Designed by the famous St. Louis architect Preston J. Bradshaw, someone whom I’ve not looked at extensively, the Ford Apartments is an early example of a Modernist residential building in downtown St. Louis completed in 1950.

In a dramatic turn away from the more ornate office buildings nearby, the Ford Apartments eschews decorative elements and instead had straight lines and geometric forms–in this case, squares–to adorn the exterior.

While there is a clear base defined by limestone ashlar block and storefronts complete with a cantilevered, curved front door roof, the building lacks an obvious cornice. It should be noted that downtown St. Louis went several decades without constructing a single office building around World War II.