Steinberg Reimagined Concepts Shared at Community Open House

A few weeks ago, our design team shared conceptual renderings for the first time of Steinberg Reimagined at both an in-person community open house and a virtual open house. Sharing the renderings provided visitors with a sense of the possible activities for Steinberg’s future and to spark visitor input. The event is part of an ongoing process to transform Steinberg into a venue that Forest Park’s 13 million visitors can enjoy 12 months out of the year.

Open house survey: If you attended the open house on Oct. 8 or the virtual open house on Oct. 11, thank you for coming! A recording of the Oct. 11 Steinberg Reimagined Virtual Open House is available to watch below. If you haven’t yet filled out the survey, tell us what you think.

See more open house photos from Jennifer Korman here.

About the project

In 1957, the Steinberg Rink and Pavilion opened for the winter season in Forest Park, St. Louis. Inspired by a trip to Wollman Rink in New York City's Central Park, Etta Steinberg returned home with the desire to create an equally charming winter attraction for the St. Louis community. The philanthropically-minded Steinberg family of St. Louis donated most of the funding towards building what would become the Midwest's largest outdoor rink; $600,000 of the $1 million cost to build the project was donated by Etta to honor her late husband, Mark Steinberg. Architect Frederick Dunn designed the rink and pavilion, built into Forest Park's historic River Des Peres topography.

Since its opening, the rink has provided ice skating memories for individuals and families, holding a nostalgic place in cultural memory. Many reminisce about the venue being the go-to place to ice skate in decades past, which also underwent experimentation during summer months with various activities, including shuffleboard, volleyball, square dancing, and roller skating.

Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis began discussions in 2019 to revitalize the complex and surrounding grounds as an extension of the Forest Park Master Plan that was approved in 1995. The project's vision reimagines the Steinberg area as a place for all-season fun that is equitably, environmentally, and economically sustainable and inspires a variety of structured and unstructured activities that are welcoming to all. The current design plan is the result of feedback from more than 3,300 people through stakeholder interviews, online surveys, social media outreach, and in-person open houses to gather community input.

Many envision the future of the site to include enhanced green spaces, food and beverage kiosks, café seating areas, seasonal attractions, water features, and—of course—an improved rink showpiece to be used year-round. The design team is currently creating conceptual designs to present in a community roadshow in Fall 2022.

Project Team

Steinberg Reimagined is being led by a design team comprised of architects, engineers, and consultants. With input from the community, we are creating a range of conceptual designs toward the goal of one preferred design concept.

Christner Architects – project manager and architect of record

Snow Kreilich Architects – design architect

Hoerr Schaudt – landscape architect

Vector Communications – community engagement

HR&A Advisors – marketing and economic analysis

B32 Engineering Group – ice rink engineers

Fluidity – water feature design specialist

Studio NYL – structural engineer and facade consultant

David Mason & Associates – civil engineering

McClure Engineering – MEPFP engineering

Dennis G. Glore, Inc. – food service consultant

RIV Design – recreation planning and programming consultant

Shantel Blakely, PHD and Nora McCauley, MFA - cultural historians