City Museum

Bob Cassilly was a St. Louis-born sculptor and conceptual artist who studied art at Fontbonne University and the University of Mexico before establishing himself in the 1970s and 1980s as a public sculptor and large-scale installation artist. His best-known earlier works included whimsical animal sculptures in St. Louis-area parks and the giant hippopotamus sculptures at the entrance to Brookings Hall on the Washington University campus. By the early 1990s Cassilly had developed an interest in larger-scale architectural installation work and began looking for a space that could accommodate his ambitions.

The abandoned International Shoe Company warehouse at 750 N. 16th Street in downtown St. Louis was a perfect canvas — a 600,000-square-foot brick-and-steel industrial building with multi-story open floors, freight elevators, and substantial structural strength. Cassilly acquired the building in 1993 for what was then a low price (downtown St. Louis real estate had collapsed in the 1980s and 1990s); his original plan was to convert the building into artist lofts and studios.

The plan evolved across the mid-1990s as Cassilly began experimenting with installations in the empty warehouse floors. Steel tunnels were welded to ceiling beams; salvaged industrial materials were assembled into climbing structures; freight elevators were converted into walk-through art pieces. By 1996 Cassilly had decided to open the building as a public attraction rather than convert it to lofts. City Museum opened in October 1997 with about 100,000 square feet of installation space; expansion has continued across nearly three decades and the museum now uses essentially all of the original building's interior plus an outdoor sculpture park and a rooftop structure.

The interior of City Museum is organized around a series of themed areas that connect through climbing tubes, slides, and walking passages. The first-floor cave system is one of the most popular features — a multi-level network of artificial caves with carved limestone-style walls, narrow passages, hidden rooms, and several slides emerging into unexpected locations. The caves include a multi-story tube slide that drops several floors and is one of the museum's most-photographed features. The cave aesthetic is deliberately mysterious; lighting is dim, paths are sometimes narrow enough that adults must crawl, and the route through the caves is genuinely confusing the first time.

Higher floors house additional themed installations. The Architecture Museum on the third floor displays salvaged architectural elements from demolished St. Louis buildings — terra cotta facades, cast-iron columns, stained glass, ornamental ironwork — preserved and contextualized within the broader museum aesthetic. The Skateless Park is a rolling sculpture installation that resembles a skate park but is actually a series of walkable curved surfaces. The Beatnik Bob's third-floor area includes vintage carnival games, a circus exhibit, and a small theater used for performances.

Vertical movement through the museum happens via multiple slides, climbing structures, and stairs. The 10-story spiral slide is the museum's signature feature — a tall metal slide that descends through multiple floors in a continuous spiral, deposit ed visitors at the ground floor in a slightly disoriented heap. Several shorter slides connect specific levels. Climbing structures throughout the building allow visitors to ascend through tunnels of rebar, steel, and salvaged industrial parts. Physical mobility is genuinely required to experience the full museum; visitors with significant mobility limitations should plan accordingly.

MonstroCity is the museum's outdoor sculpture park — a sprawling assemblage of structures built from salvaged airplane fuselages, fire engines, school buses, industrial machinery, and welded steel that fills the lot adjacent to the main building. Visitors climb through, on top of, and inside the structures; tubes connect different elements; the entire installation is essentially a giant outdoor playground for adults and children with no clear paths or boundaries. MonstroCity is open seasonally (typically April through October, weather permitting) and is included in the regular museum admission.

The rooftop features a Ferris wheel, a school bus that hangs over the edge of the building (and that visitors can climb into for the dizzying view down to the street below), a small caboose, additional climbing structures, and remarkable views of downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch. The rooftop is accessible via an elevator from the lower floors and is typically open during the same hours as the rest of the museum. The Ferris wheel ride is a separate $5 fee; the rest of the rooftop is included in admission.

Additional outdoor features include the Skatepark (a functional roller-skating rink that operates seasonally with skate rentals and lessons), several smaller sculpture installations on the surrounding lot, and a parking area that includes some of the museum's outdoor art pieces. The total outdoor footprint adds substantial exploration time to the indoor experience; many visitors spend as much time outside in MonstroCity as inside the main building.

Admission is $18 for all visitors ages 2 and up; children under 2 are free. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm, with extended Friday and Saturday hours typically until midnight (City Museum becomes a popular nightlife destination for adults on weekend evenings — the museum serves cocktails and operates as an adult playground after 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays). Closed Monday and Tuesday. Ticket purchases are available online through citymuseum.org or at the door; lines at the door can be substantial during peak summer weekends and online booking is generally recommended.

Dress code is genuinely important. Wear durable clothing — jeans or other sturdy pants work better than dresses or shorts. Closed-toe shoes are essential; sneakers or sturdy walking shoes are best. Tie back long hair to prevent snags on climbing structures. Empty your pockets of fragile items (phones, glasses, wallets) and consider leaving valuable items in the car or in the optional lockers. Many visitors emerge with bruised knees, scraped elbows, and slightly torn clothing; the museum is genuinely physical and a bit rough on bodies.

Plan a minimum of 4 hours for a meaningful visit; a full day (6-8 hours) is more typical for first-time visitors who want to see everything. Food and drink are available at the on-site Cabin Inn restaurant (American casual menu, family-friendly during the day) and at several smaller snack bars throughout the building. Re-entry is permitted on the same admission ticket, so visitors can step outside for lunch or a break and return without paying again.

City Museum pairs naturally with the Gateway Arch as a one-two combination of contrasting downtown attractions — the Arch's soaring modernist minimalism and the City Museum's organic, sculptural anarchic invention. The two attractions are about a 10-minute drive apart in downtown St. Louis; many families visit the Arch in the morning and City Museum in the afternoon, or vice versa. Most families with children ages 6-14 rate the City Museum higher than the Arch as the most-loved St. Louis experience, though the Arch typically produces the better photograph.

For Route 66 travelers, City Museum is not directly tied to the Mother Road but is a worthy detour for anyone spending more than one day in St. Louis. The classic three-attraction St. Louis day combines the Arch (morning, 3-4 hours), lunch at Pappy's Smokehouse, City Museum (afternoon and early evening, 4-6 hours), and Ted Drewes for late dessert. Driving west toward Pacific, Cuba, and Springfield can begin the following morning.

For nightlife-oriented adults, the Friday and Saturday extended hours (typically open until midnight) transform City Museum into a remarkable adult playground with a bar program, occasional live music, and a less crowded climbing experience than the daytime family hours. Tickets for the late-night hours are sometimes priced separately from daytime admission; check the museum website for current evening programming and pricing.