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257:. Blees was a Prussian immigrant who arrived in Macon in 1889 to take over as headmaster of St. James Academy, an Episcopalian military school for boys. In 1896, Blees inherited his father's coal and iron mining interests in Germany, and he used his newfound wealth to benefit the City of Macon, including building commercial buildings, the town's first theater and sewage system; a local horseless carriage factory, the First National Bank of Macon, and financing the paving of the town's streets.
286:
directly on concrete, were clad in molded copper. All walls and ceilings were finished with plaster. The interior of
Academic Hall reveals three floors and a basement. High coffered ceilings in the large open areas of the first floor were supported by Tuscan style iron columns and pilasters. A grand, wrought and cast iron staircase led to the second floor sun parlor. Galleried apartments at the second and third floor levels surrounded this grand open space, recessed behind a two-story
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99:
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Blees spared no expense with this
Academy. Academic Hall and the Gymnasium were both constructed in a variant of the Romanesque Revival style. Decorative features of these buildings include crenellated gables and parapets, distinctive corbel tables and bartizans supported by corbeled culs-de-lampe.
265:
style in their rural locale. As originally constructed, the
Academy was provided with 400 acres (1.6 km) surrounding on which were located orchards, a working farm, extensive gardens and a dairy, the pastoral nature of the surrounding environment survives and acts to enhance, through contrast,
302:
However, Frederick Blees was found dead in 1906, in St. Louis. Many suspected suicide, due to possible financial problems. The
Academy listed Graduates in the Macon paper up through the spring of 1913, but Mary Staples Blees Leibig (Blees' remarried widow) was suing someone for taking control of
285:
and limestone over a concrete foundation. Academic Hall is capped with a hipped roof of red asbestos shingles and a large, gabled skylight because the building was designed to be fireproof, all interior features, window casings, doors and moldings, except for some wooden and cork floors which rest
294:
The
Gymnasium was of frame construction faced with buff brick and limestone over a concrete foundation, and featured a hipped roof faced with red tiles. The plan of the Gymnasium originally included an indoor running track, a shooting gallery, the gymnasium proper, and a swimming pool, as well as
290:
colonnade. The large skylight above was suspended from 42-foot-span riveted Howe type steel trusses supported by steel columns 14 feet (4.3 m) above the top of the I beams just above the main ceiling. This trusswork also supports the gabled skylight above visible on the building's exterior.
291:
Academic Hall originally included 110 individual sleeping rooms of a small size (approximately 8’ X 12’), 12 suites of faculty apartments, 3 large laboratories, a photographic darkroom, a study hall, a hospital, a carpentry shop, a drafting room, a large dining room and a huge kitchen.
740:
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311:, established a sanatorium devoted to the treatment and care of all types of nervous and mental disorders. The sanatorium remained in operation until 1968. Today, the old Academic Hall and Gymnasium of Blees Academy are on the
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In 1898–1899, Blees took on the project that he hoped would be his legacy - the construction of the Blees
Military Academy. Architecturally, Academic Hall and the Gymnasium are a unique expression of the
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showers and other accessory rooms. The roofing was supported by modified Warren roof trusses of iron and timber spanning over 61 feet (19 m) long. On the south side, a
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233:. The academy operated between 1899 and 1915. The old Academic Hall and Gymnasium of Blees Academy were listed on the
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Academic Hall was constructed of structural concrete and steel beams supported on iron columns and faced with
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the monumental
Romanesque Revival architecture of Academic Hall and the Gymnasium. Blees cadets rode
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401:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Blees Military Academy"
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the
Academy. In 1915 Dr. Arthur G. Hildreth and Charles E. and Harry M. Still, sons of
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and George
Washington, two of the nation's best saddle horses. They played
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School buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places in Missouri
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Wendell Stephens, served in the Colorado state legislature, 1908–1913.
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tunnel ran from the Gymnasium to the basement of Academic Hall.
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Blees Military Academy was founded in September 1899 by Colonel
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1232:
National Register of Historic Places in Macon County, Missouri
431:. Chicago: Henry Taylor & Company. 1910. pp. 146–148
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and serve as low income housing for the citizens of Macon.
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and had the most luxurious accommodations of the time.
1151:
History of the National Register of Historic Places
1187:Buildings and structures in Macon County, Missouri
337:, United States Senator from Missouri, 1947–1953.
1178:
1212:Educational institutions disestablished in 1907
98:
73:
470:
1207:Educational institutions established in 1899
986:St. Louis (city): Downtown and Downtown West
398:
343:, Major League Baseball pitcher, 1903–1912.
1197:Military high schools in the United States
477:
463:
406:. Missouri Department of Natural Resources
48:
486:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
428:General History of Macon County, Missouri
349:Dr. Rudolph M. Anderson, noted zoologist.
37:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
1202:Defunct United States military academies
322:
244:
1217:High schools in Macon County, Missouri
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419:
371:"National Register Information System"
365:
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458:
394:
392:
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223:Still-HiIdreth Osteopathic Sanatorium
376:National Register of Historic Places
313:National Register of Historic Places
235:National Register of Historic Places
416:(includes 10 photographs from 1979)
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307:, the founder of the profession of
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1227:1899 establishments in Missouri
197:
54:Blees Military Academy in 1900
1:
741:Jackson: Downtown Kansas City
439:– via Internet Archive.
353:
106:Show map of the United States
18:United States historic place
7:
1192:Defunct schools in Missouri
1133:National Historic Landmarks
996:St. Louis (city): Southwest
991:St. Louis (city): Northwest
10:
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746:Jackson: Kansas City other
451:, June 30, 1973, p. 1
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196:NRHP reference
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188:Architectural style
1146:Keeper of the Register
449:Macon Chronicle-Herald
330:
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219:Blees Military Academy
29:Blees Military Academy
1166:Contributing property
399:Noelle Soren (n.d.).
381:National Park Service
326:
255:Frederick W. V. Blees
249:Frederick W. V. Blees
248:
167:7 acres (2.8 ha)
148:39.72056°N 92.46667°W
309:osteopathic medicine
81:Show map of Missouri
305:Andrew Taylor Still
297:reinforced concrete
153:39.72056; -92.46667
144: /
331:
263:Romanesque Revival
251:
225:, was an historic
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1161:Historic district
383:. March 13, 2009.
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227:military academy
221:, also known as
212:October 11, 1979
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231:Macon, Missouri
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121:Macon, Missouri
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1156:Property types
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1006:Ste. Genevieve
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751:Jackson: Other
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581:Cape Girardeau
578:
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558:
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319:Notable alumni
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258:
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228:
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211:
209:Added to NRHP
207:
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157:
129:
125:
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51:
46:
42:
38:
33:
26:
22:
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981:St. Francois
448:
433:. Retrieved
427:
421:
408:. Retrieved
374:
341:Barney Pelty
335:James P. Kem
328:Barney Pelty
301:
293:
288:Tuscan order
280:
276:
268:Rex McDonald
259:
252:
222:
218:
217:
183:Kirsch, R.G.
15:
1121:Other lists
971:St. Charles
846:Mississippi
229:located in
151: /
127:Coordinates
1181:Categories
1076:Washington
871:New Madrid
861:Montgomery
806:Livingston
410:January 1,
354:References
283:buff brick
191:Romanesque
136:39°43′14″N
976:St. Clair
781:Lafayette
761:Jefferson
686:Gasconade
611:Christian
546:Bollinger
499:by county
237:in 1979.
180:Architect
139:92°28′0″W
119:U.S. 63,
1051:Sullivan
1041:Stoddard
1021:Scotland
1016:Schuyler
961:Reynolds
951:Randolph
901:Pemiscot
851:Moniteau
831:McDonald
786:Lawrence
706:Harrison
681:Franklin
641:Crawford
606:Chariton
571:Callaway
566:Caldwell
556:Buchanan
516:Atchison
490:Missouri
435:July 24,
203:79001380
116:Location
1128:Bridges
1086:Webster
1031:Shannon
936:Pulaski
881:Nodaway
816:Madison
796:Lincoln
776:Laclede
766:Johnson
716:Hickory
676:Dunklin
671:Douglas
656:Daviess
626:Clinton
586:Carroll
521:Audrain
241:History
1096:Wright
1071:Warren
1066:Vernon
1036:Shelby
1011:Saline
966:Ripley
941:Putnam
926:Platte
916:Phelps
911:Pettis
886:Oregon
876:Newton
866:Morgan
856:Monroe
841:Miller
836:Mercer
826:Marion
821:Maries
756:Jasper
731:Howell
726:Howard
701:Grundy
696:Greene
691:Gentry
661:DeKalb
651:Dallas
636:Cooper
591:Carter
576:Camden
561:Butler
541:Benton
531:Barton
511:Andrew
1091:Worth
1081:Wayne
1061:Texas
1056:Taney
1046:Stone
1026:Scott
946:Ralls
906:Perry
896:Ozark
891:Osage
811:Macon
791:Lewis
711:Henry
616:Clark
601:Cedar
551:Boone
536:Bates
526:Barry
506:Adair
497:Lists
404:(PDF)
172:Built
931:Polk
921:Pike
801:Linn
771:Knox
736:Iron
721:Holt
666:Dent
646:Dade
631:Cole
621:Clay
596:Cass
437:2023
412:2017
272:polo
175:1898
164:Area
956:Ray
488:in
198:No.
1183::
389:^
379:.
373:.
362:^
478:e
471:t
464:v
414:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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