Brick Relief Sculpture Nearly Removed from Council Towers
A brick sculpture once covered the east facade of the 27-story Council Tower Senior building. Here is the description when the 5-building Council Plaza complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007:
A 250 foot relief sculpture was designed and created in brick by artists Saunders Schultz and William Severson, nationally known sculptors and is visible on the St. Louis skyline on the east elevation. The bas relief carving took 15 months to complete and used about 100,000 brick. The sculpture utilizes a series of abstract arch geometric designs representing, “man’s continual striving toward God.” The artists also designed a small fountain within the complex and a sculpture within the fountain, Catfish and Crystal.
For a picture with the relief sculpture intact see this post at Saint Louis Patina or earlier discussion at NextSTL. I’m saddened by the removal of this sculpture.
– Steve Patterson
Fear not, due to the fact that this project is utilizing historic tax credits the developer is required to recreate the sculpture. The original design was discovered and the mural will be rebuilt (once the mason’s union ends their strike).
Fear not, due to the fact that this project is utilizing historic tax credits the developer is required to recreate the sculpture. The original design was discovered and the mural will be rebuilt (once the mason’s union ends their strike).
I too think this mural will be replicated, as promised by the developer, and required by the city.
Saunders Schulz sat for an interview with me several years ago about the mural. He and his co-artists had to swing on scaffolding to put up the brick mural. It was his biggest and most memorable job. The Teamster’s Union trust fund paid for the project. An interesting mix: art and union.
I too think this mural will be replicated, as promised by the developer, and required by the city.
Saunders Schulz sat for an interview with me several years ago about the mural. He and his co-artists had to swing on scaffolding to put up the brick mural. It was his biggest and most memorable job. The Teamster’s Union trust fund paid for the project. An interesting mix: art and union.
I didn’t realize they were going to put the sculpture back.  Good. Â
I didn’t realize they were going to put the sculpture back. Good.
I’m not holding my breath.
I’m not holding my breath.
Those are the old Scopia boys, aren’t they?
If you look closely in the photo (or as you drive by), the yellow chalk markings for placing the bricks correctly are still on the building.
(And don’t believe everything that Owens reports. 😀 )
Those are the old Scopia boys, aren’t they?
If you look closely in the photo (or as you drive by), the yellow chalk markings for placing the bricks correctly are still on the building.
(And don’t believe everything that Owens reports. 😀 )
The big question is whether any new sculpture is detailed structurally to last longer. Great concept, but falling of the building in only a few decades indicates a less than stellar concern for longevity and structural concerns.
In my mind the first question is one of structural detail and whether the sculpture itself will last as long as the masonry, 500 years or more.
The big question is whether any new sculpture is detailed structurally to last longer. Great concept, but falling of the building in only a few decades indicates a less than stellar concern for longevity and structural concerns.
In my mind the first question is one of structural detail and whether the sculpture itself will last as long as the masonry, 500 years or more.