14 December 2005
Wieneke & Rutledge Medical Building
Armstrong designed this medical office building at 227 North Kirkwood Road in 1941 for Dr. J. Wieneke and Dr. P. Rutledge. This building is no longer extant.
Oddly, another medical office building, brick with metal spandrel panels, was later constructed nearby (probably in the 1950s). This later building was four stories tall, but had a facade at the ground level with many features mimicking Armstrong's design.
For example, the cantilevered porte-cochere was repeated with aluminum coping in place of wood. The built-in planter with glazing above was also used along with the 'L'-shaped wall surface along the bottom and left side of the facade. It appears to be highly unlikely that this building was remodelled as described.
I'm guessing that perhaps this building was demolished as part of the development of this part of the street and Dr. Wieneke and Dr. Rutledge agreed to move into the new building if they could retain certain features. If anyone knows whether this is in fact what took place (or something else altogether), I would greatly appreciate input and feedback.
Photograph courtesy of the Harris Armstrong Archives, Special Collections, Washington University in Saint Louis.
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Dear Mr. Armstrong: It occurs to me, that the Dr. Wieneke/Dr. Armstrong bdlg. may have been where my uncle John Wieneke practiced medicine? I never met him as I was born in 1950 and moved to Seattle with my father Richard M. Wieneke, the youngest amongst a large family that grew up in Olean, Missouri. My father passed away a couple of years ago at age 90. The only thing I have from my uncle John is a .38 Special revolver that my father said was given to his brother John by the St. Louis Chief of Police for protection. Anyway, I am very curious too learn, if you know whether Dr. Armstrong was in practice with a Dr. John Wieneke somewhere in St. Louis and if the building pictured in your blog a place where my uncle practice medicine with Dr. Armstrong?
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Richard L. Wieneke
2211 Blarney Pl. SE
Bellevue, WA. 98004
425-455-2002
Up on further review, it seems my previous posting was in error and that it was a Mr. Rutledge that may have had a medical practice with my uncle Dr. John Wieneke. Anyway, if anyone has any information about Dr. John Wieneke (or Dr. Rutledge) I would be very interested in learning more about an uncle I never met.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Richard Wieneke
rwieneke5@comcast.net