11. AWSOME EXPERIENCE FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES! TAKES THE EEWWWWW OUT OFTHE WORD MUSEUM FOR KIDS!! Pure Bliss. The museum is where your childhood imagination comes to life. City museum is an amazing place where my entire family, old and young have an amazing time and all share great memories! Truly a special adventure! 12 hours of fun, hands on, entertaining workout for the entire family!! Work in progress Braveness. Heights. Fun. FREEDOM!!! freedom to explore your inner child while teaching your children and playing along side them. Adventure with family that can't be experienced anywhere else! destination, vitality, youth, fun How to describe the museum?
No signs, 3000 people first month. Now 3,000+ a day in the summers
Bob Cassilly- Owner, Founder, Creative Director 60 years old, Father of four- 2 kids in their 20s and 2 10 and under Internationally Recognized sculpture Busch Gardens, St, Louis & Dallas Zoo, Hard Rock Cafes Story 11 year old Bob Parent’s party Under porch where he had built a city with his cars Heard grownups talking about serious issues Decided he never wanted to be a grown up Is hands on with construction. That is where he wants to be, does not want to sit in the office. In 4 years he has been in our office -50 times. My goal is to allow Bob to create and not have to worry with the minor dealings of the museum. Bob quote about running the museum:
It was the largest shoe company in the world. Purchased from Washington University. Bob purchased the building and block for $525,000 in 1993. Doors rusted shut. Sold Polar Wave and Ice Building- Expansion Botanical Gardens To defer capital gains
St. Louis Title Company- 1897 Ticket window the second floor Gift shop side the street elevation Chain Stanchion Found on Mississippi River by Bob
Parking garage. Stair case cut Conveyor Rollers 1000+ 1st Floor from inside building 1 mile long system 2nd & 3rd from Overhead Crane Rail
Cabin Trees
One of the first exhibits
Enigmatic. Mirror ball- seeing it from a different direction. City- different to everybody Something you can’t really put your hands around and grasp. It’s always changing. Design for brochure
Buckets 20,000 when Museum First opened. Grand opening Max and Daisy Wheels Plastic Originally didn’t want them. Landfill Bob rolling one to some kids changed that
Staircase Hospital St. Louis hospital. 1845. Closed in 1985. Removed in 1996 demolition- Redeveloped today as town homes 3 story slide 10 1/2 ton rock Lifted by Windmill from Nasa
Slinky Climber Cooling taken Anheuser Busch Oyster Shells One nights consumption Life size Bowhead whale Original part of the museum Tile floor Bob draws design on floor and then tile artist do the work Started in 1997, 3 months after the museum opened
Represents the reason City Museum exists. Steel used to build it came from Polar Ice Building Original set to be a 20,000 gallon Shark Tank. There wasn’t enough acrylic to fill all the holes so it was redesigned as 5,000
Buffet Pans wall Used as mouse cages by Wash U Purchased 1,100+ of them as scrap metal Texture and movement
New in 2010 Facebook Tree house and stage Bob loves nature
Where does my kid come out? Encourage parents to follow.
Cabin Bar
Puking Pig Expansion tank for boiler 1880s fire pump axel 88.8 gallons every two minutes Dumps into a wave cave Tanning Barrels 19th century tanning barrells Tunnels between first floor and mezzanine
Slinky Climber Between 3rd floor and 2nd Bird Cage
Bottle Wall 70,000 bottles Mirror Walls From an old hotel St. George’s St. George’s Catholic Church in Chicago 12 inch slap of lime Stone Taken without them knowing. It was to have been destroyed Opera Posters Collection of John Lester Original- Some dating so far back as to announce electricity
Vault Built in mid-1800s No money guns and deads Bar French rouge marble rare find in this section of the world acquired from a bank Brass Police Station Wellston Loop Facades Streetcar Headquarters
Shoelace Factory Mike Killian’s collection Many were laying unused since WWII Some from 1890 Largest shoelace factory in the state of Missouri
World Aquarium Opened in 2004 Leonard- Initial idea for the museum along with Bob 12,500 sqft Non-profit we support by space Additional charge to the museum Hands on, able to touch many of the animals Guinness Book of Records Largest Two Headed Animal Show Two headed snake Two headed turtle Everything from Sharks to Sloths to Alligators to Bunny Rabbits
Built and designed by Bob and Leonard Climber above the young girl- Tunnels found throughout, as well as opportunities to find yourself within the tanks Stingray tank Daily Feedings
Tunnel through the shark/sea turtle tank.
