12/23/24

Bad Art. Development off the rails. The Rail Apartments

Speaking as a former sculptor, NO.
This is all kinds of wrong.

In front of the new "Rail" apartment building which is feet away from a railroad spur (the toxic fumes of which will eff you up) and less than a quarter mile for I44 (the toxic fumes of which will eff you up).
I asked some well established regional and national artists, sculptors, and public works sculptors for their review which are below.


David O: We have many interesting sculptors around town that would create something much more engaging. Who commissioned this?
Me: I assume the architect who designed the building. It's so bad.
Horatio L: I agree with Christian. It’s usually from an architect of the firm. They’ll do it for a fraction of what the client would be willing to pay an artist!

Me: It's so awful. Ir recalls those static anti tank weapons that were embedded in the ground during WW2
Snail: Looks like checkpoint barricades.
Matthew: No tanks are driving past these.
Me: I now know where to tie up my horse. That's a hitching rail.

12/1/24

Cumulus Herd over SWICC

A fresh Start.

1986. Central West End. St. Louis City

From the years that Armin and I would walk the alleys west and north of our house at 4350 McPherson.
A person lived in this garage. He replaced the rotten accordion doors with discarded doors that he had salvaged.

11/15/24

Washington, PA. Photo by Alan Taylor Jeffries

Look at that Vitrolite that was curved and the sidewalk freight elevator covers! I recall seeing some of these functioning in Downtown STL: They'd slowly ascend and open startling pedestrians.

10/31/24

Wingbermuehle Funeral Home

Don Wingbermuehle was my dad's BF in his elementary school years. He owned and operated this funeral home that was in this building - their home - until the 80s. He and his wife had ten daughters and every one of them had a name that began with a D. Little Donna once tried to get me to follow her down the stairs to the embalming room. All of the daughters attended St. Elizabeth Academy.

10/24/24

10/23/24

Fins

The fins on this building are strategic: They shade most of the sun as the earth turns. It was interesting to observe the shadows/shade casted by the fins.The facade has been butched with add ons over the decades.My research, such as time allowed, repealed no records of its architect.