History

Question

The Historic Crystal Ballroom

Answer

In 1916, St. Louis was ripe for a luxury hotel when E.M. Statler selected the city for his fourth venture. St. Louis, then the sixth largest city in the country, had a highly diversified economy and was a regional trading center, leading boosters to advertise the city as the “49th State”. Statler hired the renowned architectural firm of George Post and Sons of New York to draw plans for this lavish hotel. The 650 room, 20 story hotel cost $3 million to build. It was the first air-conditioned hotel in the country and a model of elegance. The highlight of the hotel was the breathtaking two-story roof garden/ballroom that spanned the building. The windows, 22 feet high and nine feet wide, opened to the floor with no sills. The enormous windows presented views of the Mississippi River and the city. The ornamental plaster ceiling was arched and had a vault painted in atmospheric tones of blue, simulating the sky. The roof garden was distinguished by a colonnade of fluted piers topped by Corinthian capitals. During the summer, billowing ceilings of striped, bright red tenting enhanced the outdoor feel of the room. St. Louis society welcomed the lavish public room for high teas and dinner dances.

Question

The Shrine of St. Joseph

Answer

The Shrine of St. Joseph was built in 1843. A miracle was performed there, on March 16, 1864. It was chosen as one of the two required miracles in the canonization process of Peter Claver, who was canonized a Saint the following year. Thus, St. Joseph’s Church became the only church in St. Louis as a site of an authenticated miracle.