St. Louis:  A History of Our Community

St. Louis was French and Spanish before it was American.  And before the European explorers traveled down the great river, this rich land was home to the Mississippians, a mighty Indian civilization of mound builders where more than 20,000 people lived in the fertile river valley.  When that culture disappeared during Europe's Middle Ages, only their huge, mysterious earthen structures were left, earning St. Louis one of its earliest nicknames, "Mound City."

Of Pierre Laclede Liguest, the founder of St. Louis, but little of his personal history is known, further than the fact that he was a native of France, and a partner in the commercial house of Maxent, Laclede & Co., of New Orleans, for some years prior to his adventure to this Upper Louisiana in 1763-64.  Nor have we much to relate concerning him during the fourteen years of his residence in this his "village of St. Louis," as whatever documents there might have been in possession of himself or family, at the period of his death in 1778, that might have enlightened us in relation to his personal history, went into the possession of Auguste Chouteau, his principal business companion and clerk during these fourteen years.  Consequently whatever we may have to say of Pierre Laclede Liguest is derived mainly from the facts concerning him that are to be found in the archives and from tradition.

St. Louis was built in Spanish territory on a high bluff just 18 miles south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers -- a perfect site from which to trade with Native Americans in the fur-rich lands to the west.  France regained rights to St. Louis and the west again in 1800, but Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 without taking possession.  Overnight the size of the United States doubled.

When Jefferson sent explorers Lewis & Clark from St. Louis to chart the new Louisiana Territory in 1804, more than 1,000 people, mostly French, Spanish, Indian and both free and slave blacks, lived in the city which already was the center of the fur trade in America.  Two years later, after the triumphant explorers returned from the Pacific with their Corps of Discovery, St. Louis became the last stop for mountain men and trappers heading to the newly opened frontier.  St. Louis' booming fur trade lasted until 1840, but the westward movement of Americans through St. Louis -- "the gateway to the west" -- was to last for many more years.  For decades, entrepreneurs would make fortunes in St. Louis by selling goods to pioneers and adventurers who gathered their supplies and headed west for land, gold, and glory.

The first steamboat arrived in St. Louis in 1817, heralding a new era of commerce and travel along the Mississippi River.  Soon it was common to see more than 100 steamboats lining the cobblestone levee during the day.  This was the Mississippi River Mark Twain came to know as a riverboat pilot and later as an author.  In 1849, a deadly fire destroyed one-third of the city when the steamboat White Cloud exploded on the riverfront.  Two historic structures, the Old Courthouse and Old Cathedral, both of which are open to visitors today, were saved by a quick-thinking fireman who lost his life setting and explosion that kept the flames away from both buildings.





The famous race between the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez was made in July 1870 from New Orleans to St. Louis, 1,278 river miles.  The race was won by the Lee with a time of 3 days 18 hours and 14 minutes.

                                              St. Louis Sports History

St. Louis has a storied sports history. Among the notable highlights:

St. Louis hosted the first major horse show in the country, the St. Louis Horse Show, as the main event of a fair in 1856. The St. Louis National Charity Horse Show, held annually in the early fall, is rated among the top three horse shows in the nation.

In 1900, St. Louis Dwight Davis donated a trophy, the Davis Cup, which is still the most prized team award in tennis.





In 1904, St. Louis was the site of the third Olympic games of modern times and the first ever held in the United States. The 1904 Olympics were held on the campus of Washington University, which also hosted the first-ever U.S. National Senior Olympics in 1987. To celebrate the centennial of the St. Louis games, a series of Olympic events took place in 2004 including the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Women's Marathon and for Diving.  Winners from the St. Louis events competed for the U.S. in Athens.







In 1906, Saint Louis University quarterback Bradbury Robinson threw the first forward pass in the history of football. It was caught by tight end Jack Schneider.

The Women's International Bowling Congress was started in 1916.

In 1920, St. Louis-born George H. Walker put up a trophy for competition between United States and British golfers. The Walker Cup, contested every other year, is still one of golf's most treasured prizes.

The St. Louis Cardinals were the only team in baseball to win three pennants in the 1980's and have won more baseball World Series championships (9) than any other National League team. St. Louis is known as a savvy baseball town so much so that Sports Illustrated and Baseball America magazines have called it America's Best Baseball City.

Known as "The Wizard of Oz," Ozzie Smith combined athletic ability with acrobatic skill to become one of the game's great defensive shortstops.  The 13-time Gold Glove Award winner set major league shortstop records for assists, double plays and total chances.  He would develop into an offensive weapon, finishing with over 2,400 hits and 500 stolen bases.  His ninth inning home run won the fifth game of the 1985 National League Championship Series.  Ozzie was elected to the Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 2002, Player 433 votes on 472 ballots -- 91.4%.



One of baseball's all-time greats, Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial, played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals. Musial, who still lives and works in St. Louis, has a career batting average of .331, a career total of 3630 hits, was named National League Most Valuable Player three times and played in the All-Star game 19 times. Musial was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.



Thirty-seven Cardinals plus broadcaster Jack Buck and former broadcaster Harry Caray have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, NY. Fifteen baseball Cardinals have won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. Lou Brock, who retired in 1979 after 16 seasons with the Cardinals, held the National League record for stolen bases in a career (938) for many years.




Baseball history was made in St. Louis' Busch Stadium in 1998 when St. Louis Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire hit a record 70 home runs during a single season.





In 2004, the St. Louis Cardinals became the National League Champions and posted 105 wins -the most in the Major Leagues.

St. Louis continued a century-old tradition of making major news in the world of sports when the St. Louis Rams became the champions of the first Super Bowl of the millennium. It's the first time in history that a St. Louis team played in the NFL championship event. The Rams clinched the world championship title on January 30, 2000 with a 23 - 16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Football fans voted St. Louis' victory as the "best Super Bowl ever" according to a CNNSI.com poll. The Rams won the NFC Championship again in the 2001 season and returned to Super Bowl XXXVI.


Football's greatest tight end, Hall of Famer Jackie Smith is a resident of St. Louis. Much of his illustrious career was spent with the Cardinals in St. Louis. Dan Dierdorf, a recent inductee into the Football Hall of Fame, is also a resident of St. Louis. A former broadcaster for the ABC television network, Dierdorf was a key player for the St. Louis Football Cardinals.

The St. Louis Blues are the only NHL team to appear in the playoffs every year in the 1980's and 1990's. Since joining the National Hockey League in 1967, the Blues have missed the Stanley Cup playoffs only four times. The team takes to the ice at the 20,000-seat Savvis Center in downtown St. Louis.

The old St. Louis Arena hosted the 1973 and 1978 NCAA basketball Final Four and served as host for several NCAA regional championships. The 1998 men's regionals were held in St. Louis at Savvis Center and returned in 1999 taking the court at The Edward Jones Dome at America's Center. The Edward Jones Dome at America's center holds the attendance record for an NCAA Regional event. More than 42,000 fans jammed the Dome for each of the tournament's three games that took place in St. Louis on March 19 and 20, 1999.

The 2000 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held at St. Louis' Savvis Center, March 15 - 18, 2000, sold the most all-session tickets in the 69-year history of the event. The record-breaking attendance of 96,994 surpassed the previous record set in 1997 when 90,064 people watched the championship matches.

The United States Senior Open Championship came to St. Louis in 2004. The golf championship celebrated its 25th anniversary milestone in the Gateway City.

                                              St. Louis Music History

W.C. Handy stood on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis and made his mark on the world of music.  We presume he watched the muddy waters slip by his perch on the levee stones, closed his eyes to mark the moment and whispered, "I hate to see the evenin' sun go down." The song born of his riverfront reverie was called "The St. Louis Blues" and it has become of the world's most recorded song, cementing St. Louis' place in the world of American roots music forever.

Handy's contemporary, Scott Joplin, was a regular in the nightspots around St. Louis during the time of the 1904 World's Fair.  His ragtime tunes were the Rock'n'Roll of the era -- the music of the counter culture.  Some of Joplin's most important works were created  while he played for society during the day and in the sporting houses and clubs of St. Louis at night. Joplin's house, 2658A Delor, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, a Missouri State Historic Landmark, is open daily for tours.


Jazz influences steamed into town aboard northbound riverboats from New Orleans where they blended with Joplin's established ragtime and encountered a great migration of blues musicians from the Mississippi delta region. The integration of these musical styles created a sound that took its name from Handy's famous composition and became known as the St. Louis Blues.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the St. Louis blues were joined by a new sound -- rhythm and blues. Developed in the nightclubs of St. Louis and Memphis, the sound was described as a "driving dance beat combined with a bluesy delivery."  St. Louisians Ike and Tina Turner were at the forefront of this St. Louis sound and R&B quickly grew to fill a popular music void created after the end of the Big Band jazz era. Bands from St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans took to the road, playing nightclubs and dancehalls across America, spreading St. Louis' distinctive and innovative approach to music across the country and around the world.  Today bands carry on the tradition of live St. Louis music clubs throughout the region.

The annual U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival takes place in June in the Clayton neighborhood, and the Whitaker Music Festival lights up the Missouri Botanical Garden Wednesday nights in June and July. A free concert series called Blues on the Mississippi takes place throughout June, July, and August in Jefferson Barracks Park. The Big Muddy Blues Festival rocks Labor Day weekend in the Laclede's Landing entertainment district, bringing the biggest names in blues to the cobblestone streets for days of free music. For additional music, festival and event information, check the interactive and constantly updated St. Louis Calendar of Events.

St. Louis is the gateway to America's Music Corridor, a self-guided blues, jazz and rock'n'roll tour that links the musical heritage of the lower Mississippi River region from St. Louis to New Orleans. Winner of the Travel Industry Association's prestigious Odyssey Award for the best cultural tourism program in the country, America's Music Corridor offers visitors a chance to explore the history of American music at historic sites such as the Scott Joplin House in St. Louis, Sun Studios in Memphis and the Jazz Museum in New Orleans.  After hours, visitors can listen to the living legends of roots music in nightclubs along the route.

Old Cathedral
Basilica of St. Louis, King of France

The history of the Old Cathedral and the early history of the City of St. Louis are intertwined.  The Old Cathedral Museum, located on the west side of the Cathedral, contains many artifacts and relics from the early days of the Catholic Church in St. Louis and also historical information.  When Pierre Liguest Laclede and his First Lieutenant Auguste Chouteau founded the City of St. Louis in 1764, Laclede dedicated the square just west of where he built his home, to church and graveyard purposes.  The first Catholic Church in St. Louis built on this site, was a small log house built in 1770.  St. Louis IX, King of France, is the Patron Saint of the City and of the Church.  In 1776, the mission of St. Louis became a canonical parish and the second log cabin church was built.  Its bell, the gift of Lieutenant Governor Don Piernos and enriched by 200 Spanish silver dollars in its casting, can be seen today in the Old Cathedral Museum.

On January 27, 1961, Pope John XXIII signed a Decree naming the former Cathedral of St. Louis, a Basilica, recognizing it as "a treasure of the universal church".  It belongs in a real sense to the whole world and not just to our locality.  The ornamental insignia of a basilica are the half open umbrella (canopeum), and the bell in the key shaped frame (tintinnabulum) which led papal processions.  These insignia are displayed in the rear of the church.

