Jackie, I’m Bunny & Marilyn’s son—I grew up with this story, and as you can imagine, this article means a lot. The Haas project was one of my dad’s proudest achievements. There’s more unseen history: the now-painted blank side of the building was originally left untouched, ie it was not “de-uglified”. Dad’s thought was that St Louisans could see with their own eyes the possibility of beautification—along with the alternative—as they drove by. Thank you!
That’s an excellent addition to the story – everything I saw suggested that it was blocked by the other building so they didn’t do the mural there. Thanks so much for reaching out and I’m glad you enjoyed the article!
I worked as a painter on this project. I joined late and participated in probably the last third of the effort. It should be noted that Evergreene Painting recruited and supervised local talent to execute the project. It was an amazing opportunity, and a lot of fun!
I remember the paint, and how it bonded to the brick. I also remember it was COLD… I think I joined in late summer/early fall…and sometimes we would have to break the ice in the paint bucket before starting. There was a radio station that could see us working, and we became a bit for their morning show…would the crazy painters be working today, or is it finally too cold for them? We worked on swing stages that hang from the building, it still amazes me how scary it was the first day, and how quickly I got used to it. When we used rollers on a stick, the force would push the stages away from the wall, and we thought nothing of it. There are good stories! Have you noticed that St. Louis is painted backwards?
Jackie, I’m Bunny & Marilyn’s son—I grew up with this story, and as you can imagine, this article means a lot. The Haas project was one of my dad’s proudest achievements. There’s more unseen history: the now-painted blank side of the building was originally left untouched, ie it was not “de-uglified”. Dad’s thought was that St Louisans could see with their own eyes the possibility of beautification—along with the alternative—as they drove by. Thank you!
That’s an excellent addition to the story – everything I saw suggested that it was blocked by the other building so they didn’t do the mural there. Thanks so much for reaching out and I’m glad you enjoyed the article!
I worked as a painter on this project. I joined late and participated in probably the last third of the effort. It should be noted that Evergreene Painting recruited and supervised local talent to execute the project. It was an amazing opportunity, and a lot of fun!
That’s amazing! Do you remember anything about the paint or the project that stood out to you?
I remember the paint, and how it bonded to the brick. I also remember it was COLD… I think I joined in late summer/early fall…and sometimes we would have to break the ice in the paint bucket before starting. There was a radio station that could see us working, and we became a bit for their morning show…would the crazy painters be working today, or is it finally too cold for them? We worked on swing stages that hang from the building, it still amazes me how scary it was the first day, and how quickly I got used to it. When we used rollers on a stick, the force would push the stages away from the wall, and we thought nothing of it. There are good stories! Have you noticed that St. Louis is painted backwards?
Always enjoy these little glimpses of history.
I stayed at the hotel when it was a Sheraton. The rooftop pool is a stunner and the view from the adjacent gym almost made me feel like exercising.
A remarkable history.