Purchased in 1959 with plans to become a subdivision after the closing of the former St. Joseph College, the large open tract of land at Big Bend Road (formerly Quinette) and Couch Avenue became St. Louis Community College-Meramec Campus. St. Joseph College was operated for seventy years by the Redemptorist Order.

The architecture is typical of the mid-Twentieth Century in its sparse design. It is also interesting in that it was built as a unified composition; most colleges start as a building or two and develop organically over a century or two. As such, Meramec’s campus is architecturally similar in appearance since it was built in a relatively short period of time.

Is it successful? Well, I find some charm to the interiors of some of the buildings.

Please join me tomorrow, Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 7:00 PM at the Missouri History Museum for my lecture on my latest research into Adam Lemp’s development of the cave property on Cherokee Street in the early 1860s, with new discoveries from historic maps, business contracts and examination of the lagering cellars under the brewery. Admission is free.