Saint Louis University Museum of Art

Saint Louis University Museum of Art
3663 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
P: 314.977.2666
Directions: Take I-64/40 to the Grand Boulevard exit. Turn onto Grand Boulevard North and go two blocks to Lindell. Turn left onto Lindell. SLUMA is the middle of the three large masonry building on the north (right) side of Lindell.
http://www.slu.edu/sluma.xml

The University (briefly)
Saint Louis University began as St. Louis College in November, 1818 and its origin is credited to Reverend Louis William Du Bourg, then Catholic Bishop of Louisiana. In November 1829, per Du Bourg's request, the struggling St. Louis College began its tenure under Jesuit administration with Father Peter J. Verhaegen, S.J., becoming the school's first Jesuit president. Eventually, in 1867, St. Louis University purchased land at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Lindell Boulevard as the future site of the university. SLU opened its first building on the new campus in 1888, what would become known as DuBourg Hall. Over the next 100 plus years, St. Louis University would enhance its mission to "teach young people how to become practical, socially responsible, humanistic and spiritual human beings" by opening new Schools including Medicine, Law, Commerce, Finance, and Aviation.

The Building
The building, today also known as Doris O'Donnel Hall, was built in 1900 as the home of the St. Louis Club at a cost of $320,000. The St. Louis Club was probably the most exclusive club of its time and the Lindell building was the physical representation of the Club. (It is said the idea and organization for much of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair occurred inside the St. Louis Club.) The St. Louis Club sold the building after a fire in 1925 that only inflicted minor damage. The building was used by a number of companies in the following years until St. Louis University eventually purchased the building in 1992 from Francis E. O'Donnell Jr. M.D., a Saint Louis University alumnus. The building became home for the SLU Graduate School and the School of Public Health and was known as O'Donnell Hall. The building was later named the Doris O'Donnell Hall in honor of Dr. O'Donnell's mother.

The Exhibits
The four floors (only three were open during my visit) containing the galleries are a mix of temporary and permanent exhibitions for viewing. The first and second floors contain a number of galleries that rotate at different intervals and cover a broad spectrum of artists. During my visit, on exhibit was highlighting the life of chess master and artist Marcel Duchamp as well as an exhibit on the Russian Empire: both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Empire itself.

The third floor exhibit contains historical items highlighting Saint Louis University and Jesuit history. This exhibit provides the visitor, especially non-Catholic's like myself, a great opportunity to learn about the Catholic Church, its customs, history and the University's history in much more detail. The fourth floor contains the Asian Decorative Arts exhibit. This exhibit contains "the most extensive collection of Japanese netsuke found in the Middle West"

Collectively, the St. Louis University Museum of Art is an excellent collection of both religious and non-religious pieces in addition to being an exhibition of the University's history through its artifacts. I would encourage a visit for anyone wanting to learn more about St. Louis and one of the city's largest universities.

Powder Magazine Museum

Powder Magazine Museum at Jefferson Barracks
342 CCC Road
St. Louis, MO 63125
Directions: Inside Jefferson Barracks County Park (I-255 to Telegraph Road exit, veer right onto Kingston Drive, then right on Grant Road / Broadway) Follow the signs once inside the Park.
Admission: Free
Info: (P) 314-615-8822
http://www.co.st-louis.mo.us/parks/jb-museum.html




Jefferson Barracks was built as a military fort replacing Fort Belle Fontaine near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers in upper St. Louis County. The site for Jefferson Barracks was selected in 1826 by two army generals, the Missouri governor at the time, and explorer William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame). The 1,702 acre site was purchased from the city of Carondelet for a $5 gold piece (today that price would be roughly $95). Less than two weeks later soldiers from Belle Fontaine would begin construction on what would formally become Jefferson Barracks in 1827 to honor President Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson Barracks was intended as a school of practice for American infantry trained at West Point. J.B. served as a fort for the United States from 1826 - 1946. It was the army's first permanent base west of the Mississippi River and by the 1840's was the largest military establishment in the United States. In 1832 the US Regiment of Dragoons was formed at Jefferson Barracks. Dragoons were soldiers trained to fight on foot and horseback. Eventually, the dragoons became the American Calvary.

The Powder Magazine Museum is housed in a former arsenal storage building of the fort. Built in 1857 as storage for rifles, gun powder, and cannon balls the museum today houses a permanent exhibit of artifacts depicting Jefferson Barracks' history and America's history in military conflicts. The museum is one of a number historic attractions on the site but it is free (thus its mention on this blog) and consistent in its exhibit.

Today, the original Jefferson Barracks has become a national guard base (Army and Air), two county parks, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, a Veteran's Affairs hospital, and residential neighborhoods. Eventually, the site will also be home to the Missouri Civil War Museum which will be another great destination at Jefferson Barracks in the future. Until then, visit the Powder Magazine Museum and learn more about the history of Jefferson Barracks.

