Benton Park West in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

3350 South Jefferson Avenue

Vollberg Building

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 20, 2024

1. 3350 South Jefferson Avenue Marker

Inscription. Robert Vollberg bought this property fronting Jefferson Avenue, measuring 43 feet wide by 100 feet deep, from his mother during the summer of 1883. A month after the purchase, he applied for and received a building permit to construct a two-story store. Historically, the building had a Mansard roof with a wood cornice creating a third story behind the steep roof line. After Vollberg's death in 1902, the building continued to operate as a pharmacy for several years.

Rev. Frederick Niedner, a cousin of Vollberg's who was raised in this building, remodeled the façade in 1949. Any superfluous ornamentation was disregarded and the dense brick and ceramic tile utilized for the remodel created an austere appearance, Following World War II, St. Louis' many commercial neighborhoods began losing customers to shopping centers being developed on the city's periphery. To compete with the modernistic strip development, business owners removed Victorian embellishments and utilized modern building materials to create a simplistic geometric form. These elements applied to aging commercial buildings create a vernacular interpretation of the International and Art Moderne style used by strip malls during the mid twentieth century.

Erected by Cherokee Station Business Association.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 38° 35.604′ N, 90° 13.541′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Benton Park West. It is at the intersection of South Jefferson Avenue and Jefferson Avenue, on the right when traveling west on South Jefferson Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3359 S Jefferson Ave, Saint Louis MO 63118, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: If These Walls Could Talk? They Can. (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Nickelodeon (within shouting distance of this marker); The Billiards Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); 2315-17 Cherokee (within shouting distance of this marker); 2621-2623 Cherokee Street (within shouting distance of this marker); In 1860 A Scholarly Neighborhood (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 2301 Cherokee (about 400 feet away); 2225 Cherokee (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 20, 2024

2. 3350 South Jefferson Avenue Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 178 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photograph of the building. • Can you help?