Citygarden New Attraction for St. Louis

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You won't find walls or fences, admission fees or do not touch signs, because at Citygarden you are always free. Free to play. Free to explore. Free to feel inspired.

This is the motto of the newly opened Citygarden.  In April of 2008 construction on the garden began. Yesterday, June 30, 2009, after 14 months of work, Citygarden was opened. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay had the honor of cutting the ribbon and signaling the garden’s control room to turn on of all three of the garden’s fountains. 

“This new garden is immediately taking its place among the great cultural attractions of St. Louis for residents and visitors alike,” Slay said. “It’s dazzling, and its complete openness in the heart of downtown makes it unique in the country.”

The new garden is immediately taking its place with St. Louis citizens as well. The park was the center of downtown activity today.  Businessmen sat in its shadows during their lunch breaks, children ran through the fountains and local food vendors even had small stands set up to dispense treats to visitors. 

Citygarden sits in a two block space owned by the city between Market and Chestnut and 8th and 10th Streets.  The arch sits in view to the East and Union station lies directly West.  Busch Stadium is a short walk to the Southeast. City officials hope the garden will help bring more people into the heart of downtown.

Citygarden is a project of the City of St. Louis that is funded by the non-profit organization, Gateway Foundation. The foundation paid an estimated $25-$30 million, covering design and construction and front-end “soft costs” such as financing and anticipated expenses for security and insurance. In the future, Gateway Foundation will pay for all costs of Citygarden except water and electricity. Though the foundation is the huge financial backing for the park, the City of St. Louis still owns Citygarden.

And St. Louis city should be proud to own the space. Three fountains combine with sculptures and lush plant life to create an unique atmosphere for the area. Each sculpture throughout the park is by a different artist and many are quite unusual and abstract. Visitors can take a guided audio tour of Citygarden to learn more about each sculpture and each artist. The audio tours are hosted by the voices of famous St. Louisans including Ozzie Smith, Jenna Fischer and Joe Buck.

The only way to truly understand St. Louis's new Citygarden is to take a walk through it for yourself, so visit the gallery to get a preview and then head downtown for an afternoon in the city.