Registration for our 2026 Spring Lecture Series is now open!
Join Landmarks Association of St. Louis for our lecture series, a diverse selection of talks covering the history, architecture, and culture of the St. Louis Region.
Lectures are at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays. With assistance from the Regional Arts Commission, all lectures are FREE.
Walk-ins are welcome, but seating is limited. Registration is requested. Please register for each lecture individually.*
*If RSVP capacity is reached, walk-ins may be limited to standing room only.
April 29, 2026 @ 6:00 PM | Peter Hoffman, Managing Attorney, Neighborhood Advocacy, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Disinvestment and the Built Environment: Legal Strategies to Reverse Vacancy in St. Louis
Peter Hoffman will examine the legal framework that governs vacant and nuisance property in Missouri and explore why traditional public enforcement tools—while essential—often fall short of achieving timely stabilization and rehabilitation. His lecture will provide an overview of the statutory mechanisms available to address chronic abandonment, including receivership, and explain how place-based nonprofit organizations can use these tools to intervene where public systems lack capacity.
May 6, 2026 @ 6:00 PM | Amanda Clark, Public Historian, Missouri Historical Society
Gambling on Preservation: A History of Redeveloping Laclede’s Landing
For more than 60 years, the 10-block historic district just north of the Gateway Arch has been shaped by an ongoing push and pull between preservation and development. In this talk, Amanda Clark, Public Historian with the Missouri Historical Society, traces the cycles of reinvention that have defined Laclede’s Landing. Attendees will come away with a deeper understanding of how the neighborhood’s fortunes have shifted over time as well as how its story mirrors the evolving challenges of historic preservation today.
May 13, 2026 @ 6:00 PM | nick sacco, historian and curator, ulysses s. grant national historic site
St. Louis Before the Civil War: The Photography of Thomas Easterly
An exploration of pre-Civil War St. Louis through the daguerreotype photographs of Thomas Easterly that are housed at the Missouri Historical Society. No other photographer in St. Louis captured the city’s built landscape of the 1840s and 1850s quite like Easterly.
May 20, 2026 @ 6:00 PM | Amanda Doyle & Cameron Collins, co-authors of the Forest Park book from Reedy Press
Forest Park: St. Louis’s Gathering Place Since 1876
The creation and preservation of Forest Park is at its heart a very American story, in keeping with the character of a still-developing city on the cusp of the Gilded Age. From its signature institutions and events to the 15 million-plus yearly visitors who use Forest Park for solace, for refuge, for recreation, for family time, for self-expression, for mental health, and for connection, the park offers something for all. The durability and flexibility that came to define the green heart of the city have made it the unquestionable gathering place for residents and visitors alike, from 1876 until today.
2025 Fall Lecture Series
All of our lectures of the 2025 Fall Season have now passed.
October 8, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | Andrew weil, executive director, landmarks association
“From Whence Shall We Expect The Approach of Danger?” – Civil War Fortifications of St. Louis
Andrew Weil, Executive Director of Landmarks Association will discuss Civil War defenses of St. Louis and some of the people who played roles in their planning and construction. Using historic architectural drawings of the wide range of complex structures, this talk will discuss the forms, functional components, and strategic geography of the mutually supporting system of polygonal forts that ringed St. Louis from 1861-1865.
october 15, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | John guenther, faia, leed ap, john c. guenther architect llc
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis: An Illustrated Timeline
Spanning over 350 years of history, this lecture explores the story of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis—from the early French exploration of the Mississippi River to the creation of one of the world’s great cathedrals. Drawing from the book The Story of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, the talk will highlight the growth of Catholicism in the region, the evolution of St. Louis, and the construction of key churches leading up to the present-day Cathedral Basilica. Attendees will gain insight into its architectural design, structural refinements, and the awe-inspiring mosaics that define its interior, all illustrated with historical imagery.
POSTPONED TO SPRING 2026 | nick sacco, historian and curator, ulysses s. grant national historic site
St. Louis Before the Civil War: The Photography of Thomas Easterly
An exploration of pre-Civil War St. Louis through the daguerreotype photographs of Thomas Easterly that are housed at the Missouri Historical Society. No other photographer in St. Louis captured the city’s built landscape of the 1840s and 1850s quite like Easterly.
october 29, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | jeff smith, emeritus professor of history
When Grief Becomes Beauty: The Rural Cemetery Movement in Nineteenth Century America
The Rural Cemetery Movement was something of a revolution in the ways and spaces Americans mourned and commemorated the dead. Ideas and attitudes from this transformation are still with us as we walk around these historic cemeteries, great and small.
