Project Updates: Constructing the Glade

The Glade is taking shape! Some milestones in summer 2026:

• The floor-to-ceiling glass windows are being installed on the ground floor and second floor

• The water feature’s foundation and cascade steps are formed, with thousands of pieces of stones applied

• The borders of the rink have been framed, and pipe for underneath the rink is being laid

The accessible pathway from Kingshighway is poured, with new trees planted on the hillside

We’ve made highly visible, exciting progress this spring and are on track to welcome ice skaters to the all-new, state-of-the-art Steinberg Rink this winter.

• The temporary wood forms for the rink’s base are in place, ready for concrete to be poured.

• We’ve installed rink lighting and completed the brand-new accessible pathway from Kingshighway to the Glade.

• The historical façade of the Steinberg facility has been restored after workers removed, numbered and cleaned each limestone block before replacing it in its original position.

• On the new second story, the beams for the rooftop terrace shade structure are in place.

Work that continued through the winter signaled exciting progress toward a finished space.

• Drywall and insulation work began on the first floor of the renovated building.

• Decking and vertical steel beams for the second story were raised, providing shape for what will be the rooftop restaurant at the south end of the building and community living room at the north end.

• West of the rink, all cantilevered beams forming the roof of the shade structure were raised and spliced together on site.

• Concrete girders forming the base of the pedestrian bridge over the Taylor Kindle River were placed and the base of the bridge was poured.

• Construction progressed on the ADA-accessible serpentine path from Kingshighway that will connect the Glade to the WashU Medical Campus, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Central West End neighborhood.

Fall saw exciting advances in construction that are more visible to passersby.

• Concrete poured for the new of the building extending into the hillside

• Steel beams installed as the new roof and second story began to take shape

• Soil excavation completed as part of preparation for pouring the foundation of the interactive water feature

• Demolition of the old recreational path west of the site to make room for the Community Lawn

• Site preparation and drilling for the new pedestrian bridge across the Taylor Kindle River

Summer was all about laying the foundations for the many amenities in this space.

• Demolition and removal of parking lot pavement followed by installation of the geothermal well field

• Demollition of old rink material and excavation of subgrade for new rink

• Installation of micro-piers for the building and footings for the rink-side shade structure

• Preparation of hillside for chiller unit concrete pad and installation of the chiller unit

• The site's geothermal system won a 2025 Technology Award from the St. Louis Chapter of ASHRAE. Our conservancy will rely on this new system to recapture heat and reduce environmental impact season after season.

• Coordinating with local furniture maker Mwanzi Co. to repurpose trees felled by the May tornado into tables and other furniture at the Glade.

• Excavation and forming for the vault that will power the splash pad and cascade

Last spring, we closed the site and began decommissioning of the facility in preparation for this major transformation in eastern Forest Park.

• Closing the site to the public and installing construction fencing

• Toppling the large masts that supported the stadium-style lights on the west side of the rink

• Demolition inside the building

• Removal of pavement and relocation and storage of the Zamboni ice resurfacing vehicle

• Pruning and/or removal of trees that are not part of the finished project. (Overall, 150 new trees will be added during the project.)

• Decommissioning of the building and rink, including removal of salvage items from the building and removing refrigerant from the existing ice refrigeration system

• Removal and preservation of Steinberg Rink lettering and limestone veneer from the building and site walls

• Excavation of the hillside to the east of the Steinberg building

• Continued removal and crating of the limestone veneer, which will be refurbished and reinstalled

• Beginning of demolition of the roof slab and demolition of the east wall and ceiling of the building