Way back in the early ’70s, developer Joe Edwards took a chance on the Loop neighborhood in St. Louis, keying in on its proximity to Washington University as laden with potential. These days, thanks to the eclectic mix of bars and entertainment venues he’s opened, as well as the funky retail and galleries he’s drawn to the neighborhood, it’s been recognized not just as a college hangout but also as one of America’s "10 greatest streets." The timing was right, then, to unveil one more element: a boutique hotel.

An inveterate collector of pop culture ephemera, Edwards needed a theme. He came up with a name first, Moonrise, then turned to Chicago-based the Harrick Group to make it all happen. "I was charged with finding stuff," laughs partner Joe Hartness. "Lots and lots of stuff."

Most of that stuff—a lot of it culled from eBay sales—takes space age kitsch as a jumping-off point. In the lobby and restaurant, Eclipse, vitrines overflow with moon-faced cookie jars, toy robots, and photos signed by astronauts. Commissioned artworks play on the theme by echoing the look of space age comic strips like Flash Gordon, while guestrooms feature enlarged photos of the moon taken from the U.S.’s early space exploration days.

The mid-century era also naturally finds itself in the furnishings that outfit public spaces. "We tried to use as many outstanding examples as we could," says Hartness, "from the Isamu Noguchi sofa, to a chaise by Charles Eames who was, after all, from St. Louis." That St. Louis influence is also felt in 10 "Walk of Fame" (a civic project also created by Edwards) suites that pay tribute via bio information and photos of native St. Louisans in the entertainment business, from Virginia Mayo to Redd Foxx to Agnes Moorhead (pictured above).