Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
about 15 hours ago
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
2 days ago
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
3 days ago
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Missouri St. Louis Cementland
Cementland is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Cementland

A late sculptor's last project was to turn this abandoned cement factory into a castle-themed amusement park.

St. Louis, Missouri

Added By
Mark Casey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
From a distance, the unfinished Cementland’s ambitions to be a castle-like amusement park are obvious.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaboomplay/ga...
From a distance, the unfinished Cementland’s ambitions to be a castle-like amusement park are obvious.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaboomplay/ga...
The site’s history as a factory are more obvious from some angles than others   http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...
Cementland uses the shells of the cement factory buildings to create a castle-like appearance   http://www.themorningnews.org/images/conte...
From above, the amount of work put into Cementland (and left to do), is striking   http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/a...
Antique equipment left over from Cementland’s days as a cement factory make for unusual attractions   http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaboomplay/ga...
Artistic sculptures can be found all over Cementland, some crafted from metal or old equipment, others carved from the cement itself   http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaboomplay/ga...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaboomplay/ga...
Antique machinery used to create cement, among other things, is scattered throughout the park   http://stlexplorer.files.wordpress.com/201...
Graffiti on the east side   HaplessTraveler / Atlas Obscura User
  michaelnhartman / Atlas Obscura User
  michaelnhartman / Atlas Obscura User
  michaelnhartman / Atlas Obscura User
  James Hadley / Atlas Obscura User
Photo by Mark Gettemeyer   Mark Gettemeyer
  timelesscreations / Atlas Obscura User
  James Hadley / Atlas Obscura User
Fence to enter through seen from inside   HaplessTraveler / Atlas Obscura User
Interior of the central building   HaplessTraveler / Atlas Obscura User
Some of the creators planned additions, such as this castle   HaplessTraveler / Atlas Obscura User
A view of much of the complex from the tower   HaplessTraveler / Atlas Obscura User
An example of the interior of the main building   HaplessTraveler / Atlas Obscura User
  michaelnhartman / Atlas Obscura User
Front of the Cementland.   hgosebrink78 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

It was once the trash heap of local industry. An abandoned and run down former cement factory, the decrepit lot on Riverview Drive had become a common site for local construction crews to dump truckloads of excess dirt and rock. The old factory meant so little, no one cared or tried to reroute them.

But when sculptor and visionary Bob Cassilly looked at the site, he saw something more. He saw an art amusement park celebrating the history of cement production in St. Louis, filled with statues and sculptures and old machinery turned into fascinating attractions, and that's what he began to build in the space.

Locations with formerly booming industries often find themselves with the opportunity to celebrate their cultural and economic history with an amusement park exhibiting that glory. Southern Indiana, known for its famous limestone quarries, has its half-constructed limestone pyramid. In Vietnam, there is the Suoi Tien Cultural Theme Park, celebrating the local Buddhist tradition.

Bob Cassilly had already put St. Louis's name on the oddball art park map with the City Museum, a sprawling playhouse built from repurposed industrial and architectural objects. Cementland was his opportunity to create again, this time with acres to expand. 

So he got a bulldozer and combined it with his artistic ambition. The park would fit right in with his long history of whimsical, playful sculptures and projects, all hinging on the intersection between childhood nostalgia and subversive counterculture. He invited the construction crews to keep dumping their leftover dirt — it was simply more material for him to play with. To create with.

Before long he had created a castle of sorts out of the old factory, with a courtyard of sculpted creations made of cement, rock, metal and antique machinery. Bridges spanned spillways and depressions where water would collect into pools to form moats and ponds. In short order, people caught notice, and couldn't wait to see what the project, still in its infancy, would eventually become.

Unfortunately, in 2011, Cassilly tragically died when the bulldozer he was operating allegedly tipped off of an unstable ledge and rolled over, although his widow and several medical experts believe he was intentionally beaten to death, the bulldozer accident simply being a cover-up. Regardless, he died doing what he loved, but what he loved was far from finished.

