Angelo B.M. Corrubia (1881-1943)

Angelo B.M. Corrubia (1881-1943)

Noted St. Louis architect Angelo B. M. Corrubia was born in Barile, Potenza Province, Italy in 1881 and emigrated to the United States in February of 1903 through Ellis Island on the S.S. Ravenna. Corrubia painted a variety of subjects in around St Louis from the 1920s-1940s. He was an accomplished landscape painter, often traveling to Arcadia, Missouri, situated in Iron County on the Black River in the Missouri Ozarks. It is not surprising that Corrubia was also masterful at the rendering of urban buildings and farm homes and barns with his training as an architect. He frequently painted scenes of mid-town St Louis, where he lived.

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A fortuitous meeting at a Michigan art colony in 1926 with a fellow painter from Chicago resulted in the formation of the Business Men’s Art Club, a group of professional men who enjoyed painting as a hobby. With initial advice and introductions from St. Louis architect and painter Tom P. Barnett, and supervision by E.G. Drew, president of the Associated Amateur Art Clubs, the club was formally organized in June 1928 with Corrubia serving as secretary. They met Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings to sketch, paint, visit exhibitions, discuss technique, and critique each other’s work. They also received instruction at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts from Gustav Goetsch. An affiliation with the St. Louis Artist’s Guild allowed members the use of studio space which they could access whenever they liked.

Corrubia participated in the First Inter-City Exhibition of Amateur Art Clubs in 1928 at the Art Institute of Chicago, along with three other members of his St. Louis organization.

He exhibited extensively throughout the 1930’s at the City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO and at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild. He was a member of the TwoBy-Four Society, the Monday Club (St

Louis), and served on the board of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild.

Corrubia studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Upon graduating from MIT, he returned to St. Louis to work in the architectural firm of Cann and Corrubia from 1915-1921. Their work included the Collegiate Revival Duncker Memorial Hall at Washington University, built in 1923, and Charles H. Duncker’s personal residence, as well as other private residences throughout St. Louis. In 1916, Corrubia was married to Mary Ghio and together they raised their two children, Angelo Ghio Corrubia and Mary Corrubia (Burgess), in the DeBaliviere neighborhood of St. Louis. His son, Angelo Ghio Corrubia, grew up to study architecture and enjoy a successful career in St Louis.

Corrubia was responsible for the design of many buildings that were important to the fabric of the communities of St. Louis, including the Sacred Heart Convent and St. Ambrose

Church, both located in the historic Italian neighborhood known as “The Hill.” He also served as an associate architect on the Clinton Peabody Terrace Housing Project - one of the first public housing projects developed in St. Louis under the terms of the 1937 Housing Act. Corrubia was the founder and president of Scarab, a national architect fraternity and taught architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He died in 1943 after a brief illness.

Corrubia (bottom right) and colleagues.

Angelo B.M. Corrubia (1881-1943)

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Corrubia painting plein air

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1928

First Annual Inter-City Exhibition of Associated Amateur Art Clubs, Art Institute of Chicago; Ozarks

1932

Nineteenth Annual Exhibition of the St. Louis Artists Guild; Ozark Cottage

1933

Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Summer Landscape (oil), New Orleans, Old Street in Lockport

1934

Twenty-First Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists Guild; Old Houses

1936

Twenty-Third Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists Guild; Brick House, In Manchester, MO Retrospective and Contemporary Exhibition by Members of the Guild, 1886-1936, St. Louis Artists Guild

1937

Paintings by Artists of St. Louis and Vicinity; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; House and Trees Seventh Annual Exhibition of Water Color and Craftwork; St. Louis Artists’ Guild; Old House (1935) Small Paintings, St. Louis Artists’ Guild; Red Roof, White Building

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1938

Twenty-Fifth Annual Exhibition of Oil Paintings and Sculpture by St. Louis Artists, St. Louis Artists’ Guild; Farm Group, In an Alley

1939

Paintings and Sculpture by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Old House

1939

Twenty-Sixth Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists Guild; Barns and Fence, Farm and House, Abandoned Houses, Church and Cemetery Exhibition by Members of the St. Louis Chapter, American Institute of Architects; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Parks: 4 interior views, 3 exterior views

