One of my favorite Stl250 cakes is the one at St. Louis University, partly because it’s in such a beautiful setting. Back in April, it was surrounded by beautiful yellow tulips:
I decided to go back and see what it looks like now, and I wasn’t disappointed! It’s now in the midst of beautiful fall flowers!
I love seeing how the cakes looks different with the change of seasons!
I saw this unpainted cake at the Missouri History Museum back in February and March. It’s kind of fun to look back and see how all of these amazing cakes started out!
I’m not going to lie…I didn’t take pictures of all of my children with each cake. Actually, I don’t think I got pictures of the children with even 10% of the cakes, and sometimes, it was only one or two of them in the picture, and not all five. But for me, this wasn’t about taking their pictures with the cakes, it was about taking them to see new places, learn the history of our area, and make sure I recorded what the cakes looked like. That being said, I did try to get pictures at some of their favorite locations, and with their favorite cakes!
Even if they didn’t take pictures with every cake, I know that they’ll remember this birthday year for St. Louis, and that’s all I was really going for!
So excited to see an article about me in our local newspaper this morning!
Amanda Markel of Belleville was excited when the organization to celebrate the 250th birthday of St. Louis decided to put large artist-decorated plastic birthday cakes at sites all around the region.
via Belleville family finds all 250 St. Louis birthday cakes | Features | News Democrat.
I hope I’ve emphasized that the Cakeway to the West project is about more than just art to me. I’m not sure if I’ve shared one of the stories that is one of the big reasons why, though.
When I photographed this cake in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue at Fountain Park, an older (not sure I want to use the word elderly, but close to it, at least), gentleman stopped to talk to me. He wanted to know if I was officially involved with Stl250 (sadly no), and if I had seen some of the other cakes at some of his favorite places. Your basic cake-related small talk that takes places over many of these installations.
But then he said something that humbled me and touched me in a way that I didn’t expect a public art project could. He thanked me, for photographing the cake and the statue. Because he’s afraid that people will forget Dr. King, and he wanted to thank me for my role in keeping his memory alive. Here I was, just taking a picture of cake in its setting, but to him, I was doing something so much bigger, something with lasting value.
I think that was the day (May 25, if you’re keeping track), that I realized that this is about more than just art, or a scavenger hunt, or even celebrating St. Louis’ birthday. It’s about stories. The stories of the city, and the stories of the individuals who live here. These stories (and seeing the places that go with them), have truly changed my life. I’ve tried to hear as many of those stories as I can as I’ve traveled the metro area, but none have stayed with me the way that conversation on a Sunday afternoon in May has.
Some of the Cakeway to the West cakes are enjoyable to look at not because they are beautiful (even though they are), but because their setting is so astounding. The most obvious of these is the cake at the overlook at Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park, because it offers a view of not only the cake, but the St. Louis skyline and the Mississippi River. There are many others though, that are in front of beautiful buildings, or among gorgeous flowers, or just in a place that really reflects the community:
I have really enjoyed seeing so many new places in St. Louis, and seeing old, familiar places in a new way!
It’s funny how you can overlook details, some of which can be pretty big, when you’re busy cake hunting. The cake at the Shrine of St. Joseph is a perfect example of that. I photographed this cake pretty well, but there is a fence around it, so I was so busy trying to work around the fence that I didn’t really see the cake, even though I was looking at it. And even after we got home, I was so busy thinking about how beautiful the church building is (and it really is!), that I didn’t really process the cake details. But after I saw the cake from another photographer’s point-of-view, I went back and looked at my pictures, and realized not only how beautifully well-painted it is, but actually fell in love with it to the point where it became one of my favorites!
The cake has a botanical theme, including the Missouri Botanical Garden and Forest Park’s Jewel Box. The colors and details used to express the theme are just magnificent. Being able to see the cakes through other people’s eyes, and pick up on details you might have otherwise missed is one of the unexpected joys of this project!
