ORIGINS: Four decades ago, after buying a Richardsonian Romanesque house, Gary and Gloria Behm began restoring the home’s historic light fixtures. Neighbors soon started asking about the lights. Eventually, the Lutheran minister and his wife opened a store on Sarah Street, and St. Louis Antique Lighting Company was born.
PORTFOLIO: In Missouri alone, the company’s portfolio reads like a who’s who of landmarks: the Missouri Capitol, The Chase Park Plaza, Washington University and Saint Louis University, the Central Library… And its work stretches across the nation, to more than a dozen state capitols, federal court buildings, and other landmarks.
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RANGE: St. Louis Antique Lighting Company has more than 3,000 custom designs in its archives and every historic lighting catalog in the Library of Congress on CD. “I went there for about a year and photo-documented all of their historic lighting catalogs, and those at the Smithsonian as well,” says Ann Marie Behm, a principal of the company.
MISSION: While some of today’s lighting fixtures only last five or 10 years before cracking, the company has found its niche in the timeless. “The point of our company is to create lights that will last generations,” says Ann Marie.
GROWING BRIGHTER: This year, St. Louis Antique Lighting Company is celebrating its 40th year in operation. Over the years, the once-small residential-lighting firm has grown significantly, expanding into commercial work and moving into a 16,000-square-foot factory near the Delmar Loop. The firm works closely with clients, architects, and lighting designers throughout the course of a project.
801 N. Skinker
314-863-1414