Today, the unfinished park, still closed to the public, is an attractive spot for oddity searchers, sculpture fans, graffiti artists, and late-night teenagers. There are no illusions that it is complete or well-maintained at this point, but Bob's widow, Giovanna Cassilly, hopes to keep the project going. She launched a website to collect inquiries and information for curious and supportive fans. After years of probate proceedings, the 55-acre Cementland was released to her in the fall of 2015 and building may resume.

Memorials to Bob Cassilly have been held in the park, candlelight vigils and the launching of lit balloons into the night sky. But perhaps the best memorial to the man, his life, and his ideas, is all around you when you visit - the park itself.

Update December 9 2016: A heavy warehouse fire raged at the cement factory, causing the roof to fall in. Over 60 firefighters worked through the night to put out the blaze.

Update May 2017: A private security outfit has been hired to prevent trespassing. 

Update Feb 2022:  No evidence of any security. Area is now considered unsecure and may now be explored by those at their own risk. Wide opening in fence located Mississippi Greenway Trailhead. Posting should also reflect the status as open, not closed. It was a concrete factory and is no longer. 

Related Tags

Abandoned Outsider Art Abandoned Amusement Parks Collections Inventions Architectural Oddities Outsider Architecture Architecture

Know Before You Go

North side of St. Louis riverfront, just before the intersection of Scranton Avenue and Riverside Drive.

Community Contributors

Added By

Mark Casey

Edited By

Rachel, Joule, ducttapeandzipties, DingleBoone...

  • Rachel
  • Joule
  • ducttapeandzipties
  • DingleBoone
  • michaelnhartman
  • James Hadley
  • hgosebrink78
  • timelesscreations
  • HaplessTraveler

Published

June 10, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/arts/design/25ceme.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cementland
  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaboomplay/galleries/72157627693153601/
  • http://m.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/there-he-goes-again/Content?oid=2483060
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cementland
  • http://www.citymuseum.org
  • http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/family-plans-to-finish-what-cementland-creator-started/article_773b7b35-aca8-53ac-9c11-74857ef03bb8.html
  • https://www.google.com/amp/www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/cementland-s-future-isn-t-clear-after-death-of-creator/article_8f131ad6-fe2e-51c4-ad4b-6b3152f2ff5a.amp.html
Cementland
Scranton Avenue and Riverview Drive
St. Louis, Missouri, 63137
United States
38.734261, -90.212767
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Lemp Family Tomb

St. Louis, Missouri

miles away

Bellefontaine Cemetery

St. Louis, Missouri

miles away

The Girl in the Shadow Box

St. Louis, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of St. Louis

St. Louis

Missouri

Places 36
Stories 10

Nearby Places

The Lemp Family Tomb

St. Louis, Missouri

miles away

Bellefontaine Cemetery

St. Louis, Missouri

miles away

The Girl in the Shadow Box

St. Louis, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of St. Louis

St. Louis

Missouri

Places 36
Stories 10

Related Stories and Lists

The Abandoned Amusement Park Great American Road Trip

List

By Meg Neal

Related Places

  • Ganja, Azerbaijan

    Bottle House of Ganja

    A quirky house created entirely out of glass bottles combines a collector's spirit with an artist's flair.

  • The House of Mugs a/k/a The Cup House

    Collettsville, North Carolina

    The House of Mugs

    A cabin completely covered in coffee mugs, where visitors are welcome to leave one of their own—if they can find an empty nail.

  • 8-17-21

    Williams, Arizona

    Flintstones Bedrock City

    An homage to everyone's favorite prehistoric cartoon family.

  • Hakone, Japan

    Hakone Open-Air Museum

    Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

  • Exterior of Castle, with cemetery .

    Greenback, Tennessee

    Fortress of Faith (Greenback Castle)

    One man has spent decades faithfully constructing this unique brick and cinderblock castle.

  • La Maison Sculptée.

    Amanlis, France

    La Maison Sculptée

    An enchanting work of outsider art, full of whimsical sculptures and carvings.

  • Pickle Barrel House, 2015

    Grand Marais, Michigan

    Pickle Barrel House

    This little barrel-shaped cottage by Lake Superior was once a cartoonist's summer retreat.

  • Quetzalcoatl’s Nest

    Naucalpan, Mexico

    El Nido de Quetzalcóatl

    An Aztec snake god has taken the material form of an apartment complex.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.