7- 1904- THE ST LOUIS WORLD'S FAIR CASCADES

7
1904- THE ST LOUIS WORLD'S FAIR CASCADES

One of the greatest highlights in the history of the city of St Louis has to be the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904, also referred to as the 1904 World's Fair. The biggest world's fair up to that time, it showcased technology, agriculture, foreign lands, and new inventions such as the ice cream cone, hot dog, iced tea, cotton candy and Dr Pepper. In 1904 the population
and economy of St Louis was in full bloom, and the world came not only for the exposition, but also for the 1904 Olympic games, the first games ever held in the United States.

Much was made of this fair back in 2004 at the centennial celebration, but what has been lacking is some sort of permanent memorial to this wonderful fair that inspired "Meet Me in St Louis" and gave the city a permanent place in American folklore.

To give a rebirth to this long lost memory, I would propose a permanent memorial centered around the most popular feature that was at the heart of the fair, the Grand Basin and the Cascades. This water structure was adorned with several waterfalls, fountains, and
lights. Miniaturized versions of fair buildings like Festival Hall could be constructed to bring the proper flavor to the display and to top it all off would be a restaurant themed around the World's Fair with 1904 architecture and featuring ice cream cones, hot dogs, iced tea and other popular dishes from that era.

World's Fairs no longer exist, making this one even more special. By bringing back a piece of this magical era we could recapture something special that very few American cities have ever known- a major World's Fair.