Saxon: The story behind the missing link to Negro League’s Stars Park in St. Louis
From Mark Saxon at The Athletic on October 31, 2018, with mention of SABR members Ray Doswell and Larry Lester:
The Missouri Historical Society’s library is housed in a 91-year-old brick and concrete fortress that flanks the western border of Forest Park, a beautifully manicured homage to St. Louis’ prestige a century ago.
The tan building is dominated by an 82-foot black dome modeled after the famous Hagia Sophia church in Istanbul. When it was built, it was among the three largest synagogues in the country and for decades, the building served as a place of worship. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there to a packed house in 1960.
Like many of St. Louis’ important cultural institutions, the United Hebrew congregation moved to the suburbs decades ago, leaving the building in the hands of librarians and archivists who toil, usually in obscurity, at piecing together the grand history of a once-vibrant but now declining city.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/621169/2018/10/30/the-story-behind-the-missing-link-to-st-louis-stars-park-home-of-one-of-the-best-baseball-teams-in-history/
Originally published: October 31, 2018. Last Updated: October 31, 2018.