Comments on: Excelsior Springs, you fathead!

Excelsior Springs, you fathead!

Horace Rumpole — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 09:32:22 -0800

When the town of Excelsior Springs, Mo. decided in the 1930's to create a shrine to its renowned mineral waters, they turned to the WPA, which built an Art Deco masterpiece, the Hall of Waters.

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 09:57:55 -0800

This country needs another Great Depression.

By: zsazsa

zsazsa — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:16:32 -0800

Oh wow, that's beautiful. Why didn't I ever hear of that when I lived in Missouri? Excelsior Springs was just another exit sign on the highway to me. I'll have to find a way there sometime.

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:23:08 -0800

Gorgeous. Added to my list of places to hit on my epic, may-never-be-but-goddamn-i-hope-so, road trip.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:31:22 -0800

Looks like something out of a Zelda game.

By: oddman

oddman — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:05:00 -0800

That is one amazing entrance.

By: GrammarMoses

GrammarMoses — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:10:12 -0800

Wow, I grew up in suburban Kansas City, not 50 miles from that place, and this is news to me. Nobody even mentioned the mineral baths or the cool architecture -- Excelsior Springs was just some town out in the boonies. It's sad -- so much of the cool stuff from the area's Art Deco heyday is just ignored, and even if a committed few do manage to gin up some interest in (and money for) restoration and historic preservation, most folks just really can't be bothered to visit (cf. KC's 12th and Vine District).

By: amyms

amyms — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:28:39 -0800

From the first link: I asked about the spa and one woman said, "Let me take you there," and she led me through a steamy hall, past the town records department. "Here's our bubble tub," she said as she proudly pointed out one of those old cast iron tubs with bubbling waters made from some mechanism which resembled what a Foley artist would use in special effects for a movie set. There was a shelf next to the old tub where a variety of yellow rubber duckies sat. The lady said, "You can pick your own ducky to have in the water." Awesome, truly awesome. Awesome indeed. Great post, Horace Rumpole!

By: tepidmonkey

tepidmonkey — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:47:09 -0800

Looks like something out of a Zelda game. I had the exact same thought, but I can't put my finger on the reason why.

By: oneirodynia

oneirodynia — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:55:00 -0800

Wow, that's really beautiful. We have a couple of water temples here in the Bay Area. Water actually travels from the Sunol Water Temple to the Crystal Springs Water Temple. You can't get in it though- I'd love to visit the Hall of Water and have a soak.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:29:55 -0800

Wow, that is one gorgeous building. The Helvetica (?) is all wrong for it, though.

By: tepidmonkey

tepidmonkey — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:46:29 -0800

The Helvetica has to be a replacement, since it was only released in 1957. The original lettering must have been fantastically art-deco.

By: Haruspex

Haruspex — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:49:49 -0800

Wonderful. This is why I love MF.

By: sarahnade

sarahnade — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:07:49 -0800

Those light fixtures absolutely took my breath away. I need to see this in real life so I can see all the symbols. This is a great post, thanks!!

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:29:16 -0800

Excelsior Springs has another claim to fame. It was also the birthplace, in 1928, of American minimalist sculptor, furniture designer, and self trained architect Donald Judd.

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:22:09 -0800

The Helvetica (?) is all wrong for it, though. Yeah, the lettering outside is clearly a later replacement, but check out the font-tastic action happening at the water bar.

By: Jilder

Jilder — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:13:34 -0800

Just beautiful. I've got me a hankering for some magnesium water now, thanks Horace.

By: zsazsa

zsazsa — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:13:36 -0800

oneirodynia, awesome! I've wondered what that strange gate and pavilion around Sunol was. I'll have to go visit when it's open.