Courtesy of Forest Park Forever
Rendering of potential design direction for a reimagined Steinberg
Chances are, if you grew up in St. Louis, you have cozy winter memories of ice-skating with your family at the Steinberg Pavilion and Rink in Forest Park. In the future, your happy family memories at Steinberg might not be limited to just the cold season. Opened in 1957, Steinberg is the largest outdoor ice-skating rink in the Midwest, and it was one of the first racially integrated public venues in the city. Now, 65 years on, Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis are teaming up to reimagine Steinberg, turning it into an all-seasons destination, and the duo has shared an update on what the complex could soon look like. St. Louis Magazine chatted with Lesley S. Hoffarth, Forest Park Forever’s president and executive director, to learn more about the nonprofit’s vision for the wintertime gem.
- According to Hoffarth, Forest Park Forever has surveyed more than 4,000 St. Louisans about what they would like to see at Steinberg.
- The most common responses are a place to roller-skate, learn-to-skate programs, lawn and other outdoor games, more food and beverage options, and events such as outdoor markets, live music, and outdoor movies. The concepts reflect those most-requested items and also included a rooftop café and terrace and a warming area for the wintertime.
- Another standout item that Forest Park Forever wants to offer is an interactive water feature. “This space is pretty hot in the summertime," Hoffarth says. “Shade and something to help cool off is important.”
- The design architect for the project is Snow Kreilich Architects, the same firm that worked on the new Centene Stadium in Downtown West.
- The feeling the new space will evoke is critical to the Forest Park Forever team. “I personally want it to feel warm, inviting, and interesting,” Hoffarth says. “I want to walk by and think, Wow, this is a super-cool place, and look at all of these people doing all these fun things. This is a place I want to stop and then come back again and again. And we want every person who visits to feel like they belong there. I feel like in the in the wintertime, when it's ice-skating time, it has that vibe. There's an energy. It’s full of people every day. It’s loud and fun. The other eight-ish months of the year, it's just vacant.”
- The welcoming aspect of the project is crucial to Forest Park Forever, especially because Steinberg was one of the first racially integrated public spaces in the city. “As we look at the value statement for our project, it really is to honor that forward-thinking idea for that time—that this should be a space that is open and accessible to everyone in the community,” Hoffarth says. “We take that value very seriously.”
- There are still opportunities to register your thoughts on a reimagined Steinberg. A virtual open house will take place Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. You can register here. You can also share your feedback in a survey here.
- Preliminary concepts will also be placed at the following locations:
October 11–17:
3309 S. Grand
Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, 1–5 p.m.
1050 Smith
Monday–Friday, 6:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
1515 N. Kingshighway
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.
October 18–24:
8001 Dale
Monday–Friday, 5:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
Saturday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Jackie Joyner Kersee Center
101 Jackie Joyner Kersee Circle, East St. Louis, IL
Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
1 Ballwin Commons Circle
Monday–Friday, 5:15 a.m.–9 p.m
Saturday & Sunday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