By 1933, some 40 blocks of the downtown riverfront surrounding the Old Cathedral had fallen into decay.  Luther Ely Smith, a St. Louisan, spelled out a plan for developing a memorial on the riverfront to Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann who had been married in the Old Cathedral.  On December 15, 1933, Mayor Dickmann called a meeting of St. Louis civic leaders in the Jefferson Hotel.  From this meeting was born the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial which surrounds the Old Cathedral.  President Roosevelt authorized the Interior Department to acquire the tract of the original city settlement between Poplar Street and the Eads Bridge west to Third Street.  The only exception, the only buidling to be saved, the only land not to be claimed for the park, was the site of the church, and the historic Old Cathedral building standing where it has always stood.  The memorial commemorates Thomas Jefferson, under whose presidency Louisiana was purchased, and the pioneers who broke open the American west.  The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, "The Old Cathedral" stands in the center of the memorial as a reminder of the expansion of faith throughout the west.

Highlights:

- The sanctuary, with four fluted columns in the Corinthian style, is 40 feet long and 30 feet wide.

New Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis

St. Louis Churches

Over 3,500 churches in the local St. Louis area . . .

St. Louis Hospitals

                                                       Barnes-Jewish Hospital
                                                       Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital
                                                       Christian Hospital Northeast Northwest
                                                       Des Peres Hospital
                                                       Forest Park Hospital
                                                       Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital
                                                       Missouri Baptist Hospital
                                                       Normandy Community Hospital
                                                       Saint Louis University Hospital
                                                       Shriners Hospital
                                                       Southpointe Hospital
                                                       St. Alexius Hospital
                                                       St. Anthony's Hospital
                                                       St. John's Mercy Hospital
                                                       St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood
                                                       St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
                                                       St. Louis Children's Hospital
                                                       St. Luke's Hospital
                                                       St. Mary's Hospital
                                                       Washington University School of Medicine


Like its geographic location - at the population center of the country - St. Louis remains well centered in the worldwide medical community with top talent, two world-renowned teaching hospitals, advanced hospital networks, and many other state-of-the-art facilities.

New residents can take comfort knowing premier healthcare is literally right in their neighborhood at one of the St. Louis hospitals staffed by nearly 7,100 physicians.  The city has an enviable ratio of roughly one doctor for every 353 residents.

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is the 11th busiest in airport operations in North America and 15th in total passengers.  Lambert currently has 83 gates with 10 major air carriers serving more than 180 cities worldwide.  The airport handles almost 1,400 average daily arrivals and departures.  In 2002, Lambert served more than 25 million passengers.  Lambert is a hub for American Airlines and generates $5.1 billion annually in the St. Louis economy.


The airport sits on approximately 2,162 acres of land and anticipates acquiring an additional 1,544 acres through its Expansion Program that will be completed in 2006.




Lambert employs over 15,000 people through airlines, vendors, service companies, and the City of St. Louis.  Of the 15,000 people, 550 are City of St. Louis employees.  The airport is owned and operated by the City of St. Louis.

History:  Initially, the area now known as Lambert-St. Louis International Airport was a balloon launch location called Kinloch Field. 

President Theodore Roosevelt, the first president to ride in an airplane, took his first ride at the Kinloch airfield.  Soon after, the first experimental parachute jump in the world took place in St. Louis.  Then Major Albert Lambert purchased the 550 acres of land known as Kinloch Field and renamed it Lambert Field.  Major Lambert was the first person in St. Louis to receive his private pilot's license, having taken his first flight in an airplane with Orville Wright.

In June 1920, Major Lambert was not only a man with a dream, but also one with great foresight and generosity.  His vision enabled St. Louis to become a key in the growing aviation industry.  What many would have viewed as an ordinary hayfield, on June 18, 1920, became a 170 acre airfield.  At his own expense, he developed the airfield by clearing, grading, and draining the land and erecting hangars.  Eight years later, Lambert's airfield was a base for passenger and freight service.

On May 12, 1927, Col. Charles Lindbergh departed St. Louis for New York to begin his historic non-stop solo flight to Paris, France.  About this time, Lambert Field was dubbed :The New Union Station of St. Louis."  However, the City of St. Louis had yet to purchase the field as a municipal airport.

In November 1927, Major Lambert offered Mayor Victor Miller and the City Administration, Lambert Airfield for $68,000, the price he had paid for the field alone, even though improvements had been made to the field.  The additional acreage was obtained through a passage of a $2 million bond issue.  Prior to the passage of the bond issue, Major Lambert agreed to lease the airfield to the city for fifteen months for a total of $1.  Finally, on February 7, 1928, the city accepted his generous offer, contingent upon the passage of the airport bond issue.  Lambert-St. Louis Municipal Airport became the first municipally owned airport in the country.

Lambert's first passenger terminal was constructed for Robertson Airlines, which featured St. Louis to New Orleans service.  Next, Marquette Airlines began service from St. Louis to Detroit.  In that year, 24,133 people arrived and departed from Lambert.  By 1938, that figure increased to 40,000 passengers with approximately 170,000 landings and take-offs of all types of aircraft.  Services at and from Lambert Airfield continued to expand.  McDonnell Aircraft was established on Lambert Airfield.  That was the predecessor to McDonnell Douglas Corporation, which recently merged with Boeing Aircraft.  Service to St. Louis from Nashville, Tn, and Miami, Fl, was begun by Eastern Airlines.

Spirit of St. Louis Airport

St. Louis Parks & Recreation

St. Louisans have had a long love affair with their parks!

From the crown jewel, Forest Park, to the smallest park, Aboussie Park in Soulard, St. Louis residents make their neighborhood parks part of their lives.

Parks serve as the anchor of city neighborhoods!

Parks host countless weddings, parties, picnics, family reunions, rallies and even memorial services.  When the Rams won the Super Bowl, the celebration was in Kiener Plaza, a city park.  When we hosted the 1904 World's Fair, it was in a city park.

Almost all outdoor art work is in a city park.

Parks also provide a quiet place to get away from the city.

And that was the original intent.  In 1812, the first land was set aside to be used for parks.  Gravois Park, at Louisiana and Miami; Laclede Park, Iowa and Gasconade; and Mt. Pleasant Park, Michigan and Dakota, are the first parks created in St. Louis.  The land was part of the St. Louis Common.

When the Common was divided in 1836, an ordinance preserved the 29.95 acres for public use as a park, which became Lafayette Park.  It was separated from the Commons in 1844 but it wasn't until 1851 that it was formally dedicated as Lafayette Square, the name that became associated with the neighborhood that grew up around the park.

In 1868, Henry Shaw gave the city Tower Grove Park, adjacent to his country home and west of the city limits.

Forest Park was established in 1874 when the Missouri Legislature passed ordinances to establish three parks in what was then St. Louis County:  Carondelet Park in the south; Forest Park in the center and O'Fallon Park on the north.

The majority of the city's parks were established during the era known as "The Gilded Age" from 1869 to the turn of the 20th century.  Parks were created to meet the social needs of a crowded, industrial city.

All parks are owned by the city and were designed to meet many needs . . . escape from crowded apartment buildings, a place to view art work, a home for a zoo and a nature preserve.

It's the Parks Division of the Parks Department that operates and maintains the 105 parks in the City of St. Louis.

A city of only 62 square miles has 3,000 acres of park land and another 170 strips and triangles that have about 200 acres.

The Parks Division also maintains all facilities in the parks including 85 playgrounds, 14 fountains, countless statues and monuments, the Jewel Box in Forest Park, tennis, handball and horseshoe courts, baseball, softball, soccer, and rugby fields.

Major Parks:    Forest Park
                          Tower Grove Park
                          Carondelet Park
                          Aloe Plaza
                          Compton Reservoir
                          Downtown Parks
                          Fairground Park
                          Francis Park
                          Gateway Mall
                          Hyde Park
                          Kiener Plaza
                          Lafayette Park
                          Lucas Garden Park
                          O'Fallon Park
                          Serra Sculpture Park
                          Tilles Park
                          Willmore Park

Forest Park Forever.  And Today.

Forest Park, the seventh largest urban park in the United States, is a natural oasis in an urban environment.  Located on 1,372 acres in the center of the St. Louis metropolitan area, Forest Park is about 500 acres larger than New York City's Central Park.  The Park contains St. Louis' major museums--the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum--as well as the Saint Louis Science Center, the world-famous Saint Louis Zoo and the Municipal Opera (The Muny), the country's biggest outdoor theater.  Forest Park is also home to the Jewel Box, a flower conservatory that is a popular venue for special events.  Visitors and locals alike enjoy the bike and pedestrian path that circles the park.  During every season of the year, Forest Park is a popular playground for locals and visitors alike.  Between 1996 and 2004, Forest Park received a $90 million facelift under the Forest Park master plan.

History:  When Forest Park opened to the public in June, 1876, former St. Louis resident Ulysses Grant was president of the United States.  Park visitors could come from downtown via a 40-minute carriage ride or a 20-minute train ride on the newly opened train route.  A local newspaper account of the Park's opening says some 50,000 people attended the ceremony, an impressive number considering St. Louis' population was only 350,000 at the time.  During the Park opening, the Democratic Party was holding its national convention in St. Louis.

At the time, the Park was surrounded mostly by farmland and some industry along the Missouri Pacific Railroad to the south.  Kingshighway, then known as King's Highway, ran east of the Park with Skinker Road on the west.  Both were dirt roads, and there were no roads along the northern and southern perimeters.

Forest Park was actually about a dozen years in the making.  In 1864, the Missouri Legislature authorized an election for St. Louisans to vote on a centrally located park.  At the time, a board of commissioners picked a site bounded by Laclede Avenue on the south and Kingshighway on the west.  The exact boundaries were to be negotiated with property owners.  Voters overwhelmingly rejected the plan.

In 1870, Hiram W. Leffingwell, a real estate developer who promoted Kirkwood and created Grand Boulevard, announced plans for a 3,000-acre park extending about three miles west of Kingshighway.  However, under Missouri statute at that time, only the state legislature could establish a park.  Two years later, the legislature established a scaled down park and created a commission charged with issuing bonds to purchase the land.  A special taxing district, located totally outside the city limits, was also created.  A few days after passage of the law, the legislature extended the city limits to the land in the Forest Park tax district.

People living near the park filed suit hoping to have the law declared unconstitutional.  The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the special tax district made the Forest Park act illegal.  However, while the case was in court, the commissioners used their powers to issue bonds.  They acquired more than half of the land for the park.  The legislature then ruled the park, bonds and the new boundaries of the city were illegals.  The Supreme Court upheld the decision.

In 1874, the Missouri Legislature established three parks in St. Louis County--Carondelet in the south; Forest Park in the center and O'Fallon on the north.  The bill allowed the County (which included the City of St. Louis) to purchase the same land for Forest Park as described in the earlier Forest Park Act.  The County could issue 30-year revenue bonds to purchase the land and make improvements.

Because most of the tract was virgin forest land, the name Forest Park was chosen.

