The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station wants to be the city’s next great landmark. Slated to open in late 2019, the massive 120,000-square-foot, two-story attraction will make its home within the footprint of a designated National Historic Landmark: the 19th-century train shed that is St. Louis Union Station.
The latest artist renderings and plans were unveiled yesterday during media tours of the future site of the aquarium, the centerpiece of a $187-million family entertainment complex, currently under construction at Union Station.
Three new restaurants, a 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel with climate-controlled gondolas, and other attractions are also slated to make their debut later this year.
Construction on the aquarium began in 2017, and when completed, look for one-of-a-kind exhibits showing more than 13,000 aquatic animals from fresh water and marine environments around the world. And lots of water—at least a million gallons of water, to be exact!
Entrance to the aquarium will be via a 3-D virtual reality train ride—in a nod to Union Station’s history—that will deliver visitors to an area that explores the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. One central display will be Shark Canyon, a massive, 250,000-gallon saltwater shark tank that will house more than 60 sharks and rays. There will be a Global Rivers area to view fresh water species, and The Deep section will take visitors on a journey to the depths of the world’s oceans.
The aquarium hopes to connect people with aquatic life through transformative, immersive experiences, building a community that cares and acts to protect water and the life it sustains. And one of the ways it hopes to spread awareness of its mission in the community is through its nonprofit arm, the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation. The foundation’s aim is to engage the community through access and education programs, while serving as a leading voice for water stewardship.
No specific opening date for the aquarium has been set, but expect for construction to be completed in late 2019.
In addition to the aquarium, look for other attractions such as The St. Louis Wheel, an observation wheel with 42 fully enclosed gondolas that will soar 200 feet above the cityscape, offering a 30-minute ride, with panoramic views of the Gateway Arch and the skyline.
Next to it will be a Carousel and an 18-hole Mini-Golf course. There will also be an indoor Ropes Course and Mirror Maze, a re-imagined attraction of the 1904 World’s Fair.
Three new restaurants are also opening in conjunction with the project.
The Train Shed will be an interesting mix of art deco and industrial space, housed in the former Houlihan’s restaurant location on the main level. Menu offerings will be contemporary American, with an upscale take on comfort foods. As for the drink menu, look for craft beer and cocktails inspired by the pre-prohibition era.
The ’50s-themed Soda Fountain will occupy what was once the Hard Rock Cafe, offering sweet treats and classic eats, such as ice cream sundaes, phosphate sodas, boozy drinks, burgers, old-time candy and popcorn.
The 1894 Cafe, a fast-casual eatery, will be located on the second floor, and will serve child-friendly menu items like chicken sandwiches, burgers and pizza. The cafe is named for the year Union Station first opened to the public. It will be open during aquarium opening hours.
St. Louis-based Lodging Hospitality Management is the owner and developer of the project, with McCarthy Building Companies as the general contractor and PGAV Destinations as designer, also both locally based. ZoOceanarium Group will be the attraction’s operator.
For more information, visit stlouisaquarium.com
