Cupples Station Building 1

CUPPLES STATION,
BUILDING NO. 1
St. Louis, Missouri

Project Objectives

	Elimination of decades of accumulated pollution, dirt, grit, and grime
	Interior and exterior tuckpointing
	Stone restoration

Special Challenges

Corrected defects in the exterior masonry caused by settlement

Timing

Completed within schedule

Results

Fully Restored historical masonry building

Historical Significance

The story of the Cupples Stations begins with the steam, smoke and thunder of thousands of freight trains arriving and departing, loading and unloading. It starts with armies of cargo handlers bustling amid a 20-building complex of multi-story warehouses. Started in 1894, with its peak in 1917, Cupples Station, St. Louis, was for decades a leading, national freight depot, a powerful, pulsing artery of mid-continental commerce.
By 1971, 10 of the 20 brick warehouses were history; victims of fire and demolition. Trains, workers and money were long gone. Though designated a city landmark, Cupples Station was an empty, obsolete derelict. However, downtown renovation swept into the Cupples district in 1998, and is continuing today.
Located at 1000 Clark St., Cupples Station Building #1 has been a fixture of St. Louis for over 108 years and is located on the National Historic Register.