1940

Work by Members of the Two-By-Four Society of St. Louis; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; An Old House Work by Members of the Artists’ Guild of St. Louis; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Old Barn

1941

Work by Members of the Two-By-Four Society; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Barn and Hay Stacks Work by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Old Buildings

1942

Work by Members of the Two-By-Four Society; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Trees Work by Members of the Artists’ Guild of St. Louis; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; View of an Alley

1943

Paintings by the Two by Four Society; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Summer Landscape, Houses Work by Members of the Artists’ Guild of St. Louis; City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; Landscape, Haystack and Barn

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Paintings and W o r k s o n P ap e r

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Brewery

1933 oil on canvas laid down on board 16” x 12” dated Sep 2, 1933 verso (estate inventory #9)

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The working class neighborhoods of St. Louis, where living space was at a premium, typically consisted of rowhouses and flounder houses.

Most were constructed of red brick and date back to the late 19th century. Flounder houses can be found in the city’s oldest neighborhoods: Old North St. Louis, Hyde Park, and Soulard.

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St. Louis Rowhouse c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 16” x 12”

(estate inventory #6)

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Landscape with Buildings

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 11-1/2” x 16” (estate inventory #1)

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St. Louis Rowhouse

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #2)

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View Looking East from St. Louis City (Union Electric Plant, Sauget, IL) 1933 oil on canvas laid down on board 11-1/2� x 16 dated verso (estate inventory #59)

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Old St. Louis

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #4)

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The mining of clay and manufacture of clay products became an important part of the economy of St. Louis in 1844 with the opening of the first clay mine. The districts of Saint Louis that surround Dogtown and The Hill sat atop the Cheltenham clay seam which produced a high-quality refractory clay that was shipped all over the country for a variety of household and industrial uses, such as modern sewage lines and fire proof bricks. The Highlands Fire Clay Company (pictured above) was founded in 1865 by J. M. Thomas and mined 35 acres of clay for the glass manufacturing industry.

Photo credit and information source: Brophy, John R. “Clay Products Helped Spur City’s Early Growth.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch 17 Aug. 1966: 79.

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Highlands Fire Clay Company, St. Louis c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #10)

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Missouri Landscape (Arcadia, Iron County) c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #5)

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St. Louis Neighborhood with Figures c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #62)

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Buildings in Sunlight (View from Forest Park Looking East) 1931 and 1941 oil on canvas laid down on board 10� x 11-3/4� signed; dated, and titled verso St. Louis Artist Guild label verso, Small Paintings Exhibition, 1941 (estate inventory #91)

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Red Bridge, Forest Park c. 1930’s oil on board 9” x 12” titled and inscribed verso (estate inventory #27)

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Landscape with Trees 1942 pastel on paper 6” x 8” signed and dated

(estate inventory #44)

Field with Farmers c. 1930’s pastel on paper 9-1/2” x 12”

(estate inventory #46)

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St. Louis Rowhouse

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #8)

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Angelo Ghio Corrubia (1919-2000) followed in his father’s footsteps by graduating from the Washington University School of Architecture. He became a partner in the architectural firm of Wedemeyer, Cernik, & Corrubia, Inc. Angelo G. was one of the architects responsible for the conversion of the St. Louis Theatre to Powell Symphony Hall. His projects were mainly midcentury in style.

Portrait of the Artist’s Son (Angelo Ghio Corrubia) c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 12”

(estate inventory #113)

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Self Portrait c. 1930’s oil on board 20” x 15-1/2”

(estate inventory #86)

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Missouri Landscape with House c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #12)

Rural Lane

Landscape with White Shed

(estate inventory #16)

(estate inventory #88)

c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

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c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on cardboard 7-1/4” x 5”

New England Dock

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 9-1/2” x 13-3/4” (estate inventory #66)

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Red House, Flowering Tree

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #79)

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River Landscape

1933 oil on board 12� x 16� titled and dated Nov 19, 1933 verso (estate inventory #3)

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Missouri Country Landscape

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #17)

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Sunny Boulevard

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #14)

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Red Roof

1937 oil on canvas laid down on board 5-1/2” x 6” titled, inscribed St. Louis Artist’s Guild label verso, Small Paintings, Oct 1937 (estate inventory #32)

