Gene Mackey received a phone call one afternoon from a notable St. Louisan who was visiting the Soldiers’ Memorial. “Gene,” said the concerned visitor, “This place needs some help!.” Are you interested?” Soon after, Gene recalled a memorable office trip where we visited the LIberty Memorial Kansas City, MO. Gene decided to contact the designers for this museum to see if they would come to St. Louis and have a look at our WWI memorial.
Mackey Mitchell is guiding the revitalization program for the Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum, an underutilized St. Louis treasure located in downtown St. Louis. The site for this stunning classical/art deco building was officially dedicated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936 in honor of St. Louis’s WWI heroes. Originally designed by the St. Louis firm Mauran, Russell & Crowell, the building hasn’t been upgraded since its 1938 completion date.
The makeover will be spearheaded by New York museum and exhibition specialists Ralph Appelbaum and Associates (RAA) the world’s largest interpretive museum design firm. With over 350 commissions to date. their work includes the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, the Lucas Military Heritage Museum at West Point, New York, and the National WWI Museum in Kansas City MO, to name a few. While creating engaging exhibition design, RAA and MMA will also address life safety, HVAC and programming issues. Working with a special committee of city officials, potential donors, and veteran’s representatives, the goal is to once again draw people to this hallowed St. Louis memorial.