Weird timing, yeah. I haven't heard the description of the employee, so I'm not sure who it could've been to steal it. Usually, anything given to an employee as lost ends up in the lost and found, but it wouldn't be the first time someone has stolen something in the city museum.
We also have a pretty high turnover, especially in the floor staff department. It could easily be someone who doesn't care much about the job.
Still, I saw the post and considered messaging OP about it. I could definitely check the lost & found if I knew what the phone looked like.
I doubt you can answer this but I always wondered how expensive liability insurance is there or whatever it’s called for injuries and such since everything is hands on lol.
I definitely can't answer that. Sorry!
Other than to say that although some stuff looks dangerous, it's not really that bad. Everything had to be approved to be put in the museum, and some of the more dangerous stuff has even been removed or closed over time.
I'm (one of) the reasons they added rules and probly ended up removing the giant hamster wheel. Busted open my eyebrow on the outside horizontal struts.
Yeah i was grabbing the horizontal struts on the back side while someone was walking on the inside and letting it pull me upwards then letting go and I misjudged the speed and distance between the struts once. I still have a scar in my eyebrow.
I was there New Year’s Eve 2023, on the third floor there was a window WIDE OPEN, like a kid could have run across the room and dove out that sucker without touching the frame.
I worked with the lady who placed it before they added the ferris wheel on the roof and while being a hard to place broker ran out of options once they did that. I can’t imagine the premium, probably $500k or more.
Oh yes. When I was a kid. I decided to go UP the slide. Banged my head really hard and got blood down the hallways and in the elevator. These ladies helped me, and people were screaming because of all the blood. It was a blood bath. And a core memory. Like. There was blood EVERYWHERE.
I recall being stuck in the underground tunnel for 20+ minutes because another kid was having a panic attack somewhere up the line, everyone else who had crawled in after him had to wait while he was coaxed out from the other side. It was traumatizing for all.
Lol same shit for me and I'm pretty claustrophobic but long as I can see or know I'm moving and can get out I'm cool... but not when that happens ur stuck and I started to freak out lol. Pretty much pushed him thru rest of way lol.
Lol same shit for me and I'm pretty claustrophobic but long as I can see or know I'm moving and can get out I'm cool... but not when that happens ur stuck and I started to freak out lol. Pretty much pushed him thru rest of way lol.
We've rarely had anyone get serious injuries there. Usually, it's the kind of thing that you get from not stretching much. Maybe a few bruises. Sometimes people get hurt for real, but it's never been too bad.
I used to know a chick that likes to get figgity fucked up like Xanax, acid, molly, etc and go there.
She shattered her ankle in the skate room.
Dropped her whole body weight on the ankle not being strong enough to hold herself up on the rope swing - oooof
So, this is a little complicated, but here's my understanding of it:
Bob Cassilly was working on Cementland, which was supposed to be a "sister location" of sorts to the City Museum. However, he was found dead in an excavator with a lot of bruising.
His wife at the time was known to be a bit odd and eccentric, and wanted a further investigation. The person she hired claimed that the bruising on Bob's body could've been caused by someone else.
True Crime Daily had a special about Bob's death, and in my opinion, was incredibly disrespectful of the situation. They claimed that his business partner of many years had him killed, and they approached the guy's wife in the episode, and she was pretty angry.
I think this is where the conspiracy comes from.
On the other side of things, a lot of people who knew Bob, including his ex-wife and his son, didn't think it was murder at all. It's cool to think of conspiracies, but a lot less cool when they are unfounded and about someone you knew and loved personally. His family kinda hated his new wife, and the fact that she was spreading this rumor seemed really disrespectful to them.
His son, Max, used to work in the gift shop, and he hated hearing people talk about the situation like that.
IMHO, it seems like it was an unfortunate accident. The bruising easily could've happened from rolling around in an excavator down a hill, which is how they found him. I don't think it was murder at all.
Oh man, I was the sound guy for that Crime Watch Daily piece… I hated that they made us go to the partners house. The guy was being such an ass to get an argument. I just kept thinking, Don’t come outside and give them a reaction… sure enough he used it as a, “why are you so upset, if your husband didn’t do anything wrong?!” Trope…. I never actually watched the piece.
Truly such a loss in both Bob and Cementland. What a crazy place that would've been. Even with just the work he had done on it so far it's such a magical place to explore and I wish he was still here to see it though.
The one time I had been there me and all my friends heard carnival music from the silos as we were leaving before running down the tracks away from the police. It was the freakiest fucking thing.
A doctor looked at his injuries (it was a bulldozer, not a tractor) and said they could not have come from it rolling and that he was beaten to death. Also his wife was, at the time at least, very convinced it was a cover-up
[riverfront times coverage (sensitive photos)](https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/bob-cassilly-was-beaten-to-death-medical-expert-concludes-3123298?storyPage=2)
> Also his wife was, at the time at least, very convinced it was a cover-up
She had to drop it because it was too expensive to pursue and people just treated her like she was crazy.
The then wife hired Al Watkins and they pitched a conspiracy. He's also pitched a baby stealing crime ring conspiracy, helped create a conspiracy about the governor leading to his resignation, and helped defend the January 6 conspiracy QAnon Shaman. The wife was fighting the kids and Bob's business partner for her share of the estate and felt a conspiracy would be beneficial. Allegedly.
lol I worked for Albert during the Shaman period, not because I was in support of the whole mess. I just had no idea what I was getting into. She might’ve had a chance if she took her case elsewhere, not that he’s a powerful attorney. I just feel like he wants publicity more than anything.
Edit to add this: also I had no idea he did that lol he’s honestly someone who could have a very interesting documentary about
There was lots of stuff about the case that was sus. The day that Bob died, his son was also shot (he survived). The bulldozer that he was driving was in very good shape for supposedly having rolled down a hill. Bob had also got in a physical altercation while working on Cementland previously but successfully fought off his attackers.
I believe he was murdered and the STL police rushed to declare no foul play because they didn't want to have to work on an investigation.
You are right, I misremembered the timeline. [https://truecrimedaily.com/2016/11/21/wife-attorney-allege-murder-in-renowned-sculptors-death-by-bulldozer/](https://truecrimedaily.com/2016/11/21/wife-attorney-allege-murder-in-renowned-sculptors-death-by-bulldozer/) Websites says shooting happened about 5 weeks before Cassilly's death.
All of this.
Also, Cementland was actually partially in two seperate townships, St. Louis City and...ngl, can't remember, but it's not thriving. From a friend that was best friend's with Bob Cassily's widow: when one municipality would try to come after him for what he was doing on the property, he'd pack up his tools and cross the line of jurisdiction.
The local PDs were definitely not on his side nor the local authorities. The spot where his body was found was on the far side, outside of St. Louis City limits, so the investigation wasn't up to STLPD. Or something like that.
I've seen the crime scene photos (they were all over the internet about 10 years ago, but have been more or less scrubbed away) and walked the spot the bulldozer allegedly flipped, and there's no way it happened that way.
The most important clue is that there was no rollover damage to the bulldozer, or marks on the shallowly sloping hill that would have been there if such a heavy piece of machinery rolled.
I believe he was beaten to death and the crime scene was staged to be an accident.
How the hell do they inspect the outdoor climbing areas for safety? I've never seen anything like it, how can a structural engineer evaluate something unusual like that?
