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Anyone who skated at Steinberg in past winters will find a construction site where the rink used to be. That is on purpose. Forest Park Forever, the park’s nonprofit conservancy, and the City of St. Louis are rebuilding the rink and the 22.5 acres around it into a project they call The Glade, and both say it reopens in fall 2026. This page is a status report as of October 2026, not a reopening announcement: VisitingSTL did not find an exact opening day on either official page.
The rink, 1957
Steinberg opened in 1957, named for Etta Steinberg, whose lead gift paid for it. Forest Park Forever says it was designed as the largest rink in the Midwest, and partly to give U.S. speed skaters a place to practice ahead of the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. Early admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for teenagers; children skated free. The rink was the whole attraction. What The Glade adds is everything people might want to do around it.
What The Glade is
The project was unveiled on February 13, 2025, alongside a $100 million fundraising campaign called “Imagine the Glade.” The conservancy’s plans put the rebuilt rink at the center of a landscape meant to work in every season:
- A reconstructed rink at the same 27,500 square feet, with room for roller skating and other uses besides ice.
- A second-story rooftop terrace with a restaurant and bar and a view over the park.
- A ground-floor cafe and a first-floor bar, plus an indoor “community living room.”
- A water cascade, fountains and a splash pad for summer, along with shade structures and lawns.
- An accessible hillside path up from Kingshighway.
The conservancy also lists 150 new trees (more than 400 across the site) and a geothermal well field for heating and cooling, which it estimates will cut annual energy use by about half. The design team is Snow Kreilich Architects, Hoerr Schaudt (landscape) and Christner Architects, with BSI Constructors managing the build.
Where construction stands
Ground was broken on May 14, 2025, on a schedule of 20 months of work. In a six-month update on September 25, 2025, Forest Park Forever reported footings poured for the shade structures, chiller units for the ice system delivered in August, geothermal wells drilled hundreds of feet down, and excavation under way for the water play area and the accessible path. The conservancy’s project page and the City’s rink page both still say the rink reopens in fall 2026, and the City lists it as closed until then.
Nothing on those pages gives a day. If you are planning a winter trip around skating, watch the official page rather than counting on a date.
What a visitor can do now
The Glade site is closed while it is built, so there is nothing to see inside it yet. The rest of Forest Park is open and free, and the Forest Park guide covers the 1904 World’s Fair history and a suggested day. Forest Park turned 150 on June 24, 2026, and The Glade is part of how the conservancy is marking it.
For current status, go to the source: forestparkforever.org/theglade.
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View & Book on Airbnb →Quick answers
What is The Glade?
A $100 million project by Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis to rebuild Steinberg Rink and turn 22.5 acres of eastern Forest Park into a year-round destination, with a restaurant, a splash pad, lawns and shade structures.
When does Steinberg Rink reopen?
Forest Park Forever and the City of St. Louis both say fall 2026. As of October 2026, no exact opening day has been posted on the pages VisitingSTL checked.
Can I visit The Glade right now?
Not yet. The site is a construction zone, so check Forest Park Forever's official page before you plan around it. The rest of Forest Park is open.
How old is Steinberg Rink?
It opened in 1957 and was billed as the largest outdoor ice skating rink in the Midwest. The rebuilt rink keeps its 27,500-square-foot size.