Locomobile Company, Premier Recording Building

This historic building was constructed in 1913 for the Locomobile Company which created steam-powered automobiles in the late 19th century before transitioning to gas-powered combustible engines. The building joined many others that held companies that sold and provided service for automobiles within Automotive Row in St. Louis. The company was purchased in 1922, but Locomobiles were produced until 1929. This building operated as a home for car dealers for decades, and also has a unique connection to Bing Crosby, the television show Wild Kingdom, and a band that transmitted secret messages to the German Army during World War II.

The Locomobile Building opened in 1913 during the genesis of St. Louis' Automotive Row. From 1911 to 1955, the district supported numerous early automotive distribution, sales, and service properties on Olive and Locust Streets. By the mid-1910s, Locust Street served as the epicenter of Automobile Row, with multiple automotive-related businesses operating. 

Prior to the growth of Automobile Row, the area primarily functioned as a residential neighborhood. From the 1850s to the 1880s, many middle-class families moved west from downtown St. Louis into what became the Automotive District. The arrival of the Grand Avenue Railway Company in 1867 and, later, a streetcar line helped the area develop into an urban residential neighborhood known as "Midtown," which supported numerous shops, hotels, theaters, and bicycle shops. 

Even as late as 1909, Locust Street remained mainly residential, but a change was on the horizon and automotive shops and dealers began to appear by 1911. At first, these companies were interwoven with existing grocers, printers, pharmacies, saloons, and hotels. Efforts to widen streets in the region made the area increasingly automobile friendly. In 1917, the newly formed St. Louis City Plan Commission proposed a plan to enlarge many of the city's streets to reduce traffic and congestion, especially in areas where urban expansion had rapidly overtaken former residential areas. By the time bond issues passed in the 1920s, Locus Street had already supported numerous automotive industry establishments.

During the early 1930s, diminished commercial activity along Locust reflected the Great Depression. Many businesses closed, while several automotive parts and service companies diversified their product selection to stay in business. By 1932, businesses alongside automotive stores included a restaurant, a sign company, a printer, and a telephone company. Automotive-related businesses enjoyed growth after World War II, but Automotive Row by then supported both car-related businesses and operations without connections to the automobile industry. 

Dealerships slowly moved away from Automotive Row after the war as the industry consolidated and the larger automobile companies required more space and modern facilities. Any remaining local or regional dealer had to compete with Packard and "the Big Three" (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors), which required that dealerships offer more to customers, including large showrooms, multiple models on display, financing capabilities, and a full-service area. Such demands required that buildings be constructed significantly larger and located in prime locations that Locust Street could not provide. Still, during the '40s and '50s, auto repair shops, paint and body shops, supply stores, and service stations continued to thrive. 

The Locomobile building opened in 1913 as Automotive Row grew into prominence. The building initially served as the home to a Locomobile automobile dealership. Made in Bridgeport, Connecticut, from 1899 to 1929, Locomobiles first relied on steam power until 1903, when the company converted to internal combustion engines. The Locomobile Company enjoyed a reputation for its engineering and design precision, an important trait in the era before the assembly line. In 1922, Durant Motors took control of Locomobile, but the cars produced by Durant continued to market the vehicles as Locomobile automobiles. In 1929, the company went out of business.

Other car dealers and ancillary businesses occupied parts of the, or the entire, building such as the Mid-West Motor Car Company, S & L Tire Company, Franklin Refining Company, Saint Louis V Ray Sales Company, and the James Landwehr Company, a dealer of Marin Cars and the Davis Six, founded and operated by George W. Davis. Davis initially produced wagons before getting into the car business in 1908. After first making motorized buggies, he began producing touring cars in 1911 powered by 4-cylinder Continental engines. By 1914, Davis introduced the 6-cylinder Continental units, which by 1916 comprised the only engine found in Davis vehicles; hence the name, Davis Six. Although Davis exported many of his cars, he did sell them domestically, including in St. Louis. Davises were well known for their two-tone paint schemes and poetic model names. But, sales of Davis cars peaked in the early 1920s and largely fell out of production by 1930. 

During the 1930s and early 1940s, the building housed various automobile and commercial enterprises such as a welding company, auto repair, used car sales, and a Venetian blind manufacturer. But, during World War II, Premier Recording Studios moved into the building. An intriguing event occurred during the war when the company president noticed something unusual in a recording from one of the singing groups that used the studio. An FBI investigation discovered secret coding within the musical recording meant to inform Germany about military production and travel in and through Saint Louis. 

From the 1940s to the 1960s, Premier Recording evolved into Premier Radio Enterprises, Inc, Premier Hardcastle Productions, and eventually Premier Film and Recording Corporation. Artists that recorded in the studio include Bing Crosby, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, and both Ike and Tina Turner. Wild Kingdom, a long-term, nationally-televised show, was recorded in the Locomotion building. In addition, the first radio and TV commercials for Busch Bavarian beer, the first television spots featuring the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales, and several popular radio shows that aired during the 1940s and early 1950s were produced at Premier. Finally, the basement housed a screening room where the media, from the 1940s into the 1980s, reviewed hundreds of new movies.

Jones, Devry Becker. "Locomobile Building: Built in 1913." The Historical Marker Database." HMdb.org. April 28, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=133093.

Locomobile Society. Accessed September 24, https://www.locomobilesociety.com/.

Keenov, Ruth, Karen Bode Baxter, Timothy P. Malonev, and Mandv K. Ford. "Registration Form: Locust Street Automotive District." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2005. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Locust%20Street%20Automotive%20Dist.pdf. Specific information regarding the Locomobile Building can be found in section 8, number 33: "Locomobile Company of Missouri Building; 1911 and 1912."