3 minute read
New Holocaust Museum Set to Open in St. Louis
By Randy Mink
The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum will reopen to the public on November 2, 2022, after closing for renovation and expansion in early 2020. Equipped with the latest technology, the new 36,000-squarefoot facility will be four times the size of the previous museum, which served the community for over 25 years. Located in Creve Coeur on the Millstone Campus of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, the expanded museum will include an all-new permanent Holocaust exhibition that chronicles the systematic, state-sponsored murder of six million Jews and the persecution of millions more by the Nazi regime and its collaborators from 1933-1945. Exhibits will focus on Jewish life in Europe before the Holocaust, the rise of Nazism in Germany, the establishment of Jewish ghettos at the beginning of the Holocaust and atrocities perpetrated at the notorious death camps that served as Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution.” Visitors will also learn about the liberation of prisoners from the camps, the Nuremberg Trials and Jewish life after World War II. Many Jews emigrated to the United States and Israel to rebuild their lives; some 300 Holocaust survivors made the St. Louis area their home.
Gallery-goers will see artifacts from Holocaust victims and videos will provide accounts from survivors, liberators, witnesses and others. The survivor interviews are all from individuals from St. Louis. Items on display will include a child’s shoe from a concentration camp, a
The Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum is filled with informative exhibits. All photos courtesy of the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum
bracelet created in Buchenwald by a survivor and suitcases that survivors used to come to the United States.
The Impact Lab, a highly interactive space, will challenge visitors to reject hatred, promote understanding and inspire change, focusing on contemporary issues of injustice, bigotry and genocide through the lens of the Holocaust.
The museum is named for the family of local Holocaust survivor Gloria Kaplan Feldman. It is one of 22 Holocaust museums in the United States.
Guided tours will be available. The museum also will offer public programs and film screenings, a space for special exhibits and an educational curriculum for student groups. For details, visit www.stlholocaustmuseum.org.• Long known as one of St. Louis’ great treasures, the Missouri Botanical Garden has just unveiled a sparkling new visitor center that serves as a bold entryway to the horticultural wonderland.
The transformational Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center, the biggest project in the garden’s history, is the centerpiece of the $100 million Gateway to the Garden campaign. Multi-tiered entry gardens lead to a soaring lobby filled with dappled natural light – a welcoming portal that offers views of gardens and conservatories beyond. The south side is composed entirely of glass. Other design elements include zinc wall panels and terrazzo floors with inlaid brass leaves. An immersive video wall showcases Missouri Botanical Garden’s conservation work in the St. Louis community and around the globe. The newly expanded Garden Gate Shop, more than double the size of the previous gift shop, houses souvenirs, designs from local artists, books on gardening and a vast patio with outdoor, seasonal plants.
The addition of 46,000 plants to the entry landscape emphasizes areas of the world where the Missouri Botanical Garden maintains an active research presence. The new plants feature species of conservation concern, including some that are rare and endangered. Steps away from the lobby is the new Emerson Conservatory, the first dedicated floral conservatory constructed on the grounds since 1915. It displays Mediterranean plants and will host the annual Orchid Show and Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show.
The Missouri Botanical Garden is the country’s oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and attracts more than one million visitors annually. www.missouribotanicalgarden.org•
The Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum has both indoor and outdoor exhibits.
