City of St. Louis flips the switch on new LED exterior lighting at City Hall

The 120 lighting fixtures were installed by IBEW Local 1 electricians

A spotlight on the talents of IBEW Local 1 ‘s union electricians of was turned on recently as St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson hosted a brief outdoor ceremony to officially flip the switch on City Hall’s new exterior lighting installed by Local l’s skilled electricians.

Funding for the lights — about $400,000 — was donated by the Gateway Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving art and urban design in St. Louis. The donation will cover all lighting equipment and expenses except the $1,300 the city expects to spend annually on maintenance.

The 120 lighting fixtures, designed by Randy Burkett Lighting Design and installed by IBEW Local 1 signatory contractor RJP Electric, are expected to last up to 20 years.

“We are enormously grateful to the Gateway Foundation and the skilled IBEW Local 1 electricians with RJP Electric for this magnificent gift that will illuminate one of the St. Louis region’s most iconic buildings,” said Mayor Krewson. “After more than a century, this grand and historic building will at last be on gorgeous display each night and add to downtown’s sparkle and vibrancy.”

The LED lamps involved in the project have an anticipated lifespan of more than 50,000 hours, or nearly two decades depending on how many hours the lights remain on each night. The City anticipates lighting City Hall seven nights a week from dusk to 2 a.m.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
The City Hall building, inspired by the City Hall of Paris and completed in 1904, was designed in a French Renaissance Revival style to pay homage to the City’s French heritage and is widely considered to be an architectural gem.

“The façade of St. Louis City Hall features three kinds of stone – yellow brick and sandstone, with pink granite at the base,” said Randy Burkett, whose company, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, handled the design work on the project. “This was challenging, but fortunately LED lighting offers a wide variety of options that enabled us to successfully illuminate the entire building in a warm light. We are honored for the opportunity to use light in revealing one of the City’s architectural landmarks.”

Randy Burkett Lighting Design also designed the lighting of the Gateway Arch and Arch Park, Kiener Plaza, Soldiers Memorial, and the Cortex Research Park in St. Louis, as well as projects across the country.

Paul Wagman, spokesperson for the Gateway Foundation, said the group chose to light St. Louis City Hall because of the building’s historic significance and aesthetic merit. Gateway has funded lighting for several other historic structures in downtown St. Louis, including Citygarden, the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse.

“It fits in that group as one of the most historic structures in that area, and it’s in a high-profile location. It’ll do a lot for Tucker Boulevard,” Wagman said. “It’s a gorgeous gem that deserves to be shone at night.”