Steinberg at the Glade

Our nonprofit conservancy and the City of St. Louis are proud to unveil the world-class designs for the Glade.

Imagine the Glade will invite visitors to experience Forest Park like never before! This community-driven project will restore Steinberg Rink and transform its 22.5-acre surroundings into an all-season destination, improving access to eastern Forest Park and providing year-round activity at the previously winter-centric amenity.

Steinberg Reimagined

The Steinberg Pavilion and Rink has been providing ice skating memories for individuals and families since 1957. Nearly 70 years old, the rink and building are in need of extensive repairs, with several aging systems, including the ice refrigeration and the building’s HVAC needing complete replacement. The building also experiences frequent leaks from the rooftop, which does not serve its purpose as a terrace.

Now Forest Park Forever is partnering with the City of St. Louis to develop a vision that will transform the complex and its surroundings into an all-season destination so more visitors can access Forest Park and make new memories year-round. This proposed transformation is inspired by the Forest Park Master Plan (pp. 395-6), which was approved by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen in 1995, and calls for Steinberg “to operate as an all-season, lighted . . . recreation support facility,” and challenged Park stewards to dream bigger, by imagining a recreational amenity that operates in all seasons.

The first steps to address this goal included a feasibility study in 2018, while three phases of community engagement have helped project leaders consider what would draw community members to the site in all seasons. With that public input, a recent amendment to the Master Plan suggested creating a cohesive space that knits together built and natural spaces around the site.

In 2021, Forest Park Forever began extensive regional outreach to engage as many people as possible regarding what they wanted to see at a year-round Steinberg. We began with the following project vision:

To reimagine 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.

Since then, over 6,000 people have provided feedback regarding what programs/activities and amenities they would like to see at Steinberg during all four seasons. Below are updated preliminary concepts reflecting that input, as well as a new community survey to help the project team as we continue this exciting project.

Preliminary Concepts

Steinberg History

The Steinberg Pavilion and Rink opened in November 1957 thanks to a donation from the Steinberg Charitable Trust. The rink is open for ice skating between Mid-November and February, including holidays.    

Izaiah Johnson Photography

Share with us a memory you have of Steinberg Rink. Please upload a picture, short video, or provide a written submission to be shared on this landing page. Your personal experience is an important part of Steinberg’s history. Thanks for sharing!   

The Steinberg project is being led by a design team comprised of architects, engineers, and consultants. With input from the community, they are creating a range of conceptual designs toward the goal of one preferred design concept: Snow Kreilich Architects is the design architect, Hoerr Schaudt is the landscape architect, and Christner Architects is the architect of record.

The project team also includes: 

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