Yellow House

c. 1930’s oil on board 4-7/8” x 6-7/8”

(estate inventory #85)

Landscape with Haystack c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #84)

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Harbor (Massachusetts) c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #70)

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Italian Courtyard c. 1930’s pastel on paper 12” x 9”

(estate inventory #104)

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Villa Borghese, Italy

1912 watercolor on paper 4-1/2” x 6” signed, titled, and dated (estate inventory #98)

Venice

c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #15)

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St. Louis Street Scene c. 1930’s colored pencil sketch on cardboard 8-1/2” x 13 (estate inventory #47)

City Garden, St. Louis c. 1930’s colored pencil sketch on cardboard 10” x 16-1/2” (estate inventory #48)

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Silos

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #92)

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Basilica di Santa Maria (Florence, Italy) c. 1930’s watercolor on paper 10” x 8” (estate inventory #43)

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Archway, Italy c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 12”

(estate inventory #21)

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St. Louis Scene c. 1930’s oil on board 11-3/4”” x 16” signed

(estate inventory #120)

Old St. Louis

1935 oil on masonite 16” x 20” signed, dated, titled verso (estate inventory #118)

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St. Louis Scene with Figures

1933 oil on board 12� x 16� signed dated Nov. 1933 verso (estate inventory #119)

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Woman in Festive Dress c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 12”

(estate inventory #95)

Portrait of a Lady c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 12”

(estate inventory #71)

Gypsy Woman

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 16” x 12” (estate inventory #69)

Woman in a White Dress with Green Trim c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 11-3/4”

(estate inventory #83)

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Woman in Blue Dress

Woman in Red Dress

(estate inventory #87)

(estate inventory #94)

c. 1930’s oil on masonite 12” x 10”

c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 12”

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Autumn Stream

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 10” (estate inventory #96)

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Old Houses

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 16” x 12” titled, artist’s name and Auction Sale Jan 1930 inscribed verso (estate inventory #7)

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24, Luglio, Vicenza Street Scene

Pisa Camposanto (Monumental Cemetary) Pisa, Italy Two Views of Italy

1912 pencil sketch on paper 6-1/2� x 4-1/2 (each) signed, titled, and dated (estate inventory #97)

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Ponte dei Tre Archi (Bridge of the Three Arches), Venice, Italy c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 5” x 9” (estate inventory #38)

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Houses

c. 1936 oil on board 12” x 16” titled and inscribed verso

(estate inventory #18)

Houses

1934 oil on canvas laid down on board 10” x 12” titled, dated, and inscribed verso (estate inventory #30)

Missouri Landscape with Barn c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 18” x 24” (estate inventory #11)

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Near St. James (MO)

1935 oil on canvas laid down on board 7� x 10� signed, titled, and dated verso (estate inventory #110)

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Mississippi River Scene

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 6” x 8-1/2” (estate inventory #89)

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Morning Light

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 6” x 9” bears entry tag #5 from unknown exhibition (estate inventory #39)

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Barns and Church 1939 oil on panel 6” x 9” dated verso

(estate inventory #37)

Farm Path

1942 pastel on paper 7-1/2” x 9” signed and dated

(estate inventory #100)

Sketch

c. 1930’s oil on canvasboard 5-3/4” x 9” titled and inscribed, and St. Louis Artists’ Guild label verso (estate inventory #34)

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Landscape with Figures

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 10” x 7-3/4

(estate inventory #105)

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Autumn Stream c. 1930’s pastel on paper 10” x 8-1/2”

(estate inventory #102)

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White Building

1937 oil on canvas laid down on board 6-3/4” x 8-1/2” titled and inscribed verso St. Louis Artists’ Guild label verso, Small Paintings, Oct 1937 (estate inventory #33)

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Figure Sketches

c. 1910’s-1930’s pencil sketch on paper 9” x 6” and 6” x 9”

Sketch from Life

1910 ink pen on paper 9” x 6” signed, dated, and titled Sept 24, 1910 (estate inventory #53 a, c, f)

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Still Life with Fruit and Flowers c. 1930’s oil on board 18” x 20”

