Four Students Selected as 2024 CityStudioSTL Fellows to Complete Socially Engaged Projects with Local Firms

Four students from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis — Quinn Adam, MArch/MLA ’27; Mason Burress, MArch’25; Zach Toth, MArch ’26; and Jesse Price, BS ‘24 — have been awarded summer fellowships with four local architecture and landscape architecture firms. The fellowships, made possible through CityStudioSTL and coordinated by the school’s Office for Socially Engaged Practice, offer students a funded opportunity to work on meaningful civic projects in the St. Louis region over a 12-week period.

For the first time since the program’s inception in 2017, two fellows will collaborate on a cross-firm project. Quinn Adam, who is placed with Arbolope Studio — founded by Visiting Assistant Professor Irene Compadre, AB ’08 / MLA ’12 — and Jesse Price, with Trivers, will work together on a project called “St. Louis Art Place Initiative Masterplan: Creating Wealth for Artists through Homeownership.” The project entails creating a district-wide plan for lots purchased by the nonprofit organization STL Art Place Initiative, whose goal is to create a mix of housing and public green space for artists of low- to moderate-income levels in the Gravois Park neighborhood. Adam and Price will explore programming opportunities, amenities, ecological benefits, architectural design standards, and strategies for creating a cohesive and unified district that encourages creativity, improves safety and accessibility, and formalizes opportunities for placemaking.

Mason Burress will partner with Christner Architects and nonprofit Beyond Housing to continue the designing of an adaptive reuse of the historic Bible Way Church and its midcentury gymnasium in Pagedale into a community hub with Brian Owens, acclaimed vocalist and St. Louis native. Burress will participate in site visits, client meetings, and the development of design ideas for the conversion of the existing buildings. Christner will also invite Burress to participate in other projects, work with senior design professionals, and develop a practice-related research assignment.

Zach Toth will work with PGAV Planners, collaborating with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation and community stakeholders. His work includes reimagining public space in the Grand Center Arts District, focused specifically on the Walls Off Washington (WOW) footprint that features more than 25 thought-provoking murals. Toth will assess the urban environment and engage with community stakeholders, understanding how existing infrastructure, community assets, and public art can be leveraged to create a cohesive and welcoming district.

The Sam Fox School’s Office for Socially Engaged Practice is a hub and a resource for collaborative, engaged practices in art, architecture, and design. OSEP brings faculty and students together to work with communities in St. Louis and around the world. From long-standing programs, like the University City Public Art Series and the Alberti Program, to newer initiatives like CityStudioSTL, OSEP facilitates collaborative partnerships to support education, outreach, and innovation in community-based art and design.

CityStudioSTL supports a series of engagement and outreach projects that bring together students in architecture, art, and design with partners in the city of St. Louis. It is generously supported by Gina and Bill Wischmeyer, BA ’69 / MArch ’71. CityStudioSTL allows students and faculty — working in collaboration with local community groups and residents — to conceive, plan, design, and construct