West St. Louis, and Washington Avenue help fulfill the education portion of its mission.
“When you go through a downtown area, take the time to look up and see the beauty of the building but also to understand why it’s there and what its place in the community is and how it helped shape the culture of the city,” said Landmarks tour coordinator Beverly Hacker.
All of the tour guides are volunteers. Hacker has been a volunteer for four years and now only facilitates special tours such as family reunions.
“It’s just a really neat way to get back together with relatives, because a whole lot of them may have grown up here and don’t know the history,” Hacker said.
Her favorite building to show is the second floor of Mansion House, because nobody knows it is there.
“There’s a really beautiful plaza on the second floor,” Hacker said. “There’s a little chapel, fountains, beautiful patios, landscaping, and the coolest view of the Arch and riverfront, and nobody knows it’s there. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a local up there that even knew that place existed.”
Landmarks Tours reveal hidden facts about more familiar St. Louis buildings such as The Old Post Office building.
“They don’t know that it was built by the federal government in large part, to convince the people of the country that the government was strong after the Civil War,” Hacker said.
“They picked five of the fastest-growing cities in the country to build these really monumental federal buildings. It’s built on quicksand, and what everybody thinks is a moat is not a moat. It was to bring light into the basement and the sub-basement, because that’s where the workers were.”
In terms of historic landmarks concerning black history, many people are aware of the Old Courthouse famous for the Dred Scott case. What most people don’t know is that the building has housed much more black history than just that one case.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is that because of Missouri’s odd situation as a border state, about 800 different freedom suits were filed in that courthouse, and in a lot of cases, they were won,” Hacker said.
Started in 1959, Landmarks Association is one of the oldest architectural preservation organizations in the country that has been instrumental in saving many historic buildings.
“So much of what happens in the built environment is a direct reflection of who’s in power at the time, of what’s important to the people who live there at the time, of resources,” Hacker said. “Buildings are so reflective of so much more than just the architect’s plans or the developer’s needs. It’s a reflection of the overall community.”
Landmarks Association offers levels of membership starting at $30 to $45 a year.
“People who live here, even if they’ve been here all your life, just don’t know the history,” Hacker said. “You don’t know what is right there.”
For more information, visit landmarkstours-stl.org.
