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From Missouri Outdoor

Henry H. Laumeier Sculpture Park

Contemporary Art In An Outdoor Setting

By Conor Watkins

Henry H. Laumeier Park, located at 12580 Rott Rd. in Sunset Hills, is a relatively small but unique outdoor preserve featuring a variety of modern contemporary sculptures and other art. This 98-acre park features around 450 works of contemporary art. This includes about 79 outdoor sculptures, 66 indoor sculptures, 39 maquettes (small sculptures and models of larger sculptures), 52 book arts, and 190 pieces of flat art. All of this is scattered among 98 acres of grounds, an indoor art gallery, library, and gift shop.

Laumeier features multiple hiking trails through the woods and the open lawns/meadows of the park. None of these trails are very long and the outdoor portions of the park can easily be visited in 3-4 hours. The park is bounded on all sides by roads and residential development but seems relatively remote when one hikes the trails through the wooded valley. The park is in metropolitan St. Louis and only 12 miles from downtown, so the area is an island of non-urban land.

Some of the trails are handicapped accessible, while others are more rugged, but by no means difficult. The museum and restrooms in the park are also wheelchair accessible. Many of the larger sculptures feature a nearby maquette, or small-scale model, along with a Braille interpretation/description of the sculpture and its artist. In order to preserve the sculptures and make the park safe for visitors, climbing on the sculptures is not allowed.

Sculptures are scattered throughout the park and with some being in the woods. They made of everything from compacted earthwork, natural and processed lumber, aluminum, steel, fiberglass, glass/ceramics, stone, and concrete. Some sculptures are built of recycled materials (essentially old scrap metal) while others are made of material specifically meant for sculpture. Some sculptures such as "Orchard Valley" and "The Palm At The End Of The Parking Lot" build on of pre-existing structures, as in the Orchard Valley Pool Complex, and existing natural features such as an old dead tree.

The park's largest and most prominent sculpture is "The Way". This structure was built by Alexander Liberman in 1980 and was Laumeier's first sculpture of monumental proportions. It consists of 18 salvaged steel oil tanks welded together and painted red. "The Way" is 65 feet tall, 102 feet long, and weighs 50 tons. Due to its prominence, it has become symbolic of the park.

One of the park's more creative sculptures, Apiscaryatid, was created by both artist Garnett Puett and the honeybee. In the summer of 1987, Puett created a life size wax model of his wife, Whendi. He then attracted honeybees by enclosing a queen bee on top of the head. Visitors could observe the bees at work behind a Plexiglas enclosure. Today, the figure and associated honeycomb artwork are in the indoor art gallery at Laumeier.

Throughout the years, Laumeier has been home to some temporary sculptures only meant to last only a short period before being destroyed. These included a series of large and ornate sand castles in the 1980's and 1990's. Their lifespan was mostly dependent on the weather. The park hosted a large sculpture "Fire And Ice", for five winter seasons from 1987 to 1992. It consisted of a large stacking of enormous blocks of ice with a wooden interior. At nightfall, the wooden interior and other combustibles were lit on fire, melting the ice. As the ice structure melted and weakened from the heat, spectacular cracking and eventual collapse occurred.

The rest of the park's varying and numerous sculptures are not discussed in detail here. For write-ups of the sculptures and their authors, see references at the end of the article.

Special exhibitions visit Laumeier from time to time. These are located both indoors and outdoors depending on their nature and purpose. Past exhibitions have involved various art displays, performances by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and others, dances, and more. Some exhibitions request a nominal fee while others are free. Guided tours of Laumeier are available to groups at a cost of $1 per person. These walking tours last from 45 minutes to an hour. Reservations must be made for tours. For more information on tours and exhibits, visit www.laumeier.com or call the park at 314-821-1209, as more information and phone numbers are provided.

The landscape of Laumeier Park began to take place sometime before 1916. Prior to this time Mr. Joseph Griesedieck, owner of Falstaff Brewing and president of Vahlaus Reality owned the land. He had the old stone springhouse built over Red Bud Springs, which he also named. This interesting historical feature is unique even though the spring has bypassed the structure by flowing through a lower outlet. Water does flow in the actual springhouse after heavy rains. The terrain under Laumeier is karst. Many small caves and springs are present in the area, although some were destroyed during the construction of nearby interstate highways I-44 and I-270. Although the exact date of construction is not known, this springhouse predates all other buildings discussed in this article and is the oldest known (to the author) permanent structure within the park.

Roland Kahle purchased 47.67 acres of land at the site in 1916 from Joseph Griesedieck. Kahle was associated with both the Ringen Stove Company and the Quick Meal Stove Company. These two companies later merged to form the American Stove Company in 1901. Kahle constructed the stone house serving as the park headquarters today. In 1931 he had the stone garage built and the gatehouse was built in 1936. Mr. Kahle died in 1938 of heart disease and his wife sold the home and property to Henry H. Laumeier in 1940.

Henry Laumeier was the son of Christine and Herman Laumeier. Herman operated a wholesale shoe business in St. Louis and was instrumental in the operation of two banks. He founded the United Bank And Trust Company. Henry Laumeier married Matilda Cramer in 1941 and settled at the house on Rott Rd. after moving from a house on South Grand in St. Louis City. At this time, it was common for the wealthy citizens of St. Louis to buy country estates to escape pollution and the hustle of the city. Members of the Lemp and Busch families, both large brewers of beer, also lived nearby at the time.

The Laumeiers made minor modifications to the house and bought more land adjacent to their current estate. This brought their total land holding up to 72 acres. Henry died at the home in December 1959 at eighty-three years of age.

