An affectionate look at the last 20 years in the city's most exciting neighborhood.

The Days and Nights of the Central West End

Goell, Suzanne

Literature & Fiction

Virginia Pub Corp

Parenting in the Nineties

Fadem, Susan

Half Life: What We Give Up to Work

Batz, Jeannette

From the homes of the founders of St. Louis to a list of endangered structures that are fresh in today's news -- such as Cupples Station and the Arena -- St. Louis Lost author Mary Bartley tells an entertaining and instructive tale of St. Louis landmarks forever lost to the wrecking ball. The book visits many parts of the metropolitan area, from south St. Louis to the Central West End, to north St. Louis city and county. Based on a series of columns first published in the West End Word newspaper, St. Louis Lost recounts the stories of many lost buildings, their inhabitants and their times. The book begins with the city's early development along the Mississippi River. As the city grew rapidly in the 1800s, buildings rose and fell, and the book traces the past of many downtown landmarks. The movement of the city's private places steadily west from downtown is described, including the grand mansions and opulent lifestyles of the city's wealthy. Many of the city's past educational and religious structures are included, as are Sportsman's Park and the narrow gauge railroad in north St. Louis county. Woven into the architectural detail is the story of the people behind the walls, the lives of some of St. Louis' most prominent -- and most infamous -- citizens. Finally, the book reminds us that today's leaders, and those who follow, need to know and appreciate the history of their cities and their historic buildings as they plan the future of 21st-century metropolitan areas.

St. Louis Lost: Uncovering the City's Architectural Treasures

History

Bartley, Mary

Americas

Meet Me In The Lobby tells the fascinating story of the world-famous Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis and three generations of the Koplar family. It captures the spirit of the "rat pack era" in the 1950's and 1960's, when entertainers such as Dean Martin, Bob Hope, and Frank Sinatra entertained thousands. At the center of the family was Harold Koplar, whose father, Sam, built the Park Plaza and later bought the adjoining Chase Hotel. Harold - known as "HK" to friends and staff alike - had a talent for discovering stars and developing chic nightclubs. He ushered in the heyday of the Chase Park Plaza and made the Chase "the place" for the country's biggest and brightest stars. A visionary, he also started KPLR Channel 11 and developed the Lodge of the Four Seasons, a resort at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.

Meet Me in the Lobby: The Story of Harold Koplar & the Chase Park Plaza

Biographies & Memoirs

O’Connor, Candace

Arts & Literature

"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks". These words grace the headstone of Tennessee Williams, one of those profiled in this fascinating look at the lives, deaths and burial places of well-known St. Louisans. "Final Resting Place" includes short biographies as well as descriptions and maps of the city's largest cemeteries, Bellefontaine and Calvary. Throughout the text are historical items such as the Mississippi River island where duels were fought, a dramatic plane crash that killed a mayor and his staff, and the elaborate funerals of the Busch family. 
From the poet T.S. Eliot to sports editor Bob Burnes; from explorer William Clark to World's Fair promoter David Francis; from Civil War general William Sherman to airplane builder James McDonnell; from slave Dred Scott to Negro League baseball player James "Cool Papa" Bell; from St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne to Archbishop John May; from entertainer Josephine Baker to actress Betty Grable; from brewers Adolphus Busch to William Lemp, author Kevin Amsler weaves the stories of these prominent people into the rich history of the city.

Final Resting Place: The Lives and Deaths of Famous St. Louisans

Amsler, Kevin

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