Louisiana Purchase Exposition

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as The Saint Louis World's Fair, was a World's Fair held in the U.S. city of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904. The Fair celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase (delayed one year). It opened April 30, 1904, and closed December 1 the same year.

The Fair's 1,200 acre site (486 ha), designed by George Kessler Handbook of Texas Online - KESSLER, GEORGE E.. Retrieved 18 May 2006., was located at the present-day grounds of Forest Park, and was the largest of any fair to date. It was the first World's Fair to turn a profit, and the only one until the 1960's to do so. There were over 1,500 individual buildings, connected by some 75 miles (120 km) of roads and walkways. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at everything there in less than a week's time. The Palace of Agriculture alone covered some 20 acres (324,000 m²) of space.

Exhibits were staged by 62 foreign nations, the United States government, and 43 of the then 45 U.S. states. In addition to the numerous exhibits put on by industries, cities, private organizations and corporations, theater troupes, and music schools, there were also carnival-type amusements found on "The Pike".

Architect

George Kessler who designed many urban parks throughout Texas and the Midwest created a new master design for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

A popular myth says that Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park and fair grounds. Kessler had worked briefly for Olmsted as a Central Park gardener when he was in 20s. Furthering this confusion is that Olmsted was involved with Forest Park (Queens) in New York. Olmsted died in 1903 - a year before the fair. Olmsted however did create the master plan in 1897 for renovations to the Missouri Botanical Garden a few blocks to the southeast of the park.^* Olmsted's sons did advise Washington University on integrating the campus with the park across the street.

Legacy

Buildings

As with the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, in 1893, all but one of its grand, neo-Classical exhibition palaces were temporary edifices, constructed with a material called "staff", which was a mixture of plaster of Paris and hemp fibers. And as with Chicago, buildings and statues suffered visible deterioration during the months of the Fair.

The Palace of Fine Art, designed by architect Cass Gilbert and featuring a grand interior sculpture court based on the Roman Baths of Caracalla. Standing at the top of Art Hill, it now serves as the home of the St. Louis Art Museum.

The Administration Building is now Brookings Hall the defining landmark on the campus of Washington University. The building was also copied to be the defining landmark at Northwest Missouri State University founded in 1905 in Maryville, Missouri. The grounds layout was also recreated in Maryville and now the designated as the official Missouri State Arboretum.

National exhibits are now some of the mansions along Lindell Boulevard on the north border of Forest Park.

The huge bird cage at the St. Louis Zoo dates to the fair.

Birmingham, Alabama's iconic cast iron Vulcan statue was first exhibited at the Fair in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy.

The Missouri State building was planned as a permanent structure, but it burned down on November 18, and since the fair was almost over it was not rebuilt. After the fair, the World's Fair Pavillion was built on the site of the Missouri building.

Introduction of new foods

A number of foods are claimed to have been invented at the Fair, including the hamburger, the hot dog, peanut butter, iced tea, the ice cream cone, and cotton candy. However, these claims are controversial and widely disputed. The owners of Doumar's Cones and BBQ in Norfolk, Virginia claim that their uncle, Abe Doumar, sold the first ice cream cones at the St. Louis World's Fair.

Judy Garland movie

The Fair inspired the song Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, which was recorded by many artists including Billy Murray. Both the Fair and the song are focal points of the 1944 Judy Garland movie "Meet Me in St. Louis".

1904 Summer Olympics

Main article: 1904 Summer Olympics

The Fair hosted the 1904 Summer Olympic Games, the first Olympics held in the United States. These games had originally been awarded to Chicago, but when St. Louis threatened to hold a rival international competition, the games were relocated. Nonetheless, the sporting events, spread out over several months, were overshadowed by the Fair. With travel expenses high, many European athletes did not come. Nor did modern Olympics founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

Notable visitors

Notable attendees included John Phillip Sousa, whose band performed on opening day and several times during the fair; Scott Joplin; and Thomas Edison. President Theodore Roosevelt opened the fair via telegraph, but did not attend personally until after his re-election in November of 1904, as he claimed he did not want to use the fair for political purposes.

Ragtime music was popularly featured at the Fair. Scott Joplin wrote "The Cascades" specifically for the fair, inspired by the waterfalls at the Grand Basin.

References

External links

1904 | History of Missouri | St. Louis, Missouri | World's Fairs

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