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City officials break ground on downtown sculpture garden
(by Kara Krekeler - May 05, 2008)
After years of sitting vacant, part of the Gateway Mall downtown will soon be a public sculpture garden.
Dubbed the City Garden, the outdoor space will include extensive landscaping, permanent modern sculptures and an LED video wall for displaying video art or movies. It will also feature three fountains and several grassy areas that city officials hope will be used for picnics. The garden will span the two blocks bound by Chestnut, Market, 8th and 10th streets.
“It’s going to be stunning. This garden will immediately take its place among the great cultural attractions of St. Louis for residents and visitors alike,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay at the groundbreaking ceremony April 22.
Slay was joined at the groundbreaking by Peter Raven, executive director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who announced that the Botanical Garden will select and maintain the various plants to be included in the City Garden. The plantings will include shrubs, exotic plants and flowers, and more than 20 types of trees, including shade and flowering species.
“The Missouri Botanical Garden is proud and pleased to be invited to be a part of this,” Raven said. “We’re in there for the long haul.”
Raven said he hoped the renovation would transform the vacant 2.9-acre tract into a popular attraction for the city.
“When I first saw the plans [for the City Garden], I immediately thought of Union Square in San Francisco, and that’s high praise coming from a native San Franciscan,” Raven said. Union Square underwent major renovation in 2002, transforming it from a gathering place for the homeless to a thriving urban park; today it is surrounded by one of San Francisco’s most popular shopping districts.
Seventh Ward Alderman Phyllis Young said that she’s excited about the project, which she thinks will result in “one of the best parks and major attractions” in St. Louis. The garden site is within her ward.
“This is a wonderful marriage of green space and art,” she said. “How many cities have that?”
During the groundbreaking ceremony, she lauded the efforts of the city officials and designers who worked to get the project going. Initial plans for the garden were first announced last June, and Young said that the designers and city had been “struggling very hard to make this happen” since then. The project is scheduled for completion by July 1, 2009, in time for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which the city will host later that month.
The Gateway Foundation — which has donated sculptures for placement throughout the metro area — is funding the $20 million project entirely, from hiring designers to contracting with the Missouri Botanical Garden for the maintenance of the site’s plants; the only out-of-pocket cost for the city will be for supplying water and electricity.
“When we announced this project about 10 months ago, I called it a spectacular gift to the city, a home run for the city a few blocks from the ballpark,” Slay said. “Now that I’ve seen the plans, I don’t think anyone can accuse me of exaggeration.”
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