TALK [TOWNS] by bill beggs jr.
How to keep the parents out of it if you’re a teenager in Chesterfield intent on raising a ruckus? Book a hotel room. Problem is, if you’re indulging in alcohol, it’s hard to be very, very quiet. After guests at Hampton Inn complained of rowdiness and noise, cops arrested five males, only one of whom was old enough to drink legally; the others ranged from 17 to 20. Two girls, 16 and 15, were cited for curfew violations. Chesterfield has famously cracked down on such parties in neighborhoods by holding homeowners liable, regardless of whether they’re present. In light of that, could this have been an attempt to show the ’rents some respect? We didn’t think so, either. And although they acted like rock stars by spilling liquor on fabrics and busting furniture, these miscreants were just wannabes. Following reports of fraudulent ‘virtual’ purchases, Schnucks has emerged from a recent rash of customer complaints at stores in Creve Coeur and elsewhere with somewhat of a black eye. In language that could have originated at The Pentagon, a company statement said there had been a cyber attack, which was “found and contained.” Customers are frustrated that the stores seemed to respond at the outset with little more than a corporate shrug. An earlier statement acknowledged the problem, but The Friendliest Stores in Town also noted that it’s happening to retailers everywhere. Hackers from who-knows-where are to blame, of course, but even if the transactions were handled by a third party and being investigated by forensic experts and the U.S. Secret Service, where’s the neighborly sorry for the trouble? A local hotel has invested $1 million on renovations— to its lobby and lounge.
OF THE
It’s the Ritz-Carlton, and one mustn’t merely expect brighter light bulbs (certainly not fake foliage). Although the most chichi of upscale hotels looks and feels like it just opened yesterday, officials note that it’s the first time the two spaces have gotten a face-lift since the Ritz opened in 1990. (OMG, has it been that long ago?) Smaller furniture makes the space seem roomier; the sushi bar has expanded both in size and hours of operation (now 5 to 9 p.m. daily). As for the lighting: Now computer controlled, it automatically adjusts for the time of day. If someone says Etsy, what might be your first reaction— Gesundheit? Actually, Maplewood alluded last week in a news release that the city had become the first municipality anywhere to join the unique website, (etsy.com) that concentrates on selling all things handmade and vintage. The release alleges that city workers have taken to fashioning wares from recycled goods that include road construction debris and office documents. In off hours, of course. The release went on to claim: “The younger crowd will enjoy maple-leaf jewelry made from recycled office paper and strung into bracelets on old rubber bands.” We admit to raising an eyebrow just a little bit while clicking on the link to find out more. We’d been had…almost! The release transmitted April 1: April Fools’ Day. His name was Mudd… yes, he was related to that Mudd, the physician who famously (and, many claim, unknowingly) set the broken leg of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. Samuel Mudd was a cousin to Henry T. Mudd and his family, who were first occupants of the three-story, Greek Revival home that is every bit as much of a landmark in Kirkwood as the train station.
It is fitting that Mudd’s Grove, Henry T.’s antebellum residence, is now home to the Kirkwood Historical Society. But why Grove? There was a grove of fruit trees near the house on what was a family farm whose acreage took up much of what is the city today, including the rolling terrain of Kirkwood Park. But two decades ago, photos might have been all that was left of Mudd’s Grove. In 1992, when the society purchased the home, it was in such a state of neglect that many thought it would need to be razed. But concerned residents were able to pony up the $80,000 needed for bare-bones restoration, and subsequent fund-raisers have kept it open to the public since 1994. The last, a KenDucky Derby on the ‘Lazy River’ at the Kirkwood Recreation Center, was in 2010. Yes, it was a contest that went to the swiftest rubber duck. From the rear, one can see that additions by subsequent occupants were in the style of form-follows-function (i.e. utilitarian and not too attractive). But from the front and sides, it remains quite an imposing presence at South Harrison Avenue and West Argonne
Drive. The home, which marked its 150th anniversary in 2010, is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays and Thursdays. By today’s standards, the 10-story Wainwright Building downtown is vertically challenged. But when completed in 1891, it was hailed as a ‘skyscraper.’ In an era not known for its restrained prose, architect Louis Sullivan effused: “It must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exultation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line.” (Full disclosure: Sullivan designed it.) In the 20th century even Frank Lloyd Wright, a bit reviled here for otherwise describing our architecture in much less flowery terms (‘banal’ comes to mind), remarked that it is “the very first human expression of a tall steel office-building as Architecture.” Enter PBS, which has included the Wainwright in its television series Ten Buildings That Changed America. The co-writer and producer will join noted area architects and other experts April 22 for a 5:30 p.m. reception, preview of the series and panel discussion at the Wainwright, 111 N. 7th St. Space is limited: tenbuildings.eventbrite.com
KIRKWOOD
[ TT TRIVIA ] WHO… A.) COMMISSIONED THE WAINWRIGHT BUILDING, AND B.) WHAT WAS HIS OCCUPATION?
THE FIRST CORRECT EMAIL ANSWER WE RECEIVE AT TOWNTALK@TOWNANDSTYLE.COM WILL WIN AN EXCLUSIVE TOWN & STYLE TOTE BAG OR APRON! LAST ISSUE’S ANSWER | ST. LOUIS GOT THE NICKNAME ‘MOUND CITY’ FROM THE CEREMONIAL MOUNDS LEFT BEHIND A MILLENNIUM AGO BY NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURES. IN THE 19TH CENTURY, MORE THAN 20 STILL REMAINED WITHIN CITY LIMITS; MOST HAVE BEEN BUILT OVER. ONCE THE TALLEST MANMADE STRUCTURE IN NORTH AMERICA, THE AREA’S LARGEST IS MONK’S MOUND, CENTERPIECE OF THE CAHOKIA MOUNDS STATE HISTORICAL SITE NEAR COLLINSVILLE, ILL.
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APRIL 10, 2013