November 5, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | amanda clark, public historian, missouri historical society
St. Louis Women in Architecture
Amanda Clark, public historian with the Missouri Historical Society, will share the fascinating and complex story of women who have shaped St. Louis’ built environment–as architects, engineers, educators, patrons, and caretakers. This lecture will uncover and explore lesser-known historic contributions and celebrate those that continue that tradition today.
2025 Spring Lecture Series
All of our lectures of the 2025 Spring Season have now passed.
April 9, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | Tom Grady, Judge
Vandeventer Place, Gilded Age St. Louis –
A Social, Economic, Architectural and Urban History of the Legendary Post-Civil War Enclave
Judge Tom Grady will present his new book “Vandeventer Place, Gilded Age St. Louis – A Social, Economic, Architectural and Urban History of the Legendary Post-Civil War Enclave.” Co-authored with Michael Boyd, this work offers a comprehensive view of all fifty homes that once stood in Vandeventer Place, with biographical details of the owners and the sources of their considerable Gilded Age wealth.
April 16, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | Joel Fuoss, Architect AIA, IIDA, LEED AP
The Reawakening of a Giant:
The Butler Brothers Building Reimagined
Joel, a Principal with Trivers Architecture, will discuss how a century-old warehouse was reborn as a vibrant residential community. The Butler Brothers Building, constructed in 1906, was once a state-of-the-art distribution hub, but after sitting vacant for nearly three decades, it faced an uncertain future. Located in St. Louis’s Downtown West neighborhood, its sheer scale, deep floor plates, and historic integrity presented both challenges and opportunities for revitalization. Trivers embraced the complexity of this adaptive reuse project, carefully balancing preservation with transformation. The result is “The Victor”, a dynamic residential community that breathes new life into the structure while celebrating its architectural legacy.
April 23, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | NiNi Harris, Author/Historian
St. Louis Hills, its History and Architecture
The enchanting St. Louis Hills neighborhood is a phenomenon resulting from extraordinary planning, a unique mix of architectural styles, and exceptional craftsmanship. Harris will discuss the inspiration for and evolution of St. Louis Hills. NiNi Harris is a life-long St. Louisan and has researched and written 18 books on St. Louis history, institutions, architecture, ethnic heritage and landscapes.
April 30, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | Cameron Collins, Author, Historian and Creator of the “Distilled History” Blog
Hyde Park Riot
The lecture will discuss the history and architecture of the Hyde Park Neighborhood and a little-known Civil War Era riot that broke out on the 4th of July 1863 at the neighborhood tavern of Otto Kuhlage.
May 7, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | Rob Wagstaff, AIA, Lead Architect
What Buildings Learn – What We Forget
Drawing on 30 years of experience revitalizing historic buildings, architect Rob Wagstaff will use case studies from St. Louis to examine the realities of balancing adaptive reuse with preservation ideals.
May 14, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | Guinn Hinman, Historic and Cultural Sites Manager, St. Louis County Parks and Recreation
History at/of St. Louis County Parks
The St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation was established in 1950 and has grown to include over 68 parks, six recreation complexes, and seven sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hinmaan will discuss the history of the department, how it was formed, and take a fascinating look at many of the County’s architectural treasures – including the Frank Lloyd Wright House at Ebsworth Park, the Nims Mansion at Bee Tree Park, and local favorites such as Faust Park, Laumeier Sculpture Park, and Jefferson Barracks.
May 21, 2025 @ 6:00 PM | Mark Sundlov, Managing Director, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum Presents
The History of Soldiers’ Memorial and its Surroundings
Opened in 1938, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum was built to remember St. Louisans who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War I. The “memorial plaza and building” was one of 21 propositions in the 1923 bond issue. The creation of the plaza and building, and other projects of the bond issue, dramatically transformed this area of downtown from a high density, mixed-use area to an area of plentiful green-space and municipal buildings. The memorial was operated for nearly 80 years by the City of St. Louis until operations were transferred to the Missouri Historical Society—the society led the efforts on a +30M renovation of the building.