This old funeral parlor had an interesting brush with history; read about it here.
A Blog detailing the beauty of St. Louis architecture and the buildup of residue-or character-that accumulates over the course of time.
This old funeral parlor had an interesting brush with history; read about it here.
Can you say more about this building architecturally? Its beautiful French chateau facade is SO at odds with its functional backside…
It’s likely that there was another building was situated next to this handsome structure. Matter of fact, I’m 100% certain there was, as it’s impossible to imagine that our forebears in this burgh would put up a stupid flagpole on valuable real estate in a growing City. As such, one wouldn’t have noticed the side elevations over the more decorative facade. And architecturally speaking, it’s uncommon for the decorative facade elements to return to the side elevations.
As for the particular design styles incorporated into this building, I’d say a bit of Beaux Arts and a bit of neo-classicism.
ARTHUR J. DONNELLY PARLORS operated out of this location from the
early 1920’s until 1980, when owner Tom Finan, Jr. merged it with the Ambruster Chapel on Clayton Road (across from the Esquire Theatre) to form Ambruster-Donnelly Funeral Directors, which still operates today.
The Arthur J. Donnelly Parlors date from 1856; the Ambruster Chapel dates (at its present location) from 1931; two predecessor Ambruster firms date from the turn of the century, one owned by Edith Ambruster, first female funeral home owner/director in St. Louis history.
ARTHUR J. DONNELLY’s large family burial lot features an elaborate Christ figure with outstretched arms at Calvary Cemetery; the WILLIAM AMBRUSTER (and EDITH AMBRUSTER) burial lot features an ornate modified sarcophagus with raisrd surname panel and female mythic death figure (with footmarkers) at Valhalla Cemetery, 7600 St Charles Rock Rd, in Pagedale.
I can’t find these graves you mentioned. Can you give me a more exact location?
My father died recently (a Covid-19 victim in the UK, I’m sad to say), and while sorting through his things, I found a newspaper cutting from a St. Louis newspaper notifying the death of my father’s Irish sister-in-law, Mary Murray, on January 14, 1967. The cutting referred to Arthur J. Donnelly Parlors, which I traced to here. Apologies for going somewhat off topic, but I find the random interconnected nature of things to be intriguing.
Chris-Arthur .J. Represented Irish Catholic St Louis welcoming and hosting the Oresuddnt of the Irish Republic in St. Louis Oct 1919. Significant. I have done a documentary on Eamon de Valera and my grandfather adding his voice to the Nations Forum. Looking for photo or photos of The Chief’s day in St Louis. Is the family still around?
St John’s Hospital birthed St Louis Irish Catholics in goodly numbers. Arthur J Donnelly’s on Lindell took them Home. We lived on Euclid across from the hospital. Thru the kindness of Cavanagh Livery, I paid a good part of my Tuition st SLU, as a pall bearer. We were not allowed to text.