Now that I’ve seen all of the “Cakeway to the West” displays, I feel that the time has come to pick my very favorites. It’s not easy to choose, because there were so many awesome artists decorating these cakes, but I have narrowed it down. The names in bold represent my “top ten” of all my favorites.
The Dogtown cake is my very favorite, for a lot of sentimental reasons. Dogtown was the neighborhood Ryan and I lived in when we were first married, and it was the perfect first place to live, as a newly married couple, and as new residents of St. Louis. There’s a great community feeling, and a great history, not to mention the awesome ethnic (Irish) flair…and this cake is like a love letter to all of that. I couldn’t have designed it better if I had tried!
The Rigazzi’s cake is awesome, not necessarily because of the cake itself (although it references a lot of St. Louis favorites like the Zoo, beer, and baseball), but because of its location, both on The Hill, and beneath one of the remaining All-Star arches. It’s like a St. Louis tchotchkes Holy Grail!
I also love the Blueberry Hill cake. It’s a tribute to pop culture icons…Darth Vader, Pac-Man, the Simpsons, and more. It’s random and awesome, and when you add in the bright colors of the cake, it’s easy to see why it’s a favorite!
The cake at Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in Soulard makes my list for two reasons (three if I’m being honest). First, it was done by my very favorite local artist, Mark Hurd, who I’ve had the opportunity to meet at Art on the Square (and buy several pieces of art from!). Second, I love the way that the candle is an extension of the steeple. And, if I’m honest, I also love that it’s at a Lutheran church. You can’t talk about the history of St. Louis without mentioning us Lutherans at least a bit, right?
I also love the cake at the University City Lion Gates. I’m not sure that there’s one more recognizably St. Louis culture cake than this, because it asks (and answers!) the all-important St. Louis question, “Where did you go to high school?”
The cake at The Cheshire is just awesome in all of its fleurs-de-lis glory. I especially love the candle, with the writing, and the extra fleur-de-lis. It’s just a beautiful, elegant cake!
The cake at Shaw Park is fun, because it shows all of the activities that can be enjoyed there all year round…swimming, ice hockey, and tennis all included!
The Busch Stadium cake is a favorite because Cardinals. Enough said.
The Ted Drewes cake both captures the spirit of the place, and gives us an excuse to get some frozen custard. It’s a win-win cake!
The Carondelet Historical Society cake is a favorite because it references so much St. Louis history, some of which was new to me. I love how much I’ve learned through the Cakeway to the West project!
The cake at Saint Louis University is all kinds of awesome. The placement is perfect. Depending on which way you’re looking, there are fountains or flowers or a gorgeous church in the background. And the cake itself is really pretty, and perfect for the location.
The College of Pharmacy cake might seem like a strange choice, but it really tickled me. Notice how it’s designed to look like a pharmacist’s lab coat? I love it!
The cake at the Boys and Girls Club is great for a few reasons. I love the way it’s divided right down the middle to showcase the past and the present. And I really love that one of the cakes pays homage to the long-gone St. Louis Browns baseball team. Another bonus is that I learned a little something extra about St. Louis history after seeing this one, which is probably the most fun part of this project (for me, anyway)!
The cake at St. Louis City Hall does a great job of showing what’s important in St. Louis. Notice all the fleurs-de-lis? Each one is painted in a specific way. My favorite, of course, is the baseball fleur-de-lis!
The Post-Dispatch cake gets points because it’s Weatherbird. Really, what else could it be? For those not in the know, Weatherbird is the oldest continuous cartoon in the United States…it’s been around since 1901! More history…
The Drury Hotel cake is another “what’s what in St. Louis” masterpiece. You’ve got the city flag, you’ve got the skyline, and in the letters of the city’s name, you have tributes to the Arch, King Louis, Lewis and Clark, the Cardinals, the Zoo, and the Blues. Plus, more fleurs-de-lis. Love!
The Gaslight Square cake gets retro points from me, for being placed in a historic spot. Plus this is another great past and present cake, showcasing the importance of Laclede Gas back in the days of, well, gaslights, and its importance today. The lamp bases in the background are an added bonus!