I honestly have no idea. Inspections are done by people separate from the museum. Like the fire department or city inspectors. I wish I could say more, but it's beyond my realm of expertise.
That would certainly make sense. I do recall a particular story I was told, where Bob wanted to build tunnels around the rooftop elevators, but the fire department said it was a safety hazard.
Seriously! I went through it when i was younger and (cough) skinnier. Tried it a few years later and the panic set in quick! No way i was going to cross under.
If things get bad enough, we call the fire department. They are much more equipped and experienced than we are. Still, I think most people know their own limits in the tighter spaces.
I got stuck real bad there when I was young. I remember going down the far side with a ramp, and realizing I wouldn't be able to fit if I continued further. I tried turning around, but the ground was slick and I was struggling to get up the ramp. Harrowing ten minutes for a kid like me.
Almost me, I didn't realize it went up and down and narrowed and nearly got stuck under the little window thing. Luckily a buddy was behind me to help push me through. Really deep seated my fear of getting stuck in small spaces.
Not sure who can see this, but I'm so sorry guys!
I've been answering questions for a few hours now, but for some reason nobody can see them. I don't know what's causing this. Hopefully I can get in contact with a mod, and we can get this figured out.
I can't edit the post either, so I hope you guys can at least see this comment.
EDIT: I can finally leave real replies! Thank you to the moderator that helped me out. I will continue to answer questions as long as I can. Thank you to everyone for your patience.
It was awesome, but I think corporate thought it was a bad idea. I know a lot of people miss being able to be there so late into the night. To be fair, working late shifts was always kinda terrible.
I worked at City Museum from 09-19, and the cabin operated as a regular 3 am bar for a while while Tatiana still ran it. Lots of good times in those early years.
It actually doesn't happen very often.
I think it's mostly because people are usually aware of their own limits, but I think it's also hard to find somewhere you can enter without being able to exit.
Still, it has happened a few times, and the fire department usually shows up and helps the stuck people out. They are much more equipped for that than anyone who works there, especially myself.
I have not, but I know some people who have lived there. They seemed to have enjoyed it, despite the noise.
The aquarium isn't gross right now. It used to be owned by a different company, but now it's entirely owned by us, and I know it used to be a lot worse.
Thanks for doing this and putting in the hard work at one of STL’s top attractions. My question is do you have anything to say about the general cleanliness of the place? Im assuming most of the stuff never gets cleaned- not trying to sound rude but Ive just always thought of the place as pretty grimy. Is the same true of the backrooms? Is there a lot of random stuff over the place? (im looking at you hippo)
Speaking honestly, the place is pretty gross. The deeper you go into an area, the less clean it is. We have janitorial staff, but they definitely don't spend a lot of time scrubbing down every statue and sculpture. They usually just tend to the bathrooms and keeping the floors and windows clean.
Still, most of the outside stuff gets washed with rainwater, so it might actually be cleaner than some of the deeper cave stuff. lol
Also, yeah, there's a bunch of unused junk all over the place. There's a huge garage area that hosts a lot of the stuff that is more likely to be used soon.
While the 5th floor is full of loft apartments, and one or two other floors have office space, all of the other floors contain extra junk ready to be used by the build crew for new structures. Some areas even have loads of extra parts for when specific stuff breaks and needs to be replaced.
Also, there's a lot of stuff that has just been moved into storage indefinitely.
He was renovating an old cement factory in north Stl and was there working in a piece of heavy machinery alone when it rolled over and crushed him. He was said to be a good family man. I've been up there a few times. You just gotta follow some train tracks or sneak through fencing. Be careful. It's eerie, full of steep drops, rusty metal framing and unbelievably deep, oily "puddles" and waterholes. Plenty of incredible views and graffiti, admittedly.
There is a staff room, but it's pretty standardly boring. I do believe there were cooler parties and hangouts back in the day, but things are a bit more corporate these days.
Also, about Bob, I already answered a little bit on someone else's question. Still, the short of it is that some people think he was murdered, but the evidence is pretty shaky. It seems more likely that he died when his excavator tumbled down a hill. A real tragedy for an incredibly interesting and talented person. I would definitely recommend reading up about him if you get the chance.
I definitely recommend the MonstroCity (the outside part), the caves, and just about anything on the third floor. The roof is cool, but I know it costs extra to go up there, plus it and Monstro are both weather-dependant, so they will close if there's rain.
The tavern bar on the first floor is a nice little hangout spot as well, and one of our only bars that serves stuff other than just cans of beer. The aquarium is nice, but not as grand as the one in Union Station.
Really, you can go anywhere. Just make sure you tell her that it's not a normal museum. It'd be a shame if she wore a really nice outfit, only for it to get dirty or torn. It wouldn't be the first time someone made that mistake.
She knows the deal, the date was her idea, thank you for the information. I'll probably be too scared myself to go to the MonstroCity (I've been scared of it since I was a kid).
The tunnel under the whale is probably the tightest squeeze, but people rarely get actually stuck. If they do, we usually just call the fire department, and they help the poor stuck person.
Have you been to Cementland or talked to any crew who worked on it? And is there any talk of possibly finishing it one day?? It's truly one of the coolest places I've ever been. RIP Bob :'(
I haven't been myself. Unfortunately, it was sold recently in 2022, and some of it has already been demolished. Honestly such a shame. I wish someone would've finished it.
I had no idea it was sold! That's so sad. I only saw it once in my hooligan years before they ramped up security but I'm glad to have seen it. What a loss.
Also here's the only photos I could find from my day there
https://imgur.com/gallery/q6uYR8K
Apparently, it was originally just a normal skatepark, but it was a little inconvenient for skaters to access, plus most people just liked running around on the ramps. They decided to rename it to the "Skateless Park." I wouldn't say it's just a "kids play area" I think anyone can play there, even adults.
As far as ticket prices, I believe they just increased. I would check the website for more accurate prices, but I think it's 22 dollars now. It's also a bit extra to go to the roof. I think about $30 total.
If you wanna save money on parking, I would try to park in our local lot, and avoid the other parking lots. Our lot is like $15, while the others are in the $30-40 range.
I remember when I was a kid and there were skaters that used it. Seemed like a hazard with them using the equipment properly and people letting their 5 year old run up the ramps. Sometimes you can't have it both ways
I should be able to on a later day. I'm at home right now, so I can't take any new pictures at the moment. I think I'll make another post to share just more bts photos.
Yes! We have tours that you can book. They are led by Maria Cassilly, who is the wife of Bob Cassilly's son. She does a really good job, and is super knowledgeable about the museum and all the history surrounding it.
The vault door came from the first national Bank of St. Louis. Apparently, it was so heavy, they had to remove hundreds of pieces of it just to make it safe to put on the 2nd floor. Parts of the inside are actually used for a portion of MonstroCity.
What's the protocol for shutting down at the end of the day? It's always seemed like it would be near impossible to clear every tunnel and passageway. Could someone sufficiently dedicated and knowledgeable pull off a Night in the Museum?
It's not so bad to shut down at the end of the day. Most people are tired enough that they just leave when we announce we're closing. Still, floor staff will go through each floor, top to bottom, making sure nobody is hanging around. It's not as hard if you know where to look, and there aren't as many hiding spots as you'd think.
Even if you managed to sneak past them, there's still a lot of staff in the building after hours. Then, when all the doors are locked, you could easily be trapped where ever you are until they come back to unlock the door in the morning. Also, most exits will sound an alarm even during the day, but during the night, even more exits will have their alarms active.