Wayne C. Kennedy, director of the St. Louis County Department of Parks And Recreation, searched the St. Louis area for rural lands to add to the park system in the early 1960's. Such areas were being developed and disappearing at the time. Relatives of Henry suggested that Kennedy talk to Matilda about obtaining her land. Matilda Laumeier and Wayne Kennedy first met in 1963. Kennedy wrote, "Sights like these must spur the efforts of all of us who love a tree." The two developed a positive relationship and Kennedy later suggested that Matilda will the property to department for use as a park. The Laumeiers always maintained their property so that it had a very park like appearance.

She was enthusiastic to the idea of leaving her land for park use but wanted the park to maintain the general character of the old estate. Matilda didn't want playing fields constructed. Instead she wanted features such as a formal garden, a conservatory building, and plantings to fit the trees and meadows at the site. When she died in 1968 at the age of 86, she left her home and property, which was valued at $500,000, and $25,000 to convert the area to a park to St. Louis County in memory of her husband.

The park was opened in 1975 with a nature theme and received very few visitors. It was the least visited of the county parks from 1975 to 1976. This was due to the fact that there were rolling lawns, few facilities, and not much to do at the time. Kennedy left the park in much the same condition as when it was first acquired. The Twin Lakes Golf Club offered to sell 27 adjoining acres to the county the same year but the county was unable to purchase the land. The county did end up buying 4.5 more acres along Rott Rd. which included a house used for the park supervisor to reside and a small strip of land donated by the Peace Haven Association. The park grew to 76 acres with these additions.

In 1975, Ernest Trova made an offer to give large sculptures to create a sculpture park and gallery at the site. The original idea was to temporarily place his completed works at a specified location on a loan basis. Queeny Park near Manchester and Vouziers, the former home of Joseph Desloge in North County were considered but Laumier was picked due to it being relatively undeveloped. This gave the artists a clean slate to create a sculpture park and few other activities to disturb the art. He liked the area so much that he decided to give the park many sculptures instead of just lending them. Other galleries in New York and Boston heard of the idea and suggested that other artists be included. Trova formally offered his resources on Dec 11, 1975 to the people of St. Louis County and stated that the proposed sculpture park "would be in the tradition of the Kroller-Muller Museum in Holland and the Storm King Center in New York." His gift consisted of forty sculptures and other materials, all with an estimated value of around a million dollars. It was accepted the following March by the St. Louis County Council. Laumeier opened as a sculpture park on July 7, 1976, with the old stone house being an indoor art gallery and library.

At first, there were around 40 works of art only by Trova. The county and a non-profit group of community sponsors worked to have art from other nationally and internationally known artists lent and donated to Laumeier Sculpture Park. Their efforts have been successful and Laumeier is considered to be a world-class sculpture park.

The park, which was hardly known before, soon became a popular St. Louis attraction. It was receiving local and international recognition within months. The collection of sculptures continued to grow as other artists donated and lent works to the park. Laumeier to 96 acres in size in August 1986 when a voter approved bond issue provided funding to purchase an additional 20 acres adjacent to Laumeier. The park had previously leased some of this land.

The ruin of a swimming pool complex, once part of an estate named "Orchard Valley", which belonged to the Hedenkamp family, is also part of Laumeier. This area, in the northeast part of the park was once a cow pasture and stock pond. The Hedenkamps built a house nearby and converted the pond into a stone and concrete swimming pool. An article, "Old Pond Converted Into A Delightful Swimming Pool" published in the August 4, 1934 edition of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat highlighted the project. One can tell that this large stone and concrete swimming pool was spectacular in its time. During the early 1980's, artist Mary Miss built decking and trellises of treated lumber around pool to create her work titled "Orchard Valley."

In 1977, the City of Sunset Hills Board of Alderman stated that the sculpture at Laumeier belonged in a nearby auto salvage yard. While some viewed the modern sculpture as an eyesore or simply junk, the park continued to grow in popularity. Much attention was brought to the park by this controversy. Such controversy is typical when dealing with public art in general and almost guaranteed when dealing modern-contemporary art.

In 1987, the park received accreditation by American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest recognition available for museums. This makes in the only contemporary sculpture park in the country to receive such as award. Of the 8,500 museums nationwide, only 800 have received this accreditation from the AAM. Programs, finances, and service to the community are all factors considered when giving this award.

When Mrs. Matilda Laumeier willed her estate to St. Louis County, she wanted her land used to create a unique park that would preserve the general nature of the property without the typical playing fields. The final result would probably exceed her best expectations and wildest imaginations if she were alive today. Although it took years, her estate developed into a unique cultural attraction that continues to draw people and international attention year after year. Laumeier Sculpture Park continues to evolve and attract new works of art.

To get to Henry H. Laumeier Sculpture Park from Rolla, take I-44 east to the Watson Rd. Exit (exit 276). Turn right (south) on Geyer Rd. soon after exiting. Follow Geyer Rd. until it ends at Rott Rd. Turn right again and follow to Laumeier Sculpture Park (on the left) at 12580 Rott Rd.

Thanks to the good people of Laumeier Sculpture Park for providing verbal and written information on the park and the City Of Sunset Hills - History for information used in this article.

Also used were the publications "Laumeier Sculpture Park - First Decade 1976-1986" and "Laumeier Sculpture Park - Second Decade 1986-1996" published by Laumeier Sculpture Park. Both of these contain write-ups on the art and artists of Laumeier Sculpture Park. These books are available in many libraries are for sale at the Laumeier gift shop.