The land was placed under the jurisdiction of the Board of Park Commissioners the next year.  Also in 1875, the legislature adopted the "Municipal Divorce Bill" which separated the City of St. Louis from the County and gave all the parks and the park tax to the City of St. Louis.  It also allowed the City to extend its boundaries past the three county parks--Carondelet, O'Fallon and Forest.

The first Park Commission report noted that a few neglected farms and abandoned huts of coal miners detracted from the vast expanse of natural forest in the Park but improvement to the Park were delayed during negotiations over the railroad right-of-way through the northeast corner of the Park.

Access to the Park was a problem from the beginning but many roads, lakes, bridges, and landscaping were in place at the dedication which was held at what was then the Park's main entrance at Chouteau and Kingshighway.  At the ceremony, a statue of Edward Bates, who had been U.S. Attorney General in the cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln, was unveiled.

Initially, the only access to the Park was on the Wabash Railroad.  In 1885, the first horse car line reached the Park on Laclede Avenue.  Only the eastern portion of the Park was developed into a sylvan of winding drives and waterways.  Bandstands, pagodas and picnic grounds were scattered around the lakes.

The Forsyth Home, a popular rural retreat, was converted into the Cottage Restaurant.  The farmhouse was replaced by a new building in 1893 but it burned down and was rebuilt.  The new, much larger restaurant, located at the top of a hill east of the present Zoo, was a popular spot in the 1890s.  In addition to serving food, it had a carousel, swings and band concerts.  It was razed after the 1904 World's Fair.

In response to unemployment caused by the 1893 depression, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch began a campaign to build a lake bearing its name in the Park.  The project created jobs for several thousand workers.  In addition to the lake, crews built a boathouse alongside the lake.

Forest Park's lakes are filled through pipes with water from the River des Peres, from Cabanne Spring and with storm water runoff from the Park propelled by a steam pump.  To avoid its flooding problems, the River des Peres was put underground in the 1920's.

One of the Park's earliest attractions was the Hippodrome, a horse racing track.  Another was an ornate Moorish-style bandstand built on an island in Pagoda Lake.  The bandstand was entirely surrounded by water and accessible by bridges.

The St. Louis Amateur Athletic Association formed in 1897, built a clubhouse, tennis courts, baseball diamonds and a 9-hole golf course.  The original golf course site was a 125-acre tract south and west of DeBaliviere and Lindell.  The Louisiana Purchase Exposition paid $4,000 fro the clubhouse so it could use the property for the World's Fair.  The Parks Department then gave the group its current 70-acre site in the southeastern portion of the Park.

An 1855 plan for the Park recommended building a zoo.  By 1890, Park employees were caring for an animal collection that included deer, geese, prairie dogs and quail in an animal enclosure.  The next year, the Park had its own herd of buffalo.  Herds of elk, a dromedary, and a zebra were soon added.  The city built bear pits and animal houses in 1899 and 1901.  The Zoo's current bear pits date from the 1920's.

In early 1897, the Park Board asked the city's permission to build an art museum in Forest Park.  Three years later, the city agreed but said the building would become city property.  Art Hill was selected as the site of the museum but construction was delayed because charges were made that the director had paid a bribe to a councilman to get the site.  Ultimately, the Art Museum was built as the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1904 World's Fair.

When St. Louis was selected as the city to host the 1903 World's Fair, Forest Park was chosen as the site of the fair with the stipulation the land would be restored as a park afterwards.

Not everyone was happy with the selection of Forest Park as the site of the Fair.  Early environmentalists also opposed putting the idea on the grounds that cutting down the dense forest in the northwestern corner of the Park known as "the Wilderness" would be an environmental travesty.  They even brought suit against the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company charging that the plan would "deforest" Forest Park.

The pro-Fair forces won, and construction began in 1901.  While work proceeded at a furious rate, it soon became clear the Fair could not be ready for a 1903 opening.  The date was moved to 1904.

But when 1904 arrived, St. Louis was ready to dazzle the world.  St. Louis and Forest Park were the focus of the world during the 184 days of the Fair.

To provide stunning backdrop befitting a world's fair of such grand proportions, the western portion of Forest Park was transformed into a fantasyland of elegant Victorian building, gondoliered lakes, picturesque cascades and highly landscaped open spaces.

Peninsular Lake, the Park's only natural lake, was renamed "The Grand Basin," reshaped and connected via a serious of lagoons with other lakes while the River des Peres, a small river which meandered through the Park, was rerouted.  Post-Dispatch Lake was drained and partially refilled to allow room for construction of the Liberal Arts Palace, the Mines and Metallurgy Palace and a sunken garden built between them.

The Grand Basin, around which eight palaces were situated, was the focal point of the Fair with boat parades held there almost daily.  Below it was the Plaza of St. Louis.  With the Grand Basin as a backdrop, the Plaza was the site of official proceedings.  At one end of the Plaza was the gigantic Louisiana Purchase monument; at the other was the statue of St. Louis that would later be placed in front of the Art Museum.

Adding to the beauty of the site, waterways, broad plazas and landscaped gardens with symbolic statues dotted the Fairgrounds.

Atop what is now called Art Hill and overlooking the Grand Basin was the majestic Festival Hall with a dome larger than that of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome.  The Hall's auditorium could seat 3,000 people and its stage held the largest pipe organ ever built.

Festival Hall, flanked by lesser pavilions called "The Atlantic" and "The Pacific" to symbolize the country's vastness, dominated the view at the top of the Grand Basin.  The Hall and its adjacent pavilions were connected by the Colonnade of States curving on each side from behind it.  From each of the buildings, a cascade of water flowed down the hill and into the Grand Basin.  Great ornate staircases decorated with statues, benches and gardens allowed visitors to walk down along the cascades.  Electricity allowed the cascades to be lit with softly changing colors at night.

Along the Colonnade of States, tiering down from the pavilions on each side of Festival Hall were 14 giant sculptures of seated figures--seven on each side--representing a state of territory from the Louisiana Purchase (Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Indian Territory).

The Fine Art Palace, now the Saint Louis Art Museum, was behind Festival Hall.  Although the Art Palace had 135 rooms, temporary buildings had to be built on each side of and to the rear of it to house the works artists from 20 nations submitted to the Fair. 

From St. Louis Plaza, the Louisiana Way stretched symbolically from the buildings of the nations involved in the Louisiana Purchase.  The French palace, modeled after the Grand Trianon at Versailles, was on the west; the United States Government Building was on the east.  The Way was the main thoroughfare of the Fairgrounds, and it was here the official parades of the Fair were held.

Two of the most interesting structures built in the Park for the Fair were a replica of the Alps including a picturesque alpine village and the Inside Inn, the only hotel located on the Fairgrounds.  The Inside Inn was located at the southeastern end of the Park.

Other then the Palace of Fine Arts which was a permanent structure and became the Saint Louis Art Museum, most of the other Fair buildings, including the huge, very ornate palaces, were temporary.  Constructed of "staff," plaster of paris mixed with fibers, they were built to be torn down after the Fair.

The 1904 Olympics, the first Olympic games held on American soil, were centered at Washington University's Francis Field near Forest Park.

Following the Fair, the Park was restored to its original condition.  Today only two structures remain from the Fair.  They are the Art Museum and the giant Bird Cage (now home to the Cypress Swamp exhibit), which the Smithsonian Institution sold to the Zoo following the Fair.


Highlights:

- The world-famous Saint Louis Zoo is located in Forest Park.  The 79-acre attraction is widely recognized as one of the finest zoos in the world.  With more than 6,000 exotic animals, many of them rare and endangered, the Zoo's collection represents the major continents and habitats of the world.  The Zoo is also a leader in natural exhibits and an active participant in wildlife conservation.  A railroad line circles the zoo and provides visitors with an easy way to get around and view the animals.  The Rivers' Edge, one of the Zoo's newest attractions, give visitors the feel of walking along an African river and an opportunity to get up close and personal with the Zoo's hippos.  Also new at the Zoo is Penguin & Puffin Coast and a conservation carousel.  The Fragile Forest, a new habitat for Chimpanzees and Orangutans, opens in 2005.

- Some of the world's greatest works of art can be seen in the Saint Louis Art Museum, also in Forest Park.  The Museum has an extensive collection of 30,000 objects from ancient to contemporary.  Its pre-Columbian and German Expressionist collections are considered among the best in the world.  The museum's contemporary collections and its collections of arts of Africa, Oceania and the native cultures of the Americas have also helped earn the Art Museum an international reputation.  The Art Museum, designed by architect Cass Gilbert, was the Fine Arts Palace of the 1904 World's Fair. 



- The Missouri History Museum, at the western end of the Park, pays tribute to important moments in history including the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery and Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic.  The Missouri History Museum is also dedicated to documenting and interpreting the history of the St. Louis area.  The Museum was formerly known as the Jefferson Memorial.  The Missouri History Museum fabulous restaurant is situated on the top floor of the Emerson Center, with a spectacular view of Forest Park through an expansive wall of curved glass from ceiling to floor.




- The Saint Louis Science Center at the southern end of the Park is one of only two science centers in the country with no admission charge.  The Science Center has two buildings:  the main Science Center Building across from Forest Park, and the Forest Park Building (the James S. McDonnell Planetarium located on Clayton Avenue in the southeast corner of Forest Park.  The Boeing Space Station, which teaches about life in space, is located inside the Planetarium.





-  Forest Park is home to the St. Louis Municipal Opera (The MUNY), the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theatre.  Each summer, the 12,000-seat MUNY offers a season of musicals starring nationally known performers, from late June until early August.





- Two 7.5 mile paths for walking, running, biking and rollerblading circle Forest Park, one soft surface and one paved.






- The park's Steinberg Rink, offers ice skating in the colder months and a variety of outdoor activities in the summer.








- A lodge-style Boat House opened in 2003 where visitors can rent canoes and paddleboats to enjoy gliding along the park's enlarged waterways.

- Numerous picnic sites dot the landscape, and the Park is a popular place to picnic during the summer.

- Also located in the Park are an archery range, ball fields, handball courts and the Dwight Davis Tennis Center where the St. Louis Aces Team Tennis team plays each summer.

- On the south side of Forest Park at Oakland and Tamm avenues, Turtle Playground delights adults and children alike with three giant and four smaller turtles designed and sculpted by St. Louis artist Robert Cassily, owner of the City Museum.  The turtles, which visitors can climb, include a snapping turtle, a soft-shelled turtle, a red-eared slider, a Mississippi map, three box turtles and a stinkpot.  Also in the Park is a snake curled to form an area for sitting and a serpent taking a bite out of the Highway 40 overpass.  Seven large eggs, three with emerging turtles, adorn the sitting area.

- During the winter, Forest Park is a popular site for cross-country skiing, tobogganing, sledding and ice skating.  Generations of St. Louisans have made sledding down Art Hill, located on the north side of the Art Museum, a winter tradition.

- Sitting high atop Government Hill, the World's Fair Pavilion, a picturesque setting for company picnics, private receptions, benefits, special events or parties, commands a dramatic view of Forest Park.  The open-air pavilion can seat approximately 500 people.  It was built from proceeds of the 1904 World's Fair.