(estate inventory #82)

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St. Louis City Scene c. 1930’s pastel on paper 4-1/2” x 5”

(estate inventory #45)

Barn(e)s and Fence

c. 1930’s pastel on paper 5” x 6-1/4” St. Louis Artist Guild and Healy Gallery (St. Louis) labels verso (estate inventory #99)

Bucolic Countryside with Barn

c. 1930’s pastel on paper 7” x 9-3/4” signed with monogram (estate inventory #101)

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Autumn Landscape c. 1930’s oil on board 10” x 12”

(estate inventory #31)

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Red Barn in Summer

Pastoral Dwellings

(estate inventory #42)

(estate inventory #40)

c. 1930’s oil on panel 8” x 10”

c. 1930’s oil on canvas 8” x 10”

Wheat Field and Barn

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 10” x 12” (estate inventory #28)

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Missouri Stream 1931 oil on canvas 10” x 14”

(estate inventory #23)

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Castlewood Afternoon

1934 oil on canvas laid down on board 8� x 10� titled and dated verso (estate inventory #90)

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Barns

1936 oil on canvasboard 8� x 10� titled, dated, and inscribed verso (estate inventory #24)

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Missouri Stream c. 1930’s oil on board 15-1/2” x 11-5/8”

(estate inventory #56)

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St. Louis Rowhouse

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 14” x 14” (estate inventory #13)

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Red House

c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #58)

Country House

St. Louis Neighborhood

(estate inventory #73)

(estate inventory #76)

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 14” x 16”

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c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16”

Autumn Reflections c. 1930’s oil on masonite 14” x 18”

(estate inventory #106)

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Rockport Church

1932 pencil sketch on paper 11” x 8-1/2” signed, titled, and dated Aug 19, 1932 (estate inventory #50)

Rockport House

1932 pencil sketch on paper 11” x 8-1/2” signed, titled, and dated Aug 19, 1932 (estate inventory #51, #52)

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New England Harbor c. 1930’s oil on board 11-3/4” x 16”

(estate inventory #60)

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Pastoral Scene in Autumn

Selphout Farm (Barn)

c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 20”

1935-1938 oil on board 12” x 16” signed, titled, and dated verso

(estate inventory #81)

(estate inventory #107)

A Farm

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 18” x 24” signed, titled, and St. Louis Artist’s Guild label verso (estate inventory #80)

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Flower Garden

c. 1930’s oil on canvasboard 14” x 10”

(estate inventory #29)

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The Blue Window c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #117)

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New England Harbor c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #63)

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Clothesline in Summer c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 20”

(estate inventory #78)

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St. Louis Flounder House

1931 oil on canvas laid down on board 8” x 10” dated verso (estate inventory #25)

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Missouri Farm

Country House

(estate inventory #22)

(estate inventory #36)

c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

Missouri Landscape

Church

(estate inventory #55)

(estate inventory #26)

c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 20”

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c. 1930’s oil on panel 6” x 9”

c. 1930’s oil on cardboard 8” x 10”

Industrial Scene with Stream c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #114)

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Early Winter

c. 1930’s pastel on paper 8-1/2” x 11-1/4” dated and titled verso (estate inventory #103)

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Gray Day, Kimmswick

1931 and 1943 oil on canvas laid down on board 7-3/4� x 9-3/4� dated and titled verso (estate inventory #65)

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Missouri Farmstead

Landscape with Distant Buildings

(estate inventory #72)

(estate inventory #108)

c. 1930’s oil on board 14” x 16”

c. 1930’s oil on panel 6” x 9”

Easter Sunday

1938 oil on masonite 16” x 19-3/4” titled, dated, and inscribed verso: April 17, 1938 (estate inventory #54)

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Blue Door

c. 1930’s oil on panel 9” x 6”

(estate inventory #35)

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Forest Park Scene (possible view of the World’s Fair Pavilion) c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #112)

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Landscape with Stream c. 1930’s oil on canvasboard 16” x 12”

(estate inventory #20)

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Spring Landscape with Houses c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #115)

Missouri Poplars

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 12” x 16” (estate inventory #75)

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Sandy Riverbank c. 1930’s oil on canvas 14-1/4” x 16”

