There have been some questions about the Paul Eakins Gay Nineties
Melody Museum. My company, Piano World, is located only several blocks
from its location. I visited the museum back in about 1965 when I was
just a kid. I was in St. Louis with a Baptist youth choir tour. (Don't
worry I am now Episcopal.) They had stopped to see the brand new
St. Louis Arch which did not have the trains installed yet. They gave
us some time to see the arch with which I was thoroughly bored. I
walked the few blocks to see the museum I had heard so much about. It
was small but to me it was simply stunning. I bought as many records
as I could afford and took a whole roll of film.
I had friends here who told me it had been torn down for a parking lot,
but the building is still standing. It is now housing offices for
Smithkline Beecham the well known drug and chemical maker. It hit me
that it was the museum building when I noticed that the pseudo
Victorian facade that was added for the museum and painted polychrome
is still in place but painted an ugly brown. The building is attached
in back to the TUMS building which is the original art deco home office
of TUMS who, I am told, owns both buildings.
The Museum (Smithkline Beecham) building is only about a Mark Macguire
homerun's-length from the Cardinal stadium down the block and across
the street. If you ever went to a St. Louis Cardinal game you probably
parked farther away.
D.L. Bullock Piano World St. Louis
Located in the same building as the new City Museum
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