This collection is stored off site. Please allow 3-5 business days for retrieval.
For a list of the images in this collection click here and go to the WHMC photograph database
The Western Historical Manuscripts Collection at the University of Missouri-St. Louis received two addenda to the papers of Austin P. Leland, one on November 23, 1992, and another on June 30, 1993. Because processing on the first addenda had not begun when the second was received, the two were processed together and catalogued as one unit. (See also collection # 202).
Mr. Leland was a longtime director of the Landmarks Association, and in the 1960's he led the fight to save St. Louis' Old Post Office building from demolition. He also was a trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
He was a graduate of Princeton University, and was instrumental in establishing the National Princeton Schools and Scholarship Committee. He was also an alumni trustee of Princeton from 1950-54.
Mr. Leland was chairman of the board of directors of Mary Institute, a private school in St. Louis County, from 1947-49; foreman of St. Louis' federal grand jury in 1952-53; vice-president of the board of St. Louis Country Day School from 1960-62; a trustee of Bennett College in Millbrook, N. Y.; and a trustee of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
In May, 1974, Leland and his wife, Dorothy, were given the Landmarks Association's distinguished service award for their "outstanding contributions to historic preservation" at a dinner given by the Missouri Historical Society. In November of the same year, Leland received an honorary membership in the St. Louis chapter of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of his efforts to save the Old Post Office. Austin Porter Leland died January 24, 1975.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The Leland Addenda contains a wide variety of materials. It has correspondence, which is divided by its origin (miscellaneous, government, or Old Post Office Committee), and also by date; scrapbooks of newspaper clippings from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Globe-Democrat, plus additional clippings not in the scrapbooks; articles, cartoons, and other materials from sources other than the Post or Globe; articles about the Old Post Office in the Post-Dispatch's "Sunday Pictures" and "Everyday" magazines; newsletters and small newspapers such as the Riverfront Times; magazines dated from 1954-82; a special report in book form called With Heritage So Rich (1966); and miscellaneous other items.
It also has a 16-mm film about the Old Post Office; an audiotape of Verner Burks on the Dick Ford Show, dated December 7, 1971; photographs and negatives; drawings, sketches and floor plans; and awards and other oversize materials, including a package stored separately (see Series 5 for contents).
FOLDER LIST
SERIES 1--General
BOX 1 (28124)
1. Old Post Office Committee--correspondence prior to 1975
2. Old Post Office Committee--correspondence 1975-present
3. Old Post Office Committee--papers, miscellaneous and undated
4. Correspondence--miscellaneous, prior to 1975
5. Correspondence--miscellaneous, 1975-78
6. Correspondence--miscellaneous, 1982-present
7. Correspondence--miscellaneous government, prior to 1975
8. Correspondence--miscellaneous government, 1975-present
9. Publications--Old Post Office
10. Publications--miscellaneous
11. St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Sunday Pictures" magazine, 3/7/65, 12/12/65, 8/22/71, 11/21/71
12. St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Sunday Pictures" magazine, 8/14/77; "Everyday" magazine, 4/22/82, 9/11/87
13. Newspaper clippings not in scrapbooks--St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Globe-Democrat
14. Small newspapers--Preservation News, Riverfront Times, others--miscellaneous issues
15. Miscellaneous articles, cartoons, newsletters, etc., not from Post or Globe
16. Magazines--miscellaneous issues, 1954-73
17. Magazines--miscellaneous issues, 1974-82
18. Miscellaneous, prior to 1975
19. Miscellaneous, 1975-present
20. Miscellaneous, undated
SERIES 2--Hardcover Books
BOX 2 (28125)
21. Scrapbook--news clippings, dated thro
ugh 1965
22. Scrapbook--news clippings, 1966-70
23. Scrapbook--news clippings, 1971-76
24. Scrapbook--news clippings, 1977-present
25. With Heritage So Rich--report in book form (1966) of special committee on historic preservation
SERIES 3--Film/Audiotape
26. 16-mm film about Old Post Office--contents unknown as of 4/7/94
