St. Louis: 250 Years, 250+ Cakes. Here we go....: #199: City Museum

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

#199: City Museum

The museum call itself an 'eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel'. Most people who have been here say this museum is anything but. Having been here myself a few times: Yes, you can learn some things! Example: be kind to your knees and wear kneepads when crawling.

1997 was the year this building gave St. Louis something very innovative. Housed in a former International Shoe building, this was meant to be a place where parents, grownups (or whatever you feel like calling them) and kids can both enjoy themselves. Think about an indoor and outdoor playground. Crawling, climbing, sliding, jumping. Yea, it's kind of like that! In season, you can also go up on the roof where there is a giant ferris wheel and the famous 'hanging school bus'.

The museum is also known for its exhibits, which cost extra. The aquarium is famous as well. Many corporate parties have been held here. Concerts too. Ska band Fishbone has performed here. The first three floors, which are generally open to the public, each have a theme (ex: circus partly on 3rd floor). The other top floors are not open, as some of them have been used for housing.

The City Museum was the brainchild of the late Bob Cassilly and his then-wife, Gail. They actually bought the 10-story building in 1983, but it wasn't until several years later they wanted it to be part of reviving downtown St. Louis, especially on the outskirts. Cassilly was mostly known for his sculptures, that were mostly animals. His work can be seen not only at the museum, but in other places as well (see Turtle Park). In 2000, Bob founded Cementland, which focused on repurposing at an old cement factory. In a sad irony, Cassilly was killed in a bulldozer accident in 2011 at Cementland.