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===Forest Park Golf Course===
===Forest Park Golf Course===
The Forest Park Golf Course, also known as the Courses at Forest Park or the Norman Probstein Community Golf Course, opened in 1912 as a nine-hole [[golf course]].<ref name="fpgchist">[http://www.forestparkgc.com/layout9.asp?id=186&page=3573 Forest Park Golf Course: History]</ref> The original course was designed by Scotsman [[Robert Foulis]], an employee of the [[Old Course at St. Andrews]], while a second and third set of nine holes were finished in 1913 and 1915.<ref name="fpgchist"/> In 1929, the Forest Park Golf Course was home to the [[U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship]].<ref name="fpgchist"/>
Also known as Norman Probstein Community Golf Course.

Between 2001 and 2004, the three courses and the clubhouse were completely rebuilt under the direction of course designer [[Stan Gentry]].<ref name="fpgchist"/> The rebuilding project initially was funded by St. Louis developer Norman Probstein with a gift of $2 million, followed by donations of $2 million from Eagle Golf, $2.4 million from the [[Danforth Foundation]], $4.5 million from Forest Park Forever, and $1.6 million from the city of St. Louis.<ref name="fpforevergolf">[http://www.forestparkforever.org/experience/thingstodo/golf/ Forest Park Forever: Golf]</ref> The three rebuilt courses are named for trees in St. Louis: the Hawthorn is a relatively flat and walkable layout; the Dogwood is a somewhat hilly course with a water fairway; and the Redbud is very hilly and the most challenging layout of the three.<ref name="fpforevergolf"/> One glass-enclosed clubhouse serves all three courses, and it includes a restaurant open to all park users known as Ruthie's Grill.<ref name="fpforevergolf"/>


===Highlands Golf and Tennis Club===
===Highlands Golf and Tennis Club===

Revision as of 01:53, 27 July 2011

This article is about the park in St. Louis, Missouri. For other places, see Forest Park.
Forest Park
The 1904 World's Fair Pavilion in Forest park
Map
TypeMunicipal
LocationSt. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates38°38′N 90°17′W / 38.633°N 90.283°W / 38.633; -90.283
Area1,293 acres (523 ha)
Created1876
Operated bySt. Louis Parks Department
Visitors12 million
OpenAll year

Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers 1,293-acre (5,230,000 m2). The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and the 1904 Summer Olympics. Bounded by Skinker Boulevard, Lindell Boulevard, Kingshighway Boulevard, and Interstate 64, the park features a variety of attractions, including the St. Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the St. Louis Science Center.

History

Forest Park was originally miles west of St. Louis' city boundaries. The park was dedicated June 24, 1876. On a day in which the temperature reached nearly 90 degrees, an estimated 50,000 residents of a city with a population somewhat more than 300,000 attended opening ceremonies. Many came in carriages while many others rode the train from the city, on track which had opened less than a week before. A crowd gathered near the new music stand, was entertained by a variety of music and listened to speakers who praised the new park.[1]

Early proposals

An 1864 plan for a large park in the city had been soundly rejected by St. Louis voters. In 1870, Hiram Leffingwell had proposed a 3,000-acre (12 km2) "St. Louis Park" outside the city, to extend approximately three miles west of King's Highway (now Kingshighway), but there was strong opposition and the bill that would have established the park died in the Missouri legislature.

In 1872 the legislature passed laws that didn't require voter approval and established a 1,370-acre (5.5 km2) park, as well as a smaller park further north, to be financed by special taxing districts. The boundaries of the city were extended to include the taxing districts. But in April, 1873, the Missouri Supreme Court declared the Forest Park taxing district unconstitutional. Some land for the park had already been purchased and sellers were left holding worthless bonds. When the legality of extensions to city boundaries was questioned, the legislature repealed the extensions.