Privy Museum All items found in outhouses
First Floor was much more detailed. Third grander- Popularity did not allow Bob much time to build. Lived in the building. Constantly saw items he wanted to fix or create. Barge Propellers Business partner owns barge business Stand about 6 feet tall Terra Cotta pieces from an old Train Station Wagon Wheel Bob- “Now your getting creative.” Organ Pipes
Architectural Museum Bruce Gerrie- Friend of Bob Bob lays out the items Quiet section of the museum Museum is filled with gargoyles Cross Alexian Brothers Hospital Exorcist
Antique door knobs Mixture of Architectural Pieces- Laid out by Bob Elmsle Sullivan Show
Skatless Park Originally a skateboard company ran it until going bankrupt Redesigned the layout. Guinness Book of Records World’s Largest Pencil 76 feet long 20,000 lbs. Lead all the way through, real eraser Bowls created by Bob Peat’s stencil of Bob Maze under the circus seats
Natural History Museum Bob- Field Museum in Chicago 95% one man’s collection- George Diehl Collected from all over the world Has worked for Bob for years and had this in storage.
Rockem Sockem Robots Big Boy Train Tunnel Vintage Shooting Gallery from Poco Loco Western Town and Museum in High Ridge
Circus Harmony Non Profit supported by space Part of museum since ? Free to all guests Only circus school in the area Kids- must devote community service to be a part of the circus Teaches individuals ? To ? (Bunny) Works with Israeli circus school. 2008 Circus Harmony went there and in 2009 the Israeli kids came to St. Louis Performed with ???
Ring built and designed by Bob Had to move them in 2006 because the kids got bigger
Beatnik Bob’s- Museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem Owned by Bill Christman Mixture of oddities and vintage pinball machines Has the homage to the Corn Dog
World’s Largest Underware
Art City Open studio. Have projects that people can take part in or do whatever they would like. Top right spears and shields Clay, paint, chalk Marion Snowflake Lady Creates snowflake designs out of animals, instruments, astrological signs, ???
Alco Train 1/8 the size of the original Donated by man. Miniature train set Can climb under and stand within Climber up and over the Train Secret Passage leading from the circus under the benches in back
Toddler Town For 6 and under Place for little kids Murals painted by staff members Window- Old Office
Enchanted Caves Opened in 2003 17,000 sqft of tunnels and caves Took almost 7 years to build Like looking at your ceiling as a kid and seeing different things as you. If Bob saw a dinosaur, he put a dinosaur. If he saw a hole, he built a tunnel.
Climb in the dragon mouth.
Shoe Shafts Opened 2003 Originally how the shoes were transported from floor to loading dock. 10 Story & 5 Story Spiral Slide. 10 story slide opened in 2008
Different version looking from down in the caves.One of Bob’s favorite views.
Organ Completed in 2007 1923 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ Rivoli Theater in New York City Two years to complete Maintained by the St. Louis Organ Society. Pipes are housed both in the Shoeshafts and in a room on the 3rd floor which shutters open up to let the sound in. Played every hour.
Pipe room on the third floor. Pipes around the organ console are non functional, just there for look. Literally has all the bells and whistles. Top right hand corner.
MonstroCity Opened in 2002 Started with a crane that had been abandoned for over a year. Over 4 stories tall Has two planes, a fire truck, two ball pits, a water pit/fire pit, a castle, a three story slide, and too many smaller slides to count.
Climb under others as the walk across the cat walk
The ballpit A favorite of all.
The Roof Opened June of 2009 119,000 visitors in 6 months Has a stepping pond, 1940s Ferris Wheel, a 3 story slide, a 3 story climber, a bus, a giant run ramp, and the best views of St. Louis and surrounding counties. Originally wanted to be a water park. 10 years in the making. Using only 40% of the space on the roof.
Ferris wheel stands another ??? Off the ground. Early model for the roof.
Dome from the St. Louis Planetarium Mike DeFilippo image of the roof from the non used side.
Installed in 1999. Fire Story Opening Day of the roof family waited an hour to be the first in it. Sits on a ball that will let us move it up and down.
We have a museum garden that grows radishes, tomatoes, mint
Community events Climb the museum Flash mob for a local kettle corn distributor commercial Interesting individuals stop by, Art Car show
Host concerts Our crew partaking in the Downtown idiotariod. Shopping carts pushed like dog slides. Crew’s cart had a mad max theme with flame throwers, chomping teeth and music playing, Most others have cardboard decorations.
Tour of Missouri Sponsored kids races Girls on the Run Local Charity Auctions
Never truly finished. Often find Bob in this stance. This was an old gallery space that was later turned into the Circus ring.
No dead ends. Feel that people lose momentum when that happens. Light, Bob also feels like light draws people, so if it is not natural light we try to use it to pull people through spaces. Walk around space behind Beatnik Bob’s.
Break room and storage. Sqft- Bob looks for the best way to utilize every sqft and wants to give our guests as much to experience as possible.
