Whatever I might say in remembrance of Bob Cassilly would never be enough. His contribution to the City of St. Louis is beyond measure. This morning in tribute to his creative genius, I want to share some photos of his work taken late yesterday afternoon at Turtle Park (on Oakland at Tamm), New City School, and in our neighbor's backyard.
So often it isn't until I get my photos downloaded that I realize what I have. Perhaps it's the emotion of the day but Cassilly's concrete turtle appears to be giving this child an extra hug.
As I left Turtle Park on Monday I told the father of the four children in the photographs why I was taking the pictures and that I would be posting them on a CWE blog. He looked at me quizzically and said they were from out-of-town. On Tuesday I got an email from Ryan Schultz of Aurora, IL saying he had found the blog and loved the pictures of Andrew, above, and his twin Anika, 8, Sarah, 5, and JonJon, 3. "How ironic," Ryan said, "we went to the City Museum on Sunday – the most awesome museum I've ever been to. The kids loved it and my wife and I had a lot of fun too…Yes we enjoyed his (Bob Cassilly's) creations for our short time in St. Louis."
New City School has several examples of Cassilly's work, above and below.
And closer to home there is a pair of Bob Cassilly benches on Maryland Plaza.
In the 1970's, when the townhouses on Maryland Plaza were being converted to commercial use, an advertising agency commissioned Cassilly to create a wall and fountain for the backyard, above and below. The butterfly wall became the backdrop for an urban garden that was created for our neighbors when the houses were converted to condominiums in 2006.
Read more about Bob Cassilly in today's Post-Dispatch or the St. Louis Beacon.
Love your tribute so much that I tweeted it. Sad, sad week for St. Louis!