Creation of the park

In 1874 the legislature passed the Forest Park Act establishing Forest Park in St. Louis County, as well as separate laws establishing two other parks, Carondolet Park and O'Fallon Park. The parks were funded by a county-wide property tax (at the time, St. Louis County included the City of St. Louis). [2]

The largest parcels of land needed for the park belonged to Thomas S. Skinker, Isabella de Munn, Charles P. Chouteau and his sister Julia Maffitt and the estate of Robert Forsyth. Chouteau and Maffitt challenged the constitutionality of the new law while other landowners sought legal ownership of property purchased under the 1872 law, which had been ruled unconstitutional. In November, 1874, the Missouri Supreme upheld the new law and referred all questions of land ownership and value to the circuit court. [3]

The park-to-be was surrounded mostly by farmland. No roads defined its northern and southern borders. To the east and west were unpaved roads, King's Highway to the east, with a jog near the park's southeast corner, and Skinker Road to the west. The River des Peres, sometimes barely a trickle and at other times a wild stream capable of floating a stern-wheeler, meandered through the park's northern lowlands, then flowed south through the eastern part of the park. In the southwestern part of the park was forested land dubbed "the wilderness." A farm to market road, Clayton Road, ran through the southern part of the park. A railroad right-of-way cut through the northeast corner of the park.

Maximillian G. Kern designed the Park's original plan, with Prussian-born St. Louis Surveyor Julius Pitzman. Kern also designed parks at the Compton Hill and Chain of Rocks Reservoir.[4]

Louisiana Purchase Exposition

Map of the St. Louis World's Fair

In 1904 St. Louis hosted the world at a major international World's Fair. The St. Louis World's Fair celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. It was delayed from a planned opening in 1903 to 1904 to allow for full-scale participation by more states and foreign countries. The Fair opened April 30, 1904, and closed December 1, 1904. Of notable interest is that St. Louis had held an annual Saint Louis Exposition since the 1880s as agricultural, trade, and scientific exhibitions, but this event was not held in 1904 due to the World's Fair.

The Fair's 1,200 acre (4.9 km²) site, designed by George Kessler,[5] was located at the present-day grounds of Forest Park and on the campus of Washington University, and was the largest fair to date. There were over 1,500 buildings, connected by some 75 miles (120 km) of roads and walkways. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at everything in less than a week. The Palace of Agriculture alone covered some 20 acres (324,000 m²).

Exhibits were staged by 62 foreign nations, the United States government, and 43 of the then-45 U.S. states. These featured industries, cities, private organizations and corporations, theater troupes, and music schools. There were also over 50 concession-type amusements found on "The Pike"; they provided educational and scientific displays, exhibits and imaginary 'travel' to distant lands, history and local boosterism (including Louis Wollbrinck's "Old St. Louis") and pure entertainment.

During the Exposition, the park played host to the diving, swimming, and water polo events for the 1904 Summer Olympics.[6]

After the fair, many of the pavilions and exhibits were demolished (including the original Ferris Wheel) or removed. What buildings remain became the seeds of future museums. The aviary gave root to the zoo, for example. The Palace of the Fine Arts became the Saint Louis Art Museum.

George Kessler, who designed many urban parks throughout Texas and the Midwest, created a new master design for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

River des Peres

At one time the River des Peres ran openly through the park but, due to sanitary concerns, a portion was put underground in a wooden box shortly before the 1904 World's Fair.[7] In the 1930s, the portion of the River des Peres that runs through Forest Park was diverted entirely underground in huge concrete pipes. More recently, an artificial waterscape linking park lakes has been created.[8] The river remains underground in the park.

Features

Forest Park is home to five of the region's major institutions: the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Science Center, the Missouri History Museum, and the Muny amphitheater.[9] It also is home to several recreational facilities, including the Dwight Davis Tennis Center, the Steinberg Skating Rink, the Boathouse Restaurant (with boat rentals), the Forest Park Golf Course, the Highlands Golf and Tennis Center, handball courts, and fields for softball, baseball, soccer, cricket, rugby, and archery. The park also features extensive walking and bicycling paths.

