Design

The design calls for an addition to the east and south of the original 1904 building. It has a dark, polished concrete façade incorporating Missouri river aggregate. New galleries and public spaces will feature skylights and a number of floor-to-ceiling windows to invite and provide views from both inside and outside.

More than 200,000 square feet of new and improved space will include galleries, public amenities, and a 300-car, below-grade Parking Garage.

Over 13,000 square feet of space will be renovated in the Main Building and the South Building to provide additional space for education, classroom, and public use and renovated permanent collection galleries.

Practical goals have focused on creating new gallery space for the collection, expanding and improving visitor amenities, and enhancing the shortcomings in our 125-year-old Main building to improve operations.

It has been the Museum’s intention to construct a building appropriate for our time and achieve an architectural character that both stands on its own and complements the Main building, while taking advantage of the Museum’s spectacular site in Forest Park.

The new East Building will be LEED Registered with the U.S. Green Building Council, indicating that it has met standards for environmentally sustainable construction. The design also conforms to the Master Plan for Forest Park.