The Coronado, Imagined by Preston J. Bradshaw in 1923,
re-imagined for
the 21st Century by Amy and Amrit Gill.
What a Good Save!
I looked up the address listed as residence for William Inge (the
playwright) and learned 3701 Lindell Blvd. was and is the Coronado. I
went to visit, just to see if I could get a photo of the past and wow, I
was in for a surprise.
Turns out this place officially opened in 1925 and the public loved it
right away. It was a gathering place for the elite and famous. We
didn’t have “paparazzi” like we do today, but I bet there were plenty of
newspaper people there, looking for a scoop.
People came for entertainment and to stay. Coronado prices from the
1920’s were $2.50 for a room and shower, $3.50 for room with a bath and a
double occupancy room started at $5.00. I haven’t seen monthly prices.
After a while the novelty wore off, the place started to fall into
disrepair and went into foreclosure. The location is perfect, though
and St. Louis University purchased it in 1964. It was turned into
student dorms with a dining hall and a recreation room. They cared for
the facility until 1984, then decided to sell it to a Property Group and
the building stayed empty for 15 years.
It is said the place simply fell apart and, by the time Restoration St. Louis, Inc.
stepped in to keep it from complete ruin, part of the roof had
collapsed, a wall had fallen in and rubble inside was chest deep. It
took at least $40 million dollars to reclaim this beautiful piece of
history, but now it is one of the Premier Places to hold a special event
in St. Louis.
Not only that, the rooms have been completely refurbished and, when I was there, lines of young people about to attend St. Louis University,
were crowding the rental office to tour the new apartments. Campus is
right across the street, these new places will be affordable, classy and
safe digs for the future of our nation.
How cool is that?
The Coronado
3701 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63108
Su-sieee! Mac June 20, 2015 at 3:41 am
ReplyDeleteI’d want to go to the university just to live in one of the apartments. That building is a beauty. I’m glad it didn’t get demolished during its abandoned years. Great piece, Georgy.