Ground broken for St. Louis Art Museum expansion

Evening view of the St. Louis Art Museum at Forest Park in a photo taken by Matt Kitces on Sept. 27, 2008. Image used by permission, Creative Commons license, Wikimedia Commons.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – The St. Louis Art Museum broke ground on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, to mark the start of a $130.5 million expansion project.

Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and other dignitaries attended the 3 p.m. event outside the museum in the city’s Forest Park.

Museum officials announced the go-ahead for the expansion last month – more than a year after weakening credit markets and the sour economy delayed the project.

The expansion has been in the planning stages for more than a decade. The new wings are expected to open in about two years, and the museum will remain open during construction.

The additional space will allow the museum to display more of its 30,000-piece collection.

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