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Crunden Martin Manufacturing Company
Gratiot Street at 1st and 2nd Streets, St. Louis

The buildings of the Crunden Martin Manufacturing Company form the core of Chauteau's Landing, an industrial district immediately south of the Arch grounds. Crunden-Martin, which seems to have produced a variety of metal goods, filed for Chapter 11 in 1990.

The company leaves behind a maze of buildings mostly clad in red brick, with some faint traces of Prairie Style influence.

Crunden Martin Buildings #1, #2, #3, #4, #6
Crunden Martin consists of six conjoined buildings identified by number, with a seventh building linked to the others by skybridge. Some feature ornate trim hearkening to the Prairie Style movement; one is built of exposed concrete. The buildings were designed by Mauran, Russell & Garden, and the firm's continuation, Mauran, Russell & Crowell, between 1904 and 1918.

The buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by their owners, a good sign for their preservation. Buildings #1 and #3 have suffered cornice damage, but the remainder appear intact. Three proposals to convert the complex to residential and businesses materialized in 2005.

Crunden Martin Building #7
Building #7 is constructed with raw concrete, a contrast to its brick-clad neighbors. It was designed by Tom Barnett & Co. in 1920.

Crunden Martin Building #5
Building #5 is separate from the main group, but a multi-story sky bridge connects it. Designed by Mauran, Russell & Crowell, 1912.

Several other industrial buildings stand in the immediate area.

Gallery: Adjacent Buildings


A faded ghost sign. Among the visible words are "Glidden" and "ND Resin Division"; the Glidden paint company bought the St. Louis Lithophone Company in 1926.


Elevated rail lines lead to the MacArthur Bridge and north along the riverfront.

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