There’s a reason why warehouses are designed the way they are. High ceilings allow for tall pallet racking and shelving. Wide-open spaces with no dividers allow for maximum workflow and efficiency.
And of course, there are the loading bays equipped with sliding doors, bumpers, and dock levelers.
But as great as warehouses are for storing things, they’re not good for much else. When a company closes down or relocates, it’s warehouses are either torn down or sold and used as a warehouse by someone else.
There are always exceptions though.
Repurposed
There once was a warehouse in St. Louis that belonged to a company called International Shoe Company. International Shoe Company (later known as Interco) was a very large business that at one point owned products such as Ethan Allen and Converse. However, the company fell into some hard times, filed for bankruptcy, was bought out, and ultimately, ended their shoe manufacturing.
That left a rather large warehouse sitting in St. Louis’s Loft District.
It didn’t stay vacant for long, however. The famous artist and sculptor Bob Cassilly bought the place in 1983. In 1995, construction began on the building to transform it into something truly remarkable. Bob Cassilly had a vision for his warehouse, and on October 25, 1997, he showed that vision to the public.
It was called City Museum.
A Child’s Playground
Don’t let the modest name fool you. City Museum is anything but traditional.
Remember when you were a kid, and you would draw the most ridiculous things? There would be buildings with slides and carnival rides in them and cars breaking through walls and exotic animals roaming about. Well, Bob Cassilly managed to turn those dreams into a reality.
City Museum features four floors (and a roof) filled with all sorts of wonders. There’s an enchanted cave, a skate park where you don’t need skates, an aquarium, a Ferris wheel, and so much more. Around every corner, there is something new to discover at City Museum. Even on the outside.
Outside of City Museum is an area known as MonstroCity. This exhibit features suspended aircrafts, a fire engine, a castle turret, two four-foot-wide Slinkies, and two ball pits.
All in all, City Museum is quite the hot spot, and we definitely recommend checking it out if you’re ever in the St. Louis area. It goes to show you that one man’s warehouse is another man’s playground.
Have you heard of warehouses being used for something other than warehousing?
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