I knew in my short visit to Bloomington-Normal that there was one place that I had to check up on, and I was pleasantly surprised! The former Moses Montefiore Synagogue has been purchased and renovated into what I believe, according to newspaper reports, a new community space. If the article proved true, it was renovated…
Tag: Moorish Revival
Fanning Elementary School
What’s now Fanning Middle School, and what will soon be a vacant building, was originally an elementary school. It’s one of the most interesting and architecturally rich of the schools designed by William B. Ittner in 1907. Clear views of the school are now blocked by some strange looking trees, but it’s a mix of…
Details, Ainad Temple
I love the Ainad Temple, right in the heart of East St. Louis. There had been rumors that they were going to close, but they instead made a commitment to stay in the city’s downtown. I’m glad, as it will still be here when the city is reborn. It is a beautiful building, filled with…
Old Shriners’ Hospital, Complete
The rehab of the old Shriners’ Hospital is complete, and it is now open as apartments. It won one of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis annual most improved awards for 2019.
Old Shriners’ Hospital
Update: Construction was completed in 2019. The old Shriners’ Hospital, still receiving the finishing touches on its renovation in this photograph, is now open as apartments.
Old United Hebrew Temple, Missouri Historical Society Archives
Update: See the Temple’s current location in this post from May of 2020. I never realized it, but the old United Hebrew Temple on Skinker was a Maritz and Young design from 1927. The strong Moorish inspiration is present in the columns, windows and overall design. The new location, which I realized I have visited,…
Dewey School
Another of the great Ittner/Milligan legacy, the Dewey School was designed by Rockwell Milligan in 1917. It has a great mixture of styles, including Romanesque and Moorish elements. Like many of their schools, there is no central portal, but two twin portals located in the central wing, near the projecting side wings. Holy settling, Batman!
Moses Montefiore Synagogue, Bloomington, Illinois
Update: The synagogue has been renovated by a new owner. Don’t let anyone tell you that smaller cities in America are boring! After eating lunch at a great “farm to table” place downtown, I began wandering around the streets to the east of Bloomington’s center. I spotted this building, and was intrigued; what was it?…
Shaare Emeth, Temple of the Gates of Truth
After writing my recent St. Louis Magazine article about Centenary United Methodist Church, one of the oldest continually operating congregations in downtown St. Louis, and in the city in general, I became interested in the synagogue that backed right up to the church. It was dramatically named Temple of the Gates of Truth, and I…
Moolah Temple
The Moolah Temple’s original purpose, that of the Order of the Mystic Shrine, is now hosted in another building out west, and its new use as a movie theater works well. Moorish Revival architecture is interesting in that is Islamic architecture built by non-Muslims. It is fanciful, perhaps historically inaccurate, but it provides a nice…