St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
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Saint Louis Art Museum Donates $10 Million to 'Heart of the Park' Improvements
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay introduces Sam Fox, past president of the Saint Louis Art Museum board of commissioners. (Seated L. to R.) Annabeth Weil, manager of Forest Park, Jerry Sincoff, president of the Saint Louis Art Museum board of commissioners, Forest Park Forever President Lee Lieberman and Saint Louis Art Museum Director Brent Benjamin.
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Text and photos by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
© 2001 St. Louis Front Page
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), Dec 11, 2001 - In a long anticipated move, the Saint Louis Art Museum has announced that it will accelerate its contribution of $10 million for improvements to Art Hill and nearby areas. The donation from the Museum's capital improvement account, one of the largest ever made to Forest Park, will be used to help accomplish the beautification by 2004, the centennial of the St. Louis World's Fair.
Sam Fox, past president of the Saint Louis Art Museum board of commissioners, outlined the 'Heart of the Park' improvement. Behind Fox is St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay (left) and Museum Director Brent Benjamin.
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"This is a great day for the St. Louis region," said Mayor Francis Slay at a news conference in the Sculpture Hall at the Museum. "The acceleration of these payments is a model for how public/private partnerships can work to revitalize the city," Slay added.
"The improvement we are going to make here are going to be truly dramatic," said Sam Fox, past president of the Saint Louis Art Museum board of commissioners. Fox noted that world-renowned landscape architect Dan Kiley, who worked on the original design and concept of Art Hill, has agreed to continue with the project as a consultant to its conclusion.
"When it's done, it's going to be one of the most beautifully landscaped areas in the nation," continued Fox enthusiastically. "This project isn't about the Museum. It's about Forest Park. The $10 million will be spent in the Park in very large, extensive areas."
"The Heart of the Park" also includes the Boathouse, Post-Dispatch Lake and the Grand Basin. The budget for all the "Heart of the Park" improvements, including those to be funded by the Art Museum, is $22 million. It represents the largest single portion of the $100 million that is being raised by the city and Forest Park Forever to execute the Forest Park Master Plan.
Fox explained that it has been the dream of the Museum members for many years to eliminate traffic through Kennedy Forest. "The net gain of green space in the Park through our project will be approximately 40,000 sq. ft. Also, as a result of the landscape, there will be a net gain of between 200 and 250 trees in the Park."
Illustration showing "The Heart of the Park" improvements to the Grand Basin. The plan includes the Post-Dispatch Lake and Boathouse.
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The contribution will pay for the following key improvements, all of them outside the property the Art Museum leases from the city:
- Reconstruction of Fine Arts Drive in the front of the Museum between the front stairway and the statue of St. Louis, in a manner that physically and aesthetically connects the Museum with Art Hill and the Grand Basin at its foot. The street and the area around the landmark statue will be paved with granite. The street will remain passable to slow traffic, but there also will be space for people to gather and enjoy the vista.
- Construction of two curved, tree-lined walkways, or promenades, extending about 250 yards in each direction from the statue of St. Louis to the existing circular parking areas.
- Construction of scenic overlooks near the existing circular parking areas.
- Landscaping of the two promenades and of the entire area with ornamental trees and decorative lighting. Dan Kiley, who is world-renowned for work that includes the grounds of the Gateway Arch, already has been hired as a consultant on the landscaping.
- Removal of the on-street and angled parking directly in front of the Museum, with new parking adjacent to the scenic overlooks and no net change in the number of parking spaces.
- Construction of a road behind the Museum to provide perpendicular parking and retain access to the service area and administrative offices in the rear of the building - access now provided by Valley Drive.
- Additional improvements, such as landscaping, to the Grand Basin at the foot of Art Hill, as funds permit.
The Art Museum's board of commissioners has contracted with SWT Associates as Project Architects. SWT will lead the design team for the project. Dan Kiley will provide consulting services to the team. Other members of the design team will include Powers Bowersox Associates, McClure Engineering, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, and Volz Engineering, all from the St. Louis area. Construction management services will be provided by McCarthy, also of St. Louis. Completion of the project is scheduled for the late 2003.
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