St. Louis Zoo

Main article: St. Louis Zoo

The most visited feature of the park is the St. Louis Zoo, a free zoo that opened in 1910.[10] In 2010, the zoo attracted 2.9 million visitors to its collection of more than 18,000 animals.[11][12] The zoo is divided into five animal zones: the River's Edge, which includes elephants, cheetahs, and hyenas; The Wild, which includes penguins, bears, and great apes; Discovery Zone, which includes a petting zoo; Red Rocks, which features lions, tigers, and other big cats; and the oldest part of the zoo, Historic Hill, which features the 1904 Flight Cage, a herpetarium, and primate house.[13] A sixth zoo zone, known as Lakeside Crossing, features several dining and retail options.[13] For animal care, the zoo also features a veterinary hospital and animal nutrition center.[12]

St. Louis Science Center

Main article: St. Louis Science Center

The St. Louis Science Center, located across Interstate 64 on the southern edge of Forest Park, received slightly more than 1 million visitors in 2010.[11] Part of the science center, the McDonnell Planetarium, is located within the park and is connected to the main building by an enclosed footbridge.[14] In addition to the Orthwein StarBay planetarium show featuring more than 9,000 stars on an 80-foot ceiling, the facility offers exhibits about living in space and hosts monthly public stargazing events in conjunction with the St. Louis Astronomical Society.[15][16]

Missouri History Museum

The Missouri History Museum opened in Forest Park in 1913.
Main article: Missouri History Museum

The Missouri History Museum, located on the northern edge of the park, received slightly more than 500,000 visitors in 2010 to both its permanent and temporary exhibits.[11] The museum has three permanent exhibits: Lindbergh, which opened in 2002 and focuses on the life and flight of Charles Lindbergh;[17] Seeking St. Louis, two galleries focusing on the history of Greater St. Louis;[18] and the 1904 World's Fair, Looking Back at Looking Forward, an exhibit of artifacts from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.[19] The museum also is home to a 16-ton statue of Thomas Jefferson sculpted by Karl Bitter, which was unveiled at the opening of the museum in 1913.[20][21] The museum completed a major expansion in 2000, with the addition of the Emerson Center, a 92,000-square-foot building with 24,000-square-feet of exhibition space, the Lee Auditorium, a 350-seat theater, and space for retail and dining options.[21]

Saint Louis Art Museum

Main article: Saint Louis Art Museum

The Saint Louis Art Museum, which opened as the Palace of Fine Arts as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, is located in the only permanent structure built for the fair.[22] The building, designed by Cass Gilbert, houses a comprehensive art museum with particular depth in Oceanic art, Pre-Columbian art, ancient Chinese bronzes, and 20th century German art.[22][23] The museum began an expansion and renovation project in January 2010 under the direction of architect David Chipperfield.[24] The construction will relocate surface parking underneath the expansion and create a new lower-level gallery, with a total of more than 200,000 square-feet of new building area.[24]

The Muny

Main article: The Muny

The Muny, officially known as the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, has operated in Forest Park since 1916.[25] The first production, As You Like It by William Shakespeare, predated the current building by one year; as part of an advertising convention St. Louis constructed the Municipal Theatre in 1917.[25] Starting in 1919, the Muny was incorporated, and more than 1,600 seats in the 9,000-seat amphitheater were reserved as permanently free.[25]

The Jewel Box

Main article: Jewel Box

The Jewel Box, an art deco greenhouse, operates as an event venue and horticultural facility.[26] The building has nearly 7,500 square feet of display space and is 55-feet high, and it was built in 1936 using funds from the Works Progress Administration.[26] In 2002, the Jewel Box underwent a $3.5 million renovation, which included the removal and reinstallation of interior plantings, upgrades to the heating and air conditioning systems, and modifications to allow the building to be used for catered events.[26]

Boathouse

The Boathouse in Forest Park offers dining and boat rentals in the park.

The Boathouse at Forest Park is both a restaurant and boat rental facility.[27] Since the opening of Forest Park in 1876, boating has been an activity in the park; in the 1894, the St. Louis Post Dispatch paid more than 6,000 workers to expand one of the lakes in the park.[28] In the early 2000s, a new boathouse opened with access to both Post-Dispatch Lake and the Grand Basin at the foot of Art Hill.[27] The boathouse, open year round, offers paddle boat rentals and was designed by St. Louis architect Laurent Torno in the style of early 20th century Midwestern boathouse cottages.[28]

