ST. LOUIS – Owner of the Moonrise Hotel, Joe Edwards, has been obsessed with space since he was young. He built the hotel themed around the moon and space – he even still has the rocket ship bank he used to save his coins when he was a young boy on display in the hotel. There are rare items from the Apollo missions, the space race and aviation history on display at Moonrise Hotel.
Moonrise Hotel has display cases filled with Edwards’ collections. Moon-themed artwork covers the walls in public spaces and guest rooms and even lunar-shaped dog treats are offered to four-legged guests.
"My collections range anywhere from rare items and toys to things I've picked up for just a few pennies," Edwards said. "Some of the items I have had since I was a child and some I bought at space auctions to display in the hotel."
Visitors who look into the hotel's display cases will see authentic memorabilia, including a tiny piece of the moon and a patch taken on the Apollo 11 mission and signed by all three astronauts.
Edwards remembers watching the first man step onto the moon on July 20, 1969.
"To watch that in black and white on a little TV and to see that foot go down on the surface, wow, what a moment." Edwards met astronaut Neil Armstrong in 2011 and called it one of the highlights of his life.
The biggest piece of space pop culture at the hotel is the world's largest man-made moon, perched on the rooftop terrace. "It's 3,000 pounds and 10 feet in diameter," Edwards said. The authentically rendered moon, custom-created for the hotel, has a light and a dark side and rotates once every 60 seconds. While not as tall as the city's Gateway Arch, it has become a popular sky-high landmark in St. Louis.
The rotating moon isn't the only unusual thing on top of the hotel. "This is the only hotel in the country where the entire rooftop is made of solar panels," Edwards said. "So the sun really is powering the moon here at the Moonrise Hotel."
The Moonrise Hotel is located at 6177 Delmar Blvd. The hotel will host a party on the rooftop under the hotel's moon to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing and Armstrong's first steps on the lunar surface. The free event will run from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday, July 20.
More information about the Moonrise Hotel is available at www.moonrisehotel.com
