17-acre experiential destination is in the final phase of construction, with an anticipated opening in late spring 2021

Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis Parks Division are pleased to provide the St. Louis community with a special update about the forthcoming 17-acre Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape in Forest Park.

Located in the heart of Forest Park near the World’s Fair Pavilion, the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape is an experiential green space built to enable visitors, especially children, to connect with nature and engage their senses as they explore, discover and learn. The destination features nine distinct activity areas — including Mounds, a Spring, a Meadow, a Wetland and more — and a series of accessible paths and boardwalks that connect them. Funded by donors to the nonprofit conservancy Forest Park Forever (see below for more detail), the project began construction in spring 2019.

With today’s announcement, Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis Parks Division are pleased to provide an update to the community on construction and the anticipated late spring 2021 opening, acknowledge the generous lead donor that made this project possible and share the Nature Playscape’s official name.

Timeline for Opening
The Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape is in the final phase of construction, and Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis anticipate a late spring 2021 opening for the St. Louis community. Forest Park Forever and the City will work together to ensure that the site opens to visitors with the proper health and safety protocols and guidelines in place. Between now and late spring, Forest Park Forever will lead the final construction efforts, provide ongoing updates through our website and social media and offer sneak peeks of the site, perhaps virtually or through limited, properly distanced small-group tours. (Community members can sign up to be alerted when virtual or limited in-person tour opportunities are announced at forestparkforever.org/playscape or at the bottom of this release) 

Watch a special announcement from Forest Park Forever’s President and Executive Director Lesley Hoffarth, recorded with the proper safety protocols in place.

Construction Highlights
Construction on the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape began in spring 2019 to transform what had been 17 acres of mowed grass into natural landscapes with native and diverse plant species, water-based activity areas and more. Thus far, the crews have:

• Installed 36,000 perennials and grasses and 671 shrubs

• Planted 300 new and transplanted trees

• Constructed nearly 1 mile of ADA-accessible paved paths as well as accessible wood chip paths

• Constructed 4 new wooden boardwalks

• Installed 1,500 tons of Missouri limestone boulders and ledge rock

• Installed 30 tons of sand for new sand box play areas

• Installed 5 water pumps and 2 boot-washing stations

• Installed 1,500 wooden stump steppers, made from fallen or hazard trees

• Built dozens of benches, made from fallen or hazard local trees

• Installed 7 new bike racks and 3 drinking fountains at the entrance areas

Between now and spring 2021, Forest Park Forever will complete important work, including: 


• Reestoring areas that were damaged during heavy 2020 storms

• Planting shrubs and trees in the northern activity areas

• Installing a comprehensive wayfinding signage system

• Completing final chip-and-seal coating of paved asphalt paths

• Nurturing recently planted beds to ensure a successful first year of growth

Playscape Donor Support
The Anne O'C. Albrecht Nature Playscape has been funded by generous donors to Forever: The Campaign for Forest Park’s Future, Forest Park Forever's $139 million capital and endowment fundraising effort that was completed in 2017, as well as additional generous donors who supported the project through 2019. The lead gift for the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape was provided by the Albrecht Family Foundation.

“It has been truly amazing to see the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape take shape over the past year and a half,” said Lesley S. Hoffarth, P.E., President and Executive Director of Forest Park Forever. “From our early community engagement to ongoing conversations with local educators and families, we know how excited the community is for this experiential new destination. I would like to thank the Albrecht Family Foundation for their extraordinary support of this project, as well as the additional leadership donors who have made it possible. We can’t wait to cut the ribbon in 2021 and begin seeing the St. Louis community enjoy this wonderful new space.”

“We know how important outdoor spaces have been to the St. Louis community this year,” said Greg Hayes, Director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry for the City of St. Louis. “Having witnessed the transformation of the site so far, I know the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape will be a terrific addition not just to Forest Park but to our entire region. I would like to thank the Albrecht Family Foundation and the additional donors who have supported this project. All of us in the Parks Division look forward to celebrating the opening next spring.”

“We are so proud of our mother,” said Barry Albrecht, Director of the Albrecht Family Foundation and son of Anne O’C. Albrecht, who lives in St. Louis with her husband, Doug. “After raising three boys, it has been a joy for us to see her surrounded by her grandchildren. And as a family, we are deeply appreciative of Forest Park and the ways in which it brings all of St. Louis together. A play space filled with smiling and laughing kids that is accessible to everyone just seemed like the perfect tribute.”  Visit forestparkforever.org/playscape to see photographs and videos from the first year and a half of construction, read updates about the project and express interest in virtual or limited in-person sneak peek opportunities over the winter and early spring

About Forest Park Forever
Founded in 1986, Forest Park Forever is a private nonprofit conservancy that works in partnership with the City of St. Louis and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park as one of America’s greatest urban public parks. Forest Park Forever has led major fundraising efforts to restore many landmark destinations in Forest Park, including the Emerson Grand Basin, the Boathouse and the Jewel Box.

In 2017, the organization completed a major fundraising campaign securing $139 million for Park restoration projects and an expanded endowment. Today, Forest Park Forever maintains Forest Park with the City of St. Louis; raises funds for and helps manage capital restoration projects called for in the Forest Park Master Plan; delivers experiential educational opportunities to teachers, students and adults; and provides information and guides for the Park’s 13 million annual visitors. Not part of the Zoo-Museum Tax District, Forest Park Forever is supported by private donations from throughout the community, including its 7,000 members, 1,100 volunteers and many leading community and corporate partners.

About Forest Park
Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri, is considered one of the nation’s greatest urban public parks. The Park’s 1,300 acres feature beautiful landscapes sprinkled with forests, ecosystems, nature reserves, lakes and streams, as well as five of the region’s major cultural institutions and endless opportunities for recreation. Forest Park attracts 13 million visitors each year, making it the sixth most visited urban park in the United States. In 2016, Forest Park was voted the #1 City Park in the country by readers of USA Today.