Statues and memorials

Near the Cascades waterfall on the western edge of the park is an 1876 statue of Edward Bates, the first statue installed in the park.[20] The statue originally was located at the southeast entrance to the park, but it was moved during the 1950s during construction of Interstate 64.[20] Medallions at the base of the statue depict James Eads, Hamilton R. Gamble, Charles Gibson, and Henry S. Geyer.[20]

The second-oldest statue in the park is the statue of Frank Blair, a U.S. Army general and U.S. senator from Missouri.[20] The statue, located at Kingshighway and Lindell boulevards, was donated by the Blair Monument Association in May 1885.[20] Also at the corner is a monument to the first Jewish settlement in the United States, sculpted by Kurt Perisee in 1956.[20] Commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Jewish settlement in New Amsterdam, the main figures represent the Four Freedoms.[20]

The Apotheosis of St. Louis, located at the north entrance of the Saint Louis Art Museum, is a bronze sculpture of an armored and mounted King Louis IX of France, preparing for battle.[20] Sculptor Charles Niehaus's original plaster model was displayed at the entrance to the 1904 World's Fair, and the finished bronze was given to the city in 1906 by the organizers of the fair.[20] Also outside the museum are two statues at its entrance, depicting Sculpture and Painting, by David Chester French and Louis Saint-Gaudens, respectively.[20]

In 1913, the St. Louis Turnverein donated funds for the construction of a monument to Friedrich Jahn, the founder of the Turnverein and modern gymnastics.[20] Designed by Robert Cauer, the statue is located on the former site of the German Pavilion at the 1904 World's Fair.[20] The next year, in 1914, the Ladies Confederate Monument Association donated a statue commemorating the Confederacy on the north side of the park, near the Dwight Davis Tennis Center.[20] Sculpted by George Julian Zolnay, it depicts an allegorical figure of an angel and a Southern family sending its only male child to war.[20]

The National Federation of Musicians donated funds for the Musicians Memorial and Fountain to honor Owen Miller and Otto Ostendorf, members of the federation.[20] The memorial, built in 1925, was designed by Victor Holm.[20] Two years after the creation of the Musicians Memorial, the Steinberg family donated the Joie de Vivre, a work by Jacques Lipchitz depicting the joy of life located adjacent to the Steinberg Skating Rink.[20]

Near the Jewel Box is a fountain, known as the Colonial Daughter Fountain, which was donated by the Missouri Society of Colonial Daughters in 1947.[20] Also part of the grounds of the Jewel Box is a statue of St. Francis of Assisi sculpted by Carl Mose and donated by the wife of Harry Turner, a St. Louis publisher.[20]

Nathan Frank Bandstand

The Nathan Frank Bandstand was built using funds donated by local businessman Nathan Frank in 1926. The bandstand, in the classical style, replaced an earlier structure with Asian motifs.[20]

Steinberg Skating Rink

The Steinberg Skating Rink opened in November 1957 after a donation by the Steinberg Charitable Trust.[29] Etta Steinberg, the wife of Mark C. Steinberg, gave more than $600,000 toward the $935,000 cost of the rink.[29] The rink is open for ice skating during the winter and sand volleyball during the summer, and a dining and concession area, known as the Snowflake Cafe, offers American cuisine and alcohol.[29][30] During the early 2000s, the rink underwent a $1.4 million renovation that included a new rink surface, an ice-making system, and a new light and sound system.[29]

The Field House and Visitor Center

The World's Fair Pavilion

Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center

Dwight Davis Tennis Center.

Forest Park Golf Course

The Forest Park Golf Course, also known as the Courses at Forest Park or the Norman Probstein Community Golf Course, opened in 1912 as a nine-hole golf course.[31] The original course was designed by Scotsman Robert Foulis, an employee of the Old Course at St. Andrews, while a second and third set of nine holes were finished in 1913 and 1915.[31] In 1929, the Forest Park Golf Course was home to the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.[31]

Between 2001 and 2004, the three courses and the clubhouse were completely rebuilt under the direction of course designer Stan Gentry.[31] The rebuilding project initially was funded by St. Louis developer Norman Probstein with a gift of $2 million, followed by donations of $2 million from Eagle Golf, $2.4 million from the Danforth Foundation, $4.5 million from Forest Park Forever, and $1.6 million from the city of St. Louis.[32] The three rebuilt courses are named for trees in St. Louis: the Hawthorn is a relatively flat and walkable layout; the Dogwood is a somewhat hilly course with a water fairway; and the Redbud is very hilly and the most challenging layout of the three.[32] One glass-enclosed clubhouse serves all three courses, and it includes a restaurant open to all park users known as Ruthie's Grill.[32]

Highlands Golf and Tennis Club

Formerly known as Triple A.

