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Missouri Mid-Century Modern Buildings (page 1)

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Lambert-St. Louis Airport
St. Louis, MO
Lambert-St. Louis Airport was designed in 1956 by Minoru Yamasaki. There were three domes with a fourth built a few years later. The buildings bear a strong resemblance to Saarinen's Kresge Auditorium of 1954 in Cambridge, MA. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Gateway Arch
St. Louis, MO
The Gateway Arch was designed by Eero Saarinen and opened in 1965. Although it won a 1947 design competition, construction did not start until 1961. The Arch is 630 feet tall and is sheathed in stainless steel. It cost $13 million to build. Trams contained in both legs of the Arch take visitors to an observation area on top of the structure. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

There are several miniature replicas of the arch including these in Wentzville, MO, Warren, PA, Warren, PA, Vandalia, IL, Mt. Vernon, IL, Peoria, IL, and Lincoln, NE.

Lewis & Clark Branch Library [gone]
St. Louis, MO
The Lewis & Clark Branch Library was designed by Frederick Dunn and built in 1963. The building was demolished in 2015. Three of the windows were saved and installed in the new library. For more, see this website.

Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City, MO
Kaufmann Stadium
Kansas City, MO
Arrowhead Stadium was built between 1968-1972. This football stadium was designed by Charles Deaton, who also is responsible for the Colonial Bank in Denver, CO. Arrowhead's building design influenced those of many other later stadiums. [map]

Kaufmann Stadium was originally named Royal Stadium. It is located next door to Arrowhead Stadium. Together, they are known as the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex. Kaufmann Stadium is used for baseball. This building was also designed by Deaton and built at the same time as Arrowhead, opening in 1973. [map]

McDonnell Planetarium
St. Louis, MO
former Katz Drug
Springfield, MO
The James S. McDonnell Planetarium is part of the St. Louis Science Center. It was designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum and built in 1963. The concrete shell is shaped like a nuclear plant cooling tower. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]

This Katz Drug store with its folded plate canopy was designed by Kivett & Myers & McCallum and built in 1961. It later became a Skaggs and then an Osco Drugs. In 2006, the store became a CVS/Pharmacy. It was the largest CVS store in the country until it closed in 2019. Since 2022, the building has housed Retro Discount City. There is another former Katz with the same canopy design in Topeka, KS. For more, see this website. [map]