Continental-Life Building
Encyclopedia
The Continental-Life Building, also known as the Continental Building, is an Art Deco
skyscraper
in St. Louis
, Missouri
, USA
, which was completed in 1930. The building is located in Grand Center in St. Louis' Midtown neighborhood
, and it is visible from Interstate 64
/Highway 40 and Interstate 44
.
Commissioned by Edward Mays to be the home of his two businesses, Continental-Life Insurance and the Grand National Bank, the building was designed by William B. Ittner
, a prominent St. Louis architect. It housed businesses through the mid-1960s, when its co-owners included St. Louis mayor Alfonso J. Cervantes
, prominent St. Louis defense attorney Morris Shenker
, and Harold Koplar
of KPLR. At some point in the 1970s the building fell into disrepair.
After a few false starts in the late 1990s, St. Louis developers Pete Rothschild and Stephen Trampe took on the project, renovating the building into apartments. It reopened in 2001. Trampe later wrote a book about the building's history and rebirth .
The building has a connected three-story parking garage, which is used by both residents and patrons of the nearby Fox Theatre
. The top of the parking garage holds an outdoor pool for residents' use.
A notable number of St. Louis landmarks are visible from the building because of its location and height. Some of these include the Gateway Arch
, One Metropolitan Square
(St. Louis' tallest building), the Edward Jones Dome
, the City Museum
, the Civil Courts Building
, the Anheuser Busch brewery, portions of the Missouri Botanical Garden
including the Climatron
geodesic dome
, the St. Louis State Hospital, the Compton Hill water tower
, the campus of St. Louis University and the St. Louis Science Center
.
Architectural elements from the building were collected over time by the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation
and returned to the building in the Stephen Trampe renovation. Other elements still reside at the foundation's Sauget, Illinois
storage site.
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which was completed in 1930. The building is located in Grand Center in St. Louis' Midtown neighborhood
Midtown St. Louis
Midtown St. Louis is three miles west of the St. Louis, Missouri riverfront at the crossroads of Grand Boulevard and Lindell Boulevard. It includes the campus of Saint Louis University and the Grand Center arts district.-Historic status:...
, and it is visible from Interstate 64
Interstate 64 in Missouri
In the U.S. state of Missouri, Interstate 64 passes through in the St. Louis area. The entire route overlaps U.S. Route 40. Because the road was a main thoroughfare in the St. Louis area before the development of the Interstate Highway System, it is not uncommon for locals to refer to the stretch...
/Highway 40 and Interstate 44
Interstate 44 in Missouri
In the U.S. state of Missouri, Interstate 44 runs northeast from the Oklahoma state line near Joplin to Interstate 55 in downtown St. Louis. It runs for a total of 290 miles in Missouri.-Route description:...
.
Commissioned by Edward Mays to be the home of his two businesses, Continental-Life Insurance and the Grand National Bank, the building was designed by William B. Ittner
William B. Ittner
William Butts Ittner was an architect in St. Louis, Missouri. He designed many school buildings in Missouri and other areas, was president of the St...
, a prominent St. Louis architect. It housed businesses through the mid-1960s, when its co-owners included St. Louis mayor Alfonso J. Cervantes
Alfonso J. Cervantes
Alfonso Juan Cervantes was the thirty-ninth Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1965 to 1973.- Personal life and early political career :...
, prominent St. Louis defense attorney Morris Shenker
Morris Shenker
Morris A. Shenker was an American lawyer best known for his connections to labor leader Jimmy Hoffa and Teamster funding of Las Vegas in the 1960s....
, and Harold Koplar
Harold Koplar
Harold Koplar was a Russian-American hotelier and businessman in St. Louis, Missouri.-Early life and education:...
of KPLR. At some point in the 1970s the building fell into disrepair.
After a few false starts in the late 1990s, St. Louis developers Pete Rothschild and Stephen Trampe took on the project, renovating the building into apartments. It reopened in 2001. Trampe later wrote a book about the building's history and rebirth .
The building has a connected three-story parking garage, which is used by both residents and patrons of the nearby Fox Theatre
Fox Theatre (St. Louis)
The Fox Theatre, a former movie palace, is a performing arts center located at 527 N. Grand Blvd. in St. Louis, Missouri. Also known as "The Fabulous Fox", it is situated in the arts district of the Grand Center area in Midtown St. Louis, one block north of Saint Louis University...
. The top of the parking garage holds an outdoor pool for residents' use.
A notable number of St. Louis landmarks are visible from the building because of its location and height. Some of these include the Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
, One Metropolitan Square
One Metropolitan Square
One Metropolitan Square, also known as Met Square, or Met 1, is a skyscraper completed in 1989 in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. At , it is the tallest building in the city, and second tallest building in Missouri behind One Kansas City Place in Kansas City...
(St. Louis' tallest building), the Edward Jones Dome
Edward Jones Dome
The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome (more formally known as the Edward Jones Dome at America's Center, and previously known as The Trans World Dome (from 1995–2001) is a multi-purpose stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, and home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. It was...
, the City Museum
City Museum
City Museum is a museum, consisting largely of repurposed architectural and industrial objects, housed in the former International Shoe building in the Washington Avenue Loft District of St...
, the Civil Courts Building
Civil Courts Building
The Civil Courts Building is a landmark court building used by the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri in St. Louis, Missouri.The building with its pyramid shaped roof is prominently featured in the center of photos of the Gateway Arch from the Illinois side as its location on the Memorial...
, the Anheuser Busch brewery, portions of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder Henry Shaw, a botanist and philanthropist.-History:...
including the Climatron
Climatron
The Climatron is a greenhouse enclosed in a geodesic dome that is part of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Initiated by then Garden director Frits W. Went the dome is the world's first completely air-conditioned greenhouse and the first geodesic dome to be enclosed in rigid Plexiglass ...
geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
, the St. Louis State Hospital, the Compton Hill water tower
Compton Hill Reservoir Park
Compton Hill Reservoir Park is a public park located in the Compton Heights neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Located on one of the highest elevations within the city, the park surrounds a reservoir used to provide water for many of the city's residents.- History :James P. Kirkwood...
, the campus of St. Louis University and the St. Louis Science Center
St. Louis Science Center
The Saint Louis Science Center is a collection of buildings including a science museum and planetarium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the southeastern corner of Forest Park. The Planetarium opened in 1963, and it was expanded and renamed as the Saint Louis Science Center in 1983...
.
Architectural elements from the building were collected over time by the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation
St. Louis Building Arts Foundation
The St. Louis Building Arts Foundation started as the personal collecting hobby of Larry Giles, a historic preservationist in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. It later received assistance and monetary aid from the developer Stephen Trampe....
and returned to the building in the Stephen Trampe renovation. Other elements still reside at the foundation's Sauget, Illinois
Sauget, Illinois
Sauget is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is part of Greater St. Louis. The population was 249 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sauget is located at ....
storage site.