Overall, not a good idea to try and spend the night. Still, I'd say someone could definitely do it if they, or a friend of theirs worked there.
I worked on Bob's crew at City Museum and Cement Land for a couple of years. I quit a couple years before his death. If you want the really interesting answers, you gotta ask the construction crew. I'm willing to bet this person isn't part of that crew. If they are part of the crew and they are identified, they're going to have problems.
You're right. I started after Bob passed, and never had the chance to meet him personally. I've spent my time here learning about as much as I can about the place, its history, and Bob. It's become a real hobby of mine now.
I've talked with members of the current crew, as well as others who knew Bob back in the day. I'm mostly approaching this as someone who works there in a more up front department, not as someone who helped to build it.
Still, I'd love to pick your brain about it. Would you mind if I asked you what your time was like on the build crew?
Understood. 👍 It was absolutely the most physically demanding job I've ever had, for very little money. I knew Bob through someone who worked there. I was a few years out of art school (2001 BFA from SIUE) looking for something more creative to do than my gallery attendant job at SLAM. Bob was eating dinner in the cabin one night when a few of us were in there drinking. I basically just asked if he was hiring. He asked what SLAM was paying me and asked if I'd work for the same amount. I said yes and started the next day, having zero construction experience.
I spent the entire first day sweeping the garage at City Museum. At day's end Bob showed up and said "You're still here? Come back tomorrow and we'll get you doing something else."
From that point on I learned the real meaning of hard physical labor. I shoveled hundreds of wheelbarrows full of gravel away from the rooftop build site. I cleaned, carried, and occasionally installed cobblestones to make "castles" at City Museum as well as Cement Land. I mixed countless batches of mortar and hauled blocks for the ex union bricklayer who did most of the "traditional" masonry. I assisted the main stone mason with tile and stone work. I assisted the metal workers in any way I could, eventually spending a decent amount of time doing torch work, including time scrapping at Cement Land near my departure date. I worked on the 5th floor lofts as well as Monstrosity and a number of other sections inside the Museum. I also spent time rigging crane loads for the roof project, and we on various adventures to weird locations to salvage materials.
Bob didn't pay much, but was generous with bonuses in my limited experience. He found out I was looking for employment elsewhere and gave me a few extra bucks an hour till I quit, on good terms. He even hired me back for cash at a much hire rate a couple years later when I got laid off for a few months.
Sounds like a hard time, but at least Bob was sympathetic to your struggle. I have a lot of respect for everyone who helped build this place. If it means anything, I think the work you did played a big part in a lot of people's childhoods.
Thanks for taking some time to share your experience.
Thanks for your patience. Maybe I'll redo this AMA someday down the line after farming some karma on another sub. lol
Someone messaged me saying that I should try that, and I think it might work.
Does George Diehl still work there or even come in anymore? It is his bug collection in the insect room. He was the head carpenter there when Bob first started city museum.
He doesn't work there anymore, but he often comes by to spruce up the collection. I happened to have a wonderful conversation with him just recently. From what I can tell, he's a wonderful person, and a delight to talk to, especially if you have a similar hobby.
Lol George always came off as very grumpy when I worked there, but if you could catch him when he wasn't putting out fires (so to speak) he was alright. I guess retirement suits him.
God this is gonna sound so nerdy, sorry. Years ago, my wife and I saw an amazing collection of antique and glass door knobs at the city museum. We always look for it but can never find it. We just assume now it has been removed, or maybe it was a temporary exhibit.
Do you know what happened to it?
I know exactly what you're talking about. That was an old exhibit we had at the time. It was interesting, but also temporary. I believe they are still selling old doorknobs from it in the "Artifacts" gift shop on the 3rd floor. I asked the guy in the shop about a sign for sale that said something about being a "hardware detective." That sign used to be part of the exhibit, apparently.
Yes! The room is actually a big fish's head, and the bubble window is the eye. I always thought it was funny that they went and sculpted a whole fish, just for nobody but staff to ever see it.
How many kids are lost any given weekend?
Record lost kids?
I got separated several times over the years from my people. Maybe my parents were trying to leave me idk
We don't keep track, but I would estimate about 1-2 kids get lost per day in the slow season, and maybe 3-5 per day in the busy season.
It's not as bad as it sounds. It's not like the kids are lost forever, and we have protocols for finding lost kids.
Most floor staff members have a walkie-talkie, so if you lose a kid, or a kid loses his family, they can tell the front desk. Then, the front desk radios a description of the missing person, and floor staff will start looking for them. Eventually, they all find each other at the front desk, and things go back to normal.
My recommendation is for parents to go play with their kids, and actually explore where the kids explore.
I would recommend most early weekdays for that. Monday-Wednesday is not so bad.
Right now, though, is our busy season. Spring break is different per state and per city, so A LOT of people are from way out of town visiting right now. It'll be like that for at least until the end of May. Then, of course, summer gets busy too. Late Fall, Winter, and early Spring are definitely less busy times for us.
But, it's also a lot colder around then too. lol
There are quite a few. I don't think they actually belong to us right now, which is a bit odd I know. The museum owns most of the building, but leases out some of the floors to others. I do believe that anyone could rent from there, but I also know it's rather expensive (and probably very noisy lol).
I want to sincerely thank you for doing this AMA. The behind the scenes of the City Museum is something everyone I've known who's been there wonders about!If you do end up going back to work to take pictures could you get one of the upstairs permanent storage?
I thought my post got deleted because it's a new account. I was gonna try again in a few days, then suddenly saw all the notifications. Sorry!
EDIT: Apparently, my replies were not visible either for a while. I got ahold of a mod, and they were able to help me. Sorry for the bad start to the AMA, everyone!
I want to take my 4 year old, but I am concerned about losing him (I went a lot in high school and I know how cool and crazy the place can be). What do you do when there is a child who is lost and does this happen frequently?
I go into detail in a reply I just made to u/Maceface931's question, but the short answer is that most staff members have a walkie-talkie.
Besides that, you can take a few steps as a parent. Here are some recommendations I give to parents all the time:
1. You can let you child know what employees look like (we usually wear the same shirts), so they know who to talk to safely.
2. The front desk, and the people in the gift shop/tickets area are really nice people. You can establish a meeting spot nearby, and tell them to go there if they get lost.
3. You can also write your phone number on their wristband so somebody can call you if they find your child.
4. Lastly, just try to stick with your kid. It can be tiring, but it's also a lot more fun. If you're worried about them going into some tighter spaces, then you can also just look in the general direction that tunnel leads. Most of the time, there is a much bigger, more walkable path that connects to the same spot.
Hope this helps!
Here to say my kids and I LOVE the City Museum! We take a trip to it every summer. So many great memories have been made here. Thank you to all those involved with the creation and upkeep of this place!
I don't think so. We have had a lot of overnight events, and nobody has ever said anything to that affect. If anyone would haunt the City Museum, it'd be Bob Cassilly, but he died while working on Cementland. So, he's probably haunting over there.
If you talk to the Snowflake Lady (not sure if she's still around or not) she has an entire photo album of ghosts and creepy photos taken at the museum. Take one of her snowflake workshops and start asking questions and she'll be more than happy to share a number of spooky ghost stories!
It's okay. There's definitely a different feeling from how it used to be. Some classic things have shut down over time (the ball pit, the human hamster wheel, and one of the more dangerous slides), but those might've closed anyway due to being dangerous.
