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International Fur Exchange Building

1920 establishments in MissouriBuildings and structures completed in 1920Early Commercial architecture in the United StatesNational Register of Historic Places in St. LouisSt. Louis Area, Missouri Registered Historic Place stubs
The International Fur Exchange in St. Louis
The International Fur Exchange in St. Louis

The International Fur Exchange Building, at 2 S. Fourth St. in St. Louis, Missouri, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The original building is a seven-story commercial building, on a 125 by 150 feet (38 m × 46 m) plan, designed by architect George W. Hellmuth. It was built during 1919–20.It has also been known as the Fouke Fur Company Building. It was site of fur auctions. The Fouke Fur Company held all rights, by an exclusive contract with the United States Government, "for the processing and sale of all sealskins and foxskins taken from Government herds on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. In addition, from 1920- 1925 and again from 1934-1956." Public auctions of its fur seal pelts were held here.A ten-story addition on the south, added in 1958, has compatible design. The building experienced some demolition in 1997, mostly on the building's interior, with removal of salvageable materials. However, some of the building maintained external damage during the demolition. In 1997, Drury Hotels acquired the International Fur Exchange Building property, and, along with the Thomas Jefferson Building and American Zinc building, saved them from being demolished and renovated all three into a single building, now called the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch. During renovation, all three buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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International Fur Exchange Building
Memorial Drive, St. Louis

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N 38.623611111111 ° E -90.188333333333 °
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Memorial Drive

Memorial Drive
63101 St. Louis
Missouri, United States
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The International Fur Exchange in St. Louis
The International Fur Exchange in St. Louis
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Old Southern Hotel fire

The old Southern Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States burned down on April 11, 1877, killing 21 people. The building, located between Fourth, Fifth, Walnut and Elm, was utterly destroyed by the catastrophe, leaving "jagged, smoking ruins."Two Irish-immigrant firefighters, Phelim O'Toole (of Hook and Ladder No. 3) and Michael J. Hester, were credited with saving 20 lives. Also, according to the St. Louis Dispatch the next morning, "A girl on Fifth Street, between Elm and Myrtle, had her dress set on fire by the falling cinders and would undoubtedly have perished had not a big German snatched off her outer dress and trampled it underfoot." Among the survivors were the actress Katie Claxton, and, separately, Joseph Pulitzer. Pulitzer had been staying on the third floor and he escaped "sans shirt, stockings, or anything else." Amongst the dead was a vicar from Stockross, Berkshire, England, an American reverend, a Masonic secretary, two female servants, and an executive of the Missouri Pacific Railway.The fire started about 1 a.m., and the building may have been on fire for half an hour before the alarm was sounded. it was surmised that the "immense draft of the baggage elevator" pulled the flames upwards through the building. The thick smoke apparently extinguished the hotel's gas lighting so no one could see.The Southern Hotel had originally been constructed in 1865, and had reportedly cost US$1,000,000 (equivalent to $19,117,391 in 2022). It was a grand hotel, with some 400 guest rooms, thick brick walls inside and out, water pipes and fire hose on each floor, and an "annunciator" fire alarm. A new Southern Hotel was built on the same location beginning in 1880.

Merchants Exchange Building (St. Louis)
Merchants Exchange Building (St. Louis)

The Merchants Exchange Building was a building at Third Street at Chestnut and Pine in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1875 to 1958 that housed the St. Louis Merchants Exchange and hosted the 1876 Democratic National Convention. The building was designed by Francis Lee and Thomas Annan who placed second in a competition for the structure (the winner was George I. Barnett but his work was considered too expensive. The building was the second Merchants Exchange on the location. The first building was built in 1857. During the American Civil War members of the exchange split along North-South lines. The Exchange merged back together after the war. The $2 million venue measured 235 by 187 ft (72 by 57 m) by 187 feet (57 m) and was actually two separate buildings. The second and third floors of the western half of the building had an iron truss system that supported the roof and created the largest open indoor space in the United States at the time of its construction (235 feet long and 98 feet (30 m) wide and 65 feet (20 m) tall) and thus was chosen for the 1876 convention which was the first Democratic or Republican national convention west of the Mississippi River. At the same time of its construction the Merchants Exchange built the Eads Bridge across the Mississippi River.The building was torn down in 1958. Part of the Adam's Mark Hotel was built in its location. In 2008 the Adams Mark announced plans to become a Grand Hyatt. The Merchants Exchange founded in 1836 was the first commodity trading exchange in the United States—predating the Chicago Board of Trade. In its early years it was referred to as the Chamber of Commerce. Articles about the 1876 Convention referred to it as the Chamber of Commerce. After vacating its downtown location, it was evicted in 1995 from its new location by eminent domain when St. Louis expanded the St. Louis Science Center. The Exchange made a last gasp in 2000/2001 to conduct computerized trading of future trading of freight on the Mississippi River. It has quietly ceased operation.