(estate inventory #61)

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Bridge in the Park

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 8” x 10” remnants of label verso (estate inventory #109)

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Canal in Venice c. 1930’s oil on board 12” x 16”

(estate inventory #116)

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House in the Suburbs

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 14” x 14” (estate inventory #67)

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Stream Reflections

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 11-3/4” x 16” (estate inventory #74)

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Red Door

c. 1930’s oil on board 10” x 8”

(estate inventory #111)

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Missouri Cabin

1931 oil on canvas laid down on board 12� x 16� dated verso (estate inventory #19)

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Yellow House in Late Summer

c. 1935 oil on board 13-3/4” x 17-3/4” signed and dated verso partial exhibition labels: Monday Club and St. Louis Artist’s Guild. (estate inventory #57)

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Red Barn

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on masonite 16” x 20” (estate inventory #77)

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Old Town Church c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 14” x 16”

(estate inventory #68)

Missouri Farm c. 1930’s oil on board 16” x 20”

(estate inventory #93)

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Summer Brook

c. 1930’s oil on canvasboard 8” x 6”

(estate inventory #41)

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American Indian Figure Studies c. 1910-1930’s pencil sketch on paper 9” x 6” (each)

(estate inventory #53 b,d,e)

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Ozark Cabin

c. 1930’s oil on canvas laid down on board 10” x 8” (estate inventory #64)

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St. Louis County Historic Buildings and Residences designed by Angelo B.M. Corrubia

Mont M. Levy

David P. Wohl, Sr.

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Clayton

Charles H. Duncker W. J. Carton Milton Mendle Mont M. Levy David P. Wohl, Sr. J. F. Hellrung

1916 1922 1922 1925 1925 1926-27

Richmond Heights

Cann & Angelo B. M. Corrubia Corrubia & Henderson Corrubia & Henderson Corrubia & Henderson Corrubia & Henderson Angelo B. M. Corrubia

Viviano House E. Hayden Parks

1928 Angelo B. M. Corrubia 1929 Angelo B. M. Corrubia

15 Brentmoor 05 Wydown Terrace 6465 Wydown 6390 Forsyth 6400 Forsyth 6330 Forsyth

1176 Center Drive 1170 Hampton Park Dr.

U n i v e r s i t y C i t y

Joseph E. Sullivan 1923 Corrubia & Henderson 7336 Maryland Avenue William F. Peters 1923 Corrubia & Henderson 7380 Westmoreland Dr. Jerre B. Moberly 1925 Corrubia & Henderson 7101 Westmoreland Dr. Edward Bokern 1926 Corrubia & Henderson 7225 Maryland Avenue Charles G. Rueckoldt 1926 Corrubia & Henderson 7320 Teasdale (590 Stratford) 4 Family Apartment 1928 Angelo B. M. Corrubia 7330 Pershing 4 Family Apartment 1928 Angelo B. M. Corrubia 7334 Pershing

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Charles H. Duncker Residence

Collegiate Revival Duncker Memorial Hall, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1923, Cann & Corrubia (in association with Jamieson and Spearl).

Dedicated in October 1924, the Charles Duncker Jr. Hall originally housed the School of Commerce and Finance.

This hall was a gift to the university by Charles H. Duncker Sr., in memory of his son, Charles H. Duncker Jr., who lost his life in France during World War I. Cann & Corrubia had previously designed the Duncker’s private residence in Brentmoor Park, Clayton, MO in 1916.

Charles H. Duncker, Jr. Memorial Niche 102

St. Ambrose Church, 1926, Corrubia & Henderson This late Romanesque Revival design replaced an earlier wood frame building that was destroyed by fire. It remains the parish church of The Hill neighborhood in St. Louis to this day.

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Italianate fountain located at the intersection of Kingshighway Boulevard, Shenandoah Avenue, and Vandeventer Avenue (St. Louis, MO); originally designed for Garavelli’s Restaurant at 300 DeBaliviere Avenue (St. Louis, MO), which was built in 1926 and demolished in 1987. The fountain was donated to the city and moved to its present location in the 1990’s.

(Gravenhorst, Edna Campos. Southwest Garden.

Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2008. Print.)

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