- One of the Park's popular features is a 27-hole golf course.  A clubhouse facility opened in December 2002.  The golf course consists of three new 9-hole courses designed by PGA pro and St. Louisan Hale Irwin.


Annual Special Events:  A classic car show is held in the Park each Easter Sunday.  Each June, the Shakespeare Festival of Saint Louis stages free outdoor performances in a natural amphitheatre near the Art Museum and the Great Forest Park Balloon Race lifts off from Forest Park the third Saturday of each September.

Saint Louis Zoo

Jewel Box

The Jewel Box is open after a $3.5 million renovation and it "glows" again.

The glass panes have been repaired and cleaned so the Jewel Box is once again the "jewel" of Forest Park.

And the jewel is bright with hundreds of flowers.  The permanent floral displays are supplemented with seasonal flowers from the city's greenhouses grown and planted by the Flora Conservatory of Forest Park, the volunteer gardening group, and the Horticulture Section of the Parks Division.

The Jewel Box is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.  Admission is $1 but it is free from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday and Tuesday.

The renovation included removing all of the old plants and trees and reconfiguring the planting areas to the sides of the building, leaving the interior free.

Gone are the trees that climbed to the top of the building, obscuring the light.  Now the Jewel Box is flooded with sunlight that pours in through the top tiers of glass and illuminates the plants below.

The interior area includes a large fountain and water feature that can be removed for weddings and other events.  Large pots line both sides of the pond and baskets of plants hang from the ceiling.

The renovation of the Jewel Box included replacing the mechanical systems, improving the floral display area and adding a catering area so the building can be rented for wedding receptions, corporate meetings and parties.  There is a new heating and air conditioning system so it will be comfortable inside in the coldest and hottest weather.

The Jewel Box, located on a 17-acre site in Forest Park, was built by the City of St. Louis in 1936 and is operated by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.

It is listed on the National Historic Register.  The designation was given by the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The application was submitted by the Landmarks Association of St. Louis on behalf of the City of St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.

The Jewel Box was given the designation of the National Register because it is, "locally significant in the area of architecture.  The Art Deco building is an outstanding example of greenhouse design."

The Jewel Box has special flower shows at Christmas, early spring, Easter, Mother's Day, a summer show and the chrysanthemum show in the fall.  It has tropical trees, foliage plants, flowers, a new water feature and fountain year round.

The main display room is 50 feet high, 55 feet wide and 144 feet long, containing about 7,500 square feet of floor space.

The Jewel Box was dedicated Nov. 14, 1936 and cost about $117,000 with about 45 percent coming from Public Works Administration (WPA) funds.  It was designed by city engineer William C. E. Becker and Robert Paulus Construction Co. was the contractor.






With its unconventional, cantilevered, vertical glass walls rising majestically 50 feet high, the Jewel Box opened in 1936 to national acclaim.  The Post-Dispatch called the Art Deco-style structure, "the latest word in display greenhouses."

Today it is an aged St. Louis treasure that has been restored to its former glory.






History:  An original plan for Forest Park called for a floral conservatory but it was not until 1916 that the Park's head gardener, John Moritz, turned part of the park greenhouses into a display for winter-weary St. Louisans.

Moritz and his staff used the display to teach visitors about the kinds of plants that would grow well in various sections of the city, especially those areas veiled in smoke and gas from nearby factories.  The shows gained popularity and in the 1920's, the displays in the greenhouses were changed monthly.

in 1926, the floral display section of the greenhouses became known as the "Jewel Box," after a visitor remarked to Moritz that the flower patterns resembled a jewel box.  The sentiment was reported in the press and soon it became a popular way to refer to the unusual section of greenhouses.

Moritz's successor, Henry Ochs, continued the displays, sometimes using them to reproduce famous paintings.

In the 1930's park usage increased dramatically but resources were limited.  In the winter of 1933-34, the greenhouse remained open during the evenings so more people could see the displays.  On Easter 1934, some 25,752 people entered the greenhouse between 5 a.m. and 9:20 p.m.

Soon afterwards, Park officials announced plans for a new floral conservatory.  With a WPA grant and $75,000 from the city, construction began on the $117,000 Jewel Box.  The building opened in November of 1936.

City Engineer William C. E. Becker used several miniature models to come up with the unusual final design which was engineered to admit the greatest amount of light and to reduce damage from hail and maintenance costs.  The building's cantilevered walls are glass, but all of the horizontal surfaces are metal.  The strength of the design was validated in 1938 when a hail storm broke more than a thousand panes of glass in greenhouses in Forest Park.  The Jewel Box came through the storm undamaged.

The Jewel Box was an instant success, attracting more than 400,000 visitors a year in its heyday.  The first show featured more than 3,000 chrysanthemums in a formal, Chinese-style design.  Within three months, crowds visiting the Jewel Box were so great that electric lighting was added so people could stay until 9 p.m.  More than 416,000 people visited the Jewel Box in 1939 compared to 390,000 who visited the Art Museum during the same period.

Funds remained tight and during the period of 1945-1976 only a magna-harp and chimes were added to the Jewel Box, both with private donations.  In 1970, an admission fee of 25 cents was added to help maintain the site.  Also during that decade, the Jewel Box and surrounding gardens were opened to weddings and parties for a fee.

About 1,000 people were still visiting the Jewel Box each day through the mid-1970s but that was about half of the attendance during the early 1950's.

In the early 1990's, Forest Park Forever underwrote plans to remove asbestos from pipes in the Jewel Box and to add new plant materials and recruit volunteers to keep up the rose garden.  A corporate grant paid for rehabilitating the statuary and the Vandeventer Gates on the surrounding ellipse.  The Waterlily Society improved the reflecting pools to the entrance to the Jewel Box, and the Parks Department refilled the pond on the grounds and rebuilt the Pan-Asian footbridge.

For several years, the Floral Conservancy of Forest Park has created perennial and annual beds adjacent to the Jewel Box using plants and materials donated by local growers and funds from the St. Louis Parks Department.  A fountain on the grounds of the Jewel Box also has been repaired and refurbished with water flowing from in it for the first time in 30 years.

The Jewel Box reopened in December 2002 after undergoing a major $3.5 million restoration.

Highlights:

- The Jewel Box retains its art deco look with its cantilevered glass walls which flood the interior with light.

- Outside the Jewel Box, a large reflecting pool is flanked by two smaller pools.

- Well-kept beds of flowers and other plants line the pools and the walkways to the Jewel Box.

- Inside the Jewel Box are permanent displays of perennial plants and seasonal displays of annual plants and flowers.

- Also indoors, a reflecting pool features displays that change with each season.

- The floor of the Jewel Box is a material resembling cut stone adding to the rustic feel of the conservatory.

- Hanging baskets also add to the greenery inside.

- A second story balcony offers a viewing area into the interior of the Jewel Box for an overview of the floral arrangements below.

- A bride's room is available for when the Jewel Box is used as a setting for weddings and receptions.

Municipal Opera

The St. Louis Municipal Opera, called "The Muny", is located on Theatre Drive, just north of the Jewel Box.  In front of the entrance to The Muny, patrons and visitors to the park can enjoy the serene beauty of the Pagoda which is surrounded by water.

In 1998, The Muny completed the renovation of the stage area and backstage area as part of the Capital Improvement Campaign.  Over $3 million was spent on new concession stands and doubling the number of womens bathrooms.  In 2000, nearly 12,000 seats were replaced at the outdoor amphitheatre and the parking lots were resurfaced.  A plaza was added east of the entrance.  The area surrounding the Pagoda and the entrance was landscaped with plants, antique lights, sidewalks and bridges featuring decorative columns.

From the beginning, The Muny set aside 1,456 free seats at the back of the theatre in order for the shows to be affordable to all.  During its history, The Muny has produced and presented grand operas, concerts, operettas and ballet troupes.

The tradition of The Muny continues with Broadway musicals from mid-June through mid-August in Forest Park. 

2007 Summer Schedule



OKLAHOMA!
June 18 - 24

The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
People Will Say We're In Love * Oklahoma!

Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration is so fresh and grand that you will be tempted to sing every song out loud.  This jubilant musical tells the story of a young farm girl who almost ruins her life by going to the church social with the wrong fella.  Hitch up the surrey with the fringe on top for OKLAHOMA!, the "all 'er nuthin" musical.

GREASE
June 25 - July 3

Subscription performances June 25-July 1
Two additional non-subscription performances July 2 & 3

Summer Lovin' * Greased Lightnin' * Beauty School Dropout

Our Historic Theatre

Although many stars that have appeared on stage at The Muny one essential truth has remained about the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theatre; its story is the story of St. Louis - and of St. Louisans.  It is about the countless individuals who have contributed their time, money, or talent that have made this magical place a truly unique American experience.


Between the Giant Oaks

The dream of St. Louisans for a permanent outdoor theatre in Forest Park probably dates back to the 1904 World's Fair.  The realization of that dream began in 1916 with plans for an outdoor production of AS YOU LIKE IT by Margaret Anglin's Shakespearean troupe.  And the dream became a reality in 1917 with the construction of the Municipal Theatre for six performances of AIDA, produced for the 13th Annual Convention of Advertising Clubs of the World.


1916

Park Commissioner Nelson Cunliff, Miss Anglin and Civic League President John Gundlach selected a grassy area between two large oak trees for a June 1916 series of performances of Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT.  Shrubs and small trees were cleared from the sloping hillside and a retaining wall built to level the performing area.  AS YOU LIKE IT starred Miss Anglin, Robert Mantell and Sidney Greenstreet (yes, the MALTESE FALCON Sidney Greenstreet!).  The out-of-town professionals were joined by nearly 1,000 St. Louis folk dancers and folk singers in observance of the 300th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.  Crowds averaged 8,000, reviews were good, and after an opening night rain-out, AS YOU LIKE IT moved into the history books as the first production at the site of today's Muny.

1917

It took bold and decisive civic action in April of 1917 to give St. Louis and the world the Municipal Theatre.  The Convention Board of the St. Louis Advertising Club decided to proceed with plans to host the 13th Annual Convention of Advertising Clubs of the World in June of 1917.  At a time of recession and with war raging in Europe, that itself was a risky decision.  But these promoters of St. Louis wanted to showcase our city to the 5,000 business people who would come from across the country and Europe.               (AIDA Rehearsal, right)

The convention board provided $5,000 for the project.  Mayor Kiel endorsed the plan and obtained another $5,000 in city funds and construction of the theatre began on April 16th.




The Muny was built in 49 days, minus seven days lost to rain -- from scratch.  The massive stage was constructed, an orchestra pit built to hold up to 200 musicians, all the concrete was poured and dressing rooms built behind the stage for the principal performers.  The theatre was completed on or about June 2nd.  Verdi's AIDA would be the inaugural presentation. 

The Opera Committee brought to St. Louis the opera world's finest; Manuel Salazar from the San Carlo, known as Caruso's rival; The Met's Maria Rappold; the Boston National Grand Opera's Francesca Peralta; European contralto Margaret Jarman; and the Met's Cyrene Van Gordon.  Young St. Louisan Elda Vettori would begin an illustrious grand opera career in AIDA in the Park.

