Welcome to The St. Louis Newsletter!

In today’s edition:

• St. Louis Cardinals trade discussions

• Upcoming St. Louis Blues home game

• A deep-dive into the life of Tennessee Williams

• And more…

Quote of the Week

“If you can’t yet do great things, do small things in a great way.”

―Napoleon Hill

Trivia

Here is your trivia question of the week. The answer will be shown in next week’s newsletter. Which do you think it is? No cheating!

Which St. Louis attraction offers a botanical journey through various climates and continents, featuring themed gardens like the Japanese Garden and the Climatron?

A) Forest Park

B) Missouri Botanical Garden

C) Tower Grove Park

D) Citygarden

Answer to Last Week's Trivia:

The name of the historic St. Louis neighborhood known for its Italian heritage is C) The Hill.

News

💼 Business

Laurna Godwin leads in Advertising & Media, enhancing St. Louis's brand visibility and outreach. (Link)

One West introduces new hard money lending programs, boosting real estate investment in St. Louis. (Link)

🏒 Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals discussed potential moves inspired by the Kansas City Royals' deal with Bobby Witt Jr. (Link)

Tyler O'Neill shared insights on his relationship with Oli Marmol and the Cardinals. (Link)

The St. Louis Blues are set to play the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2025 Winter Classic, marking a significant future event for the team. (Link)

🏦 Finance

St. Louis Fed President James Bullard supports raising the federal funds rate to 5.25-5.5% to achieve a 2% inflation target. (Link)

Boeing plans to cut 2,000 jobs but also open a finance hub in St. Louis, indicating significant corporate changes. (Link)

Federal Reserve's meeting notes suggest continued interest rate hikes with a potential endpoint later in the year, affecting financial forecasts. (Link)

Upcoming Events

Here are some events that are happening in our city this week. There is a good mix between sports, entertainment, conferences, concerts, and more.

Sports

🏀 Richmond Spiders at Saint Louis Billikens Men's Basketball
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO
Wednesday, Feb. 28th | (More info)

🏒 Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues
Enterprise Center, Saint Louis, MO
Saturday, Mar. 2nd | (More info)

Music & Concerts

🎶 Blonde Redhead with Squirrel Flower
Delmar Hall, St. Louis, MO
Tuesday, Feb. 27th | (More info)

🎤 Bailey Zimmerman with Josh Ross
The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
Thursday, Feb. 29th | (More info)

🎷 William Fitzsimmons
Off-Broadway, St. Louis, MO
Thursday, Feb. 29th | (More info)

🎵 Keyshia Cole
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO
Friday, Mar. 1st | (More Info)

Family

🌸 Art in Bloom
Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis
Thursday, Feb. 29th | (More Info)

📚 2024 Youth Symposium
North Broadway, St. Louis, MO
Saturday, Mar. 2nd | (More Info)

📖 Free Kids Event: Children's Book Story Time
St. Louis, MO
Saturday, Mar. 2nd | (More Info)

Image of the Week

Every week, I have a habit of making some AI art about our city.

This week, I typed in “St. Louis within a giant biodome” and this is what I got.

Let me know what ideas you have for this. I really enjoy making these types of photos.

St. Louis Historical Events

Construction of the Eads Bridge (1874)

The construction of the Eads Bridge in 1874 was a monumental engineering achievement that had a profound impact on St. Louis, Missouri, and the surrounding region. As the first major steel structure bridge in the United States, it not only represented a significant technological advancement but also symbolized the growing industrial prowess of the nation. Spanning the Mississippi River, the bridge connected St. Louis, Missouri, to East St. Louis, Illinois, facilitating the movement of people, goods, and ideas between the eastern and western parts of the country. Its completion marked a new era in transportation and commerce, enhancing St. Louis's role as a critical hub in the national transportation network.

The construction of the Eads Bridge was an engineering marvel of its time, showcasing innovative design and construction techniques. Led by James Buchanan Eads, the project employed the use of pneumatic caissons to sink the bridge's foundations deep into the riverbed, a method that was revolutionary at the time. The use of steel as the primary construction material was also groundbreaking, proving its strength and durability for large-scale structures. The successful completion of the bridge demonstrated the potential of steel in construction, influencing the design and construction of bridges and buildings worldwide.

Beyond its technical achievements, the Eads Bridge had a significant economic and social impact on St. Louis and the broader Midwest region. It improved trade and transportation networks, making it easier and more efficient to transport goods across the Mississippi River. This connectivity spurred economic growth and development in the region, attracting businesses and settlers. Additionally, the bridge served as a symbol of unity and progress, bridging the physical and metaphorical divides between the eastern and western United States. Its legacy as an engineering landmark and a catalyst for regional development endures, highlighting the transformative power of infrastructure on the growth and prosperity of American cities.