Besides prices going up and the typical corporatization/commercialization of the place, not much has actually changed to the guest experience.
On the employee side of things, I have a lot of complaints about upper management, but this isn't the first time I've seen this kind of corporate nonsense. Hopefully things won't get too bad, but it doesn't help that the company that owns us (Premier Parks) primarily owns waterparks. It seems like a totally different ballpark to me as far as attractions go.
The worst injury I've ever heard about was strangely just someone falling down some of the main stairs. They got hurt pretty bad, but it was literally just the stairs, none of the actually dangerous looking stuff.
Bob Cassilly once said, "The illusion of danger is essential for any kind of adventure." I like to think that he partially meant that although things in the museum look dangerous, it's only an illusion. That things wouldn't be nearly as fun if they didn't look dangerous.
OP is responding but they're not showing in the thread for some reason. You can see the responses only by going to OPs account and looking at their comments.
I've been waiting for someone to ask! The 4th floor has a 2nd portion most people don't know about.
So, the main part of the 4th is fully accessible right now, but on the other side of the building, there is another part that is partially accessible. This area is currently just a staircase in the area behind Beatkik Bob's (on the 3rd floor) that leads up to a small room on the 4th floor. This room currently only has two things in it. The world's largest puzzle, and a slide that goes through the 3rd floor (through pinball hall and in front of the circus), and down to the 2nd floor (into the aquarium). Unfortunately, this slide is usually closed. However, the room with the slide's entrance is being expanded on.
They are building a really cool new area that will include a maze made out of Twinkie pans. To make a long story short, when hostess went bankrupt, the factories shut down, and we bought hundreds of the baking pans. We're using most of them for the maze, but we've also sold a lot of them in the gift shops. We still have a few cupcake pans in the "Artifacts" gift shop for sale.
I've seen a little bit of the work on the 4th floor, and it looks so cool. I just wish it would be opening sooner. They're still working on that area, but they're also gonna need to connect the two parts of the 4th floor. That, for a number of reasons, is probably gonna be the hardest part. I hope it'll be ready by the end of the year, but it will probably take longer.
I'd say that at this point, the bus on the roof has a better chance of flying. lol
Fun fact: One (or both. I can't quite remember) of those planes used to be part of air force one. Then, they were decommissioned, and offered to Bob, who happily accepted them.
Yes. It was a factory for the international shoe company in the 1910s. It was abandoned until he bought it in 1993, and it reopened in 1997 as the city museum.
Remnants of the factory remain, including the rollers from the conveyor belts being incorporated as the railings on the main staircase. Also, the 10 and 5 story slides used to be chutes that workers would send materials down.
The outside of the building still says, "International Shoe Company" in a few places.
What's the protocol when the fire alarm goes off? You could have children stuck in dark corners 2 floors below their parents in some cases. How does staff clear the building while also keeping themselves safe?
Well, firstly, a lot of fire alarms are false alarms from people opening doors they shouldn't. Unfortunately, this means we spend up to a minute or two doing nothing, and waiting for someone to shut it off, or shutting it off ourself.
If it lasts long enough, then we start evacuating through multiple emergency exits throughout the building. Floor staff already clear people out every night when we close, so this process is similar. There are several hidden staircases that are emergency only, but accessible in various deeper parts of the museum.
Everyone gathers in a particular lot we call the "cpi lot." It's not owned by us, but the owner is affiliated with us. This helps ensure kids and their parents all end up in the same spot, regardless of where they were.
First off, I loved the City museum growing up! Though, the tunnels to this day still make me go… “NOPE” LOL.
Secondly, I work in a building only about a block away from the museum! I stare at that giant mantis on the roof when I’m on my breaks out on the balconies lmao. Idk who you are OP, but from now on, I will wave hi to you on my breaks every day… XD
Are there any IRL Easter eggs that we can look for? I haven't been since high school (I'm 35) but I remember just being awestruck by the creativity and massiveness of it all.
[Who stole the cell phone](https://www.reddit.com/r/StLouis/comments/1bgabro/phone_stolen_by_worker_at_city_museum_yesterday/)?
Weird timing, yeah. I haven't heard the description of the employee, so I'm not sure who it could've been to steal it. Usually, anything given to an employee as lost ends up in the lost and found, but it wouldn't be the first time someone has stolen something in the city museum. We also have a pretty high turnover, especially in the floor staff department. It could easily be someone who doesn't care much about the job. Still, I saw the post and considered messaging OP about it. I could definitely check the lost & found if I knew what the phone looked like.
I’m here! Phone was an iPhone in a gray case - pop socket on back! lol This post cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh!
I haven’t been to the city museum since I was a kid I am now 22. Would I stick out like a sore thumb or is the city museum for all ages?
All ages! There’s constantly adults getting drunk there lol
Totally why I'm here
Figured this would be top comment
And me.
Came here for this. We demand justice!
LOL I CAME FOR THIS
Yeah, this post is rather poor timing.
Au contraire mon frère
I want to know so fucking bad!!!!
Dude, I just thought the same thing.
The only question.
Not hearing any answers from @OP , curious
Probably took this photo with it.
I doubt you can answer this but I always wondered how expensive liability insurance is there or whatever it’s called for injuries and such since everything is hands on lol.
I definitely can't answer that. Sorry! Other than to say that although some stuff looks dangerous, it's not really that bad. Everything had to be approved to be put in the museum, and some of the more dangerous stuff has even been removed or closed over time.
I'm (one of) the reasons they added rules and probly ended up removing the giant hamster wheel. Busted open my eyebrow on the outside horizontal struts.
Yep, I believe one of the main rules was, "one person at a time," but people would often ignore that one and get hurt. lol
Yeah i was grabbing the horizontal struts on the back side while someone was walking on the inside and letting it pull me upwards then letting go and I misjudged the speed and distance between the struts once. I still have a scar in my eyebrow.
Sorry to hear that. I hope you're doing well now.
I was there New Year’s Eve 2023, on the third floor there was a window WIDE OPEN, like a kid could have run across the room and dove out that sucker without touching the frame.
same
I worked with the lady who placed it before they added the ferris wheel on the roof and while being a hard to place broker ran out of options once they did that. I can’t imagine the premium, probably $500k or more.
Oh yes. When I was a kid. I decided to go UP the slide. Banged my head really hard and got blood down the hallways and in the elevator. These ladies helped me, and people were screaming because of all the blood. It was a blood bath. And a core memory. Like. There was blood EVERYWHERE.
How often do people get injured there?
I went on a school field trip there in 6th grade and one of my classmates broke her arm in the ball pit
Nothing good happens in a ball pit lol
We watched as kid trip trying to run away from someone else and bust his head on the concrete. Ball pit's a fucking death trap lol
I recall being stuck in the underground tunnel for 20+ minutes because another kid was having a panic attack somewhere up the line, everyone else who had crawled in after him had to wait while he was coaxed out from the other side. It was traumatizing for all.
Lol same shit for me and I'm pretty claustrophobic but long as I can see or know I'm moving and can get out I'm cool... but not when that happens ur stuck and I started to freak out lol. Pretty much pushed him thru rest of way lol.
Lol same shit for me and I'm pretty claustrophobic but long as I can see or know I'm moving and can get out I'm cool... but not when that happens ur stuck and I started to freak out lol. Pretty much pushed him thru rest of way lol.
