ST. LOUIS — The World's Fair is a point of pride for St. Louis and soon the doors to a whole new exhibit about it will open at the Missouri History Museum.
"St. Louis loves the World's Fair," Missouri History Museum Managing Director of Public History, Sam Moore said. "It's this moment in St. Louis History that people know happened. It's a moment they know a little bit about and the reality is it was a big moment for St. Louis. Twenty million people came to St. Louis, 60 different nations exhibited at the World's Fair."
The museum has banners up, but for now the doors to the new exhibit are closed. The display will get a grand opening on April 27.
"It will be the first new World's Fair exhibit we've opened in 20 years," Moore tells 5 On Your Side, "the highlight of this new exhibit is a massive scale model of the 1904 World's Fair; it's 17 feet across, it's 25 feet long, has more than 300 buildings that have been 3D printed to match the original buildings at the fair."
There model even has projections of moving grass, people in the streets and boats in the water to bring the 120-year-old fair to life.
It's not all new inside, there is still old stand-bys. Moore says the shovel with 1904 World's Fair dirt still attached will be on display, as well as, souvenir ruby glass, "there will certainly be some familiar stories and familiar artifacts. We'll be tackling all kinds of new history in this space as well."
The museum also expanded the World's Fair exhibit space. In what was storage, the museum will feature a new rotating display of artifacts.
For details about the grand opening and exhibit visit the Missouri History Museum website.