About
A special commission in charge of the design and construction of the Peabody Opera House, then known as the Municipal Auditorium, decided that bears would be more appropriate sentries to the building than the traditional lions, alluding to the bear figures in the Missouri state seal. The modernistic bear figures drew their share of criticism, with one letter to the editor suggesting that a 1933 building “should indicate the artistic development at the time. It should not be a throwback to a lesser civilization.”
Dimensions: 5′ x 9′ x 4′
Year Completed: 1933
Material: Limestone
Owner: City of St. Louis
Donor: Public Works Project (building budget)