27. Audiotape--Verner Burks on Dick Ford Show, 12/7/71
SERIES 4
BOX 3 (Oversize)
Photographs
247.1 "Landmarks Letter", April 1970
247.2 Proposal to turn Old Post Office into Postal Service museum--p. 7 only
247.3 "Turn Old Post Office Into Museum, City Advised", St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 3/30/70
247.4 Letter from photographer Robert Arteaga to general public, 4/4/75, p. 1
247.5 Letter from photographer Robert Arteaga to general public, 4/4/75, p. 2
247.6 Articles on Old Post Office, South Side Journal, 5/31/78
247.7 Old Post Office under construction, photo dated 10/6/1876
247.8 View of Old Post Office from corner of 8th and Olive Streets
247.9 View of Old Post Office from corner of 9th and Olive Streets
247.10 Facade of Old Post Office as seen from building across Olive Street
247.11 Daniel Chester French statuary near top of Old Post Office, probably taken from roof of building across Olive Street
247.12 Interior view of Old Post Office while in use as post office
247.13 Old Post Office mailroom
247.14 Old Post Office moat
247.15 Staircase; view includes entrance to room 305
247.16 Large room (empty)
247.17 Staircase
247.18 Basement of Old Post Office; view shows building supports
247.19 Basement of Old Post Office; view shows door at next level with no way to reach it
247.20 Electrical and other controls in Old Post Office basement
247.21 Flywheels, gauges, etc., possibly controlling Old Post Office water system
247.22 Men (unidentified) viewing sketch of interior of Old Post Office
247.23 Gateway Mall as proposed by City Plan Commission study
247.24 View looking up stairwell of Old Post Office
247.25 Lock boxes and "callers" in Old Post Office
247.26 View of Old Post Office taken from roof of building across corner of 8th and Olive Streets
247.27 8 x 10 glossy black-and-white photo of Old Post Office taken from corner of 9th and Olive Streets, used on O. P. O Committee letterhead
247.28 10 x 14 copy of 247.27
247.29 11 x 14 copy of 247.27, mounted on cardboard
Negatives
247.23--4 x 5 black-and-white
247.23--4 x 5 color
247.27--8 x 10 black-and-white
247.27--4 x 5 black-and-white
Paper negative of artist's rendering of interior court of Old Post Office; original appeared in St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12/7/65
Paper negative of drawing of Old Post Office as seen from 8th and Olive streets, signed "William D. Peckham '65"
Drawings, sketches, floor plans
Typical floor plan
Sectional view of Old Post office looking north to south
Lower level floor plan, signed "William D. Peckham '65"
Ground level floor plan, signed "William D. Peckham '65"
Sketch of proposed renovation of outside front of Old Post Office, marked "Street Level View Toward Rental Space Entrance", signed "Torno '65"
Awards and oversize materials
Certificate of recognition by American Buildings Society (National Park Service)--undated
Map of downtown St. Louis--very large
Certificate of recognition by Historical survey and Planning Office of Missouri State Park Board, dated 11/22/68
1979 Louise duPont Crowninshield Award certificate (original)
Old Post Office Landmark Committee roster, local/national-- undated, probably 1978
SERIES 5--Package
Poster--"The Architecture of St. Louis, City Art Museum, November 19-January 9" (years?)
15.5 x 19 photographs (3) of different areas of Old Post Office
10.5 x 13 photograph of Wainwright Building
Pencil sketch of Old Post Office
"Eagle Roost"--autographed Engelhardt cartoon of "National Heritage" eagle landing on Old Post Office; appeared in St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1/27/71
INDEX
Architecture, f. 1-27
Burks, Verner I., f. 27
Committee to Save the Old Post Ofice, correspondence, f. 1, 3
Downtowner (newspaper), f. 14
Downtown Observer (newspaper), f. 14
Ford, Dick, f. 27
Gateway Arch, f. 10
Historic preservation, f. 1-27
Karsten, Frank, f. 7-8
Leland, Austin P., f. 1-27
Long, Edward V., f. 7-8
Old Post Office
Old Post Office Landmark Committee, correspondence, f. 2-3
Preservation News, f. 14
Riverfront Times, f. 14
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, f. 13, 21-24
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, f. 13, 21-24
Sullivan, Leonor K., f. 7-8 (correspondence), 13 (obituary)
Symington, James, f. 7-8
Symington, Stuart, f. 7-8
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH CENTER-ST. LOUIS
222, THOMAS JEFFERSON LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
8001 NATURAL BRIDGE ROAD
ST. LOUIS, MO 63121
(314) 516-5143
E-MAIL: whmc@umsl.edu