Spivey Building Explained

Spivey Building
Location:417 Missouri Ave., East St. Louis, Illinois
Coordinates:38.6267°N -90.1589°W
Architect:Frankel, Albert B.
Builder:Wimmer Contracting Company
Architecture:Commercial
Added:January 17, 2002
Refnum:01001462

The Spivey Building is a 12-story skyscraper located at 417 Missouri Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. Built in 1927 by newspaper owner Allen Spivey, the building is the only skyscraper ever constructed in East St. Louis. Architect Albert B. Frankel designed the building in the Commercial style. The building's design features terra cotta spandrels separating its windows vertically and brick pier dividing its window bays. The asymmetrical entrance is surrounded by decorative marble piers, and the first two stories are separated from the rest of the building by a cornice and sill. The top of the building features a two-story parapet with terra cotta surrounds at each window and seven capitals at its peak. During the height of East St. Louis' prosperity through the 1950s, the building housed the offices of professionals in many fields who were considered among the best in the city. However, the building became a victim of the city's steep economic decline and has been abandoned for several decades.[1] The building’s last tenant moved in 1980.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 2002.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Parienti. Nathan. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Spivey Building. https://web.archive.org/web/20140224010731/http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/218445.pdf. dead. February 24, 2014. National Park Service. February 14, 2014. June 11, 2001.