The Sheldon , designed by the noted 1904 World’s Fair architect Louis C. Spiering, was built in 1912 as the home of the Ethical Society of St. Louis. Musicians and public speakers throughout the years have enjoyed the perfect acoustics of The Sheldon Concert Hall, earning The Sheldon its reputation as "The Carnegie Hall of St. Louis." Well-known singers and ensembles have performed at The Sheldon, and speakers such as Margaret Mead, Thurgood Marshall and Martha Gellhorn have spoken from its stage. The St. Louis Chapter of the League of Women Voters was founded in The Sheldon’s Green Room.
22-654: When the Ethical Society relocated to St. Louis County in 1964, The Sheldon primarily became a music venue. Then, in 1974, a former singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra purchased the facility, transforming The Sheldon into a church and the site for many glorious jazz and gospel concerts. A California attorney with a love for chamber music purchased the building in 1984 at the urging of the Paganini String Quartet. He began operating The Sheldon in 1986 as
44-467: A sculpture garden, added parking and in 1999, the 500-seat Louis Spiering Room. The art galleries encompass 6,000 square feet and feature exhibits on jazz history, photography, architecture, St. Louis artists and children’s art. The Sheldon's renovations continued in 2001 with the installation of five new stained glass windows designed by acclaimed artist Rodney Winfield. His stunning designs, called "Theme and Variation," are designed to be enjoyed both during
66-404: A venue for concerts and community events. At risk of being demolished in the mid-80s to make way for a parking lot, a group of community leaders and Ethical Society members launched the “Save Our Sheldon” campaign, which culminated in a movie production entitled Sweet Sheldon, and starring Burt Lancaster. Public sentiment, and the recognition of The Sheldon as a cultural landmark, turned the tide and
88-873: A wide variety of cultural, educational, artistic and community organizations. In 2019, Steward Family Plaza, encompassing a walk way and vertical garden on the west side of The Sheldon, opens. The Sheldon presents over 350 events each year in the concert hall, art galleries, Ballroom and Konneker Room. The Sheldon is located in the Grand Center arts district of St. Louis. The Sheldon Art Galleries encompass 7,000 square feet (650 m) and feature exhibits on photography, architecture, St. Louis artists and collection, music history, emerging artists and children's art. Seasonally changing exhibitions are held each year. 38°38′23″N 90°14′00″W / 38.6397°N 90.2333°W / 38.6397; -90.2333 Grand Center, St. Louis The Grand Center Arts District
110-679: Is also the operator of the Briar Street Theater in Chicago . The Fox seats 4,192 theatergoers plus 234 in the private Fox Club. In September 2007, the venue celebrated the 25th anniversary of its re-opening with a concert featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Linda Eder and a day of the theater showing movies in a throwback to its beginnings. The facade of the Fox briefly appears in the 1981 John Carpenter film Escape from New York as an abandoned Broadway theatre. Kurt Russell's character, Snake,
132-663: Is located in the Midtown St. Louis Historic District (on the National Register of Historic Places ) north of the Saint Louis University campus. Referred to colloquially as Grand Center, the neighborhood's formal name is Covenant Blu Grand Center . The neighborhood's is a member of the Global Cultural Districts Network . Grand Center is the site of numerous arts and entertainment venues including
154-439: Is presented weekday evenings. The Sheldon Ballroom, Spiering Room and Art Galleries host workshops and master classes, post-concert receptions, weddings, fundraising events, corporate presentations and community meetings. In 1998, The Sheldon expanded its artistic focus to include five new art galleries in a $ 5 million dollar expansion project. Improvements included complete wheelchair accessibility, new restrooms, two new lobbies,
176-541: Is seen approaching the theatre from the east, hearing music within, then entering. (A close look at the graffiti on the building clearly reveals the words: FOX THEATRE.) However, the shots immediately following are the interior of the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. The Theatre hosted a 60th birthday concert for St. Louis–born, early rock and roll pioneer, Chuck Berry in 1986. Keith Richards , of The Rolling Stones ,
198-463: Is situated in the arts district of the Grand Center area in Midtown St. Louis , one block north of Saint Louis University . It opened in 1929 and was completely restored in 1982. The Fox was built in 1929 by movie pioneer William Fox as a showcase for the films of the Fox Film Corporation and elaborate stage shows. It was one of a group of five spectacular Fox Theatres built by Fox in
220-552: Is the architectural twin of another Fox Theatre built in Detroit in 1928. Reporters in 1929 described the Fox Theatres in St. Louis and Detroit as "awe-inspiringly fashioned after Hindoo (sic) Mosques of Old India, bewildering in their richness and dazzling in their appointments ... striking a note that reverberates around the architectural and theatrical worlds." William Fox nicknamed the style
242-791: The Fox Theatre , Powell Symphony Hall (home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra ), the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis , the Pulitzer Arts Foundation , the Sheldon Concert Hall , Clyde C. Miller Career Academy , and Jazz St. Louis. The neighborhood is an eclectic mix of restored historic structures and newer buildings with street art and neon signage centered on Strauss Park at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Washington Ave. It includes Third Baptist Church ,