Gulgenzio Guerrieri from the Metropolitan conducted.  Ernst Knoch was brought from Europe to organize a St. Louis singing chorus of 250; Madame Ester Zanini Bonfiglio, premiere danseuse of the Metropolitan came to St. Louis to rehearse 30 St. Louis dancers.

Some of the AIDA sets were shipped in from the Chicago Opera Company, and some sets were built here.  Costumes came from New York.

Sunday, June 3, 1917 - Full dress rehearsal with costumes and orchestra was held.  The Ad Convention opened at Washington University's Francis Field.

Monday, June 4, 1917 - The convention and parade, including 5,000 marchers, 40 floats and 20 bands were held downtown.

Tuesday, June 5, 1917 - 12,000 visitors and St. Louisans filled the Municipal Theatre in Forest Park for its inaugural and were thrilled by "glorious grand opera."  Rain shortened the opening night.

Wednesday - Saturday, June 6-9, 1917 - 10,000 attended on Wednesday night.  Large crowds turned out throughout the week.

Mayor Kiel's Ticket Campaign:  After the first three weeks of The Muny's inaugural season, the fledgling theatre had a short fall nearing $60,000.  It seemed that The Muny was in danger of a permanent curtain call!

Mayor Kiel called an emergency meeting.  This was the core of what would prove to be a self-appointed "Save The Muny Committee."  Headed by Mayor Kiel, a door-to-door campaign was initiated, with the Mayor himself selling blocks of tickets to local merchants.

The plight of The Muny captured the public's attention, and soon the local papers, clubs, organizations and just plain folk got behind the effort.  Before long, The Muny was on a much more substantial financial footing, and...the rest is history!

The Incorporation & First Season

In November of 1918, Mayor Henry Kiel and other prominent St. Louisans met to discuss the future of the crudely-constructed open-air theatre which had been erected for the Ad Club's presentation of AIDA.  Realizing the city's love of theatre and music, the group came to a decision that changed the cultural course of St. Louis...they decided to incorporate the endeavor and The Muny was born!

In March, plans were made to present six operas, with the season to begin on June 16, just a bit over four months away.  In April, St. Louisans voted on the repertory, and from those ballots the season was chosen.

Things began to move quickly; stars were engaged from New York, musicians were auditioned and choruses were assembled.

Ticket prices were set at 25 cents to a top price of one dollar, and 1,620 of the 9,000 seats were set aside as free, a tradition that continues to this day.

The theatre was treated to a face-lift, and on June 10, 1919, the Municipal Theatre Association gained official status with a pro forma decree of incorporation.

Six days later the curtain rose on ROBIN HOOD, with a full house and Mayor Kiel himself proudly appearing in the production as King Richard!


 

St. Louis Art Museum

The St. Louis Art Museum is one of the nation's leading comprehensive art museums, containing more than 30,000 works of art.  Areas of notable depth include Oceanic art, pre-Columbian art, ancient Chinese bronzes, and European & American art of the late 19th & 20th centuries, with particular strength in 20th century German painting.  The Museum also offers a full range of featured exhibitions, a research library, a varied schedule of special events, and community and educational programming.

Admission to the Museum and its collection is free every day.  Admission fees to featured exhibitions vary, admission to featured exhibitions is always free on Fridays.

History:  The St. Louis Art Museum was founded in 1879 and was then called the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, an independent entity within Washington University.  The Museum was originally located in downtown St. Louis but relocated to our current home in Forest Park following the 1904 World's Fair.  Designed by famed architect Cass Gilbert, the Museum's Beaux-Arts style building bears the inscription "Dedicated to Art and Free to All."  The Museum's long-standing commitment to free admission makes it possible for everyone to have the opportunity to visit our galleries as often as they like throughout the year.  Through generations of public support and private benefaction, the Museum has assembled one of the finest comprehensive art collections in the country.  With a per-capita attendance that is consistently among the highest of our nation's art museums, we are a national leader in making our collections and programs available to a broad public audience.

Highlights:


- An extensive European collection including Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, and Gauguin.

- A gallery of medieval art and artifacts.

- A collection of Renaissance masterpieces.

- Period Rooms which present "a snapshot in time" of six time periods in history with artwork, furniture and decorative pieces such as pottery and vases.





- The world's largest collection of works by Max Beckmann and George Caleb Bingham.







Education:  The St. Louis Art Museum programs a variety of learning experiences that connect works of art in our collections and exhibitions with audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and knowledge levels.  As the first national art museum to have a professionally staffed education department, which was established in 1923, the Museum has long been a leader in arts education.  The Museum offers a range of audio tours, gallery talks, lectures, performances, school programs, community outreach activities, adult classes, teacher workshops, and family programs throughout the year.  Through these programs in the Museum, in classrooms, and in community centers throughout St. Louis, we provide unique and memorable experiences that help adults, children, families, students, and teachers find meaning and inspiration in the Museum's diverse collections.

Library:  The Museum's Richardson Memorial Library, located in the South Wing, is the largest public center for the history and documentation of art in the central Midwest.  Its research collections include 71,000 volumes, 425 periodical titles, rare documents, auction catalogues since 1825, and the Museum Archives.  The library staff keeps information about local and international artists and the art marketplace.  The staff also tracks schedules for many exhibitions currently on tour throughout the country.  The library is open to the public and no appointment is necessary.

The Museum Shop, in the South Wing, and the Shop in Sculpture Hall carry a wide array of beautiful and eclectic items.  At both Shops, you'll find exhibition-related merchandise, jewelry from local, national, and international designs; posters, postcards, and prints depicting favorite works of art; an unparalleled selection of art books; and unique gifts for creative friends and family.  There is also a fun assortment of toys, games, books, and art supplies that are sure to inspire every child.

Missouri History Museum

St. Louis Science Center

The St. Louis Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium is one of the nation's leading space education facilities.  It features the unique Boeing Space Station with two fabulous levels of exhibits.  The Orthwein StarBay has several lab areas, including the SBC Learning Center, that give visitors a glimpse of what it's like to live and work on the International Space Station.  See how dwellers eat, exercise, sleep and dress in space, as well as how medical needs and the stations internal and external environments are maintained.

The StarBay's most amazing feature is the central open area dominated by the Zeiss Planetarium Model IX which projects more than 9,000 stars onto an 80-foot dome.  You can visit The Space Show in the James S. McDonnell Planetarium.  In addition to providing the clearest, most accurate night sky, the Zeiss projector can move the "stars" 10,000 years forward or backward in time, as well as show the cosmos from the perspective of the solar system's other eight planets.  Special features allow Planetarium staff to demonstrate eclipses, meteor showers and other celestial phenomena.

Exhibits on the StarBridge level focus on the work on board a space station - communication, astronomical research, tracking, power and more.  And don't miss the full size replica of the X-Prize winning spaceship, SpaceShipOne now on display in Holekamp Family SkyPort.

Space Show ~~~ Includes a 30 minute dark sky Planetarium show in the Orthwein StarBay followed by live Q & A with a member of the Planetarium staff.  In between star shows take a self-guided tour of the Boeing Space Station.  Learn about living and working in space.  Try your hand at various space missions in the SBC Learning Center and don't miss the full size replica of the X-Prize winning spaceship, SpaceShipOne, now on display in Holekamp Family SkyPort.  

All Boeing Space Station exhibit areas are closed during the dark sky Planetarium show.  Guests will be asked to gather in the Orthwein StarBay during this time.

Mission Control ~~~ Take the Controls!  The St. Louis Science Center has opened a new gallery dedicated to providing visitors with the experience of flying an airplane.  Eight flight simulators are now up and running in this free exhibit.  Sitting at a computer, guests are in the cockpit of a Cessna Skyhawk ready to depart St. Louis Downtown Airport near Parks College in Cahokia, IL.  After a brief introduction, it's full throttle for a take off and flight toward downtown where the more successful operators actually fly through the Arch!

Many visitors simply enjoy buzzing around the St. Louis skyline in this realistic simulation, while others take advantage of help and guidance from licensed pilots who volunteer their time.  The gallery first opened a few months ago and has been quite busy all summer long.  Stop by for a visit.  It's the only place you can try to fly through the Arch without getting into trouble.

Free Public Telescope Viewing ~~~Every second Friday of the month, January through October, see stars, planets, constellations and deep-sky objects on the archery range just west of the Science Center;s James S. McDonnell Planetarium.  Telescope viewing begins at dusk; special sky tonight star shows in the Planetarium's Orthwein StarBay, 7 pm.  Co-sponsored by the St. Louis Astronomical Society.  This event may be canceled in inclement weather.


Segway Tours ~~~  Sign up for new Glided Segway tours.  If you can ride a bike, you can ride a Segway.  You'll glide along the interconnecting network of Forest Park's path and bike trails on the Segway Human Transporter, totally balanced by five embedded gyroscopes.  You will take a short instructional course to receive your Segway driver's license.   

Missouri Botanical Garden

The Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the top three botanical gardens in the world, renowned for its research, education and display.  The Garden is a 79-acre urban oasis of indoor and outdoor display gardens.  Facilities include meeting rooms, classrooms, historical buildings, a restaurant and a gift shop.  In addition, the Garden's Herbarium holds well over 5 million plant specimens and its reputation draws scientists from all over the world to do research there.  The Climatron, located on the Garden grounds, is one of the first geodesic dome conservatories built in the U.S. and the first ever to be used as a greenhouse. 

The Garden is on the National List of Historic Places and in 1976 it was designated a National History Landmark by the National Park Service because it possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States.

The Garden operates the largest tropical botany research program in the world with Garden scientists permanently stationed in many tropical countries to collect and identify plants before the tropics are destroyed.

The Garden is an oasis of beautiful horticulture display, including a 14-acre Japanese strolling garden and Garden founder, Henry Shaw's original estate home. 

The Garden also operates The Shaw Nature Reserve, 2,500 acres of natural Ozark landscape and managed plant collections, 35 miles southwest of St. Louis and the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House and Education Center.  While ecological research is conducted there, the Nature Reserve also provides environmental education and enjoyment to the public through its 13 miles of hiking trails through lush landscapes.

History: The Missouri Botanical Garden was created by Henry Shaw, a native of Sheffield, England, who came to St. Louis in 1819.  Shaw was so successful as a businessman he was able to retire by the age of 40.  On a trip back to England, he was inspired by the grounds of Chatsworth, the most magnificent private residence in Europe.  When he returned to the U.S., he decided to begin his own botanical garden.

Shaw opened his garden to the public in 1859.  It grew in the European tradition of horticultural display combined with education and the search for new knowledge.  Today it is acclaimed worldwide for being on the forefront of botanic research with projects conducted around the world.  Shaw also gave St. Louis Tower Grove Park, an unusual Victorian walking park, and Shaw Nature Reserve, some 35 west of St. Louis.

The Garden opened its Ridgway Center which includes two theatres, an exhibition area, a floral hall, an education wing, a restaurant and a gift shop in 1982.  Construction of the building moved the entrance to the Garden from Tower Grove Avenue to Shaw Boulevard.  In 1990 the Garden's famous Climatron reopened after 22-month renovation.  The renovation added a new landscape of cliffs, valleys, waterfalls and winding streams as well as new vegetation.

