City Museum facts for kids
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City Museum outdoor playground
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| Location | 750 North 16th Street, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 63103 |
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| Coordinates | 38°38′01″N 90°12′02″W / 38.63361°N 90.20056°W |
| Opened | October 25, 1997 |
| Operated by | Premier Parks, LLC |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 600,000 square feet |
The City Museum is a super fun place in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It's a museum where most of the cool stuff is made from old building parts and industrial items. It opened in October 1997. This amazing museum is located inside a building that used to be a shoe factory.
The City Museum is known as one of the "great public spaces" and has won many awards. People describe it as a "wild, singular vision of an oddball artistic mind." It's definitely a must-see place!
Contents
History of the City Museum
The City Museum was started by an artist named Bob Cassilly and his wife, Gail Cassilly. They bought the old International Shoe Company factory building in 1993. Most of the building was empty at that time.
Work on the museum started right away. It was a secret project until New Year's Eve in 1996, when visitors got a sneak peek. A giant whale sculpture was finished in the lobby in 1997. The museum officially opened to everyone on October 25, 1997. Within two years, about 300,000 people visited each year. Bob Cassilly was the museum's artistic leader until he passed away in 2011.
The museum has grown a lot over the years. New exhibits were added, like MonstroCity in 2002. The Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts opened in 2003. The World Aquarium was added in 2004.
A circus ring on the third floor has live shows every day. The museum also hosts concerts sometimes. You can even find The Shoelace Factory inside. This factory uses old machines to make colorful shoelaces that you can buy.
Exploring the Main Building
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First Floor Fun
The first floor is the original part of the museum. Here, you can walk through a life-size Bowhead Whale. Inside the whale, you can see a large fish tank from a higher level called the mezzanine.
This floor also has many tunnels that run across the ceiling. They are hidden above a sea of special fabric that looks like icicles. To get into these tunnels, you can climb up a giant Slinky. This Slinky is actually an old refrigerating coil! You can also climb through a tree house that now reaches up to the third floor. This leads to a huge hollowed-out tree and a cabin.
The floor itself is covered with the biggest continuous mosaic in the United States. This amazing artwork even goes up the columns. In one area, there's a tunnel called the "Underground Whaleway." It goes under the floor and into the "Original Caves."
Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts
The Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts are very popular attractions. They run through the middle of the museum, all the way up to the 10th floor. These Caves opened in 2003. They are a complex system of tunnels hand-sculpted by Bob Cassilly and his team. Since 2007, the Caves have also had a 1924 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. This organ came from the Rivoli Theater in New York City.
The Shoe Shafts were once used to move shoes in the old factory. Staff would put shoes on spiral shafts to send them to the loading dock. The Shafts opened in 2003 with one three-story spiral slide. Five years later, a ten-story slide was added. This slide starts on the roof and goes all the way down to the Caves' entrance. There is also a five-story slide and another ten-story slide.
The Mezzanine Level
The Mezzanine is where you can find the museum's food court. It's a great place to grab a snack or a meal.
Second Floor Adventures
The Vault Room is on the second floor. It has two huge 3,000-pound vault doors from the 1870s. This room also features a hall of mirrors and about 1,000 safety deposit boxes. There's even a marble bar here.
Next to the Vault Room is St. George's Chamber. It displays old opera posters and a statue of St. George. Also on this floor is The Shoelace Factory. Here, you can see machines from the 1890s making shoelaces. You can even order custom-made laces!
Artquarium
The World Aquarium used to be on the second floor. It was a place for animals like sharks, rays, sea turtles, parrots, and otters. It also had many types of fish. The World Aquarium closed in 2015. The City Museum has since turned this space into the Artquarium.
Third Floor Fun and Games
The third floor has many exciting attractions. One area is called Skateless Park. It's a collection of skateboard ramps. There's also the Everyday Circus, which is a circus school for all ages. They perform daily shows at the museum.
Just around the corner from the Circus is Toddler Town. This section is made just for children aged six and under. Beatnik Bob's is across from the Circus. It has the "World's Largest Underwear," which is about seven feet tall and wide! You can also find vintage video and pinball games here. There's a snack stand, a bar, and a coffee shop too.
Outside Beatnik Bob's, there's a working mini-train. It's a 1/8-scale model of an Alco Train. Children under 48 inches tall can ride it. Past Architectural Hall, which is a large event space, is the Architectural Museum. The Natural History Section, also called the Bug Room, is off Architectural Hall. It has many insects and taxidermy items on display.
A three-story slide on this floor leads back down to the first floor. The third floor is also home to the world's largest pencil. It's more than 76 feet long and weighs 21,500 pounds! That's like 1.9 million regular pencils. It was made in 2007 and donated to the museum in 2009.
Fourth Floor Creativity
The fourth floor has another food court. You can also find an entrance to the caves here. Art City is a special place for people of all ages to do art and craft projects. The art gallery on the fourth floor has shown works by artists like Kaws.
The Amazing Roof
The roof of the City Museum is full of surprises! It has a small, old-fashioned Ferris wheel. There's also a wide ramp slide that's fun to go down. The roof used to have a pond with stepping stones, but now it's covered with artificial grass.
You'll also see a school bus sticking out over the edge of the building! Visitors can walk inside the bus and even open the driver's door. A 24-foot metal praying mantis stands on top of a dome. This dome was saved from the St. Louis Science Center when it was being updated. Bob Cassilly and his team added the fiberglass cover and metal ladders that lead to an exit at the top.
Outside the Museum
MonstroCity Playground
MonstroCity is located right in front of the museum building. It's an incredible outdoor playground. It features two Sabreliner airplane parts hanging high in the air. There's also a fire engine, a castle tower, and a 25-foot cupola. You can crawl through four-foot-wide Slinkies here. There's also a very high climbing structure that leads to a slide.
The Cabin Inn
The Cabin Inn is a log cabin from the early 1800s. It's located underneath MonstroCity. This cabin was once the home of Daniel Boone's son. It was owned by the Hezel family for over a century. Now, it's a bar and a place for entertainment.
Images for kids
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City Museum roof
