jects at science fairs that the Academy helped organize. The Academy 
promoted another kind of fair as well. In 1947 the organization initiated 
plans for a St. Louis World’s Fair for 1953—the sesquicentennial year 
of the Louisiana Purchase. Under Academy leadership, an advisory com- 
mittee consisting of 106 prominent civic leaders formed to study whether 
a St. Louis World’s Fair was feasible.'* As it turned out, such a pro- 
ject proved inappropriate for the city in 1953. Although the project failed, 
the Academy’s involvement demonstrated how deeply the organization 
felt its cultural responsibility. 
Another activity the Academy undertook was the establishment of 
a “‘trailside museum’’ in Forest Park. The idea behind this project, which 
never developed, was to provide a way for people to learn more about 
nature than they could at the Academy’s small museum on Lindell. '5 
The inadequacies of the Lindell building were apparent even when 
the Academy purchased the building. But at the time it seemed to be 
the best temporary solution until the construction of a truly world-class 
science museum of the kind proposed in 1944. Members kept the dream 
of such an institution alive in the 1950s. In 1952 the Academy made 
a study which resulted in a proposal for a St. Louis cultural center. 
The organization submitted its findings to the city’s Board of Public 
Service, hoping to incorporate the cultural center in an upcoming bond 
issue. !6 
The Academy’s report sketched an ambitious plan. The ideal 
cultural center would include a science museum which would have 
150,000 square feet and cost $4,500,000; a planetarium comparable 
to Chicago’s Adler Planetarium at a cost of $1,700,000; a symphony 
hall with seating for 2,500 that would cost $2,000,000; a library with 
a 350,000 volume capacity and a price tag of $1,340,000. With park- 
ing facilities and the cost of land, the total amounted to approximately 
$10,500,000. !7 
The Academy’s plan for a cultural center had the support of many 
St. Louis leaders, including the mayor. The Board of Public Service 
declined to add it to the bond agenda, however, and the plan seemed 
to wither. Nevertheless, the Academy retained the vision. !8 
Whatever dreams the Academy cherished, it had to face realities, 
and one of the harshest of these was the problems associated with the 
Lindell building. The property simply lacked enough space. For instance, 
it was too small to house both the Academy’s collections and its library, 
which had to be kept at Washington University and, later, at the old 
courthouse. !9 
By 1954 the building had become too small to accommodate all 
of the Academy’s exhibits. In that year the Mahlon B. Wallace, Jr. family 
donated a collection of mounted African animals. This group was en- 
53 