Famous People From St. Louis

Tennessee Williams (1911–1983)

Born Thomas Lanier Williams III on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi, Tennessee Williams' early life was marked by a sense of displacement and familial discord. The Williams family moved frequently due to his father's job as a traveling salesman, eventually settling in St. Louis, Missouri. These formative years, fraught with tension between his genteel, sensitive nature and the demands of his aggressive, alcoholic father, would later profoundly influence his writing.

Education and Early Works (1929–1938)

The family's relocation to St. Louis was a pivotal moment for Williams. Here, he attended the University of Missouri, where he first began to hone his craft in playwriting. However, his father's insistence that he withdraw from college to work in a shoe factory marked a period of deep depression for Williams, which only fueled his determination to pursue a career in writing. These experiences in St. Louis shaped his understanding of societal norms and personal struggle, themes prevalent in his later works.

Breakthrough and Struggle (1939–1944)

After leaving the shoe factory, Williams continued his education at Washington University in St. Louis and later at the University of Iowa, where he graduated in 1938. The following years were a time of significant struggle but also marked the beginning of his career as a playwright. His early works received little attention, but he persevered, refining his voice and vision, leading to the eventual breakthrough of his play "The Glass Menagerie" in 1944.

Rise to Fame (1944–1945)

"The Glass Menagerie" opened in Chicago in 1944 before moving to Broadway the following year. This semi-autobiographical play, reflecting his own unhappy family life, was a critical and commercial success, catapulting Williams to national fame. Its innovative use of memory as a device and its deep emotional resonance marked a new direction in American theater.

A Prolific Period (1947–1955)

Following the success of "The Glass Menagerie," Williams produced a series of hits that further established his reputation. "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1947), perhaps his most famous work, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and introduced iconic characters Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. This period also saw the creation of "Summer and Smoke" (1948), "The Rose Tattoo" (1951), and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955), the latter of which won him a second Pulitzer Prize.

Challenges and Changes (1955–1963)

Despite his success, the late 1950s and early 1960s were challenging years for Williams. His works became more experimental and received a mixed critical reception. Personal struggles, including battles with depression, drug use, and the pressures of fame, influenced his writing. This period included works like "Sweet Bird of Youth" (1959) and "The Night of the Iguana" (1961), which, while still successful, signaled a shift in his critical standing.

A Time of Turmoil (1963–1975)

The 1960s and early 1970s marked a period of personal and professional turmoil for Williams. The death of his longtime partner, Frank Merlo, in 1963 deeply affected him, leading to an increased reliance on drugs and alcohol. His later works during this time, such as "The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore" (1963) and "Out Cry" (1973), though ambitious, failed to achieve the success of his earlier plays.

Late Career and Reflections (1975–1983)

In his final years, Williams' work received less critical and commercial attention, but he continued to write, exploring new themes and formats, including memoirs and poetry. Despite the decline in his theatrical success, he remained a significant figure in American literature, known for his lyrical prose, complex characters, and themes of desire, loneliness, and the fragility of human connections.

The Legacy of Tennessee Williams (1983–Present)

Tennessee Williams passed away on February 25, 1983, in New York City. His legacy, however, continues to thrive through countless revivals of his plays, adaptations for film and television, and ongoing scholarly interest in his life and work. Williams' profound impact on American theater and literature is celebrated worldwide, with his plays still widely performed and studied for their emotional depth, poetic language, and incisive exploration of the human condition.

Connection to St. Louis

Williams' connection to St. Louis was complex and fraught with personal challenges, yet it was also a city that shaped his artistic vision. His experiences in St. Louis, from his family struggles to his initial forays into playwriting, deeply influenced his portrayal of characters and themes. This period of his life provided a rich backdrop for his plays, many of which reflect the tensions and conflicts he experienced during his years in the city.

Key Achievements

• Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama ("A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1948 and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" in 1955).

• Creation of iconic American plays that have become classics in the world of theater.

• A profound influence on the development of American theater and the portrayal of complex, psychological characters and themes.

Tennessee Williams, one of the most prominent playwrights in American history, left an indelible mark on the world of theater with his poignant and deeply personal works. Born in Mississippi and shaped by his tumultuous years in St. Louis, Williams rose to fame with "The Glass Menagerie," setting the stage for a career that would include such masterpieces as "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Despite personal struggles, his legacy endures through his contribution to the exploration of human emotion, social issues, and the art of drama, making him a central figure in the canon of American literature.

Connect With Me

If you want to connect, reply to this email and let me know what you think.

I would love to hear from you. Don’t be shy.

-Matthew Larsen

Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/matthewblarsen

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