Capital Campaign

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri has begun the most important capital campaign in its history.  This campaign will result in an expanded presence for Big Brothers Big Sisters in our region - which means that more children in our communities will receive the mentoring services they so urgently need.  We are asking individuals, businesses and foundations throughout Eastern Missouri to contribute to this vital campaign.

The Building - $4 million

501 North Grand – formerly the Woolworth Building – located next door to the Fabulous Fox Theater

 In our new welcoming headquarters, volunteers, children and families will gather to learn, celebrate and strengthen their relationships. The modern, efficient work environment will empower staff to do their best work on behalf of the young people, volunteers and families we serve. The building itself will convey stability, strength, collaboration and a permanent commitment to meeting children’s needs. We expect $4 million to cover the cost of renovating the 24,000+-square-foot space of the Woolworth Building in Grand Center, inclusive of interior finish, integrated technology and all furnishings.

The Woolworth Building – Its History and Its Significance

In 1993, Post-Dispatch newspaper articles encouraged City dwellers to “hurry in to smell the popcorn, tap at the goldfish and admire the rainbow racks of yarn” before the St. Louis Woolworth Stores close.

The building, which is the only freestanding Woolworth store still remaining in St. Louis, has been vacant since its closure in 1993, but the memories of the Woolworth store have not faded.

The Woolworth store was built after the Old Beers Hotel was destroyed by fire. In newspaper accounts, the new building would be constructed to allow 13 additional stories to be added at a future date. The plans called for a “modern design with bold horizontal lines.” The original building was built with only two stories, but in 1950 a third floor, a pair of new escalators, new terrazzo floors, modern lighting fixtures and air conditioning were added to make for a newly remodeled F.W. Woolworth store, but the rehab also included segregated lunch counters for blacks and whites.

Starting in 1959 and continuing through the turbulent 1960’s, the Woolworth store was the site of several protests and peaceful sit-ins. In 1959, members of Local 88 of the Meat Cutters Union began picketing three Woolworth stores. The picketing was in response to “low wages paid by the Woolworth chain.” According to the accounts of many eye witnesses and several former employees, the separate lunch counters gave rise to several peaceful sit-ins.

In 1963 with the Birmingham arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, three Woolworth stores in St. Louis were picketed by integrationist groups. The primary picket activity was at the Grand Avenue and Olive Street store as the pickets included the Teamsters, the electrical workers, the St. Louis Division of Negro American Labor Councils and the NAACP. According to some, the Olive at Grand Woolworth store is probably one of the three or four most important picketed and protested desegregation sites in St. Louis.

The Woolworth Building – Its Future

The Woolworth building is made up of three floors totaling approximately 60,000 sq. feet, including the lower level. The building’s first floor has 18’ ceilings, second floor has 15’ ceilings and the third floor and lower level have roughly 10’ ceilings.

Imagine Woolworth!

It is the intention of Big Brothers Big Sisters to bring the building back to life, but to a new life! Imagine a building that was once the site of historic pickets and protests being transformed into a site that welcomes, embraces and serves boys, girls, men and women of all races! Imagine a building offering new employment opportunities to a population and area that desperately needs economic activity and promise. Imagine a building that lights up the streetscape and brings together the many diverse neighbors, patrons and institutions. Imagine the newly restored Woolworth! Imagine Big Brothers Big Sisters!

THE ROOFTOP GARDEN - $300,000

The rooftop garden will be the first of its kind in the Grand Center area. Whether you enjoy watching people on the move as far south as I-44 or taking in all the excitement of theater goers attending the Fox Theater or Powell Symphony Hall, the view is spectacular. The rooftop will be made up of approximately 2,000 square feet of entertainment space surrounded by grass and flowering containers. The rooftop garden will be accessible by stairs or a handicap lift. The garden will be available to the community for special events and will also play host to many Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrations and volunteer recruitment events.

To learn more about the capital campaign, contact:
Becky James-Hatter, President & CEO
(314) 361 – 5900