St. Louis Community College, Meramec

Emil Boehl, St. Joseph’s Seminary. northwest corner of Big Bend and Geyer Road, Kirkwood. Late 19th Century, Missouri History Museum, N33332.

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 Road) and Couch Avenue became St. Louis Community College-Meramec Campus.

Meramec Community College campus buildings, 11333 Big Bend Road, Kirkwood, Missouri. Negative, Mizuki, Henry T. October 27, 1969, In Copyright, Rights holder: Smith & Entzeroth, Missouri History Museum, P0374-03795-A03-1t.

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.

Meramec Community College campus buildings, 11333 Big Bend Road, Kirkwood, Missouri. Negative, Mizuki, Henry T. October 27, 1969, In Copyright, Rights holder: Smith & Entzeroth, Missouri History Museum, P0374-03795-G03-1t.

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.

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