| | |
|
The Mildred E. Bastian Center for the Performing Arts was designed in 1967 by Harry Weese & Associates of Chicago. The Forest Park campus, located on the site of the old Forest Park Highlands amusement park, was intended to be the flagship of the community college system, and is the only one of the three campuses by an out-of-town architect. Weese arranged the buildings to make a striking impression from U.S. Highway 40, and he selected the brick to match the color of the adjacent Arena, which unfortunately was subsequently painted white and more recently demolished.
Born in 1915, Weese had gained a national reputation with his design of the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and the Bastian Center, while larger and more complex in program, has much of the same character. Using exposed brick, and without recourse to ornament, it manages to provide a spacious and inviting setting for the arts.
Mildred Bastian was one of the first advocates of a community college in St. Louis, and she served two terms as president of the board of trustees. She died in 1978, a few months after the theater was named in her honor. The Chamber Chorus performed its first concert solely for women's voices here on March 15, 1992.
Notes by Esley Hamilton and Philip Barnes