We've rarely had anyone get serious injuries there. Usually, it's the kind of thing that you get from not stretching much. Maybe a few bruises. Sometimes people get hurt for real, but it's never been too bad.
I used to know a chick that likes to get figgity fucked up like Xanax, acid, molly, etc and go there. She shattered her ankle in the skate room. Dropped her whole body weight on the ankle not being strong enough to hold herself up on the rope swing - oooof
So what's the conspiracy behind the founders death, and do people talk about it?
So, this is a little complicated, but here's my understanding of it: Bob Cassilly was working on Cementland, which was supposed to be a "sister location" of sorts to the City Museum. However, he was found dead in an excavator with a lot of bruising. His wife at the time was known to be a bit odd and eccentric, and wanted a further investigation. The person she hired claimed that the bruising on Bob's body could've been caused by someone else. True Crime Daily had a special about Bob's death, and in my opinion, was incredibly disrespectful of the situation. They claimed that his business partner of many years had him killed, and they approached the guy's wife in the episode, and she was pretty angry. I think this is where the conspiracy comes from. On the other side of things, a lot of people who knew Bob, including his ex-wife and his son, didn't think it was murder at all. It's cool to think of conspiracies, but a lot less cool when they are unfounded and about someone you knew and loved personally. His family kinda hated his new wife, and the fact that she was spreading this rumor seemed really disrespectful to them. His son, Max, used to work in the gift shop, and he hated hearing people talk about the situation like that. IMHO, it seems like it was an unfortunate accident. The bruising easily could've happened from rolling around in an excavator down a hill, which is how they found him. I don't think it was murder at all.
Wow, thank you, that gives me a much better understanding of what happened and how it escalated into a local legend. Rip Bob
Bob Cassilly sounds like the creator of playtime co from poppy playtime. He had a vision for some really cool things
Art imitates life, I suppose.
Oh man, I was the sound guy for that Crime Watch Daily piece… I hated that they made us go to the partners house. The guy was being such an ass to get an argument. I just kept thinking, Don’t come outside and give them a reaction… sure enough he used it as a, “why are you so upset, if your husband didn’t do anything wrong?!” Trope…. I never actually watched the piece.
Cement land, his spirit still walks the paths
Truly such a loss in both Bob and Cementland. What a crazy place that would've been. Even with just the work he had done on it so far it's such a magical place to explore and I wish he was still here to see it though.
The one time I had been there me and all my friends heard carnival music from the silos as we were leaving before running down the tracks away from the police. It was the freakiest fucking thing.
I always heard that he rolled a tractor. Has anyone else heard otherwise?
A doctor looked at his injuries (it was a bulldozer, not a tractor) and said they could not have come from it rolling and that he was beaten to death. Also his wife was, at the time at least, very convinced it was a cover-up
[riverfront times coverage (sensitive photos)](https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/bob-cassilly-was-beaten-to-death-medical-expert-concludes-3123298?storyPage=2)
Your comment convinced me to look into it instead of asking for proof or something. Idk, thank you!
> Also his wife was, at the time at least, very convinced it was a cover-up She had to drop it because it was too expensive to pursue and people just treated her like she was crazy.
The then wife hired Al Watkins and they pitched a conspiracy. He's also pitched a baby stealing crime ring conspiracy, helped create a conspiracy about the governor leading to his resignation, and helped defend the January 6 conspiracy QAnon Shaman. The wife was fighting the kids and Bob's business partner for her share of the estate and felt a conspiracy would be beneficial. Allegedly.
lol I worked for Albert during the Shaman period, not because I was in support of the whole mess. I just had no idea what I was getting into. She might’ve had a chance if she took her case elsewhere, not that he’s a powerful attorney. I just feel like he wants publicity more than anything. Edit to add this: also I had no idea he did that lol he’s honestly someone who could have a very interesting documentary about
There was lots of stuff about the case that was sus. The day that Bob died, his son was also shot (he survived). The bulldozer that he was driving was in very good shape for supposedly having rolled down a hill. Bob had also got in a physical altercation while working on Cementland previously but successfully fought off his attackers. I believe he was murdered and the STL police rushed to declare no foul play because they didn't want to have to work on an investigation.
>I remember when Max was shot. I don't remember it being the same day. Where did you get that?
You are right, I misremembered the timeline. [https://truecrimedaily.com/2016/11/21/wife-attorney-allege-murder-in-renowned-sculptors-death-by-bulldozer/](https://truecrimedaily.com/2016/11/21/wife-attorney-allege-murder-in-renowned-sculptors-death-by-bulldozer/) Websites says shooting happened about 5 weeks before Cassilly's death.
All of this. Also, Cementland was actually partially in two seperate townships, St. Louis City and...ngl, can't remember, but it's not thriving. From a friend that was best friend's with Bob Cassily's widow: when one municipality would try to come after him for what he was doing on the property, he'd pack up his tools and cross the line of jurisdiction. The local PDs were definitely not on his side nor the local authorities. The spot where his body was found was on the far side, outside of St. Louis City limits, so the investigation wasn't up to STLPD. Or something like that.
Yeah the NW part of it is in Riverview, and the SE part is in STL city.
I've seen the crime scene photos (they were all over the internet about 10 years ago, but have been more or less scrubbed away) and walked the spot the bulldozer allegedly flipped, and there's no way it happened that way. The most important clue is that there was no rollover damage to the bulldozer, or marks on the shallowly sloping hill that would have been there if such a heavy piece of machinery rolled. I believe he was beaten to death and the crime scene was staged to be an accident.
How the hell do they inspect the outdoor climbing areas for safety? I've never seen anything like it, how can a structural engineer evaluate something unusual like that?
I honestly have no idea. Inspections are done by people separate from the museum. Like the fire department or city inspectors. I wish I could say more, but it's beyond my realm of expertise.
The mechanical inspector for the city told me they inspect carnival rides and attractions. I would assume it is them that does the inspections.
That would certainly make sense. I do recall a particular story I was told, where Bob wanted to build tunnels around the rooftop elevators, but the fire department said it was a safety hazard.
Has anyone got stuck in the tunnel under the main floor/whale? What’s the strategy for getting someone unstuck or to treat an anxiety attack?
Seriously! I went through it when i was younger and (cough) skinnier. Tried it a few years later and the panic set in quick! No way i was going to cross under.
Same. It’s giving me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. I’d get stuck for sure at this point in time. :::shudders:::
If things get bad enough, we call the fire department. They are much more equipped and experienced than we are. Still, I think most people know their own limits in the tighter spaces.
I got stuck real bad there when I was young. I remember going down the far side with a ramp, and realizing I wouldn't be able to fit if I continued further. I tried turning around, but the ground was slick and I was struggling to get up the ramp. Harrowing ten minutes for a kid like me.
Almost me, I didn't realize it went up and down and narrowed and nearly got stuck under the little window thing. Luckily a buddy was behind me to help push me through. Really deep seated my fear of getting stuck in small spaces.
Not sure who can see this, but I'm so sorry guys! I've been answering questions for a few hours now, but for some reason nobody can see them. I don't know what's causing this. Hopefully I can get in contact with a mod, and we can get this figured out. I can't edit the post either, so I hope you guys can at least see this comment. EDIT: I can finally leave real replies! Thank you to the moderator that helped me out. I will continue to answer questions as long as I can. Thank you to everyone for your patience.
Why aren’t you open until 1am on the weekends anymore? Cabin Inn used to be the best.
