Saint Louis Liederkranz, 1887

From The Industries of Saint Louis by J.W. Leonard (1887) is this drawing of the Saint Louis Liederkranz Hall, a German cultural and musical organization building. The Liederkranz Hall was home to a variety of meetings and conventions (in addition to its primary purpose as a music/stage venue), located at 13th and Chouteau streets. At some point, the main Liederkranz Hall was demolished, but the St. Louis Liederkranz Club lived on at 2626 S. Grand Blvd. (see the next post for a lovely postcard).

Incidentally, the Liederkranz of New York City remains as a prime example of this fine tradition (http://www.liederkranznycity.org/home.asp), operating a choir, theater, and vocal competitions.