The Cascades

The Cascades are a 75-foot (23 m) waterfall northwest of the Art Museum and named for the waterfalls which flowed down Art Hill during the 1904 World's Fair.

Kennedy Forest

Kennedy Forest is a forest in the park.

Events

Images from Forest Park

  • Underlit fountain at Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri.
    Underlit fountain at Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri.
  • St. Louis Art Museum at night.
    St. Louis Art Museum at night.
  • Fireworks at the annual Balloon Glow in Forest Park.
    Fireworks at the annual Balloon Glow in Forest Park.
  • Wine Tasting event at Forest Park.
    Wine Tasting event at Forest Park.
  • A footbridge in Forest Park.
    A footbridge in Forest Park.
  • 1904 Flight Cage (Aviary) in the St. Louis Zoo.
    1904 Flight Cage (Aviary) in the St. Louis Zoo.
  • The Great Forest Park Balloon Race.
    The Great Forest Park Balloon Race.
  • Nathan Frank Bandstand in Pagoda Circle.
    Nathan Frank Bandstand in Pagoda Circle.
  • Government Hill and World's Fair Pavilion.
    Government Hill and World's Fair Pavilion.
  • Round Lake.
    Round Lake.
  • Round Lake in winter.
    Round Lake in winter.
  • Jefferson Lake and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
    Jefferson Lake and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

See also

References

  1. ^ Loughlin, Caroline and Catherine Anderson; Forest Park, page 3. The Junior League of St. Louis, 1986.
  2. ^ Loughlin, Caroline and Catherine Anderson; Forest Park, pages 5-10. The Junior League of St. Louis, 1986.
  3. ^ Loughlin, Caroline and Catherine Anderson; Forest Park, page 11, 13. The Junior League of St. Louis, 1986.
  4. ^ "Overview and Map of Forest Park". St. Louis Front Page. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  5. ^ Handbook of Texas Online - KESSLER, GEORGE E.. Retrieved 18 May 2006.
  6. ^ Spalding's report of the 1904 Summer Olympics. pp. 229, 231.
  7. ^ Allen, Michael (Spring 2003). "The Harnessed Channel: How the River Des Peres Became a Sewer". Ecology of Absence. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  8. ^ "Forest Park Master Plan". City of St. Louis. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  9. ^ City of St. Louis Parks Department: Forest Park.
  10. ^ St. Louis Zoo: History.
  11. ^ a b c St. Louis Post Dispatch: Zoo Museum District by the numbers.
  12. ^ a b St. Louis Zoo: Animals
  13. ^ a b St. Louis Zoo: Your Visit.
  14. ^ Forest Park Forever: Science Center.
  15. ^ St. Louis Science Center: Planetarium.
  16. ^ St. Louis Science Center: Public Stargazing
  17. ^ Missouri History Museum: Lindbergh
  18. ^ Missouri History Museum: Seeking St. Louis
  19. ^ Missouri History Museum: 1904 World's Fair, Looking Back at Looking Forward
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u St. Louis City Parks Department: Statues and Fountains
  21. ^ a b Forest Park Forever: Missouri History Museum
  22. ^ a b Saint Louis Art Museum: History
  23. ^ Saint Louis Art Museum: Collections
  24. ^ a b Saint Louis Art Museum: Expansion
  25. ^ a b c The Muny: History
  26. ^ a b c City of St. Louis Parks Department: Jewel Box
  27. ^ a b City of St. Louis Parks Department: Boathouse
  28. ^ a b Boathouse Restaurant: History
  29. ^ a b c d City of St. Louis Parks Department: Steinberg Skating Rink
  30. ^ Steinberg Skating Rink
  31. ^ a b c d Forest Park Golf Course: History
  32. ^ a b c Forest Park Forever: Golf
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