Mayor Raymond Tucker (in office from 1953 to 1965) oversaw tremendous change to the City of St. Louis. Federal programs changed the city’s landscape forever. The Mill Creek Valley land clearance was the largest urban renewal project in the United States up until that time. History has demonstrated that it was a disaster, but at the time it held great promise. Theising will examine the historical context of the Mill Creek Valley project, the motivations of Mayor Tucker, and the vision he was attempting to implement.
 
About the guest speaker
Andrew Theising is Associate Professor and Department Chair of Political Science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He is the author of the award-winning book Made in USA: East St. Louis, which was made into an award-winning public television documentary. His research on industrial legacy in urban areas has been used by media nationwide. Presently, he is researching the mayoral administration of Raymond Tucker, on whose watch large-scale federal programs were implemented such as interstate highway construction, public housing development, slum clearance, and the construction of the Gateway Arch.
In the community, Theising is governing board chair of the Head Start program for St. Clair County, Illinois, the vice-president of the East St. Louis Charter High School board, and a commissioner on the East St. Louis 1917 Centennial commission that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the infamous riots there.  His family has lived in the St. Louis region for nearly 175 years.
 
EVENT DETAILS
Reception and talk by Andrew Theising Mid-Century Urban Renewal in St. Louis: Mayor Tucker’s Use of Urban Renewal
Tuesday May 23, 2017 Reception 4:30 pm Talk at 5:00 pm
CEL – Center for Architecture + Design
StL 3307 Washington Ave., St. Louis Mo. 63103
 
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