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The museum portico is aglow with downlighting produced by compact cylinder luminaries (Gardco 300 line). Narrow-beam designer spotlights (Gardco) accent the upper frieze. Bega architectural floodlights are employed on both sides of the portico to illuminate the columns from the perimeter.
After 100 years, the grounds surrounding the Saint Louis Art Museum, the jewel of the town?EUR??,,????'?????<
The museum provided $12 million for improvements to Art Hill and nearby areas, including reconstruction of Fine Arts Drive in the front of the museum between the front stairway and the statue of St. Louis; the street and the area around the landmark statue is now paved with granite; construction of two curved, tree-lined promenades, extending about 250 yards in each direction from the statue of St. Louis to the existing circular parking areas; construction of scenic overlooks near the expanded circular parking areas; landscaping of the two promenades and of the entire area with ornamental trees and decorative lighting; and new parking adjacent to the scenic overlooks.
Atop the highest elevation in Forest Park, the Saint Louis Art Museum exhibits grandeur and prominence. As part of a park-wide restoration plan, the Saint Louis Art Museum regained its stature as the focal point of the 1,293-acre park. The museum, then known as the Art Palaces, designed by architect Cass Gilbert, was the centerpiece of the 1904 World?EUR??,,????'?????<
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The Art Museum site underwent various iterations. The approach to the museum was intersected by a major automobile thoroughfare. The museum?EUR??,,????'?????<
At dusk the Art Museum building and grounds transform into a special place for evening events and strolls. The design team, led by SWT Design, approached the project as a comprehensive piece of art to help guide the park user?EUR??,,????'?????<
One of the original Art Museum?EUR??,,????'?????<
Ascending Fine Arts Drive, you?EUR??,,????'?????<
Entering the plaza the museum, home to 30,000 art treasures, is simply aglow with a variety of wide-spread up-lights and narrow beam lighting to accent the upper frieze and the monumental east and west wings flanking the entrance. The museum commands a significant presence throughout the park at nighttime providing visitors with a landmark fitting of its scale and beauty. As part of the grand entry plaza, a sculpture of King Louis IX (aka St. Louis, the only canonized king of France) becomes the centerpiece and extends the museum?EUR??,,????'?????<
The parking lot lighting presented another challenging objective. A general illumination of two- foot candles was provided over the entire parking area for safety and security. However, it was a priority for the museum to have more control over this lighting pattern and electricity usage. During special events the parking lot fixtures can be switched to allow five-foot candlepower, which helps ensure visitor safety and security. During the day, the clean and simple selected fixtures blend into the landscape; at night, high cut-off lenses avoid excessive light trespass to other portions of the park.
Lighting played a significant roll to the success of the project not only serving a function but as an artful expression of site design. The attention to detail, color, safety and its place in history serves as a reminder for collaborative design between landscape architects and lighting designers. It is without a doubt that the transformation of Art Hill and the Saint Louis Art Museum is a success, day or night, bringing enjoyment to millions of park visitors.
The Saint Louis Art Museum provided $12 million for improvements to the museum grounds and Art Hill.
These funds were used in conjunction with a share of the $100 million alloted for a park-wide revitalization to commemorate the centennial of the 1904 World?EUR??,,????'?????< Extending east and west from the museum plaza are two gentle sweeping curving promenades of limestone chat. Formal allees of maple trees and limestone benches line the paths, whose combined length is 714 feet. The paths descend 16 feet down Art Hill. The project area covered approximately 21 acres.
The project area covered approximately 21 acres.
The improvements called for:
The design team conducted extensive research on the layout of the 1904 World?EUR??,,????'?????<
Twin pedestrian promenades of limestone chat radiate from the statue of Saint Louis. Formal allees of maple trees and limestone benches lines the paths. The paths end at symmetrical sculpture termini allowing park users the opportunity to enjoy the views back to the museum and down the hill to the Grand Basin. The promenades are further defined by six-foot tall American Holly hedges. The hedges have an additional purpose of screening the new, adjacent, parking lots. The parking lots are designed to reduce the visual impact to park users while allowing direct access to the Museum and promenade. The grand scale of the space called for simple, large-scale plantings which provide a striking contrast to the picturesque beauty of the Park.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Client
SWT Design, Inc., Landscape Architects
Randy Burkett Lighting Design Studio, Lighting Design Randy Burkett, Principal Designer
HOK Lighting Tom Kaczkowski, Lighting Consultant
McClure Engineering, Electrical Engineering Phil Wentz, PE
St. Louis City Parks and Recreation Department Gary Bess, Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry
Lighting Fixture Vendors:
Lighting Vendors
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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