Soldiers Memorial renovations to tell St. Louisans’ war stories – STLtoday.com

ST. LOUIS The $30 million renovation of Soldiers Memorial downtown wont be completed until November 2018, but after a year of construction the structure is showing signs of what will be.

As the Missouri Historical Society prepares to host public forums on the project this week and in March, the memorial itself is home to more hard hats than war relics. Blank walls with large slits cut for installing air cooling and heating systems will eventually showcase stories and artifacts from St. Louisans experiences in war.

Its all going to be brought to life by the stories of individual St. Louisans, said Karen Goering, managing director of administration and operations at the Historical Society.

The final exhibit plans are still in the works, museum spokeswoman Leigh Walters said, but they will revolve around the buildup to and the aftermath of each world war. Up to 300 artifacts dating from the War of 1812 and up to the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will be featured.

Former office space under the building has been cleared, and concrete will soon be laid for what will be a new exhibition space. Walters said the new space will host temporary exhibits.

Outside to the south, the Court of Honor prepares for the installation of a reflecting pool and the narrowing of Chestnut Avenue to integrate the two memorial spaces. The Court of Honor opened in 1948 to honor St. Louis dead from World War II, which totaled 2,573, Goering said.

Goering said 1,075 St. Louisans died in World War I.

The Court of Honor will also include new memorials for locals who fought in other American wars. Goering said the Historical Society hopes to include those from the entire St. Louis area, not only from within the city.

When Soldiers Memorial opened, most people who might say they were from St. Louis actually lived in the city, and we know thats not the case now, Goering said.

The skeleton of a new elevator shaft in the east wing is a sign of the improved access to come. Ramp access for the disabled was previously only offered at the back entrance, but a second ramp for the front will fix what museum officials called unacceptable.

Disabled veterans shouldnt have to use the back entrance to get into a war memorial, Goering said.

The imposing sculptures on the corners of the north and south staircases look refreshed after a cleaning removed years of coal soot and dirt. They were done by famous St. Louisan Walker Hancock, one of the real life Monuments Men whose story was used as inspiration for John Goodmans character in the 2014 film.

Museum officials said they hope the finished product both within and outside the building strikes a quiet, reflective tone. Whereas the downtown block occupied by the Court of Honor and Soldiers Memorial between 14th and 13th streets previously hosted all sorts of events, Walters said they want the space to always draw attention to what it represents.

This is a reverent space, Walters said.

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