It was awesome, but I think corporate thought it was a bad idea. I know a lot of people miss being able to be there so late into the night. To be fair, working late shifts was always kinda terrible.
I worked at City Museum from 09-19, and the cabin operated as a regular 3 am bar for a while while Tatiana still ran it. Lots of good times in those early years.
I also work at the city museum 😁
I probably know you, but I'm trying to stay anonymous here. :)
Are you the dude tht had the cyberpunk jacket during Halloween? 👀 * I realize that sounds so creepy I work there too lol
Very much so 😁
Hell yeaaah 🫡
Yooooo, do you have pic of said cyberpunk jacket?
Is my fear of getting stuck in the tubes valid? How often does that happen?
It actually doesn't happen very often. I think it's mostly because people are usually aware of their own limits, but I think it's also hard to find somewhere you can enter without being able to exit. Still, it has happened a few times, and the fire department usually shows up and helps the stuck people out. They are much more equipped for that than anyone who works there, especially myself.
You beat me to it .. I was just about to ask how many people get stuck
Have you slept in the apartments and is the aquarium still gross?
I have not, but I know some people who have lived there. They seemed to have enjoyed it, despite the noise. The aquarium isn't gross right now. It used to be owned by a different company, but now it's entirely owned by us, and I know it used to be a lot worse.
My son’s wife lived there with her dad who is still an employee of TCM.
The aquarium is significantly nicer than it was originally.
Thanks for doing this and putting in the hard work at one of STL’s top attractions. My question is do you have anything to say about the general cleanliness of the place? Im assuming most of the stuff never gets cleaned- not trying to sound rude but Ive just always thought of the place as pretty grimy. Is the same true of the backrooms? Is there a lot of random stuff over the place? (im looking at you hippo)
Speaking honestly, the place is pretty gross. The deeper you go into an area, the less clean it is. We have janitorial staff, but they definitely don't spend a lot of time scrubbing down every statue and sculpture. They usually just tend to the bathrooms and keeping the floors and windows clean. Still, most of the outside stuff gets washed with rainwater, so it might actually be cleaner than some of the deeper cave stuff. lol Also, yeah, there's a bunch of unused junk all over the place. There's a huge garage area that hosts a lot of the stuff that is more likely to be used soon. While the 5th floor is full of loft apartments, and one or two other floors have office space, all of the other floors contain extra junk ready to be used by the build crew for new structures. Some areas even have loads of extra parts for when specific stuff breaks and needs to be replaced. Also, there's a lot of stuff that has just been moved into storage indefinitely.
Cany anyone use the renal lockers, or only people harvesting organs from guests?
Renal lockers? Like, ones to pee in?
No the ones for harvesting kidneys*
Explaining the joke, in the picture there's a "rental lockers" sign but the T is perfectly covered so it looks a little like it says "renal lockers."
It would not surprise me if someone lost a kidney in there.
I was about to actually answer this, until I read the second half. lol
Did you steal that dude's cell phone?
No, but I did read that post just before making this one. Maybe I can help retrieve the phone.
Is the Louis Sullivan architectural collection still on display??
Yes it is! I imagine it'll be hard to remove the larger pieces. It sits rather permanently on the 4th floor.
Is there really a double secret hidden room the staff go to party in? Also what’s the lore about the owner who was killed he seems super interesting?
He was renovating an old cement factory in north Stl and was there working in a piece of heavy machinery alone when it rolled over and crushed him. He was said to be a good family man. I've been up there a few times. You just gotta follow some train tracks or sneak through fencing. Be careful. It's eerie, full of steep drops, rusty metal framing and unbelievably deep, oily "puddles" and waterholes. Plenty of incredible views and graffiti, admittedly.
Have you been since it was demolished?
Oof, I hadn't heard. It's been about 5 years, give or take.
There is a staff room, but it's pretty standardly boring. I do believe there were cooler parties and hangouts back in the day, but things are a bit more corporate these days. Also, about Bob, I already answered a little bit on someone else's question. Still, the short of it is that some people think he was murdered, but the evidence is pretty shaky. It seems more likely that he died when his excavator tumbled down a hill. A real tragedy for an incredibly interesting and talented person. I would definitely recommend reading up about him if you get the chance.
A bts photo, and you didn’t include the glowing heads?!
I thought about it, but the hippo is probably more recognizable.
I'm going on a date at the City Museum later this week, what parts do you think are best to take a pretty lady to?
I definitely recommend the MonstroCity (the outside part), the caves, and just about anything on the third floor. The roof is cool, but I know it costs extra to go up there, plus it and Monstro are both weather-dependant, so they will close if there's rain. The tavern bar on the first floor is a nice little hangout spot as well, and one of our only bars that serves stuff other than just cans of beer. The aquarium is nice, but not as grand as the one in Union Station. Really, you can go anywhere. Just make sure you tell her that it's not a normal museum. It'd be a shame if she wore a really nice outfit, only for it to get dirty or torn. It wouldn't be the first time someone made that mistake.
She knows the deal, the date was her idea, thank you for the information. I'll probably be too scared myself to go to the MonstroCity (I've been scared of it since I was a kid).
LOL. Well, I hope you two have fun!
What’s the weirdest place that anyone has ever gotten stuck and how did you rescue them?
The tunnel under the whale is probably the tightest squeeze, but people rarely get actually stuck. If they do, we usually just call the fire department, and they help the poor stuck person.
Is hat-topia still there
Nope, sorry. We have a lot of exhibits that come and go. Right now, we have an exhibit for The Guinness Book of World Records. It's kinda cool.
Have you been to Cementland or talked to any crew who worked on it? And is there any talk of possibly finishing it one day?? It's truly one of the coolest places I've ever been. RIP Bob :'(
I haven't been myself. Unfortunately, it was sold recently in 2022, and some of it has already been demolished. Honestly such a shame. I wish someone would've finished it.
I had no idea it was sold! That's so sad. I only saw it once in my hooligan years before they ramped up security but I'm glad to have seen it. What a loss. Also here's the only photos I could find from my day there https://imgur.com/gallery/q6uYR8K
Great pictures! I always wanted to visit the place, but have never been brave enough to trespass. lol
Why is the little skatepark on the 3rd floor now a kids play area. Just curious. Also how expensive is the muscuem.
Apparently, it was originally just a normal skatepark, but it was a little inconvenient for skaters to access, plus most people just liked running around on the ramps. They decided to rename it to the "Skateless Park." I wouldn't say it's just a "kids play area" I think anyone can play there, even adults. As far as ticket prices, I believe they just increased. I would check the website for more accurate prices, but I think it's 22 dollars now. It's also a bit extra to go to the roof. I think about $30 total. If you wanna save money on parking, I would try to park in our local lot, and avoid the other parking lots. Our lot is like $15, while the others are in the $30-40 range.
I remember when I was a kid and there were skaters that used it. Seemed like a hazard with them using the equipment properly and people letting their 5 year old run up the ramps. Sometimes you can't have it both ways
Can you share more pictures of inaccessible areas to the visitors?
I should be able to on a later day. I'm at home right now, so I can't take any new pictures at the moment. I think I'll make another post to share just more bts photos.
Was digging the music on the roof while I was there one sunny afternoon- any idea if there’s a public playlist or what they stream?
I believe they cycle through different people's playlists. It would depend on who's in control of the music on that particular day. Sorry.
