On June 12, 2021, St. Louis lost an icon. Larry Giles died from leukemia. Many St. Louisans also lost a friend. There will be many tributes and articles about Larry Giles’ life, including his childhood in St. Louis, his time in Vietnam as a Marine, his involvement in saving Soulard, and his creation of the largest collection ever assembled of salvaged architectural elements. Right now, St. Louis needs to realize that it has lost one of its most talented citizens and is an inspiration for many young people who have gone on to successful careers in the city and around the world. My work and that of many others in St. Louis are examples of my contributions. Larry’s achievements and life have enriched Louis Magazine articles. Larry is the subject of many articles in St. Louis Magazine.
Larry was my last contact. We were on an expedition to recover the granite blocks from the East St. Louis War Memorial. In 2019, I wrote that a group made up of veterans had planned to replace the monument with a replica at a new site. The East St. Louis Parks District had taken down the old one and placed the three pieces in Jones Park. After a few years, Larry agreed to take them in safe custody at the National Building Arts Center. He also moved into the old Sterling Steel Casting Company Foundry, Sauget.
Larry, a flatbed truck driver, was waiting for me when I arrived at the foundry in the early hours of one morning. The back was loaded with a few pieces of wood and straps. Larry pulled out a can opener and sprayed the starter fluid in the carburetor. We got into the car and the engine started, the truck roared to life and we were off from Sauget to East St. Louis.
“Larry! What year is this truck made? !”
Larry laughed and said, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe in the 1960s.” It’ll get us there.
We drove along East St. Louis streets at 20 mph, passing more than a few cars, and eventually reached the 26th Street bridge above the railyards. We made it to the top and enjoyed a spectacular view of the St. Louis skyline and the trains below. The real work began when we arrived at Jones Park. I called East St. Louis Parks District, to inform them that we were there and that we were removing the old monument.
The granite blocks weighing in at over a ton were left frozen in the ground. Larry had brought a shovel, and crowbars and so we began to chip away at the mud. We didn’t want to cause further damage to the monument, which has been repeatedly hit by cars in its former location. We were able to wrap a strap around one of the pieces and Larry then lifted it onto the flatbed using the crane. I began to understand why he loved salvaging pieces of St. Louis’ history. It’s one thing for Larry to write about architecture. But it’s quite another to stand there and hold your breath while a huge block of granite rises off the ground.
A park officer pulled up about one hundred yards from me. I went over to talk to him to confirm everything was fine. Irma, the East St. Louis Park District director, had sent him to check that we were safe. I thanked the officer, but then I thought to myself, “That’s Larry Giles.” He can take care of himself!
The next piece was fairly easy. But then, the final piece, which was the shaft of an obelisk, had to be lifted onto the truck. It was going to take us about four hours to complete the job, but Larry’s skill and deftness made it only an hour and a quarter. Larry was happy as he lowered the three granite blocks.
Larry said, “Those are just for shows,” referring to straps. “Those stones aren’t going anywhere,” Larry commented, “Great job Chris!”
“Thanks, but truthfully I think you did approximately 90 percent of the work, while I was just playing with the crowbar,” I responded.
Larry informed me that he would get the parts cleaned up and ready for inspection. I thanked Larry. We continued to email each other over the next few months. He responded quickly with detailed information about St. Louis architecture. He seemed to always know the answer and the National Building Arts Center library always had about 10-20 books that Larry had collected over time on the subject.
When I sent Larry a Soulard question several weeks ago, he didn’t respond to me. I was worried. It was not like him to ignore any of my emails. The terrible answer came last week. Larry was in his final days.
Although I eventually was able to find the Soulard answer by myself, it was so much fun to have the answer from him. However, while Larry’s death was inevitable, I could do my best to continue his work and tell the story of his love for St. Louis.
