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Collection Overview
Title: St. Louis Terminal, Cupples Station and Property Company Records (WUA00457)
ID: WUA/06/wua00457
Extent: 0.0
Date Acquired: 08/01/1967
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The St. Louis Terminal, Cupples Station & Property Company Records includes minutes of the Board of Directors (1897-1918) and Common and Preferred Stock bonds (1900-1918) ledgers.
Collection Historical Note
St. Louis Terminal Cupples Station & Property Company, known as “Cupples Station,” was built by Samuel Cupples. In 1882, Cupples began purchasing property, south from Clark Avenue to Popular Street and extending west from 7th Street to 11th Street. Cupples and Robert S. Brookings, then manager of Cupples Woodenware Company, recognized this location to be strategic location for a freight distribution center. Brookings announced the proposal construction of a freight terminal in 1889, to be erected on the properties purchased by Cupples. The St. Louis Terminal Cupples Station property was complete by 1917, and comprised of 17 structures covering approximately 500,000 square feet of ground area. On this land, a system of warehouses was erected and the railroads could traverse it through tracks in the warehouse basements. St. Louis merchants could then receive and reship goods in one place and the expense of handling goods was significantly diminished. The warehouse complex was deeded to Washington University in 1900, before its completion, as an endowed gift. The company assets totaling $4 million were used to fund the construction of three new buildings: Cupples I, Cupples II Hall and the Cupples Engineering Building. These buildings were demolished in 1967 to make room for Bryan Hall.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Folder:
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Folder 1-2: Minutes of Meetings of the Board of Directors, 1897-1918 [2 items]],
[Folder 3-4: Common and Preferred Stock Bonds ledgers, 1900-1918 [2 items]],
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All]
- Folder 3-4: Common and Preferred Stock Bonds ledgers, 1900-1918 [2 items]