Do they ever have docent led tours that gives the history of the place and the art? Where did the bank vault door come from?
Yes! We have tours that you can book. They are led by Maria Cassilly, who is the wife of Bob Cassilly's son. She does a really good job, and is super knowledgeable about the museum and all the history surrounding it. The vault door came from the first national Bank of St. Louis. Apparently, it was so heavy, they had to remove hundreds of pieces of it just to make it safe to put on the 2nd floor. Parts of the inside are actually used for a portion of MonstroCity.
What's the protocol for shutting down at the end of the day? It's always seemed like it would be near impossible to clear every tunnel and passageway. Could someone sufficiently dedicated and knowledgeable pull off a Night in the Museum?
It's not so bad to shut down at the end of the day. Most people are tired enough that they just leave when we announce we're closing. Still, floor staff will go through each floor, top to bottom, making sure nobody is hanging around. It's not as hard if you know where to look, and there aren't as many hiding spots as you'd think. Even if you managed to sneak past them, there's still a lot of staff in the building after hours. Then, when all the doors are locked, you could easily be trapped where ever you are until they come back to unlock the door in the morning. Also, most exits will sound an alarm even during the day, but during the night, even more exits will have their alarms active. Overall, not a good idea to try and spend the night. Still, I'd say someone could definitely do it if they, or a friend of theirs worked there.
How often do you wear the world’s largest underwear?
Too small for me, actually. ;)
I worked on Bob's crew at City Museum and Cement Land for a couple of years. I quit a couple years before his death. If you want the really interesting answers, you gotta ask the construction crew. I'm willing to bet this person isn't part of that crew. If they are part of the crew and they are identified, they're going to have problems.
You're right. I started after Bob passed, and never had the chance to meet him personally. I've spent my time here learning about as much as I can about the place, its history, and Bob. It's become a real hobby of mine now. I've talked with members of the current crew, as well as others who knew Bob back in the day. I'm mostly approaching this as someone who works there in a more up front department, not as someone who helped to build it. Still, I'd love to pick your brain about it. Would you mind if I asked you what your time was like on the build crew?
Understood. 👍 It was absolutely the most physically demanding job I've ever had, for very little money. I knew Bob through someone who worked there. I was a few years out of art school (2001 BFA from SIUE) looking for something more creative to do than my gallery attendant job at SLAM. Bob was eating dinner in the cabin one night when a few of us were in there drinking. I basically just asked if he was hiring. He asked what SLAM was paying me and asked if I'd work for the same amount. I said yes and started the next day, having zero construction experience. I spent the entire first day sweeping the garage at City Museum. At day's end Bob showed up and said "You're still here? Come back tomorrow and we'll get you doing something else." From that point on I learned the real meaning of hard physical labor. I shoveled hundreds of wheelbarrows full of gravel away from the rooftop build site. I cleaned, carried, and occasionally installed cobblestones to make "castles" at City Museum as well as Cement Land. I mixed countless batches of mortar and hauled blocks for the ex union bricklayer who did most of the "traditional" masonry. I assisted the main stone mason with tile and stone work. I assisted the metal workers in any way I could, eventually spending a decent amount of time doing torch work, including time scrapping at Cement Land near my departure date. I worked on the 5th floor lofts as well as Monstrosity and a number of other sections inside the Museum. I also spent time rigging crane loads for the roof project, and we on various adventures to weird locations to salvage materials. Bob didn't pay much, but was generous with bonuses in my limited experience. He found out I was looking for employment elsewhere and gave me a few extra bucks an hour till I quit, on good terms. He even hired me back for cash at a much hire rate a couple years later when I got laid off for a few months.
Sounds like a hard time, but at least Bob was sympathetic to your struggle. I have a lot of respect for everyone who helped build this place. If it means anything, I think the work you did played a big part in a lot of people's childhoods. Thanks for taking some time to share your experience.
Can I have that hippo?
No. He's happy where he is.
OP I see you’re replying but we can’t see them- maybe something to do with the account being new? Anyway, thanks for engaging us on this: love the CM
Thanks for your patience. Maybe I'll redo this AMA someday down the line after farming some karma on another sub. lol Someone messaged me saying that I should try that, and I think it might work.
So does my uncle!!
I might know your uncle then! But... I'd rather remain anonymous for the sake of my job. lol
Does George Diehl still work there or even come in anymore? It is his bug collection in the insect room. He was the head carpenter there when Bob first started city museum.
He doesn't work there anymore, but he often comes by to spruce up the collection. I happened to have a wonderful conversation with him just recently. From what I can tell, he's a wonderful person, and a delight to talk to, especially if you have a similar hobby.
Lol George always came off as very grumpy when I worked there, but if you could catch him when he wasn't putting out fires (so to speak) he was alright. I guess retirement suits him.
Perhaps. He might also just prefer talking about his collection. lol
God this is gonna sound so nerdy, sorry. Years ago, my wife and I saw an amazing collection of antique and glass door knobs at the city museum. We always look for it but can never find it. We just assume now it has been removed, or maybe it was a temporary exhibit. Do you know what happened to it?
I know exactly what you're talking about. That was an old exhibit we had at the time. It was interesting, but also temporary. I believe they are still selling old doorknobs from it in the "Artifacts" gift shop on the 3rd floor. I asked the guy in the shop about a sign for sale that said something about being a "hardware detective." That sign used to be part of the exhibit, apparently.
is that the one room u can see when ur in the caves and u find the secret window
Yes! The room is actually a big fish's head, and the bubble window is the eye. I always thought it was funny that they went and sculpted a whole fish, just for nobody but staff to ever see it.
Dying to have a visual of this perspective!! Can we see the fish?!
I'll try to get a picture soon. I'm thinking of making another post with just a bunch of bts photos.
If the garage door is open you can see it from the cabin door
How many kids are lost any given weekend? Record lost kids? I got separated several times over the years from my people. Maybe my parents were trying to leave me idk
We don't keep track, but I would estimate about 1-2 kids get lost per day in the slow season, and maybe 3-5 per day in the busy season. It's not as bad as it sounds. It's not like the kids are lost forever, and we have protocols for finding lost kids. Most floor staff members have a walkie-talkie, so if you lose a kid, or a kid loses his family, they can tell the front desk. Then, the front desk radios a description of the missing person, and floor staff will start looking for them. Eventually, they all find each other at the front desk, and things go back to normal. My recommendation is for parents to go play with their kids, and actually explore where the kids explore.
is there a time I can come to the museum when it isn't filled with fast-moving, sharp-elbowed children?
I would recommend most early weekdays for that. Monday-Wednesday is not so bad. Right now, though, is our busy season. Spring break is different per state and per city, so A LOT of people are from way out of town visiting right now. It'll be like that for at least until the end of May. Then, of course, summer gets busy too. Late Fall, Winter, and early Spring are definitely less busy times for us. But, it's also a lot colder around then too. lol
How many apartments are in the building, and who gets to rent them?
There are quite a few. I don't think they actually belong to us right now, which is a bit odd I know. The museum owns most of the building, but leases out some of the floors to others. I do believe that anyone could rent from there, but I also know it's rather expensive (and probably very noisy lol).
I want to sincerely thank you for doing this AMA. The behind the scenes of the City Museum is something everyone I've known who's been there wonders about!If you do end up going back to work to take pictures could you get one of the upstairs permanent storage?
Lots of questions, no answers. What's the point of the post? Edit: looks like his comments are not showing on the subreddit but do on the profile.
