In addition to great food and entertainment, The Key Burger Bar & Boogie offers a glimpse into the past, present and future of sports in St. Louis. In order to create the perfect atmosphere for game day viewing as well as pre and post-game celebrations, KAF partnered with art consultant and St. Louis sports superfan B.J. Vogt to curate a collection of sports memorabilia and artwork—primarily St. Louis Blues and St. Louis CITY SC—to adorn the space.
“I grew up here in St. Louis. I play sports and I’ve been a hockey fan my entire life. I’m also a huge CITY SC fan and a member of the Saint Louis City Punks, which is one of the supporter groups,” Vogt says. He and his family have been collecting sports memorabilia for decades.
Vogt consulted with Gina Grafos, KAF Director and Chief Curator of Visual and Literary Arts, on what could be displayed in the space, both from his personal collection and from various CITY supporter groups. These include revived and reframed tifos from St. Louis CITY SC’s inaugural season, displayed on the side of the building at Olive and Compton, and the interior walls of The Boogie, acting as Polaroid portraits of players in action and expanding the definition of what constitutes civic art.
In addition, Vogt was able to secure flags designed by the Punks and other supporter groups, as well as handmade banners. “We make this stuff and then, if it doesn’t get used, it’s in a garage somewhere or in a storage space, so I got it back into life, into society,” he says.
Also on display are denim vests from the Punks and a costume belonging to Super Santo, a CITY SC superfan. Having worked in art handling and installation for over 20 years, Vogt was also instrumental in coming up with ideas on how to display and hang the various artifacts.
An item that came from Vogt’s personal collection is a large St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup banner, hung prominently on a wall in the Burger Bar. The banner and other artifacts honor his late father, a huge Blues fan, along with the rest of the family.
“I’m grateful to Gina and The Key for helping me honor my dad by sharing these objects. It means a lot to me to be able to honor his legacy and how much he meant to our family,” Vogt says. “Everyone has these things tucked away—sports fans have these nice pieces here and there— and they have memories with those. For us, it’s about being able to put our family’s passion on display, to share our passion and build on it with others.”
