After John and Alice Meyer read about Charles Eames and Robert Walsh’s church in Helena, Arkansas, the couple commissioned the architecture team to design this expansive, 7,000-square-foot house in Huntleigh, Missouri. The Meyer House has five bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, a tennis court, and a greenhouse. Eames and Walsh made custom furnishings for the home, as…
St. Mary’s Church, best characterized as Late Gothic Revival in style, has a simple, austere presence. Its vaulted archway leads congregants into an expansive space, primarily made of brick. The sides are flanked by tall stained-glass windows designed by St. Louis artist Emil Frei, while a colorful mural anchors the area behind the altar. Charles…
Throughout the 1930s and prior to meeting Ray, Charles was practicing architecture in St. Louis, Missouri. In the middle of the Great Depression, Charles began a firm with architect Robert Walsh and built two churches in Arkansas: St. Mary’s Church in Helena, and St. Mary’s Church in Paragould. St. Mary’s Church’s style is best characterized…
The pews are made of oak, in an arts and craft style, with one unique Eames touch: there’s extra wood at the back of each seat, providing gentle lumbar support. Built early in Charles Eames’s career, St. Mary’s Catholic Church is one of only two churches that he designed in Arkansas. It was erected in…
St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Paragould, Arkansas is one of two churches Charles Eames built early in his career. This structure is a modern reinterpretation of Romanesque Revival architecture, a stylistic decision Charles made since it allowed him to fulfill the congregation’s desire for a traditional church within a modest budget. Charles spoke of this…
In 1938, architects Eliel and Eero Saarinen were chosen to collaborate on The Crow Island School, a new institution to be built in Winnetka, Illinois. They asked Charles Eames, who was then running the Industrial Design Department at Eliel’s Cranbrook Academy, to co-design the seating with Eero. Charles and Eero devised a stand-alone chair in…
The Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, NY, was designed in 1939 by Eliel and Eero Saarinen along with architects F. J. and W. A. Kidd. In 1989, the hall was designed a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation of significance a site or structure can receive. Eero Saarinen and his best friend, Charles Eames,…
In 1933, Charles left St. Louis for Mexico with a mere 75 cents in his pocket. His then-wife, Catherine, and daughter, Lucia, remained at the home of his in-laws while he was gone. The trip essentially marked the initiation of a trial separation. While traveling throughout Mexico’s three northern states, Charles painted both watercolors and…
Fashion design and the artistic nature of clothing captivated Ray from a very early age. She drew her first paper doll when she was three years old and continued making them for the next fifteen years. Her paper dolls grew in both sophistication and detail, often accompanied by intricate wardrobes. In 1933, Ray earned a…
After graduating from the Bennett School for Girls in upstate New York in 1933, Ray moved to New York City. She became an enthusiastic explorer of the city’s culture, viewing sketches such as Picasso’s Guernica one night and attending Broadway plays the next. Ray spent her days studying painting with renowned abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann….
After John and Alice Meyer read about Charles Eames and Robert Walsh’s church in Helena, Arkansas, the couple commissioned the architecture team to design an expansive, 7,000-square-foot residence in Huntleigh, Missouri. The Meyer House has five bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, a tennis court, and a greenhouse. Eames and Walsh made custom furnishings for the home, as…
