#244: Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

St. Louis is one of many cities to have a Shakespeare Festival. The name kind of threw me off, because it is not an actual typical festival. Instead, it is actually a non-profit theater company which, yes, specializes in the plays of William Shakespeare.

• Since its founding in 2001, the organization has put out a Shakespeare production every year in the summer. In 2014, the group performed Henry IV.
• The productions are usually done only in the summer. The group also puts out 'Shakespeare in the Streets' in the Fall, as well as Shake 38 in the Spring.
• The festival is located in Forest Park, near the 'art hill' where there's a place called Shakespeare Glen.
• The headquarters is housed near 'The Hill', not too far from Hampton Rd.
• While making its money from donations, the Shakespeare Festival is considered to be the only free professional theater in the St. Louis area.

The headquarters on Elizabeth Ave.

The cake, with of course, a Shakespearean theme:

Top of the cake, which features Shakespeare in many colors

Right side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

5715 Elizabeth Avenue, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63110
Cake artist: Andy Cross

#192: Gateway Arch

 *PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

When people generally think of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch usually comes to mind. It is without question that is the reason St. Louis continues to live up to its nickname, 'Gateway to the West'!

And now, a little history about St. Louis' most known treasure. It was first conceived in the late 40s by architect Euro Saarinen, who won a contest about designing a monument to commemorate Western pioneers. Even though Saarinen passed away in 1961, his arch idea and layout was still considered to be erected on St. Louis' Jefferson Expansion Memorial Park. Ground broke in February 1963, and on October 28, 1965, it was completed. The project cost $15 million.

The Gateway Arch stands 630 feet high. It also has foundations that are sunk 60 feet into the ground! It is said that the Arch can withstand high winds and earthquakes, should they ever happen.
More facts:

• The tallest arch in the world.
• The tallest man-made monument in the United States
• Missouri's tallest accessible building
• The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has ruled that any aviator flying through the Arch would be fined and have their licenses taken away. At least ten have disobeyed the order. 

Several million (usually an average 4 mil) visitors from around the world visit the Gateway Arch per year. The entrances (both north and south) stoop down underground. There, visitors can tour the Jefferson Memorial Expansion museum, and get their tickets to the top of the Arch. Photo ops are also available. An internal tram system transports the people to the top, usually at 5 minutes.

Entrance to the tram from the bottom. Make sure you're not claustrophobic

And here's the sign once you get to the top!

Just people enjoying and looking at the views from the top

The amazing views from the top. You know I can't leave these out!:

It's very hard to believe that next year (2015) will be the 50th anniversary of the Arch's dedication. Though it seems a lot longer, it has only been half-a-century this landmark has existed. Just about everyone has seen the Arch in TV shows and movies. Next year, the city will be celebrating in style as the arch grounds are currently being renovated to make the attraction more tourist-friendly. Visit cityarchriver.com for more details. 

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Wikipedia link
Official website

100 Washington Ave., ST. LOUIS, MO, 63102
Cake artist: Andy Cross

#150: Jewel Box

• Also known as The St. Louis Floral Conservatory and The City of St. Louis Floral Display House 
• The idea for such thing was originally conceived in 1913 as an experiment for plants, as a survival of the fittest!
• Designed by architect William C.E. Becker
• Built by the city of St. Louis in 1936
• Special floral shows are hosted there usually during the holidays, as well as Mother's Day, Easter, spring, summer and fall. 
• The Jewel Box has been a location for many weddings.
• Renovated in 2002.

The reflecting pool at the entrance

A frontal view of the entrance

Jewel Box on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website from St. Louis site

5600 Clayton Ave., ST. LOUIS, MO, 63110
Cake artist: Andy Cross

The cake was sold on 1/1/2015 for $655 in the biddingforgood auction.

#77: Edward Jones South Campus

The southern branch of Edward Jones Investments company is headquartered in Des Peres. It is one of the biggest corporations held in the St. Louis area. Its northern branch is located at the corner of Dorsett Road and I-270 in North County.

• Company was founded in St. Louis by Edward D. Jones (1893-1982) in 1922. While born in St. Louis, he originally grew up in Bellefontaine, Ohio.
• Jones' son, Edward (or 'Ted'), took over the company in 1968, where he helped expand it.
• Has branched into 11,000 locations all over the United States and Canada, with over 7 million clients.
• Mostly focuses on individual investments, retirement, IRAs and small businesses.
• Company has received numerous accolades over the years, including Fortune's Best Places to Work

Edward Jones south campus (notice the cool looking architecture building on the left?)

The cake sides:

Right side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Top of the cake

Edward Jones Investments Wikipedia link
Official website

12555 Manchester Road, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63131
Cake artist: Andy Cross

#53: St. Louis College of Pharmacy

 *PUBLIC VOTE WINNER*

One of three cakes all located very close to each other, and all of them medical-related places just off of Grand, lies the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. STLCOP just happens to be 3/5s as old as St. Louis; in other words, celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2014 (as referenced on the cake). That makes it the oldest pharmacy school west of the Mississippi River.

• Campus size is 8 acres.
• Enrollment is from 700-800 a year (723 enrolled for the 2014-15 year).
• The campus is currently undergoing renovation, with a future six-story, 213,000 square foot building, which will be used for academics and research. It will include large and small classrooms, a welcome center and a library that will triple the size of the current one.
• US News and World Report ranks the college among the top four pharmacy schools in the country.
• First graduating class was in 1868.
• It moved to its current location in 1884.
• The 'Eutectic' is the mascot, and at one time was known as the 'Most Esoteric Mascot' by ESPN.
• It is generally a 6-year program, but will expand to 7.

St. Louis College of Pharmacy on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

4588 Parkview Pl., ST. LOUIS, MO, 63110
Cake artist: Andy Cross

#25: St. Louis Public Library

• The cake is located at its homebase, or the Central Library, on Olive St. near downtown.
• Library was founded in 1865 as a private/members only library.
• There are 17 St. Louis County Library branches (including this one).
• As of 2014, there are more than 4 million items in their possession.
• The current building, built in 1912, was designed by architect Cass Gilbert. Cass Avenue in St. Louis is named after him.
• Despite name similarities, it is not affiliated with the Saint Louis County Library system.

The cake, which uniquely focused on what can be found at the library: What do you want to learn today?

Low right side of the cake

Low back side of the cake

Left side of the cake

St. Louis Public Library on FB
St. Louis Public Library Wikipedia link
Official website

1301 Olive Street, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63103
Cake artist: Andy Cross

#4: Historic Hanley House

• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Built by Martin Franklin Hanley in 1855
• The oldest building in Clayton.
• Presently surrounded by modern homes.

Website

7600 Westmoreland Avenue, Clayton, MO, 63105
Cake artist: Andy Cross

UPDATE (9/4/2016): The cake was sold at an auction from the Clayton Century Foundation, where the proceeds went to enhancing the city of Clayton. The auction ran throughout the month of February 2015, in which both the Shaw Park and Hanley House cakes were being bid on. It ended on February 27, and now both cakes are on private property.