The Saint Louis University Museum of Art is the formal art museum for Saint Louis University.[1] It is located at 3663 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri and is also known as Doris O'Donnell Hall.[1]
Saint Louis University Museum of Art | |
---|---|
Location | Central West End, St. Louis Missouri |
Coordinates | 38°38′19.19″N 90°14′2.82″W / 38.6386639°N 90.2341167°W |
Built | 1899 |
Built for | St. Louis Club |
Type | Structure |
Reference no. | 21 |
Location of Saint Louis University Museum of Art in Missouri |
Designed in the Beaux-Arts architectural style, the building has a raised basement of rusticated limestone and a high-pitched mansard roof.[1] The front(south-facing) façade is organized in a tripartite fashion, with the central block displaying Ionic-style columns, as well as corbelled entablature.[1] The flanking sections have tall casement windows with limestone surrounds and ornamental wall dormers.[1]
Completed in 1900, the four-story building originally hosted the St. Louis Club, an organization founded in 1878.[2] The principal architect of the building was Arthur Dillon of the New York firm Friedlander and Dillon.[1]
While hosting the St. Louis Club, the building became the location of many historical moments. In 1902, Prince Henry of Prussia was entertained at the club during a visit to St. Louis.[2] Much of the planning for the 1904 World's Fair was carried out on the site. The building was also visited by U.S. Presidents Cleveland, McKinley, Taft, Roosevelt, Wilson, and Harding.[1]
After a fire in 1925, the F. W. Woolworth Company bought the building and converted it into offices which served as the regional headquarters for the company.[3] Saint Louis University purchased the building in 1992 from alumnus Dr. Francis O'Donnell Jr. and used it for classrooms until it converted the structure to a museum in 1998.[1] The building is named Doris O'Donnell hall in honor of Dr. O'Donnell's mother, who was a long-time employee of the university.[1] It is a designated historic landmark by the city of St. Louis.[1]
As of April 2022, there are 241 pieces in the museum's permanent collection, including works by Achille Perilli, Adam Emory Albright, Anton Heyboer, and Salvador Dalí.[4] Past exhibitions at the museum have showcased the work of Leon Bronstein, Tennessee Williams, Leo Ray, and Edward Boccia.[5][6][7][8]