2024 Fall Fundraiser - Savor The Past, Celebrate The Future
The Landmarks Association of St. Louis celebrates 65 years of preserving St. Louis architecture by honoring
renowned news anchor Julius K. Hunter with the H. Meade Summer’s Jr. Award at the organization’s annual fall event.
The awards ceremony and celebration will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept 20, 2024, at La Verona on the Hill,
a Most Enhanced winner from Landmarks in 2023. Tickets are $150 per person and will be available on July 1st
at bit.ly/LandmarksEvents. Admission includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
When: September 20, 2024 from 6-9 pm
Where: La Verona - 4925 Daggett Ave. 63110
Tickets: $150 per person, on sale July, 1, 2024
About Julius K. Hunter
Julius Hunter became an inadvertent "preservationist" at a very early age, when he walked from his sixth-grade classroom at Cole Elementary School
and saw Vandeventer Place reduced to rubble. Young Hunter just couldn't figure out how an entire two blocks of breathtaking magnificence -- from Vandeventer
to Grand could just disappear. A keen interest in history sent young Hunter to the library to try to find out how this cluster of architectural jewels could be obliterated.
These were the same questions that became the tools Hunter employed over a 33-year career as St. Louis' first African American TV news anchorman. During his
radio and television career, Hunter traveled on three different occasions with Pope John Paul II and conducted exclusive one-on-one interviews with seven U.S. Presidents,
Pearl Bailey, Sophia Loren, Jimmy Hoffa, Cab Calloway, Bob Hope, Angie Dickinson, Chuck Berry, Julia Child and dinner with Oprah Winfrey. He was quick to praise
his beloved St. Louis during these interviews. Upon leaving broadcasting, Hunter was appointed the first Vice-President for Community Relations at SLU. Hunter was
appointed by the Missouri Governor to a four-year term on the Police Board.
Hunter also contributed to St Louis in his more than half a century service on the governing boards of the History Museum, Campbell House Museum, Backstoppers
and as founder of the Julius K. Hunter and Friends African American Research Collection located at St. Louis County Library Headquarters.
Hunter has taught in adjuncts positions at Maryville, Washington U. St. Louis U. and Harris-Stowe State University. He was the first "Author-in-Residence at the St. Louis
County Library. Among the dozen books Hunter has penned are the epic coffee table books on the colorful stories of Westmoreland, Portland and Kingsbury Places are
testimonials to the grandeur of a bygone era that still is standing.
“Julius Hunter is an acclaimed and boundary-breaking broadcaster, historian, educator, author and public servant. For decades his passion for St. Louis and its architectural
history has brought stories of the past to life for our community. His work, both professional and avocational, has inspired generations of young historians and preservationists
and made significant contributions to the body of literature celebrating the architecture of St. Louis. Landmarks Association considers it an honor to present him
with the H.Meade Summers Jr. Award for his outstanding contributions to historic preservation in the St. Louis Region.”
- Andrew Weil, Executive Director, Landmarks St Louis Association.
About H. Meade Summers, Jr. Award
Started in 2009, the H. Meade Summers, Jr. Award was named in honor of its first recipient. The name Meade Summers, Jr. is practically synonymous with historic
preservation in Missouri. He led the formation and founding of many of the state’s major preservation organizations and spearheaded the rehabilitation of some of the
state’s most prominent landmarks. Mr. Summers is the former chair of the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and a former President of the Board of
Landmarks Association. This prestigious award was created and endowed to recognize lifetime contributions devoted to the preservation of Missouri’s history and
cultural resources. It is given by Landmarks to an individual, couple, or entity that has made significant contributions in the field of historic preservation in the St. Louis
regional area.
About La Verona
Named La Verona, translating to "The Truth" in Italian, this venue earned a Landmarks Most Enhanced Award in 2023. Situated within the Hill neighborhood, La Verona at
the Marketplace boasts a rich history dating back over a century. The complex grew over time, serving as the home to the Mancha Storage Battery Locomotive Co. which
produced small, battery-operated mining cars. The industrial end grain wood block flooring, utilized for its resiliency to absorb shock, is present in the venue space.
The Marketplace on the Hill has witnessed diverse uses over the years. Today, its architecture and the surrounding ambiance seamlessly blend warm, old-world charm with
an urban flair, creating an ideal setting for industrial-themed events at La Verona.