Highlights:


- The Climatron, the first geodesic dome to be used as a conservatory.  It incorporates the principles of R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic system.  In 1976 it was named one of the 100 most significant architectural achievements in United States history.  The Climatron replicates a tropical rain forest complete with lush plantings, pools and waterfalls.





- The 14-acre Japanese Garden (called Seiwa-en), the largest traditional Japanese garden in North America.







- The Grigg Nanjing Friendship Garden, a showplace of authentic Chinese garden design.  It is the most authentic Chinese garden of its size in the U.S. Nanjing is St. Louis' Chinese Sister City.







- An English woodland garden, a shady oasis of quiet paths, wildflowers and dogwoods.









- The Blanke Boxwood Garden, an elegant, formal parterre with the :leaping Waters" fountains.





- The Lehmann and Gladney Rose Gardens, award-winning gardens.

- The Strassenfest German Garden, the Missouri Botanical Garden's most recently opened specialized garden which serves as a tribute to St. Louis' German heritage.




- The Brookings Interpretive Center, an interactive learning exhibit on the importance of plants to the earth's ecosystem.









- Shoenberg Temperate House with plants from the warm, dry regions of the world.




- The Desert House, built in 1913, which houses a representative collection of desert plants from all part of the world.



- The Linnean House, the oldest continually operating display greenhouse in the United States.  Built in 1882, it is also one of the last buildings constructed by Garden founder, Henry Shaw.  Camellias have been grown here for more than a century.






- The William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening, the largest non-profit gardening information center of its kind in the nation.




- Demonstration Vegetable Gardens where visitors can see sequential displays of the best vegetable varieties for the St. Louis region growing.

- More than a score of fountains and statues which grace the Garden and add to the serenity of the landscape.





- The elaborate mausoleum where Henry Shaw is interred.






- "Victory," a duplicate of Cosani's "Victory of Science Over Ignorance" sculpture in the Pitti Gallery in Florence.

Faust County Park

Faust County Park is home to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, St. Louis Carousel, a Historical Village, the Saint Louis Symphony Music School and Thornhill, the estate of Frederick Bates, Missouri's second governor.

History:  Thornhill was the home of Missouri's second governor, Frederick Bates.  It is the oldest standing governor's resident in Missouri.  The estate was later owned by Leicester Busch Faust, the descendant of two prominent St. Louis families, and his wife Mary Plant Faust.  The home and outbuildings were designed by Tom P. Barnett, the firm which designed many prominent structures in St. Louis including the new St. Louis Cathedral and One Portland Place.  The house is in the unusual Pueblo Revival style.  The couple donated 98 acres to the county leading to the creation of Faust Park in 1996.  Upon Mrs. Faust's death in 1996 an additional 102 acres was donated to the park.  Visitors may stroll the grounds of the estate during park hours.


Highlights:

Thornhill ~~~ Relive St. Louis County's pioneer history at the Thornhill farm of Missouri's second governor at Faust County Park.

The Thornhill farm includes the home and utility buildings of Frederick Bates, his wife Nancy and their children, and shows how this family lived on the frontier in the early 1800s.  But Frederick Bates was more than just a farmer; he played a pivotal role in bringing the Louisiana Territory under the control of the United States government.  The site includes his 1820s home, barn, reconstructed summer kitchen, ice and smoke house, orchard and herb garden, and family cemetery.  The home has been restored and partially furnished to look as it did when Governor Bates would set off on a one to two-day trek to St. Charles, Missouri, then the first capital of the state.

Gov. Frederick Bates' contributions to this growing area began when he came to St. Louis in 1807, just one year after the return of Lewis & Clark's "Tour of Discovery" opened the west.  He began as the Secretary, Recorder of Land Titles and a member of the Board of Land Commissioners in the new territory.  In these posts he helped determine whether Spanish, French or American claims and customs would predominate.  As Secretary, he served as acting Territorial Governor for much of the time.  He was also responsible for codification of territorial laws and compiled the first book published in Missouri.  On November 17, 1824, in St. Charles, Bates was sworn in as second governor of Missouri, succeeding Alexander McNair.  On August 4 the following year, however, he died of pleurisy.  He is buried in the family cemetery near his house with his wife and two of his children.


St. Louis Carousel ~~~ The St. Louis Carousel was built by the Dentzel Carousel Co. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1921.  It was originally installed at the Forest Park Highlands amusement Park in St. Louis, Missouri where it remained until the park burned in 1963.  The carousel was spared from the fire and purchased by Howard C. Ohlendorf, who donated it to St. Louis County Parks and Recreation in 1965.

The carousel's next home was at Sylvan Springs County Park (also in St. Louis), where it operated in an outdoor location during the summers from 1965 to 1979.

Recognizing that the Carousel represented an important cultural artifact as well as a source of public amusement, the St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission began to study ways to restore the Carousel and place it in a climate controlled facility to insure its preservation.  After a city-wide restoration project, the carousel was unveiled in its present building at Faust County Park in Chesterfield, Missouri on May 9, 1987.

In addition to housing the carousel, the building also provides space for special exhibitions regarding other aspects of our cultural heritage.  Current displays (as of 2005) include an antique toy collection and a carousel goat carved by the E. Joy Morris company.  The building also has a gift shop that contains many carousel related items.

The carousel receives support from the Faust Cultural Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation established to raise funds and to provide other forms of support for the carousel's continual maintenance and restoration.

This four-row carousel is populated with 46 jumping horses, 16 standing horses, two chariots and 4 deer with real antlers.  Several styles of Dentzel horses populate the platform including one pre-1900 outside row stander.  There is also a rare Muller 2nd row jumper with reverse mane and four rare Dentzel jumping deer on this carousel.

A Stinson band organ is also on display.  (Music for the carousel is provided by a sound system.)


Faust Historical Village ~~~ Faust Village continues to preserve the area's vernacular architecture and history.  These ten structures represent a variety of building and architectural styles, from log to brick.  Spanning a period from 1840 to 1888, the Village illustrates differences in lifestyle resulting from both  technological developments and special needs.  Miles A. Seed invented and produced the first "disposable" camera and became a millionaire when Eastman bought him out.  Henry Hoch used his skill as a brick maker to begin a business in partnership with his brother, and eventually opened a well-known general store.  Frank Kaatman and his father and grandfather were lifetime blacksmiths.  Dr. Frederick Bates and his wife, Lavinia, lived comfortably on his income as a physician farmer and on his inheritance from his father.  After Dr. Bates death, in 1862, his widow married Samuel Conway.  Ludwig and Salome Hiller Mertz moved from Alsace-Lorraine with two children, eventually raising six children in the cabin and engendering many descendents.

The Davis House exhibits a long and interesting history in construction and detailing.

The village provides a context in which the life styles of the settlers of St. Louis County and the skills they used to survive are illustrated.  Blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, natural dyeing, and other antique arts are all demonstrated at different times of the year.




Symphony Music School ~~~ More than 600 students ranging in age from newborn to over age 80 study at the Symphony Music School in the Faust Mansion.  The school took up residence in the renovated building in 1994 after it was formed through a unique alliance between the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and CASA.





Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House ~~~ The only permanent attraction of its kind in Midwest, is a glass conservatory where visitors can see hundreds of butterflies in free flight and watch the process of metamorphosis.  The landscaped grounds of the Butterfly House offer the opportunity to see native butterflies in a natural environment.  The center also offers classes and educational programs that increase public knowledge of the world of butterflies.

Laumeier Sculpture Park

Laumeier Sculpture Park is a 116 acre sculpture park  with an outdoor sculpture garden and a museum of art which houses contemporary sculpture,ceramics, paintings, drawings and photography related to the outdoor sculpture program.  There are also hiking trails in the park. 

There is no admission charge.




Located at 12580 Rott Road at Geyer Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63127

A Blind Maquette Program is in place at the park.  Thirteen sculptures have touchable scale models nearby with interpretive information in print and braille.


History:  Mrs. Matilda Laumeier bequeathed 72 acres of land to the St. Louis County Department of Park & Recreation in 1968 in memory of her husband, Henry H. Laumeier.  In 1976 the park was enlarged and became an outdoor museum for modern sculpture.  More land has been added over the years.  The former Laumeier residence has been remodeled into a museum, a craft gallery and gift shop as well as into administrative offices.  In its first decade, the park qualified for accreditation by the American Association of Museums.



Highlights:


- An outdoor sculpture contains a collection of more than 80 sculptures by internationally acclaimed artists.

-  A museum of art features permanent and visiting collections.

-  The park also specializes in interpretive exhibitions and education programs which it offers on a regular basis.

Jefferson Barracks Historic Park

Jefferson Barracks County Park (often called JB for short in St. Louis) is a county park perched on a scenic bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.  Its past is steeped in American military history.  Jefferson Barracks was established in 1826 as the major military installation west of the Mississippi at a time when the frontier was being settled.  Many famous American military figures, including several presidents, served at the Barracks.  The country's first "Infantry School of Practice" was established at Jefferson Barracks.  Later, the Barracks was a major medical facility for the Union Army and a primary ordnance depot for Federal troops during the Civil War.  During World Wars I and II, Jefferson Barracks was a major induction center for new Army recruits.  It served as a major military installation until 1946.  Near the county park, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, established in 1866 and once a part of the military installation, is the resting place for thousands of American veterans.

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery

Located at 2900 Sheridan Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63125

Visitation Hours:  The National Cemetery is open to visitors every day of the year from
                            dawn to dusk.

Acreage:  331 acres

Number of Interments through Fiscal Year 2005: 158,762

The United States flag is flown over national cemeteries every day.  The flag is flown at half staff on the morning of Memorial Day and during interment services.  Graves are decorated with small United States flags the day before Memorial Day and are removed immediately after the holiday.  Flags are not permitted on graves at any other time.

There are 3,255 Unknowns interred in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.  Recently identified Unknown Soldier is now buried there also.

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

History of Taps:  Of all the military bugle calls, none is so easily recognized or more apt to render emotion than Taps.  Up to the Civil War, the traditional call at day's end was a tune, borrowed from the French, called Lights Out.  In July of 1862, in the aftermath of the bloody Seven Days battles, hard on the loss of 600 men and wounded himself, Union General Daniel Adams Butterfield called the brigade bugler to his tent.  He thought "Light Out" was too formal and he wished to honor his men.  Oliver Wilcox Norton, the bugler, tells the story, "...showing me some notes on a staff written in pencil on the back of an envelope, (he) asked me to sound them on my bugle.  I did this several times, playing the music as written.  He changed it somewhat, lengthening some notes and shortening others, but retaining the melody as he first gave it to me.  After getting it to his satisfaction, he directed me to sound that call for Taps thereafter in place of the regulation call.  The music was beautiful on that still summer night and was heard far beyond the limits of our Brigade.  The next day I was visited by several buglers from neighboring Brigades, asking for copies of the music which I gladly furnished.  The call was gradually taken up through the Army of the Potomac."

