Rootwad Park – A Hidden Gem Among Industrial Ruins Of St. Louis

Rootwad Park – St. Louis

At the edge of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri lies a hidden gem known as Rootwad Park. The park is an unfinished work by sculptor, entrepreneur, and creative director Bob Cassilly. The park showcases remnants of St. Louis’ industrial history, including the old Laclede Power Station (built 1901) and Cotton Belt Freight Depot (built 1913.)

Cotton Belt Freight Depot – St. Louis

Cotton Belt Freight Depot – St. Louis

Cotton Belt Freight Depot – St. Louis

Laclede Power Co. in Background

Cassilly was known for his public installations depicting animals such as turtles and hippos. With the help of his wife, Cecelia Davidson, they were able to restore over 36 dilapidated Victorian era buildings around St. Louis. He truly saw the beauty in old and forgotten or neglected structures. Together, the couple also ran a restaurant in Lafayette Square, but would later sell the business and move to Hawaii, where Cassilly carved wooden figures.

Rootwad Park St. Louis

Rootwad Park – St. Louis

Having grown tired of Hawaii, Cassilly and his wife decided to move back to St. Louis, and Bob would later earn his master’s degree in art at his alma mater, Fontbonne. While there, he had met sculptor Gail Soliwoda. Some of Soliwoda’s notable works include the limestone monument at the Myron and Sonya Glassberg Family Conservation Area. Not long after meeting, Cassilly decided to divorce Davidson and marries Soliwoda.

Rootwad Park – St. Louis

View from the former Cotton Belt Freight Depot – St. Louis

View of St. Louis From Rootwad Park

Rootwad Park – St. Louis

Rootwad Park – St. Louis

City Museum:

The couple later became business partners, and in 1993 bought a 250,000-square-foot complex, which included the International Shoe Building. Falling right into line with Cassilly’s love for repurposing and salvaging historic structures, they had turned the former industrial area into the City Museum, which opened in 1997. The opening of the City Museum helped spark a renovation boom in downtown St. Louis.

Much of Cassilly’s work can be viewed as sculptures or full open areas to be enjoyed by both children and adults. His projects involving repurposing structures brought light and fun to rundown, gloomy areas once viewed as no more than trash by many.

Cementland:

In 2000, Cassilly began work on Cementland, where he was repurposing a former cement factory in north St. Louis. His idea was to turn this now dilapidated structure, once an important part of St. Louis’ industry, into an art piece and amusement park. The structure eventually began to resemble a castle filled with sculptures made from cement, rock, metal and antique machinery. He had built bridges and walkways, and even combined a bulldozer in with the mix of beautiful, odd and interesting pieces. Unfortunately, he would never complete work on this project, and was found dead at the site in 2011. His death was initially believed to be an accident, stating that his bulldozer had tipped off of an unstable ledge and rolled over. In 2016, it was discovered that Cassilly was actually beaten to death, and the bulldozer was staged to cover up the murder as an accident. The park remains unfinished and closed to this day.

Bob Cassilly’s commissioned sculptures include:

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