Before and after

Top photo by Joseph Brinkmann | Trivers Associates

Bottom by Tom Nagel | The Beacon

Put on your shades, Fabulous Fox, there's a glitzy new kid on the block.

No, it's not a casino.

Or a diner. Or a movie theater.

That really is the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, the venerable and definitely nonglitzy, nonprofit agency now lighting up the night sky at the corner of Grand and Olive.

Joseph Brinkmann of Trivers Associates Architects says a lot of collaboration went into designing the new marquee for the old long-vacant Woolworth's building where the agency now makes its home. Officials from Big Brothers and also from Grand Center agreed that the new signage should be vibrant and an attention-grabber -- a dramatic gateway to Grand Center.

"They were interested in something lively that would energize that corner,'' said Brinkmann, whose firm did the design for the building remodel.

Because historic tax credits were involved, Missouri's State Historic Preservation Office had to approve the plans, which called for duplicating the original marquee to an extent.

Todd Mayberry of Kiku Obata and Co. designed the neon lettering and David Ziolkowski of HOK created the programmable LED lighting that makes the third story glow.

 

A half block down Olive, he made a wide U-ie to snag a parking spot. Then he sprinted over to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Building at 501 North Grand, an office space so new that painters' drop cloths were still in the corner by the front door, and the neon signage outside was still being tested for the official lighting at 8:30 that night, just in time to welcome delegates to the national Big Brothers Big Sisters conference being held in St. Louis this week.

Fact is, new "Bigs" haven't needed to see the organization's name in neon lights to start volunteering to help the region's "Littles,'' according to Becky James-Hatter, president and CEO of the organization, which started moving into the former Woolworth's building two weeks ago.

"We got our first call from a man on Friday. He saw our sign and asked, 'Can I join?' '' she said, beaming.

Though James-Hatter is smiling a lot these days over her group's spacious new headquarters, she says the true measure of success will be adding volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, an organization that has served St. Louis since 1914.

Increased visibility was the driving force for choosing this location, next to the Fabulous Fox Theatre, at what may have once been the busiest intersection of the city. And the irony isn't lost on anyone that during the 1960s, civil rights demonstrations were once held at the lunch counter in this building, she points out.

"Under the banner of Big Brothers Big Sisters, this is now a place where all races can come together with a great deal of love and acceptance -- I get emotional,'' she said.

In this prominent location, James-Hatter hopes to match hundreds -- make that thousands -- of "Littles" with "Bigs.'' Her goal is to increase the program's 2,500 current matches to 10,000 -- still a drop in the bucket when compared to the estimated 100,000 youngsters in Eastern Missouri who would benefit from mentoring, she said.

The 60,000-square-foot building, which has been completely renovated from basement to rooftop, is owned by developer McCormack Baron Salazar Inc. Big Brothers has an option to buy its part of the building -- about 24,000 square feet -- in seven years. The building will also house the Kranzberg Art Center, where two theaters and the Craft Alliance will share space. Plans are to make meeting rooms -- and a rooftop garden space -- available to other community groups.

The Big Brothers organization wants to develop an exhibit for the lobby that will note the historic importance of the building during the Civil Rights movement, James-Hatter said. The project would include oral histories from a diverse cross-section of St. Louisans: those who recall being denied service at the lunch counter and the slap in the face that was segregation, as well as those who have happy memories of going to the dime store to buy their first gold fish.

For now, the legacy is marked by a simple message on the wall that is visible from the window facing Olive:

"During the turbulent 1960s this building was a site of historic pickets and protests. Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters has transformed it into a place that welcomes, embraces and serves boys, girls, men and women of all ages.''

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri

• The agency is the oldest and largest one-to-one mentoring organization in Missouri; the agency serves St. Louis City and St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties.
• Youths ages 5 to 17 are served through two core programs: the community-based mentoring organization and the school/site-based program. Special attention is given to children attending under-performing schools and those whose parents are incarcerated.
• There are currently 2,500 "matches.''
• Volunteers commit to at least one year of mentoring, with the average match staying together 3 years
• For more information, call 314-361-5900 or visit www.bbbsemo.org