This more emotive and powerful Taps was soon adopted throughout the military.  In 1874, it was officially recognized by the U.S. Army.  It became standard at military funeral ceremonies in 1891.  There is something singularly beautiful and appropriate in the music of this wonderful call.  Its strains are melancholy, yet full of rest and peace.  Its echoes linger in the heart long after its tones have ceased to vibrate in the air.

What is Military Funeral Honors?
Military Funeral Honors have always been provided whenever possible.  However, the law now mandates the rendering of Military Funeral Honors for an eligible veteran if requested by the family.  As provided by law, an honor guard detail for the burial of an eligible veteran shall consist of not less than two members of the Armed Forces.  One member of the detail shall be a representative of the parent Service of the deceased veteran.  The honor detail will, at a minimum, perform a ceremony that includes the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps.  Taps will be played by a bugler, if available, or by electronic recording.  Today, there are so few buglers available that the Military Services often cannot provide one.

Who is eligible for Military Funeral Honors?
-Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
-Former military members who served on active duty and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
-Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
- Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

What can the family of an eligible veteran expect?
The core element of the funeral honors ceremony, which will be conducted are:
-flag folding
-flag presentation
-playing of taps
The veteran's parent Service representative will present the flag.

Grant's Farm

Grant's Farm, the former homestead of President Ulysses S. Grant, is the only house still standing that was hand-built and occupied by a U.S. president.  It is also the ancestral home of the Busch family of the Anheuser-Busch brewery and one of the Budweiser Clydesdale breeding and training facilities.  More than 1,000 animals from six continents live in the 281-acre wildlife preserve on the property.  Visitors can travel by tram through the wildlife preserve and then visit the Tier Garten area which has a petting zoo, animal exhibits and shows and the Bauernhof courtyard complex, a 19th century farmstead with stables and a carriage house.

Grant's Farm has been a St. Louis tradition for over five decades. More than 22 million guests have visited this popular family attraction during its history.

History:  Ulysses S. Grant was given 80 acres of land as a wedding gift when he married Julia Dent in 1848.  In 1855, Grant started sawing and notching the logs that would be used to build a four-room, two-story cabin on the property.  The cabin was completed in just three days with the help of friends.  Grant established his farm and named it "Hardscrabble."

Grant did most of the work on the cabin himself.  He layed the floors, built the staircase and shingled the roof.  The Grant family lived in Hardscrabble for only a short period of time from September to the following January when Ulysses and Julie moved back to the Dent family home following the death of Julia's mother.  Grant ran both his and his father-in-law's farm.  He grew potatoes, wheat and other vegetables, gathered fruit from the orchards and corded wood.

In 1885, the home passed out of the Grant family and was owned by various people.  August A. Busch Sr. purchased 216 acres of the farmstead in 1903.  Four years later, he purchased Grant's Cabin and moved it from Old Orchard, MO where it had been since being displayed at the 1904 World's Fair, to Grant's Farm about a mile south of its original location.  In 1913, Busch began developing the property into a country estate in the grand European style.  The first animals brought onto the estate were deer, horses, and cattle.  August A. Busch, Jr. inherited his father's love of animals and greatly expanded the variety of species to include African elephants, gibbons and parrots.  He opened Grant's Farm to the public in 1954, and it continues to be operated by Anheuser-Busch.


Deer Park ~~

Deer Park is home to a variety of exotic animal species from around the world, including Bison from North America, Black Buck Antelope from Europe, Red Deer from Asia and Europe, Zebra from Africa and more!

The wildlife, including animals from the six of the seven continents around the world, are free to roam throughout this natural setting. 

Throughout the tour of Deer Park, guests will find several beautiful lakes such as Mirror Lake.  Fan-tailed goldfish and brilliant orange and white Japanese Koi are found in these lakes.  Koi have been known to grow up to five feet in length and live to be 150 years old.


Tier Garten ~~

Major highlights of any visit to Grant's Farm are the educational and entertaining animal shows in the Tier Garten amphitheater.  In the Tier Garten guests will get an up close look at an amazing variety of animals, including kangaroos, tortoises, pot-bellied pigs, colorful birds and various other animals.  Visitors can enjoy petting and hand-feeding some of the animals, including pygmy goats.

Also featured in the Tier Garten are educational and entertaining shows.  The Elephant Education show and Animal Encounters show highlight the talents of elephants, parrots, mammals, and reptiles.


Grant's Farm is proud to provide "edutainment," education through entertainment.

During the Elephant Education show, guests will be introduced to Bud and Mickey, two African elephants.  Both were born in 1984.  Bud weighs 11,000 pounds and Mickey weighs 8,5000 pounds.


The Bauernhof ~~

Built in 1913, the Bauernhof was the first building constructed on the Busch family estate.  Bauernhof is German for "farmstead."

The Bauernhof surrounds a beautiful courtyard and is typical of a 19th century Bavarian farm complete with stables, a carriage house, and offices and quarters for those who lived and worked there.

Today, the Busch family's world-renowned carriage collection and stables are housed here.

Anheuser Busch Hospitality -- Guests, who are 21 years of age or older, are invited to enjoy complimentary tastings of Anheuser-Busch products in the hospitality room.  Visitors can relax in the old-world surroundings of the courtyard and enjoy a lunch of Bavarian specialties from the Brat Haus including:  bratwurst, pretzels, and pizza.


Clydesdale Stables ~~

The Budweiser Clydesdale Stables are home to approximately 35 Clydesdale mares, stallions and foals.  Anheuser-Busch has one of the world's largest herds of Clydesdale horses and owns approximately 250 nationwide.  Grant's Farm, where up to 15 foals are born each year, is proud to be one of the breeding operations for the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales.

Only the finest Clydesdales become part of the Budweiser teams.  The physical requirements are strict.  The ideal Budweiser Clydesdale should possess the following characteristics:

-- The full-grown Clydesdale should stand 18 hands (about 6 feet) at the shoulder and
    weigh between 2,000 and 2,300 pounds.
-- The ideal horse is bay in color, has a blaze of white on its face, a black mane and
    black tail.
-- Most important, the Clydesdale will have white feathering on all four legs and feet.
-- All hitch horses are geldings, characterized by their even temperament and stronger,
    more natural draft horse appearance.

Before leaving the stables, guests are invited to visit the Label Stable Gift Shop.  Browse through a wide variety of Budweiser Clydesdale gear.  Hats, shirts, key chains, coasters, steins and plush animal Clydesdales are some of the many items available.


Annual Special Events ~~

-- Clydesdale Hitch Visit in May where the full team is harnessed in front of the farm.
-- Critter Camp where children between the ages of 5 and 10 years experience getting
   closer to the wonderful wildlife at Grant's Farm.
-- A Fire Engine Muster in September with a display of antique fire engines and water
   shoots across Mirror Lake.
-- Pets as Partners Day and Animal Action Days are also held in September to 
   celebrate domestic and service animals.
-- Civil War Weekend with Civil War re-enactors and Pumpkinalooza with a pumpkin
   decorating contest are held in October.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery

Busch Stadium III

Tenant:  St. Louis Cardinals
Construction began:  January 17, 2004
First game:  April 4, 2006 (AAA Memphis Redbirds vs AA Springfield Cardinals
First Cardinals game:  April 10, 2006 (against the Milwaukee Brewers)
Capacity:  43,975
Surface:  Grass

Architect:  HOK Sport
Construction:  Hunt Construction Group
Owner:  St. Louis Cardinals
Cost:  $344.8 million
Public financing:  $45 million long-term loan from St. Louis County
Private financing:  $90.1 million from the Cardinals, $9.2 million in interest earned on the construction fund, and $200.5 million in bonds to be paid over a 22-year period ($15.9 million per year) by the team.  Anheuser-Busch agreed to a 20 year naming right deal (through the 2025 season) which will help offset construction costs.

Location:  Just south of the current Busch Stadium on the existing south parking lot.  Left field (N), Clark Street; third base (W), Seventh Street; first base (S), Poplar Street; right field (E), Broadway.

Dimensions:  Left field: 336 feet; left-center: 385 feet; center field: 400 feet; right-center: 385 feet; right field: 335 feet.


The St. Louis Cardinals became the first MLB team to finance their own ballpark since the Giants began construction on SBC Park in 1997.  Construction began in January 2004 and the ballpark is expected to be ready for Opening Day 2006.  The new Busch Stadium will share some of the sire of the stadium it is replacing.  Similar how Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati was built, part of the Cardinals' current ballpark will be torn down, as needed, to make room for their new ballpark.


The project site, from the northern edge of current Busch Stadium (Walnut Street) to the base of the elevated Interstate 40/64 highway (Poplar Street), gradually slopes down about 40 feet.  This seemingly ordinary topographical fact creates a fantastic site condition for the New Ballpark that the architects have exploited in two ways.

First, by placing home plate in the southwest corner of the site and lowering seating and scoreboard heights in center field, the majority of spectators will have dramatic views of the Gateway Arch and the downtown skyline.

Second, when Clark Street is "rebuilt" through the site after Busch Stadium comes down, fans and motorists traveling along Clark Street will be able to enjoy unobstructed views into the ballpark, including the playing field itself!  These views will strengthen and extend the connection between the New Ballpark and the emerging urban neighborhood on the north side of Clark Street called Ballpark Village.  Perhaps the best outfield views of all will be from the balconies and rooftops of the new buildings in the Ballpark Village.

The Cardinals intend to partner with developers to create a mix of uses in the Ballpark Village, including retail, entertainment, office, and residential facilities.  A public plaza will provide a perfect gathering spot for fans before and after games.  In addition, the Cardinals will locate their team museum -- one of the best in all of baseball - - in the Ballpark Village.

The design of the New Ballpark takes into account the context of downtown St. Louis, the colorful history of the Cardinals, and the best attributes of the most successful ballparks built around baseball in the last decade.  With classic arched openings recalling the nearby Cupples Station warehouses to the rich warm colors of the Wainright building, this Ballpark is inspired by the classics.  However, its creative use of old and new materials, from brick and concrete to exposed steel and glass, creates an architectural statement that stands on its own, with a modern sensibility appropriate for the 21st century.

Of course, the premium spaces of the New Ballpark will bring the comforts of conditioned space and gourmet food offerings to many of our fans.  But all fans will be able to experience service upgrades in several key areas.  Wider concourses all around, elevators and escalators between levels, and perfect baseball sight lines for all seats in the Ballpark will be obvious improvements over Busch Stadium.

Every fan who comes to the Ballpark will also enjoy improved concessions, family entertainment options, and restroom conveniences that were impossible to provide in Busch Stadium due to its age and restricted configuration.  There are also a number of unique standing room and group gathering areas that will give fans limitless opportunities to roam the Ballpark and take in spectacular views of the action on the field.


Busch Stadium III Clubhouse ~~

You have seen the outside, and you have seen the inside.  But few have seen the Cardinals' new clubhouse, the place where the players will live for the next several months.



The carpets are custom, and so to are the lockers.  Of course, there is a plasma flat screen, and six other televisions in the clubhouse.

The dugouts are much bigger with their own set of light and heaters underneath the benches.  The batting cages are right behind the dugout, and twice the size of last year's batting cages.



