Housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, the museum is an eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. The brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur, the museum opened for visitors in 1997 to the riotous approval of young and old alike.
Cassilly and his longtime crew of 20 artisans have constructed the museum from the very stuff of the city; and, as a result, it has urban roots deeper than any other institutions'. Reaching no farther than municipal borders for its reclaimed building materials, the CITY MUSEUM boasts features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and even two abandoned planes!
"CITY MUSEUM makes you want to know," says Cassilly.
"The point is not to learn every fact, but to say, 'Wow, that's wonderful.' And if it's wonderful, it's worth preserving."
History
City Museum was founded by artist Bob Cassilly. Bob Cassilly remains the museum's artistic director. The building where the museum is located was once a shoe factory and warehouse but was mostly vacant when Cassilly bought it in 1993. Construction began in January 1995 and the building opened to the public on October 25, 1997. Since the original opening, the museum has continued to expand, adding new exhibits such as MonstroCity in 2002, Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shaft in 2003, and World Aquarium in 2004. A circus ring on the third floor offers daily live acts. The City Museum also houses The Shoelace Factory, a working factory producing colorful shoelaces on antique braiding machines. The newest addition to City Museum are the Lofts at City Museum. The lofts, which range from 1,300 to more than 2,800 square feet (260 m2), are located on the fifth floor of the museum complex.
Main Building
1st floor
The original part of the museum, which opened in 1997. The first floor is home to a life-size Bowhead Whale, where guests can walk through and view a large fish tank from the mezzanine or the always popular "Puking Pig." Also on the first floor, are a number of tunnels that run across the ceiling, through a sea of fiberglass that give the impression on icicles. To get into these one can climb up a Slinky, aka old cooling tank, or through a tree house which leads into a giant hollowed out tree that leads to a cabin on the other side of the floor. The floor itself is covered in mosaics, which then morph their way up columns, consuming every section of this floor. In one area you will find a tunnel known as the "Underground Whaleway" which runs beneath the floor and into the "Original Caves."
The Mezzanine
The Mezzanine contains the Museum's food court and a number of sections that are also tied into the first floor.
2nd floor
The second floor is your connection to MonstroCity and the Enchanted Caves. To get to this area, you will first need to enter into the "Vault Room." Named after the giant vault that Cassilly installed there, the vault was built in the mid-1800s and originally located at 510 Locust in St. Louis.
Off to the side of the Vault Room and leading to the Enchanted Caves is St. George's Chamber. Within this room you will find a collection of Vintage Opera Posters and a giant statue of St. George from Saint George's Catholic Church in Chicago.
Shoelace Factory
The Shoelace Factory houses a collection of vintage shoelace machines from the 1890s. If given enough time, one can request a design of their own shoelace.
World Aquarium
An extension of St. Louis Children's Aquarium, this includes a shark tank with a glass tunnel running through it, big enough to crawl through, but too small to walk. Also this aquarium has sting ray petting. They also allow sting ray feeding for a fee at certain times.
Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shaft
One of the most popular attractions, besides the outdoor MonstroCity, the Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts run through the center of the Museum, and go all the way to the 10th floor. In the Enchanted Caves, guests will find an elaborate cave system made by Cassilly and crew. Everywhere you turn you see a different creature staring back at you. The Shoe Shafts were left over from when the building was the International Shoe distribution building. To get the shoes from floor to floor, staff would place the shoes on the spiral shafts that would lead down to the loading dock. When the caves originally opened up in 2003, there was only one spiral shoe slide that was three stories tall. But, in 2008 a second one was opened, becoming the daddy of them all. A ten story spiral side, that starts at the roof and takes you down to caves entrance.
Also located in the Enchanted Caves is an 1923 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ (Installed in 2007) from the Rivoli Theater in New York City.
3rd floor
The 3rd Floor is home to a number of attractions. In one are you will find Skateless Park, which is a collection of skateboard ramps, without the skateboards. There is also the Everyday Circus, the Midwest's only Circus School. With students from 6 to 80+, the Everyday Circus performs daily at the museum and does private parties. Just around the corner from the Circus, is Art City where guests can try their hand at a number of different art techniques, as well as Toddler Town. A section dedicated only to those 6 and under. Beatnik Bob's, is directly across from the Circus, is owner to the World's Largest Underwear, a collection of vintage video/pinball games, and the place to get a beer and Corndog while visiting the Museum. Right outside Beatnik's is a 1/8 scale model of an Alco Train that kids 48" and under can ride around the tracks. Past Architectural Hall, the Museum's largest rental space, is Architectural Museum. Here you will find the cross from the "Exorcist," a collection of antique door knobs, and the Museum's current exhibit of Elmslie and Sullivan. Off Architectural Hall, the Museum recently started to add a Natural History Section. On display are a number of insects and taxidermy items. Finally, you will also find on the 3rd Floor, the entrance to the three story slide that leads you back to the first floor.
4th floor
In the winter of 2007, Cassilly and crew cut a hole leading to the fourth floor. Here visitors will find Store 4, a gift shop with a number of City Museum items, as well as one of St. Louis' largest vintage clothing stores.
MonstroCity
Located in front of the building, MonstroCity features two Saber 40 aircraft fuselages suspended high in the air, a fire engine, a castle turret, a 25-foot (7.6 m) cupola, four-foot-wide Slinkies that can be crawled through, and a ball pit for adults filled with large, rubber dodge balls.[5]
The Cabin Inn is an early-19th-century log cabin located beneath MonstroCity. Originally the home of the son of Daniel Boone, it was owned by the Hezel family for more than a century and is now a bar and entertainment venue.[6]
The Roof atop City Museum
For years guests have been asking staff how to get to roof and see the bus hanging over the edge. During the Spring/Summer of 2008, Cassilly began putting together what would be one of the best views of St. Louis and the surrounding counties. Rumored to be opening in the Spring of 2009, the roof has two slides, a snack bar, a pond with fountains, two extra levels that will be the home of things to be decided later, and a Ferris Wheel.
