THE HERITAGE BEHIND THE CONSTRUCTION
 Although
world renowned, few people know the heritage behind the Missouri Botanical
Gardens and its founder, Henry Shaw. Mr. Henry Shaw grew up in
England, but in the Early 1820's, Mr. Shaw moved to St. Louis to start a
hardware business. Unbelievably, in less than 20 years, Mr. Shaw
amassed a small fortune with his hardware business, and although his
financial future seemed even more promising, Mr. Shaw decided to retire and
enjoy the remainder of his time.
 While traveling in England, Mr. Shaw visited the Royal
Botanical Garden, inspiring him to create his own such paradise in St.
Louis. Consulting the Director of the Royal Botanical Garden, Mr. Shaw
began his planning in the mid 1850's, and by 1859 The Missouri Botanical
Garden opened to the public.
Insisting upon having the very best in quality and
variety of botanical life, Mr. Shaw personally oversaw the development and
cultivation of the botanical grounds. On one occasion while Mr. Shaw
was escorting a lady visitor around the gardens, she said to him, "I cannot
understand , sir, how you are able to remember all these different and
difficult names." "Madam," he replied, "did you ever know a mother who
could forget the names of her children? These plants are my children. How
can I forget them?" Perhaps this personal devotion to the
gardens is the reason it has developed such worldwide recognition.
 Even after Henry Shaw's death, the Gardens continued
to flourish, turning it's administration over to a board of trustee's.
This period is perhaps the most unique point in the Botanical Gardens'
history, because the new home for the administration, was actually the Mr.
Shaw's old town house. This may not seem unique at first, but Mr.
Shaw's home was actually located at 7th and Locust. In 1890, per Mr. Shaw's
will, his home was actually disassembled, brick by brick, and reconstructed
at its present location on 2315 Tower Grove Ave.
 Knowing the inimitable history of the Administration
Building, we where quite proud to get the chance to preserve the masonry on
the building. Our scope of work covered a mass of areas dealing with
full restoration cleaning, brick repair, masonry reconstruction, stone and
terra cotta repair, full tuckpointing, and water-repellants. Because
of the great historical significance, we worked extra closely with Botanical
Gardens' administrators, such as Joseph Philips as well as with other
specialists in the masonry field. The exquisite window headers
required special attention and to ensure we were able to provide the
Botanical Gardens with the best masonry restoration possible, we brought in
specialists from Indiana to inspect these window headers. By finding
the perfect match, we were able to keep the Botanical Gardens as true to its
original form as possible.
 We
also made an extensive search for the perfect brick match. You
see, when dealing with historical projects, it is imperative that the
products you provide, are not only of the highest quality, but also true to
the building's history. To find the brick match for the Administration
Building, we searched numerous locations, for hours on end, hand selecting
each brick replacement.
Another top priority while at the Botanical Gardens, obviously, was care and
respect for the plant life. The flora surrounding the buildings was
the pride and lifeblood of Henry Shaw, and we made sure to carefully work
around every last plant. Special protection had to be used for the
grass and nearby vegetation while every product used had to be inspected and
tested by the administrators at the Botanical Gardens.
Because of its unique story, the Missouri Botanical Gardens is probably
the
favorite building on which we have ever performed masonry restoration.
We invite you to take a look at a few of the snapshots we took while various
steps of restoration were in progress. However, to truly enjoy this
splendid building, it must be seen in person. On your next outing to
the Missouri Botanical Gardens, feel free to stop by and witness the
grandeur and heritage the Shoenburg Administration Building.
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