webster groves | The city’s historic planning commission has unanimously denied the request by Webster University to demolish the historic Luhr Library, which the university had acquired in 2010 from Eden Seminary in hopes of selling the plot of land at 455 E. Lockwood Ave. On the National Register of Historic Places, the library has occupied the space since 1969. The financially strapped university, which has been offloading properties and making cuts to programs and staff, contended potential buyers had told them that renovating the architecturally interesting mid-century modern structure was not financially feasible and argued that the property’s highest-value use would likely require clearing the site. The commission’s decision caps months of disagreement—the idea of razing the building has rankled residents and city officials alike. At the commission’s August meeting, commissioners and members of the public pressed the university for more evidence that reuse was not an option. Residents had packed meetings in protest. The “branching tree” detail is a prominent, clever and appealing design feature throughout that sets Luhr apart from the rest of the seminary buildings, as well as other Webster University architecture.
clayton
The iconic, giant “Shoe of Shoes” sculpture, created by artist Victoria Fuller and comprised of approximately 2,000 women’s high-heeled pumps fashioned from cast aluminum, has been standing outside the headquarters of Caleres in Clayton since early in this new millennium, when the global company was still a local concern known as Brown Shoe Co. The name change, in 2015, reflected Brown’s evolution from a traditional shoe manufacturer into a portfolio of footwear brands and was intended to better represent its broader business. Sometime not too long from now, the shoe will be hoofing its way north to St. Louis-Lambert International Airport where it will set foot in a grassy area to welcome travelers or wish them bon voyage. It remains to be seen where it will come to rest permanently, as much renovation at the airport is in the offing; mainly, reducing its footprint from two terminals to one. Meanwhile, Caleres’ pending move necessitated the relocation—the company is leaving its roughly nine-acre site at 8300 Maryland Ave. and moving into leased offices nearby. (Opera Theatre of St. Louis has purchased part of the complex.) Because the shoe won’t fit in the downsized HQ, the company is donating Fuller’s big right pump to Lambert, where the landmark piece will remain public art. Metro residents should be grateful Caleres put its best foot forward, as it would be hard to imagine this beauty languishing in storage somewhere.
cwe
Really think about your next move at the World Chess Hall of Fame and Galleries in the CWE. We’re not talking about a chessboard or watching a match between grandmasters. Put another way, what are you doing on Oct. 28? Why not call up that person you’ve procrastinated on asking out and say, “Come Away with Me?” It’s not asking too much—it’s the name of a special concert, a celebration of 10-time Grammy winner Norah Jones’ artistry as interpreted by StL torch singer Malena Smith. Come Away with Me is the title of the 2002 debut album by Jones, which included her sole hit to date on the Billboard Top 40, although the heartfelt title cut received plenty of airplay on St. Louis radio. “Don’t Know Why” won three statuettes at the 2003 Grammys for Jones, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. What’s more, Come Away with Me won Album of the Year. Malena Smith, quite the performer in her own right, along with her crack combo, will deliver a multi-genre fusion, blending jazz, blues, soul, country, folk and pop. They will perform a curated selection of classics from the Great American Songbook (George Gershwin, Cole Porter et al.) and gems penned by Jones that honor one of music’s most distinctive voices. Smith may add in some of her own compositions. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a cash bar. At 6 p.m., Brian Owens, WCHOF music director, will be in conversation with Smith. The music starts at 7 p.m. Bop on over to worldchesshof.org for tickets and more information about Smith and the special venue. Purchase tickets from the WCHOF calendar page and watch online at the nonprofit’s YouTube channel.
notable neighbors
clayton
It’s been said, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” Susan Nall, Ph.D., has been plenty busy since her high school years in Lincoln, Nebraska. She has been a St. Louisan since the late 1960s, commuting from Clayton to Edwardsville, Illinois, where she earned an undergraduate degree from SIUE in elementary and early childhood education in 1970. But Nall doesn’t stand on ceremony. If you sit down for coffee with her, she’ll probably insist that you call her Suzie. After finishing her master’s at Webster University, she went on to earn her doctorate at SLU, while very pregnant. Lorie, her oldest daughter, was born four days after her mom received her Ph.D. on May 17, 1975. (Lindsey, her younger daughter, is 46.) However, Nall wasn’t finished with SIUE: She was honored for being an outstanding young professor at age 25. Young is a key word for her career, as Nall contends that much of our intellectual growth occurs very early. “The human brain is 80 to 90% formed by age 4 or 5,” she says, so much of the complicated stuff is already mastered, like walking, talking, following along while someone reads to you, maybe even some reading by yourself. Nall quickly rose through the professional ranks and became chair of SIUE’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Subsequently, she served as assistant dean of SIUE’s graduate school. She was the first woman in each position. (Full disclosure: To list all of her personal and professional accomplishments, awards, honors and board responsibilities would likely take three times our available space.) Nall emphasizes the importance of balance—professional pursuits must be measured alongside personal growth. On a weekend, you might find her hiking in a city, county or state park. Of course, she’s devoted her energy to teaching educators of the young throughout the metro as well as overseas. She completed multi-year consultancies in Qatar—and in Azerbaijan, where her focus was on establishing educational opportunities for girls. Here, she’s been active with Flance Early Learning Center, a preschool and childcare center in North St. Louis: “There are 100 kids in a place built for kids.” She works with bigger ‘kids,’ too, as a volunteer with the USO at St. Louis-Lambert International Airport. She’s been honored with alumni awards from Webster and SLU. Notably, she holds many sayings close to her heart, from Scripture to George Washington Carver. “To whom much is given, much is expected” is a common paraphrase from Luke in the King James Version of the New Testament. Some of her favorite quotes are unattributed, such as “What we give away always outlasts what we keep,” which has the tone of a commencement or alumni-award remark, both of which she’s well acquainted. And we would be remiss not to mention that she’s been essential to the International Institute here, as well as the Mosaic Project of our World Trade Center, where she helps newcomers and refugees with their citizenship tests, among other things.
