Forest Park Master Plan Implementation

At 1,370 acres, Forest Park is the seventh largest urban park in the United States. Its major cultural institutions (including the Zoo, Art Museum, Municipal Opera, Science Center, and History Museum), recreational activities and special events attract over 12 million people to Forest Park each year. Forest Park drew international attention when it was selected to host the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, more commonly known as the 1904 World’s Fair. However, the decades that followed included years of budget shortfalls and underfunding, resulting in a backlog of deferred maintenance and crumbling park infrastructure.

In 1995, the City of St. Louis and Forest Park Forever (a nonprofit agency founded to protect, restore, and care for the park) adopted a Master Plan to restore the park to its former glory.

David Mason + Associates (DMA) was the lead consultant for the implementation of the Master Plan. We led a team of 11 engineering and landscape architectural firms in the development of over 30 incremental construction projects. Additionally, we provided surveying and engineering services for numerous roadway, bridge, utility, waterway, and landscaping projects, many of which received regional and national recognition by our peers.

Awards

2000 Portland Cement Association (PCA) – Award of Excellence: Forest Park Pagoda Circle Vehicular Bridge 

2004 St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers – Project of the Year: Forest Park Linear Connected Waterway System, Post-Dispatch Lake and Grand Basin