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Public wiki for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition
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| location     = [[Forest Park]], Missouri
| location     = [[Forest Park]], Missouri
| president     = David Rowland Francis
| president     = David Rowland Francis
| dates     = April 30th - December 1st, 1904 (215 days)
| dates     = [[1904-04-30 April 30th]] - December 1st, 1904 (215 days)
| hours     = 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
| hours     = 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
| area     = 1,272 acres
| area     = 1,272 acres

Revision as of 20:22, 22 February 2024

1904 World's Fair
Painting of the Main Picture
Official NameLouisiana Purchase Exposition
Theme100th Anniversary Celebration of the Louisiana Purchase
LocationForest Park, Missouri
Fair PresidentDavid Rowland Francis
Dates1904-04-30 April 30th - December 1st, 1904 (215 days)
Hours9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Area1,272 acres
Size9,500' x 6,000' wide (roughly 2 square miles)
Cost$50,000,000 ($1.51 billion in 2021)
Daily Admission50 cents for adults, 25 cents for children
Total Attendance19,694,855
Average Daily Attendance85,197
Opening Day Attendance187,793, 178,423 paid
Best Month AttendanceSeptember (3,651,873)
Number of Days to See Everything17-18
Number of Buildings1,576
Total Walkway & Roadways75 miles
Ice Plant Production300 tons of ice per day
Fair SecurityJefferson Guard
Landscape ArchitectGeorge E Kessler
Trees & Landscaping cost$1,679,000 ($50.6 million in 2021)

Informally known as The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, was arguably the grandest World's Fair ever, hosted by the fourth largest city in the United States St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904. Construction began in 1902, with an original target opening in 1903, but was ultimately delayed until 1904.

Opened on April 30, 1904, The Fair, celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase which more than doubled the size of the United States.

An army of over 10,000 laborers, head by designer George Kessler transformed the Fair's 1,272-acre site, which was located at the present-day western edge of Forest Park and the city of St. Louis as well as the campus of Washington University. It was the largest and most beautiful of the Victorian-era World's Fairs. Ex-mayor of St. Louis, David Rowland Francis, was the main driving force behind securing the Fair's financing, supervising its building, and the gathering of the Exposition's exhibits. He also served as the Exposition's president.

After the construction was finished, there was over 1,500 buildings on the fairgrounds, connected by some 75 miles of roads and walkways. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at the entire Fair in less than a week. The Palace of Agriculture alone covered some 20 acres.

At the Fair