Fund to Benefit Artists' Guild's Oak Knoll Park Building

A newly established fund will provide resources for the restoration of the 1920s mansion in which the -based is located. The organization made the announcement Monday in a news release.

The Marian Hungerford Guild Restoration Fund is named after a longtime guild member who helped raise more than $700,000 during the effort to convert the building at 2 Oak Knoll Park from Museum of Science and Natural History space to guild space.

“When I joined the Guild in 1971, I joined everything there that I could,” Hungerford stated in the release. “I worked at their fair, painted, helped raise funds for its 100th birthday and was soon in charge of the Capital Campaign for its move to from Webster Groves.  My wish now is for the Guild to have another 125 successful and productive years.”

Dr. Michael Hunt, the guild's executive director, said the board of directors came up with the idea as part of an effort to "honor the contributions that Hungerford has made."

An outside organization is in the process of performing a building assessment at the guild, he said. Its findings will help determine how donations are used.

The fund will be used for ongoing restoration.

"It is just a grand building, and everybody who comes inside is struck by the grandeur of the building," Hunt said. "It just speaks of entirely different generations. The inside is very welcoming, and we would like the outside to be just as welcoming as the inside."

Among other services, the guild regularly hosts art exhibits, classes, children's programs, focus groups for various genres of art and a camp.

Those interested in donating to the fund may call Hunt at 314-727-6266. In the future, a button on the guild's website will allow visitors to make contributions electronically.