Details from the City Museum, St. Louis

For some reason, I had never heard of the City Museum in St. Louis until about a year ago when Maggie Koerth-Baker wrote about it on Boing Boing. I knew right away it sounded worth a visit, and so tried not to learn anything about it so I could be surprised when the time came.

Well, it finally came, and wow. It's environment-builder art, furnished with architectural salvage, then crossed with a giant jungle gym.

Because I think everyone who visits should be surprised, too, I won't post photos that give much away, but here are some detail shots.


There's lots of heavy equipment around the place, including this excellent nameplate.


Stone detail.


Walking down from the 11th floor in the stairway.


A small part of one assemblage of metal printing cuts and embossing plates.


Detail from one of the giant vault doors.


Terracotta architectural detail from a special exhibit about work by Louis Sullivan.


Gears. Lots of gears. And marbles. On a pillar.


Squirrels!


And lots of tile mosaic fish.

The Midwest is a good place to visit, and St. Louis particularly seems to have a lot going for it. Nice architecture, a beautiful gigantic park, lots of regular museums, the Cahokia Mounds. And the City Museum. Don't miss that, but don't learn too much about it, either.