Council Plaza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Council Plaza
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Council Plaza in 2011. "The Saucer" is now a Starbucks and Chipotle.
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| Location | 300 S. Grand Blvd., 212 S. Grand Blvd., 310 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri |
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| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1968 |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000217 |
| Added to NRHP | March 2, 2007 |
Council Plaza is a group of buildings in St. Louis, Missouri. It is located right next to Saint Louis University. This area was built between 1964 and 1968. It was first designed to be homes for older people.
The main buildings here are two tall apartment towers. They are now called Grand View Tower Apartments and Council Tower Senior Apartments. There is also a special building that looks like a "flying saucer" spaceship. This building used to be a gas station, then a Del Taco restaurant. Now, it is a Starbucks and Chipotle. The "flying saucer" building is a well-known spot on the university campus.
Council Plaza has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2007. This means it is an important historic site.
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History of Council Plaza
Before the Grand Center area became a fun place with entertainment, it was a neighborhood in St. Louis. After World War II, city leaders wanted to improve old parts of the city. In the 1950s and 60s, the Council Plaza project helped change this area.
The project got help from a group called Teamsters Local 688. They helped build the two apartment towers. These towers are the 16-story Council Tower West (now Grand View Apartments) and the 27-story Council Tower East (now Council Tower Senior Apartments). These were some of the first new buildings in this area. The Council Tower Senior Apartments building is still one of the tallest homes in the St. Louis area. In 2011, this building was sold and fixed up. This included a tall sculpture on its side.
The "Flying Saucer" Building
The unique "flying saucer" building was built in 1967. It was designed by architect Richard Henmi. It started as a Phillips 66 gas station. Later, it became a Del Taco restaurant. The building has a round roof supported by four columns. This shape made people call it the "flying saucer."
Saving the Saucer Building
In 2011, there was news that the city might tear down the "flying saucer" building. Many people from the Saint Louis University community were upset. They protested on social media like Facebook and Twitter. They also signed petitions and held signs outside the building. Some signs said, "SOS: Save our saucer!" and "It came all the way from Neptune, show it some respect."
The protesters even went to the city's board of aldermen. These are like city council members. They wanted to protect the historic building. They started a court case to try and save it.
A Campus Debate
This idea of tearing down the building caused a big debate on campus. Most students and people who used to go to SLU wanted to save the building. But some university leaders, like Father Lawrence Biondi, the president of Saint Louis University, supported tearing it down. He thought the building caused too much attention, crime, and traffic.
In the end, the city decided not to tear down the building. Instead, new businesses would move in. These businesses became Starbucks and Chipotle. This project cost about $1.5 million to complete.
