While in St. Louis I saw this building and was intrigued as to it's origins, so thanks to the Internet, I can let you all know the history behind it!
The seven story International Fur Exchange Building at the
corner of 4th Street and Market Street was built in 1919 after a record two
years of fur trading in St. Louis. It was the world’s largest fur trading
auction floor in the 1920s and 1930s. The seven-story building was designed by
St. Louis architect George W. Hellmuth and boasted the latest electric lighting
technologies to highlight the sales floor. The building offered buyers the
convenience of viewing pelts and bidding in the same location. In the 1940's,
eighty percent of the world's fur seal pelts along with beaver, fox and other
pets were auctioned in the facility. Furs
were traded in the building until 1956.
The building was scheduled for demolition in the 1990's,
however it was spared the wrecking ball when it converted to a Drury Plaza
Hotel.
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