Driving around aimlessly one time, I came across this stunning building the length of one whole city block in the western edge of downtown on 18th Street.
I did a little research, and have determined that the
Butler Brothers were some sort of whole-sale company that led to the founding of the Ben Franklin nickel and dime stores. It was founded by Edward Butler whose biography is
here. I also found this old New York Times
article about the company.
The building was either a warehouse (there are loading docks out back), or was an actual department store. I don't know for sure. Here is the Butler Brothers
warehouse in Chicago for comparison. The cornice of the building features some wonderful lion heads.
Like many turn of the century commercial buildings, the Butler Brothers is divided into three registers: the lower street level, the large central portion, and the more ornate cornice story on top.
Here is a detail of the transition from the ground level to the middle level.
The picture below illustrates the massive, formal front entrance on 18th Street alluded to on the sign. It is severe in character and not ornate like many downtown department stores.
Below is the transition from the main, colossal order pilasters interspersed with windows and the cornice level.
Here is a closer look at the ornate corner, which appears to be made of terracotta. I have a feeling from the neighborhood and the architecture of the building that it was probably a warehouse for distributing goods out to stores or mail orders.
Here is a bird's eye
view of the building, which is located in the West Locust area. Hey, and if you're looking for a gigantic, city block sized building, check out the
brochure.
I did a little research, and have determined that the Butler Brothers were some sort of whole-sale company that led to the founding of the Ben Franklin nickel and dime stores. It was founded by Edward Butler whose biography is here. I also found this old New York Times article about the company.
The building was either a warehouse (there are loading docks out back), or was an actual department store. I don't know for sure. Here is the Butler Brothers warehouse in Chicago for comparison. The cornice of the building features some wonderful lion heads.
Like many turn of the century commercial buildings, the Butler Brothers is divided into three registers: the lower street level, the large central portion, and the more ornate cornice story on top.
Here is a detail of the transition from the ground level to the middle level.
The picture below illustrates the massive, formal front entrance on 18th Street alluded to on the sign. It is severe in character and not ornate like many downtown department stores.
Below is the transition from the main, colossal order pilasters interspersed with windows and the cornice level.
Here is a closer look at the ornate corner, which appears to be made of terracotta. I have a feeling from the neighborhood and the architecture of the building that it was probably a warehouse for distributing goods out to stores or mail orders.
Here is a bird's eye view of the building, which is located in the West Locust area. Hey, and if you're looking for a gigantic, city block sized building, check out the brochure.
Thatis the Butler Brothers warehouse, built in 1906 and designed by Mauran, Russell and Garden. The building was one of the earliest and largest applications of reinforced structural concrete in the Midwest.
ReplyDeleteThat building certainly has a lot of potential. Thanks for the information, Mike.
ReplyDeleteI have two wonderful vintage Butler Brothers of St. Louis catalogs listed on Ebay. They are from 1934. Wonderful bit of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteI just drove by there today and was curious about that humongous structure. It's still for sale by the same company, Hilliker Corporation. (site here: http://www.hillikercorp.com/Property_Listings.asp). They also own the Pevely building on Grand and the former Falstaff Brewhouse on Lemp.
ReplyDeleteI just drove by there today and was curious about that humongous structure. It's still for sale by the same company, Hilliker Corporation. (site here: http://www.hillikercorp.com/Property_Listings.asp). They also own the Pevely building on Grand and the former Falstaff Brewhouse on Lemp.
ReplyDelete