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1904 World's Fair

Painting of the Main Picture
Official Name	Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Theme	100th Anniversary Celebration of the Louisiana Purchase
Location	Forest Park, Missouri
Fair President	David Rowland Francis
Dates	April 30th - December 1st, 1904 (215 days)
Hours	9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Area	1,272 acres
Size	9,500' x 6,000' wide (roughly 2 square miles)
Cost	$50,000,000 ($1.51 billion in 2021)
Daily Admission	50 cents for adults, 25 cents for children
Total Attendance	19,694,855
Average Daily Attendance	85,197
Opening Day Attendance	187,793, 178,423 paid
Best Month Attendance	September (3,651,873)
Number of Days to See Everything	17-18
Number of Buildings	1,576
Total Walkway & Roadways	75 miles
Ice Plant Production	300 tons of ice per day
Fair Security	Jefferson Guard
Landscape Architect	George E Kessler
Trees & Landscaping cost	$1,679,000 ($50.6 million in 2021)

map test Main test The Fair can be broken down into different Fair Areas areas.

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.

For general information, visit At The Fair page for various topics. The world of 1904 was very different than today's.

• There were many ways to get Transportation at the fair.

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