Then there is the training room equipped with a ferno hydrotherapy pool.  It is a gigantic whirlpool with a treadmill, where you get water resistance while you run.

The new Busch Stadium.  Heaven for the fans, and the players also.


Busch Memorial Stadium Trivia ~~

-- Site of the 1966 All-Star game.
-- From 1970 to 1976 the entire field was artificial turf, except for the part of the infield
   that is normally dirt on a grass field.  In 1977 this was carpeted except for the sliding
   pits.  This is one of only two instances where there was a full dirt infield with an other-
   wise fully artificial field, the other being Candlestick Park in 1971.
-- Ninety-six open arches surrounded the field just below the roof.
-- From 1966 to 1982, right field scoreboard lights showed a cardinal in flight whenever
   a Cardinal hit a home run; the same show was put on every time Lou Brock set a new
   basestealing record.
-- Home plate transplanted from old Busch Stadium at opener on May 12, 1966.
-- Was next to the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River; fans could see the Arch 
   from the top deck in right field.




-- Statue of "Stan the Man" Musial outside the stadium was unveiled in 1968.






-- In 1987 every seat was replaced, and all of them were painted red.
-- At league direction, the site designated for any Chicago Cubs playoff or World 
   Series home games from 1986 until 1988, when Wrigley Field finally installed lights.
-- "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was played on the organ during the seventh-inning
   stretch and the Anheuser-Busch "King of Beers" theme song was played at the end
   of the seventh inning.
-- Small sections of bleachers were in the outfield.  Part of the left field bleachers 
   were taken out in 1996 to accommodate a new bullpen for the Cardinals as well as a 
   family pavilion and picnic area.  The visitor's bullpen was hidden behind the left field
   wall.
-- In 1997, a 17' high x 270' wide manually operated scoreboard was built in center
   field and the visitors bullpen was moved to right field.

Savvis Center

The St. Louis Savvis Center, a contemporary building of glass and steel in the downtown area, is home to the St. Louis Blues NHL hockey team, the St. Louis Ambush indoor soccer club, the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team and other college and professional sports events.  The arena hosts over 200 entertainment and professional sports events every year bringing nearly 2 million guests to downtown St. Louis and ranking it as one of the top arenas in the country.

The 665,000 square foot Savvis Center features five levels equivalent to 12 stories tall, and seats over 21,000 for hockey and over 22,000 for basketball.  High-tech systems and well-designed "back-of-the-house" areas allow a wide variety of seating configurations and offer the ability to play host to multiple events in the same day.

An eight-sided center-hung scoreboard with four video screens and four matrix boards, unobstructed sightlines from every seat, premium seating including 91 suites, 1,700 club seats and seven party rooms, a wide variety of concession stands and food courts, spacious concourses, plentiful restrooms, a flagship retail store, televisions throughout the building to keep up with game action while you are away from your seat, abundant parking in the surrounding area and immediate access to the adjacent MetroLink station across the street are just some of the things that add to the experience of attending events at Savvis Center.

Directions:  Savvis Center, located at 1402 Clark Avenue, is north of I-64 and just four blocks east of Union Station.  The sports and entertainment facility is within walking distance of Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch.

Ride the MetroLink FREE between Savvis Center, Busch Stadium and Laclede's Landing from 11 am to 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

History:  The ultra-modern Savvis Center rests on the former site of Kiel Auditorium, built in 1932 as a municipal auditorium for the citizens of St. Louis.  Designed by St. Louis architects Louis LaBeaume and Eugene S. Klein, Kiel Auditorium served St. Louis for six decades as a center for conventions, public meetings, expositions, sports events and musical performances.

According to a 1934 mayoral proclamation, Kiel Auditorium was "designed to enrich the peoples' lives and increase the enjoyment and ...add to the attractiveness and popularity of our City as it will bring us great conventions and cultural activities."  Originally known as the Municipal Auditorium, Kiel Auditorium was officially named in honor of former St. Louis mayor Henry W. Kiel on March 26, 1943.  Kiel, a strong supporter of the arts, had encouraged the idea of a municipal auditorium and helped that concept become a reality.

During its early years, Kiel Auditorium hosted such varied events as the Grand Opera presentation of "La Boheme," starring the famous soprano Lucrezia Bori, the first National Folk Festival, and a two-week-long exposition of St. Louis business and products called "St. Louis on Parade."  Later, the facility continued its tradition of diversity by hosting events ranging from the Ziegfield Follies, the Grand Ole Opry and the Metropolitan Opera to roller derby competitions, wrestling, and Broadway productions of "Annie," "A Chorus Line," "Evita" and "My Fair Lady."

In addition to serving as the primary venue for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, Dance St. Louis and St. Louis' annual Veiled Prophet Ball, Kiel Auditorium served as the home court of the St. Louis Hawks professional basketball team and the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team.

Among the many stars who performed at Kiel Auditorium were Jack Benny, Neil Diamond, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope, the Jackson Five, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, the Supremes, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder.

In 1992, however, St. Louis city officials recognized the size inadequacy of the 9,000-seat Auditorium as well as the need for a new, state-of-the-art arena.  Kiel Auditorium was torn down in December 1992 to make way for the multipurpose Kiel Center, which was opened in 1994.  In August 2000, naming rights for the building were sold to Savvis Communications Corporation, a premier global IP network service provider with dual headquarters in St. Louis and Herndon, Virginia.  The building is now known as Savvis Center.

Bill and Nancy Laurie, the owners of the St. Louis Blues and Savvis Center since September 1999, have announced they have agreed to sell the hockey club and arena operating lease to Dave Checketts, Sports Capital Partners (SCP) and TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P.   Terms will not be disclosed.

The sale announcement was made jointly by Bill Laurie, Checketts, and Mark Sauer, the president and CEO of the Blues and Savvis Center, during a news conference at Savvis Center, Friday, March 24, 2006. 

Checketts, who is also the chairman of Real Salt Lake (Utah) of Major League Soccer, will be the Blues' seventh owner in team history.  Checketts comes to St. Louis after a highly successful 10-year career at Madison Square Garden where as president and CEO he oversaw all operations of one of the most powerful sports and entertainment companies globally, including the "World's Most Famous Arena" and its three sports franchises, the New York Knickerbockers of the National Basketball Association, the New York Rangers of the NHL, and the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association - along with the award-winning MSG Network and FOX Sports Network.

In 1997, while at his post, Checketts also took on the ambitious acquisition and comprehensive restoration of the New York's historic Radio City Music Hall.

Checketts is joined in his St. Louis venture by Munoz and McCarthy, the two principals who helped found Sports Capital Partners in 2005.


 

Union Station

Historic St. Louis Union Station is a massive, Romanesque-style building, designed by architect Theodore Link in 1894.  Union Station was once the largest and busiest railroad terminal in the world.  In 1976, the St. Louis Union Station was designated a National Historic Landmark.  After an extensive $150 million restoration, the facility, including an expansive 11.5 acre trainshed reopened in 1985 with a hotel, unique marketplace of shops, assortment of fine restaurants and cafes, live entertainment and a lake with boats...all under one roof. 

Across from Union Station is Aloe Plaza and the magnificent Carl Milles' Fountain with elaborate bronze sculptural pieces representing the meeting of the rivers.


Directions:  Union Station is located at 1820 Market Street, between 18th & 20th Streets.  The historic building is north of I-64 and just four blocks west of Savvis Center.  The landmark is within walking distance of Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch.

Ride the MetroLink FREE between Union Station, Savvis Center, Busch Stadium and Laclede's Landing from 11 am to 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday.


Today, the Grand Hall features a barrel-vaulted ceiling of unsurpassed gilt work, stained glass over the entrance, scale models of trains and statues.  Visitors can discover the Station's past and present with a self-guided tour through one of the nation's most significant rail stations and restoration projects.  Additional activities are featured throughout the year including historic and refurbished train displays, children's entertainment, sports events and exhibits.

Whether you are prepared to do some first class entertaining or you are planning a family outing on a budget, you will feel equally comfortable spending time at Union Station.  The Midway and Train Shed concourse shops include some well known names such as the Discovery Channel Company, the Disney Store, St. Louis Dry Goods, and the Cardinals Clubhouse.  There are numerous fast food eateries where you can grab a quick hot dog, slice of pizza, or your favorite Chinese food.  You could spend hours walking through Union Station and spend very little money.

Union Station Directory

On the other hand if you are in the mood for elegant dining and entertainment, Union Station certainly has a diverse mix of full service dining rooms and entertainment facilities.  The Have a Nice Day Cafe features "Disco DJ's" and the Hard Rock Cafe and the City Improv feature live entertainment every night of the week.  There are a total of 12 full service restaurants that offer a variety of cuisine and settings.

Union Station Dining & Entertainment

St. Louis Gateway Arch celebrated its' 40th Anniversary in 2005! The St. Louis' signature attraction opened in 1965 to honor President Thomas Jefferson and his vision of a continental United States.
 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse.  During a nation-wide competition in 1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers.  Construction of the Arch began on February 12, 1963, and was finished on October 28, 1965.  It was opened to the public on July 24, 1967. (after one of the trams was completed)  It cost about 13 million dollars to build.  The two bases are equilateral triangles (triangles with three 54 foot-long sides).  At the top of the arch, the triangle is only 17 feet long on each side.  Visitors enter the Arch from an underground visitors center and can travel to the observation deck at the top in a 40-passenger tram that runs inside the Arch. 

The Arch foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds; it sways up to 1 inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches in 150 mile per hour winds.  A grand Staircase leads from the St. Louis levee up to the base of the Gateway Arch.

The St. Louis Gateway Arch is in the form of an inverted catenary, which is a very stable structure that is often used in bridges, domes, and arches.

A catenary is the shape that a chain or necklace forms when held by the two ends.  The Dutch mathematician Christian Huygens named this curve from the Latin word catenarius, which means "related to a chain."

The Gateway Arch, one of the newest monuments in the National Park system -- and its tallest.  The Arch is 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument and more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. 

Fees are charged to ride the unique tram system to the top.  The Museum of Westward Expansion, located below the Arch, is as large as a football field and contains an extensive collection of artifacts, mounted animal specimens, an authentic American Indian tipi, and an overview of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  Located just two blocks west of the Arch, the Old Courthouse is one of the oldest standing buildings in St. Louis, begun in 1839.  It was here that the first two trials of the Dred Scott case were held in 1847 and 1850.  Today, the building houses a museum charting the history of the city of St. Louis and restored courtrooms.  These buildings, along with the accompanying grounds, make the total acreage for this park 90.96 acres.


History:  in 1935 the St. Louis Riverfront was selected as the site for construction of a monument to commemorate the westward expansion of the United States in the 19th century.  An area of 40 city blocks was purchased and all buildings were cleared, but because of World War II, progress on the Memorial was halted.

In 1947 the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association, a group of public-spirited citizens, held a nationwide competition to obtain an appropriate design for the Memorial.  The winner in the competition was architect Eero Saarinen whose idea of a giant stainless steel arch in the shape of an inverted catenary curve is a complex engineering feat.  In 1963, construction began on the Arch and was completed in 1965.