powellproject

[powellproject]

Quote of the Month

One can’t paint New York as it is, but rather as it is felt.

Georgia O’Keeffe

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Quote of the Month

…this Kansas City Royals batting order, top to bottom, is the hardest row of outs we have seen in our time.

Roger Angell in The New Yorker

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Quote of the Month

Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs...

John McClane, Die Hard

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Quote of the Month

Almost always, in my experience, the most powerful ideas occur quietly, and they are fragile. And they need to be—with reverence and respect—gently cared for so they can become powerful.

Jony Iove

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Quote of the Month

A nickname means you belong.

John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil

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Quote of the Month

Think before you speak. Read before you think.

Fran Lebowitz

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Quote of the Month

I've had eighteen straight whiskies. I think that's a record...

Dylan Thomas (just before dying).

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Quote of the Month

My idea of Heaven is to wake up, have a good breakfast, and spend the rest of the day drawing.

Peter Faulk

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My name is Parker J, and I am a cinema student at Missouri Western State University. My internship project revolves around Walter Powell, and I would love if you would be able to provide me with some information and possibly an interview if that is something you're interested in.

Hi Parker, just saw your message. Happy to speak with you. My email is jimmy.counts@gmail.com.

[powellproject]

Quote of the Month

Really, you should always discuss the defeats because you can learn much more from failure than from success.

Niki Lauda

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Quote of the Month

Civilization is like a thin layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness.

Werner Herzog

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Quote of the Month

There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.

Marshall McLuhan

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Quote of the Month

Your eye is a muscle, you have to keep it in shape and the more you draw, the more you see.

Richard Serra

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Quote of the Month

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.

Samuel Jackson

[powellproject]

Quote of the Month

Early on my career, I figured out that I just have to write the book I have to write at that moment. Whatever else is going on in the culture is just not that important. If you could get the culture to write your book, that would be great. But the culture can't write your book.

Colson Whitehead

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Quote of the Month

We must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

[powellproject]

The McLaughlin Building

A photograph of the “McLaughlin Building,” corner of Third and Francis Street, St. Joseph, Mo. (circa 1893). A sign that reads “Burlington Route” is visible on the north side of the building. Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Memory Lane.

Earlier this week, W. Angelo Powell enthusiast Carol Almanza emailed me with some interesting news. She wrote that a Facebook Group called “Glimpes of the Past, St. Joseph, MO” had a picture of “The Burlington Route building” located at Third and Francis.  

Carol wrote that one of the commenters included a picture of the entire building and stated that “it was the McLaughlin Building.” Another comment claimed that “Powell had a monopoly on the four corners of the intersection.”

I was curious about the “monopoly” comment and checked my records. The commenter is correct!

Here are the four projects listed chronologically:

According to an article in the May 16, 1867 edition of the St. Joseph Morning Daily Herald, Powell “prepared designs for...Willis & Co., for a bank store and office building on the southwest corner of Third and Francis streets.”

I had previously mentioned this project in The Residences of Charles West, Charles Schultz, and Jonathan Bassett: What Remains. Unfortunately I know nothing about the “Willis” of Willis & Co.

According to an article published in the January 1, 1868 edition of the St. Joseph Morning Daily Herald, Powell designed a building at the southeast corner of Third and Francis:

UNDER CHARGE OF W. ANGELO POWELL, ARCHITECT.

Two stores and bank building, southeast corner of Third and Francis, opposite Pacific House, for Messrs. Tootle & McLaughlin.

This is probably the “McLaughlin Building.” The Tootle mentioned is likely Thomas Egleston Tootle, Milton’s older brother. 

The Pacific Hotel, one of Powell’s early projects, was located on the northwest corner of Third and Francis. Powell designed the hotel in 1869 and I’ve written about the Pacific House in the following posts:

The Pacific House

Like a Phoenix Risen from the Ashes

The Razing of the Pacific House

The January 1, 1870 edition of the St. Joseph Daily Herald identifies the building on the northeast corner:

By W. Angelo Powell, Architect.

Buildings erected and finished during the year 1869 after designs furnished by Mr. W. Angelo Powell, Architect.

Store, George Buell’s building, on the northeast corner of Third and Francis streets, opposite Pacific Hotel, 40 by 90 feet; basement; three stories high and French roof. This is one of the best buildings in the city, built of brick with iron and stone finish – cost $30,000. 

I’ve written about Powell’s design for Buell’s building in this post: A Double Store for George Buell.

So by 1870, W. Angelo Powell did have a monopoly at the corer of Third and Francis Street:

Northeast corner: George Buell Building

Southeast corner: Tootle & McLaughlin Building

Southwest corner: Willis & Co. Building

Northwest corner: The Pacific House Hotel

I’ve documented many of Powell’s projects. Very few survive, but what I need to do is overlay all of Powell’s projects on a map of St. Joseph. 

Geography and adjacencies may provide a better understanding of this architect’s impact on the city after the Civil War.

Many thanks to Carol for sharing this information!