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Saint Louis News - "All the news that is Saint Louis"
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  Missouri Steps Up to the Plate for New Cardinal Stadium'Rib America' Festival at Soldier's MemorialTourism Season Has Dramatic
Impact on St. Louis Area EconomyReuters to Provide SAVVIS With
Up To $45 Million in Financing'No Call' Exceeds 1.1 Million MissouriansLeica Camera, Inc. Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With Support of Rare Civil Rights Photo ExhibitionHardee's Moves Headquarters to St. LouisEnterprise Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Leisure RentalsPatients' Medical Information to be Used for MarketingGov Holden Promotes Technology At Festus Elementary SchoolSmall Towns and Villages Appeal to US TravelersWestin St. Louis Opens at Cupples Station ComplexLamkin Will Succeed Joyner-Kerseeas Sports Commission Chair American Airlines Announces TWA Buyout |
by Bob Moore, SLFP.com ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), June 21, 2001 - Two major attractions, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, located at Faust Park, and the Missouri Botanical Garden, will combine operations, beginning July 2. Evelyn E. Newman, founder and president of the Butterfly House, noted that while the Garden has been well-established for more than a centery and the Butterfly House has yet to mark its 3rd anniversary, each organization shares a mission to educate. "The Butterfly House has distinguished itself as a major St. Louis attraction and one of the premier butterfly houses in the nation. We are committed to becoming a world-renowned institution in public display and science education," she said. In an interview following the press conference, Dr. Peter H. Raven, director of the Garden, explained how the inspiring display of butterflies at the Butterfly House complements the Garden's mission. "The Garden shares its values completely with the Butterfly House and by merging a larger and a smaller institution with the same basic mission, we hope to spread it throughout the city, county and whole metro region," he said. Raven emphasized that this would secure a better future for both institutions than they could have had by themselves. "The Garden brings to the Butterfly House the whole management structure and our service areas, a large education program and the ability to develop all parts of that and keep them going," noted Raven. "By embracing it and bringing it into our family, we offer it a secured future," Raven continued. "We already have butterflies in the Climatron and a Butterfly Garden. But where these concepts will really get enlarged is in our merged education programs. These are themes that will appeal to children and adults." Raven added that they intend to keep up their close collaboration with the St. Louis Zoo which shares very common values with both these institutions, especially with their Monsanto Insectarium. "Charles Hoessle (director of the Zoo), is as enthusiatic as we are about continuing this message, deeping it and enhancing it for kids throughout the whole area," he said. Visitors to the Butterfly House will see gradual changes in the next three years during the transition. Its main attractions are an 8,000 sq. ft. conservatory with over 100 species of tropical butterflies in free flight, and an outdoor Native Habitat designed to attract and nurture native and migratory butterflies. For more information, see Butterfly House. 
by Bob Moore, SLFP.com ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), June 20, 2001 - The day following the agreement that the City, County and State would join forces with the St. Louis Baseball Cardinals, another major alliance was announced. The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House & Garden Center, located at Faust Park in the County, will become a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden, located in the City. In an interview following the announcement at the Butterfly House, this reported asked St. Louis County Executive George R. "Buzz" Westfall about St. Louis County's involvement with the proposed stadium development in the City of St. Louis. He commented that the economic development components of the deal had to be there or the city, county and state were not going to participate by simply replacing one stadium with another. "This Ballpark Village is what I find very exciting. If the Cardinals were to move out, the City would die," he emphasized. "You would turn out the lights and it would become a ghost town in my opinion. Now you'll have the Ballpark Village, which is about a $350 million development that will include residential, retail, office space, restaurants and sports bars. It will become a destination place for young people to come early and stay late. It will become a place for tourists to go to. It could also lead to the economic development of Chouteau's Pond on the southside of Highway 40 which has only been a dream up to this point." Westfall added that he was encouraged about action finally taking place on plans that had been discussed for the past ten years. "The beauty of it from the County's point of view is that it is coming from a dedicated source of revenue in the hotel/motel tax. So the county's $2 million a year contribution to this development is coming from tourists who stay in our county hotels and it doesn't impact county taxpayers at all," he said. "It's an opportunity to give the City its last, best chance at success and survival. And it's relatively painless for the County residents because they aren't paying for it," he said. Westfall emphazised that the Ballpark Village was the key to the development and the Stadium was simply an essential component. "This is just one more example of regionalism where the County is participating to try and help the City but helping themselves at the same time. A vibrant downtown for the 300,000 people that live there is critical to the vibrancy of the entire region where two and a half million people live," concluded Westfall.
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(L. to R.) St. Louis County Executive George R. "Buzz" Westfall, Dr. Peter Raven, director of Missouri Botanical Garden, and Jack Thomas, president, board of trustees, Missouri Botanical Garden, join Evelyn E. Newman, founder and president of the Butterfly House, in announcing their merger. © Bob Moore, SLFP.com