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#1732868867148264-590: The "Eve Leo Style" in tribute to his wife, who decorated the interior with furnishings, paintings and sculpture she had bought on her trips overseas. The Fox Theatre closed in March 1978 and was purchased by Fox Associates in 1981. The theater was restored at a price of at least $ 3 million and in comparison, the Fox cost $ 6 million to build in 1929. It reopened in September 1982 with the Broadway musical Barnum . Fox Theatricals
286-467: The Fox Theatre March 8 to March 10, 2012 to film 5 tapings where over 75 contenders stepped in front of the three celebrity judges, Howie Mandel , Sharon Osbourne , Howard Stern , and host Nick Cannon . "We've been in three cities so far, and St. Louis has had the best talent," Stern said in an interview between Friday’s tapings. The judges said they were equally impressed by the lively audiences at
308-674: The Fox was later released in October of the same year as the concert film and live album Dan Fogelberg Live: Greetings from the West . The theatre played host to the politically motivated Vote for Change Tour on October 6, 2004, featuring a performance by Pearl Jam . The Fox was the final stop of the Third National Tour of Les Misérables , with the final show taking place on July 23, 2006. The tour ran for 17 years, totaling 7,061 performances. The hit NBC show America's Got Talent came to
330-477: The Fox, which Mandel said were "super jacked." The theater's Wurlitzer pipe organ cost $ 75,000 in 1929. It has four manuals, 36 ranks and 348 stops. Restoration of the organ was undertaken by Marlin Mackley in 1981. Tom Terry was the theater's resident organist from 1929 to 1935. The organ was not played for the public from 1935 to 1952. In 1952, Stan Kann was named resident organist. He served as organist at
352-672: The St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre Company, the Grand Center Arts Academy , KDHX Community Media , St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU) , the Kranzberg Arts Center , and the headquarters of the Nine Network of Public Media (KETC) , a PBS affiliate. It is near the Grand MetroLink station . In 2020 Grand Center's population was 53.1% Black, 31.1% White, 8.7% Asian, 4.4% Two or More Races, and 2.6% Some Other Race. 5.2% of
374-459: The building was saved. Determined to preserve and establish The Sheldon as one of St. Louis’ greatest cultural resources, the non-profit Sheldon Arts Foundation was formed in 1989 by Walter F. Gunn. The Foundation purchased the building in 1991, and today The Sheldon Arts Foundation is governed by a 50-member Board of Directors. The Sheldon Concert Hall is the site of over 350 events each year, including great jazz, folk and classical music, featuring
396-587: The day and at night. The overall project is a tribute to Father Maurice McNamee, S.J. In the heart of St. Louis’ Grand Center arts district, The Sheldon continues to offer the St. Louis area a wealth of cultural resources in the tradition of its visionary founders. A non-profit organization, The Sheldon relies on public support to carry out its mission: to preserve and operate the historic Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries as an independent cultural institution, to produce and present events of both local and national importance, and to provide facilities and services for
418-658: The late 1920s. (The others were the Fox Theatres in Brooklyn, Atlanta , Detroit , and San Francisco .) When the theater opened on January 31, 1929, it was reportedly the second-largest theater in the United States, with 5,060 seats. It was one of St. Louis's leading movie theaters through the 1960s and has survived to become a versatile performing arts venue. The Fox was designed by an architect specializing in theaters, C. Howard Crane , in an eclectic blend of Asian decorative motifs sometimes called Siamese Byzantine. The interior
440-476: The population was of Hispanic or Latino origin. 38°38′34″N 90°13′50″W / 38.6427°N 90.2305°W / 38.6427; -90.2305 This St. Louis location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fox Theatre (St. Louis) The Fox Theatre , a former movie palace , is a performing arts center located at 527 N. Grand Blvd . in St. Louis, Missouri , United States. Also known as "The Fabulous Fox", it
462-422: The world’s finest musicians. Artists such as Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, José Carreras, Herbie Hancock, Doc Watson, Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, Judy Collins, Renée Fleming and many more have performed at The Sheldon. In addition, The Sheldon presents Matinee Concerts, educational programs for schools and Coffee Concerts. The "Notes From Home" series, featuring St. Louis musicians,
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#1732868867148484-480: Was the project's musical director and backing band leader. Taylor Hackford incorporated the concert into a documentary film about Berry and released the film as Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll , as a feature. In the film, Berry mentions that, as a child growing up in St. Louis, he was denied entrance to the Fox to watch a film because he was black. Filmed and recorded while on tour promoting his 1990 album The Wild Places , Dan Fogelberg 's June 25, 1991 performance at
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