Overview

Sitting at the far corner of campus, Bixby Hall isn't a name widely recognized by WashU students. Unbeknownst to most, however, it's a building that is deeply entrenched into the history of the university, dating back to the 1904 World's Fair.

Approaching the 100th year anniversary of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, classics Professor Sylvester Waterhouse proposed a grand World's Fair held at the hilltop which negotiated the purchase. University Hall (now Brooking's Hall) was previously the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company's administrative center, and it seemed a very fitting place to hold celebrate this revolutionary moment in US history. The project approved, temporary buildings were erected to administrate and organize the international event, one of which was the British Pavilion.

The British Pavilion served as the reproduction of the Orangery (a building dedicated to perserving orange trees and other plants during the winter) at Kensington Palace in England. In 1909, a few years after the end of the World's Fair, the building was repurposed as the St. Louis School of Fine Arts (which had previously been in Downtown St. Louis).

Professor Jeff Pike joined the university in 1983 and has been a professor at Sam Fox since then. He became an Associate Dean in 1993 and then the Dean of the School of Art in 1999. During his years as Dean, the School of Art underwent massive changes, with the construction of new buildings (like the Kemper Art Museum and Weil Hall) and the renovation of old ones. Specifically, he oversaw the most recent changes to Bixby Hall. 

In an interview with him on Bixby Hall and its many transformations, Professor Pike spoke of the state of the School of Art when it occupied the British Pavilion. The pavilions at the World's Fair were all built to be temporary, and only the British Pavilion and the St. Louis Museum of Art (which was built more permanently) were spared. This meant that by the 1920s, the British Pavilion was deteriorating and rapidly falling apart. Professor Pike explains that some students reported that "the rats outnumbered the humans."

In 1921, William K. Bixby (which Pike describes as a fascinating wealthy young man) allotted $250,000 to constructing a new building for the School of Art. In 1929, Bixby Hall was completed, and the St. Louis School of Art relocated, after which the British Pavilion was razed.

But much of the unique architectural landmarks of the British Pavilion were transplanted into Bixby Hall. The glorious wooden wainscoting and wall paneling was taken down and installed into what became the Bixby Gallery. Bixby Hall became a recreation of the British Pavilion but more permanent.

But by the 1980s, Bixby Hall was not in an amazing shape, and renovations became necessary. The school needed to expand to incorporate the computers becoming ever so essential in the designing space. Unfortunately, the school did not have enough electricity to be running everything. Professor Pike could often tell when his assistants left, as the lights in his own office would grow brighter once they had turned off theirs. 

But the school had several structural issues as well. There was no air conditioning or ventilation in a space which handled volatile materials. Professor Pike in his interview tells the story that whenever he managed the summer school, school would often be cancelled because of the heat, as students "would have perspiration dripping onto their work." When they convened, he would bring coolers of iced water and drinks to sustain the students through the heat. 

There were no elevators and only two sets of stairs at opposite ends of the building. Students had to travel to the ground floor to go to the only restrooms in the building. The newly inaugurated Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton (who served from 1998 to 2019) once visited the school where he was escorted around by then-Professor Pike. He recalled that Chancellor Wrighton had requested to go to the bathroom. Upon leaving, he had said that “'you people don't even have a decent restroom.'" In his address to the art school that day, Chancellor Wrighton said that he had never though art school to be necessary to a university. Hearing this, Professor Pike had the immediate thought to update his resume . But Chancellor Wrighton continued: "'But we do have a School of Art, so we are going to make it the best in the country!'”  

And he made true on that promise. WashU's School of Art experienced significant improvements under Chancellor Wrighton. It rebranded as the Sam Fox School of Visual Arts and Design. It’s come to provide the facilities and equipments that allow students to pursue and cultivate their artistic needs, whether it be with a full body 3D scan or an old letterpress.

These changes did come at a cost. Bixby Hall was fully transformed. It was stripped of all of that which ties it to the British Pavilion. Students walking the halls today would not at all realize Bixby's connection to the 1904 World's Fair. There is no way for them to know, with as little remnants of the British Pavilion as there is. 

But does the outcome justify the cost of losing its history? Bixby Hall's interior may have changed, and it may no longer reflect its connection to the 1904 World's Fair, but its purpose has not changed. The Bixby Hall of the 1900s was one that aimed to provide professional and vocational art training for its students. It was used to provide a space that would facilitate the exchange of ideas, a space which would be wholly dedicated to the celebration of the arts and the art-making process.

The many transformations of Bixby Hall have not changed this. Bixby Hall serves the same purpose, and the changes its experienced have only been made in the advancement of this goal. The Bixby Hall of today carries Sam Fox students through their freshman year, giving them the tools and experiences necessary for the development of their art. It gives them the space and flexibility their later years to delve into the art of printmaking and fashion design and woodwork. It encourages approaching the arts from an interdisciplinary perspective, exploring what lies beyond the boundaries of the student's own limits. The renovations may have completely changed the physical appearance of Bixby Hall, but they've left a much better school of art in their wake. 

Much of this information was courtesy of Professor Jeff Pike. However, additional resources were used:

"Washington University Magazine, Summer 2004" , . (2004). Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives.
Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.
https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/ad_wumag/168

Otten, Liam. “Groundbreaking! - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis.” The Source, 13 Jan. 2016, source.wustl.edu/2003/12/groundbreaking/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.

“History.” Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts - Washington University in St. Louis, samfoxschool.wustl.edu/the-school/history. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.