St. Louis Riverfront Exhibit c. 1851.

HO Scale model of five blocks of the riverfront as it looked c. 1851.

This model, which is on display in the Gateway Arch National Park Museum, was needed to help visitors better imagine what the St. Louis riverfront looked like before the Arch was built. Primary sources of information included historical lithographs, business letterheads with depictions of specific buildings, city directories, fire insurance maps, 19th- and 20th-century photographs, parcel files that included dimensional and volumetric data on each structure, and historic paint color books. A total of 65 buildings, 12 paddlewheel riverboats, and over 200 HO scale human and animal figures make the model come to life. The model was created by 3D printing from Moore’s Sketchup model.