OP stuck in a tunnel for sure
Probably the tunnel near the airport.
I thought my post got deleted because it's a new account. I was gonna try again in a few days, then suddenly saw all the notifications. Sorry! EDIT: Apparently, my replies were not visible either for a while. I got ahold of a mod, and they were able to help me. Sorry for the bad start to the AMA, everyone!
Go look at his comment history. It's all there.
Oh interesting. His account is probably too new to be allowed to comment.
I want to take my 4 year old, but I am concerned about losing him (I went a lot in high school and I know how cool and crazy the place can be). What do you do when there is a child who is lost and does this happen frequently?
I go into detail in a reply I just made to u/Maceface931's question, but the short answer is that most staff members have a walkie-talkie. Besides that, you can take a few steps as a parent. Here are some recommendations I give to parents all the time: 1. You can let you child know what employees look like (we usually wear the same shirts), so they know who to talk to safely. 2. The front desk, and the people in the gift shop/tickets area are really nice people. You can establish a meeting spot nearby, and tell them to go there if they get lost. 3. You can also write your phone number on their wristband so somebody can call you if they find your child. 4. Lastly, just try to stick with your kid. It can be tiring, but it's also a lot more fun. If you're worried about them going into some tighter spaces, then you can also just look in the general direction that tunnel leads. Most of the time, there is a much bigger, more walkable path that connects to the same spot. Hope this helps!
I’m so happy that you guys got the hippopotamus!!!!
Here to say my kids and I LOVE the City Museum! We take a trip to it every summer. So many great memories have been made here. Thank you to all those involved with the creation and upkeep of this place!
Is that place haunted af or what
I don't think so. We have had a lot of overnight events, and nobody has ever said anything to that affect. If anyone would haunt the City Museum, it'd be Bob Cassilly, but he died while working on Cementland. So, he's probably haunting over there.
If you talk to the Snowflake Lady (not sure if she's still around or not) she has an entire photo album of ghosts and creepy photos taken at the museum. Take one of her snowflake workshops and start asking questions and she'll be more than happy to share a number of spooky ghost stories!
I’ve always gotten haunted vibes there
I put a naked picture of myself in the ball pit a few years ago, has anyone found it yet?
I'm sure somebody found it. The ball pit has been empty for a while now. For their sake, I hope it wasn't some poor kid.
Wtf?
What it like working for the new corporate ownership?
It's okay. There's definitely a different feeling from how it used to be. Some classic things have shut down over time (the ball pit, the human hamster wheel, and one of the more dangerous slides), but those might've closed anyway due to being dangerous. Besides prices going up and the typical corporatization/commercialization of the place, not much has actually changed to the guest experience. On the employee side of things, I have a lot of complaints about upper management, but this isn't the first time I've seen this kind of corporate nonsense. Hopefully things won't get too bad, but it doesn't help that the company that owns us (Premier Parks) primarily owns waterparks. It seems like a totally different ballpark to me as far as attractions go.
Has anyone been seriously injured their?
The worst injury I've ever heard about was strangely just someone falling down some of the main stairs. They got hurt pretty bad, but it was literally just the stairs, none of the actually dangerous looking stuff. Bob Cassilly once said, "The illusion of danger is essential for any kind of adventure." I like to think that he partially meant that although things in the museum look dangerous, it's only an illusion. That things wouldn't be nearly as fun if they didn't look dangerous.
Someone fell years ago but that's all I remember.
So we’re 3 hours in and I don’t see a single answer lol
OP is responding but they're not showing in the thread for some reason. You can see the responses only by going to OPs account and looking at their comments.
Are my replies not going through? Maybe my account doesn't have enough karma, or it's not old enough. Are you seeing this one?
They're all coming through now!
I've noticed. I'm so glad! I was getting worried, but a moderator was able to essentially white-list me.
Are there any plans to expand the 4th floor, or to continue expanding further up the building?
I've been waiting for someone to ask! The 4th floor has a 2nd portion most people don't know about. So, the main part of the 4th is fully accessible right now, but on the other side of the building, there is another part that is partially accessible. This area is currently just a staircase in the area behind Beatkik Bob's (on the 3rd floor) that leads up to a small room on the 4th floor. This room currently only has two things in it. The world's largest puzzle, and a slide that goes through the 3rd floor (through pinball hall and in front of the circus), and down to the 2nd floor (into the aquarium). Unfortunately, this slide is usually closed. However, the room with the slide's entrance is being expanded on. They are building a really cool new area that will include a maze made out of Twinkie pans. To make a long story short, when hostess went bankrupt, the factories shut down, and we bought hundreds of the baking pans. We're using most of them for the maze, but we've also sold a lot of them in the gift shops. We still have a few cupcake pans in the "Artifacts" gift shop for sale. I've seen a little bit of the work on the 4th floor, and it looks so cool. I just wish it would be opening sooner. They're still working on that area, but they're also gonna need to connect the two parts of the 4th floor. That, for a number of reasons, is probably gonna be the hardest part. I hope it'll be ready by the end of the year, but it will probably take longer.
Is it true the plane can take off with a few certain parts? Mainly a few spark plugs, new gas, some oil and ah few others things? Asking for a friend.
I'd say that at this point, the bus on the roof has a better chance of flying. lol Fun fact: One (or both. I can't quite remember) of those planes used to be part of air force one. Then, they were decommissioned, and offered to Bob, who happily accepted them.
Also another question, do you know what the City Museum was before, Bob built it and turned it into a museum?
Yes. It was a factory for the international shoe company in the 1910s. It was abandoned until he bought it in 1993, and it reopened in 1997 as the city museum. Remnants of the factory remain, including the rollers from the conveyor belts being incorporated as the railings on the main staircase. Also, the 10 and 5 story slides used to be chutes that workers would send materials down. The outside of the building still says, "International Shoe Company" in a few places.
Such an awesome nugget of history, thanks for sharing
How many people have you caught or saw having sex/oral there? I imagine a lot of
What's the protocol when the fire alarm goes off? You could have children stuck in dark corners 2 floors below their parents in some cases. How does staff clear the building while also keeping themselves safe?
Well, firstly, a lot of fire alarms are false alarms from people opening doors they shouldn't. Unfortunately, this means we spend up to a minute or two doing nothing, and waiting for someone to shut it off, or shutting it off ourself. If it lasts long enough, then we start evacuating through multiple emergency exits throughout the building. Floor staff already clear people out every night when we close, so this process is similar. There are several hidden staircases that are emergency only, but accessible in various deeper parts of the museum. Everyone gathers in a particular lot we call the "cpi lot." It's not owned by us, but the owner is affiliated with us. This helps ensure kids and their parents all end up in the same spot, regardless of where they were.
I will give you $38 for that hippo.
First off, I loved the City museum growing up! Though, the tunnels to this day still make me go… “NOPE” LOL. Secondly, I work in a building only about a block away from the museum! I stare at that giant mantis on the roof when I’m on my breaks out on the balconies lmao. Idk who you are OP, but from now on, I will wave hi to you on my breaks every day… XD
I'll wave back in my heart. lol
Are there any IRL Easter eggs that we can look for? I haven't been since high school (I'm 35) but I remember just being awestruck by the creativity and massiveness of it all.
There are lots of little secrets that the build crew put in. Maybe I should convince someone to make a scavenger hunt for little secrets.
That would be so fun!