This blog post is going to be a pretty random list, but sometimes, that’s just what comes out of the keyboard.  So here we go:

First off, I know we’re a little late to the game with this one (considering my teenage sister has had one for, I don’t know, her whole life) but the Pulitzer now has a MySpace page, and a Facebook page.  We’re still tweaking, still adjusting, and still adding, but in the meantime- add us!  Be our friend.  And our fan.  And tell all your friends and your fans.  Whew.

Secondly, a Must-See: there’s an interesting post on Edward Lifson’s blog about the new Ando building in the Berkshires.  He says some nice things about the Pulitzer building too, and includes great photos of other Ando projects I’d never seen before.  It’s a must-read and the Clark looks like a must-visit.

The Pulitzer’s architecture comes up a lot on this blog.  It relates to pretty much everything we do -  art, programming, everything that’s planned here has to keep the very specific architecture of our building in mind.  It ranges from the logistics of a film night to the placement of art within an exhibition and everything in between.

Since it’s often on our minds here, it was nice to see a feature in the Post-Dispatch this weekend on the architecture of St. Louis as a whole.  I’ve always loved driving through the city looking at buildings, but it was interesting to learn more about the specific history of those buildings.  It also helped me connect the Pulitzer to the larger context of the history of St. Louis architecture.   Take a look - there’s also an interactive timeline (which includes the Pulitzer!).

Last week, I wrote about how all the staff at the Pulitzer was busy cleaning their offices and I teased that I would tell you the reason why. Well, here it is - we were paid a visit by the man second from the left in this photo (click to enlarge):

That’s Tadao Ando, the architect of our building, in a group photo with those who were involved. Steve Morby, on the far left, was the Project Superintendent and is currently our Facilities Manager. On the other side of Ando is Peter Clarkson, (the Construction Manager), Emily Rauh Pulitzer (Founder), Bill Wischmeyer (Architect of Record) and Masataka Yano (of Tadao Ando and Associates).

It was Ando’s first visit to the Pulitzer since we opened in 2001, so we all wanted to make sure our offices looked as clean and pristine as they did back then (though the office set-up and size of our staff has changed dramatically since then). Everyone was organizing - which either meant actually filing away papers, or throwing them frantically in drawers, depending on who you are…

I’ll get more information on his visit soon, but things I’ve heard so far are a) he loved the way the building looked with the Flavin exhibition and b) they discussed the possibility of outdoor signage and cushions for the stairs during concerts. The issue of a sign for the building exterior is particularly interesting…I’ll let you know how that conversation went as soon as I get more details.