Don Wiegand was just 17 when he made a handshake agreement with his dad to buy his future home: an abandoned slaughterhouse his family owned in Chesterfield, Mo. Even he couldn’t have imagined how big a role the building would play in his life and career.
Don Wiegand turned the abandoned building in Chesterfield into his sanctuary after buying it from his father in the 1960sSeth SchwartzDon Wiegand was just 17 years old when he made a handshake agreement with his father to buy his future home: an abandoned slaughterhouse his family owned in Chesterfield, Mo.
But even he couldn’t have imagined then how big a role the decrepit building would play in his life and career as an artist. That day in the summer of 1965, he agreed to pay $30,000, plus interest, to own the building and 2 of the 5 acres that made up his family’s estate. The decision to own came after his father had told him to board up the structure. A friend suggested to the then-amateur artist that he should instead make it into a studio.
More friends joined them, using house jacks and chain saws to construct arches and install beams to raise the roof and let in more light. Fresh concrete was poured to level the old floor that had been tapered to drain animal blood. The creative Mr. Wiegand then added inlaid colored stones to form a mosaic design. Two wagon wheels were used to make chandeliers.
At the time Mr. Wiegand made the deal, the building had been in his family for some seven years. His parents, Frank and Claire Wiegand, moved their five children from nearby St. Louis to Chesterfield in 1952 and six years later bought a property: the 5-acre plot of land with a three-story building plus the slaughterhouse. The couple ran a popular country store called Smoke House Market on the first floor, selling mostly smoked pork products and homemade pies.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
This Brow Expert Shares Exactly How She Gets Her Flawless LookSophia Aziza, a London-based brow artist, reveals her must-have beauty products.
Read more »
“Gossip Girl” 2.0 Beauty Moments to Look Forward toHead makeup artist Amy Tagliamonti shares beauty secrets from the reboot.
Read more »
Opinion | Black TikTok is resisting a long history of appropriationOpinion | KeishaBlain: TikTok has become a powerful vehicle for young creators to expand their reach and even earn an income. But it appears to be much easier to do so if you’re white. - MSNBCDaily
Read more »
It Looks Like a 19th-Century Cottage. But This English Home Is So Much More.This picturesque cottage in England has been deftly extended to incorporate a disused barn and the brick ruins of an old parchment-making factory that once operated in its backyard
Read more »
Hollywood icon and athlete William Smith dies in hospital at the age of 88The Hollywood star worked with Clint Eastwood in the 1980 film Any Which Way You Can – and was a contemporary of fellow weight-lifting film star, ArnoldSchwarzenegger
Read more »
COVID surging in Missouri as delta variant overwhelms hospitalsMissouri and Arkansas now lead the nation with the highest weekly case rates per capita. New COVID-19 hospital admissions rose 30% over a two-week span, and front-line workers say patients are becoming sicker more quickly.
Read more »