Ulysses S. Grant Historic Site

Ulysses S. Grant Historic Site
7400 Grant Road
St. Louis, MO 63123
Directions: North of Gravois Road (Highway 30) between I-270 and Laclede Station Road (Next to Grant's Farm)
Admission: Free but tickets are required for visiting the home and can be obtained at the Visitor's Center
http://www.nps.gov/ulsg/

The Man

Ulysses S. Grant was actually born Hiram Ulysses Grant in 1822 near Point Pleasant, Ohio. In 1839 Grant applied to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The U.S. Congressman who applied for Grant mistakenly listed his name as Ulysses Simpson Grant because his family often called him by his middle name, or Lyss for short (Simpson was Ulysses' mothers maiden name). Grant decided to keep the name. After his graduation in 1843, U.S. Grant was assigned to the infantry and eventually served at Jefferson Barracks south of St. Louis. While serving at Jefferson Barrack, Grant met his future wife, Julia Dent, who was the sister of a West Point classmate. Her family owned a plantation, White Haven, which eventually would become the Grant's home.

White Haven
Ulysses and Julia were married in 1848, 4 years after being engaged, once Grant's service in the Mexican War had concluded. They were a very loving and devoted couple during their 37 years of marriage. Julia was remembered to say Ulysses was "the nicest and handsomest man I ever saw." For six years the couple was stationed in a variety of locations as Ulysses continued to serve in the infantry. In 1852 Grant was sent to the west coast but pregnant Julia moved back to her parents plantation. Captain Grant returned to his family at White Haven in 1854 after resigning from the Army. Grant built a home for his young family in 1855 named Hardscrabble near the White Haven plantation but the family moved out very quickly. Julia would later recall that the home was, "so crude and homely I did not like it at all, but I did not say so. I got out all my pretty covers, baskets, books, etc., and tried to make it look home-like and comfortable, but this was hard to do." (Today, Hardscrabble can be visited at Anheuser-Busch's Grant's Farm completely reassembled after being moved a number of times from its original site.)

In 1860, after many business and financial struggles, the now family of six, moved to Galena, Illinois to work in Ulysses' father's leather shop. At the onset of the Civil War, U.S. Grant would enlist in the Union Army eventually serving as the Union commanding general at the Confederate's surrender in 1865. Later, Grant would serve two terms as president from 1869-1877.



Much of Ulysses S. Grant's public history is written extensively about but this post is about Grant's home on a plantation in rural St. Louis, Missouri. The Grant's would not spend much time at White Haven between 1860 and Ulysses' death in 1885 but always considered it their family home. The Grant's would build a stable to raise thoroughbred horses that exists today as a museum (the red barn in the upper-most picture.) The home itself provides visitor's a glimpse into life 150 years ago on the American frontier. Typical outbuildings of a plantation still remain including a summer kitchen, ice house, and chicken house all shown in the picture to the left.

As a whole, the Ulysses S. Grant Historic site is a great place to learn about the man, his family, his home, and in general, midwestern plantation life during the mid 19th century.

Soldiers Memorial Military Museum

Soldiers Memorial Military Museum
1315 Chestnut
St. Louis, MO 63103
Directions: One block north of Market Street between 13th and 14th Streets
Admission: Free
http://www.stlsoldiersmemorial.org/


A familiar site for many downtown St. Louis visitors, The Soldiers Memorial stands as a reminder of St. Louis' sacrifice in war. The Memorial was built to honor the "gallant sons and daughters of Missouri and of our City, who made The Supreme Sacrifice in the late World War (1)". President Franklin Delano Roosevelt traveled to St. Louis to dedicate the site on October 14, 1936. Appropriately, the memorial and museum officially opened to the public less than two years later on Memorial Day, May 30 1938. The museum has two galleries on either side of an open air loggia. Inside the loggia is a black granite cenotaph inscribed with the names of 1,075 St. Louis citizens who died serving in World War 1. The ceiling of the loggia is a tile mosaic of a gold star on a red field symbolizing the service flag for family members who have lost family members in conflict.

Inside the two galleries are various military items including uniforms, photographs, weaponry, posters and even a jeep from World War II. I personally enjoyed a display case containing World War II weapons, mostly rifles, from Japan, Germany, America and England. The museum is not merely a World War exhibit space. Artifacts from Korea, Vietnam and both Desert conflicts are also on display as well.


All-in-all, the museum does a great job of showcasing how American men and women, particularly St. Louis natives, have served their country for the last 90 plus years. I believe another website I found on the Memorial stated it best: "The Soldiers Memorial Military Museum is there to remind us of the sacrifices made by the men and women who wear the uniforms and put themselves on-the-line for their countrymen ."