beauty of its surroundings.’’? 
Throughout the late 1970s, the Museum pushed its expansion plan 
and the proposed move to Forest Park. The notion of another building 
in the Park met with considerable opposition, however, from environ- 
mentalists and others who believed that new construction there 
represented an untenable encroachment.!° In 1979, the Missouri 
Legislature banned the construction of the underground building.!! 
14980 the Commissioners, staff, Friends of the Museum, and 
the Academy continued planning the expansion despite the setbacks of 
the previous years. A design concept was completed for a 
100,000-square-foot facility at Oak Knoll Park—a facility comparable 
in size to what had been proposed for Forest Park in the 1970s. However, 
the construction cost estimate for a project of that size had more than 
doubled by 1980. This caused the planners to re-evaluate the expan- 
sion scheme. They decided to develop a phased program, starting on 
a smaller scale of 40,000 to 50,000 square feet with further growth to 
take place as a second phase at a later time.'? 
1 June 1981 a great deal of the responsibility for planning the new 
science center came to Dwight S. Crandell, formerly of the Indianapolis 
Children’s Museum, who joined the Museum staff in the new position 
of Director of Development. Almost immediately, Crandell helped begin 
the development of a long-range plan for future facilities, concepts, pro- 
grams, staff, finances, and exhibits. !? 
In the spring of the next year, Crandell reported that the Museum’s 
statement of purpose had been revised, that future staffing and space 
requirements had been detailed, and future exhibits outlined. Crandell 
also noted that although plans were underway, the site for the new science 
center had yet to be determined. Moreover, he informed the public that 
the Commissioners had endorsed a new sales tax to fund the Metropolitan 
Zoo-Museum Tax District. This concept was embodied in a proposal, 
jointly sponsored by St. Louis Mayor Vincent Schoemehl and County 
Executive Gene McNary, which called for the replacement Uk the pro- 
perty tax with a sales tax as the basis for funding the Museum’s opera- 
i 1 
ite A »1982, this proposal was defeated and alternate schemes 
for increasing funding for future operations were explored. Also in 1982, 
Director Donn Brazier retired and Dwight Crandell was named Executive 
Director of the Museum of Science and Natural History. That same 
year, the Academy Board approved the release to the museum of . 
previously held in an escrow fund in the names of the Academy we 
the Museum. In return, the Museum —— agreed “oer 
Academy office space in any future museum building. 
tes next re was an extremely busy and eventful one. The 
69 
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