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About The Glade
The largest single project in the Forest Park Forever’s 40-year history, The Glade represents a new vision for eastern Forest Park. From its conception, it was designed with constant community input and a vision for a place of all-season fun that is equitably, environmentally and economically sustainable and inspires a variety of structured and unstructured activities that are welcoming to all. The Glade meets that vision with new features across the site that will bring joy to visitors in all seasons, while solving all the major needs of the nearly 70-year-old rink and building. The project followed an ambitious 21-month construction schedule in order to meet the goal of only having Steinberg Rink closed for one season.
Policies
Please review our policies for use of Steinberg Rink.
A–Z Guide to The Glade
Our A–Z Guide to The Glade provides helpful information about our amenities, services and policies to ensure every guest has a safe, welcoming and enjoyable experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you're planning your first visit or already know your way around The Glade, we’re here to help! Learn more about the activities, amenities and guest services available.
The Glade Standard
The Glade is for you and your neighbors, too. It’s a place to gather, move, discover, celebrate, relax and make memories. Everyone who visits plays a part in making it special. That’s why we ask everyone to help us live by The Glade Standard.
Sponsorships
If you’re interested in sponsoring an event or space at The Glade, contact Senior Manager of Sponsorship & Business Development Sara Curran at scurran@forestparkforever.org or 314.571.6082.
History of Steinberg Rink
The Mark C. Steinberg Memorial Rink opened in 1957 with a lead gift from Etta Steinberg. In defiance of the segregation still common at the time, Steinberg stipulated that the new facility must be open to people of all races and backgrounds. This vision of bringing communities together inspired the reimagined eastern end of Forest Park and The Glade.
In 1957, admission to Steinberg Rink was 50 cents for adults, 25 cents for teenagers and free for young children. It was built as the largest rink in the Midwest, in part to enable speed skating practice as the United States anticipated hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.
The facility was renovated in the 1970s, in 1992 and in 2000, when the parking lot was relocated to the south of the facility to make room for construction of what would become the Taylor Kindle River and Klein Prairie.
When the rink closed at the end of the 2024–25 ice skating season, an estimated 70,000 visitors used Steinberg Rink each year—almost exclusively during the winter ice skating season between November and March—while Forest Park was drawing more than 15 million annual visits. At nearly 70 years old, the rink and building needed extensive repairs, including replacement of the ice refrigeration and the building’s HVAC. The building also experienced frequent leaks from the rooftop, which never served its purpose as a terrace.
Today, The Glade builds on Etta Steinberg’s original intent. It also fulfills a recommendation of the 1995 Forest Park Master Plan to dream bigger by reimagining Steinberg Rink as a recreational amenity that operates in all seasons.