Bell Telephone Building (St. Louis, Missouri) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bell Telephone Building
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Bell Telephone Building as depicted in American Architect and Building News (January 1889)
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 Location in St. Louis
Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | 920 Olive Street St. Louis, Missouri |
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| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 99000936 |
| Added to NRHP | August 5, 1999 |
The Bell Telephone Building is located at 920 Olive Street in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was built in 1889 for the Bell Telephone Company. The building held the main telephone equipment and offices.
It was the main place for telephone calls in St. Louis from when it was built until 1926. It is the oldest telephone building still standing in St. Louis. It might even be the very first building made just for the telephone business in the city.
Contents
History of the Building
The first telephone office in St. Louis was in a different building. That building was at 417 Olive Street and is now gone. By the late 1880s, the Bell Telephone Company needed a bigger space. They needed a building just for their telephone equipment.
Building the Bell Telephone Headquarters
Construction on the Bell Telephone Building began in 1889. The design was created by a company from Boston called Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. The building cost about $154,225 to build.
When it was first built, the building had six stories. The main room for the telephone switchboard was at the very top. A switchboard was a large panel where operators connected phone calls.
Growing with Southwestern Bell
Between 1890 and 1910, more and more people started using telephones. The local Bell Company in St. Louis grew quickly. It joined with other Bell telephone companies. By 1920, they formed a larger company called Southwestern Bell.
In 1923, Southwestern Bell bought out another local phone company. This company was called Kinloch Telephone. This meant even more people needed phone service. The Bell Telephone Building became too small for all the new customers. Because of this, Southwestern Bell built a much larger building nearby. This new building was finished in 1926.
New Uses for the Building
After Southwestern Bell moved out, the building changed its purpose. It became a store and storage space for a print company called S.G. Adams Stationery. This company was bought by Comfort Printing in 1959. However, it kept operating under the S.G. Adams name.
The Bell Telephone Building was the main store for S.G. Adams from the 1960s to the 1980s. In the early 1990s, S.G. Adams decided to focus only on printing for businesses. They closed their retail stores. The Bell Telephone Building was the last retail store to close in 1994.
Modern Restoration
Between 1999 and 2004, the building was fixed up. The upper floors were turned into apartments called residential lofts. The ground floor was used for shops.
One of the first shops on the ground floor was City Grocers. This was a special market that also sold everyday items. It was the only grocery store in downtown St. Louis from 2004 until 2009. Today, the upper floors are still used as apartments. They are managed by St. Louis LoftWorks.
Building Design and Look
The Bell Telephone Building is a seven-story commercial building. It is made of brick and red sandstone. It has large, arched sections that rise from the ground-level stores.
Changes Over Time
The building was first built with six stories. In 1919, a seventh story was added. It was built in the same style as the lower levels. This was done to make more space as the company grew.
In 1940, the original storefronts were covered with a layer of limestone. This happened after S.G. Adams bought the building. The eastern side of the building is a plain brick wall. It stands taller than a four-story building next to it. The roof of the building is flat. A low wall, called a parapet, goes around the top of the building.
Architectural Importance
The Bell Telephone Building is important because of its unique design in St. Louis. It is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture. Many buildings with this style in downtown St. Louis were torn down in the 1900s. A few others, like the Cupples Station warehouses, still exist.
This building is also special because it was designed by a famous architecture firm. It is one of only a few buildings in St. Louis designed by Henry Hobson Richardson or his company, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge.