The cake that sits where the old St Louis Arena used to be is also cool, mainly because of the ticket stubs affixed to the top. You get a good idea of who performed there, and there are some impressive names listed!
The West Alton cake was an unanticipated favorite for me. It recognizes the major natural disasters in St. Louis history: earthquakes, storms, floods, and the terrible drought we had a few summers ago. It’s not only the pleasant events that shape a city, and I’m glad these were included.
The cake at the original Imo’s location looked boring when we first drove up to it, but once I looked at it, I realized how cool it is. The base is pizza boxes, while the top is decorated to look like the famous “square beyond compare” pizza. Perfectly awesome!
The Ferguson Station Depot cake is the one cake that recognizes St. Louis’ contribution to the space race. It also focuses on other forms of transportation, and is wonderfully brightly colored. Plus, there’s a great ice cream shop just up the hill from it that we discovered and enjoyed…total win!
The Old Cathedral cake is just beautiful. Covered in flowers and other images such as King Louis and religious and local symbols, it’s beautiful and peaceful. It’s just what you would expect at the site of the first cathedral west of the Mississippi!
The Warren County Courthouse cake is a favorite for several reasons. It’s a tribute to all four seasons, which is fun. I enjoyed seeing a snow scene on the July day we visited it. It also has the Halloween scene from Meet Me in St. Louis…a perfect tribute to a great movie!
The Greenville Public Library cake is decorated to look like Busch Stadium. I have no idea why this cake is so far away from the Cardinals home base, but it’s completely awesome…the Rally Squirrel even makes an appearance!
The cake at Francis Field is a tribute to the 1904 Olympics. There was just no doubt that this would be on my list…history plus Olympics for the win! It even tells what sports competed in 1904, and it’s a very different list from the Olympics games of today!
I really tried to limit myself to 10% of the total cakes, or 25 cakes, when compiling this list. I was right on target, too. But this cake, at the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle, kept coming to mind. I love all the old signs, many of which are neon, that are painted on it.
The cake at the Shrine of St. Joseph was another that kept coming to mind. The cake is beautifully decorated, and the church is so beautiful, and I wouldn’t have even known it was there if it wasn’t for Cakeway to the West. So I’m allowing myself a second bonus cake. And since Stl250 ended up placing a few bonus cakes, I guess it’s OK that I have bonus favorites, too!
And, one final late addition to my favorites list…the Reunion cake, which debuted at First Night on 12/31/14, and was then moved to the Missouri History Museum. It’s like a slice of all the cakes (I’m really very sorry about the pun), and was completed by many of the cake artists…the perfect way to wrap up Cakeway to the West!
All of the Stl250 cakes are beautiful and tell great stories that share the history and culture of our city. It was really hard to narrow down my favorites, because I really love them all. These are the cream of the crop for me, though, and really define what this city is all about.
Here is the conclusion of our “Cakeway to the West” journey…pictures of all 250 cakes!
Plus the bonus cakes that started out as “one to grow on,” and have grown into four cakes…one that is now at Ameristar Casino (that I originally photographed at Le Grange de Terre), one at Express Scripts, one at Columbia Bottom, and the Let’s Celebrate festival cake that is traveling around the city (oh, and also the Ameren Employees’ cake, which is a private installation that is now being shared with the public):
If you were wondering what the cakes looked like before they were painted, I can help you out with that, too:
And let’s not forget the prototype, the little gold cake that started it all!
Plus, an unofficial cake at Hawken House that looks so authentic that I never would have guessed that it’s not an official one!
And an unofficially official cake at the Missouri School for the Blind that was repurposed and repainted after the celebratory year ended:
We saw two cake unveilings:
And one cake in progress:
I even participated in a cake-themed art show!
The end of the year saw a gathering of several dozen cakes up for auction for one last hurrah:
And, finally, the final cake…the Reunion Cake, which was unveiled at First Night, aka New Year’s Eve:
It took us almost five months exactly to find them all, plus another few months for the bonus cakes to appear, and now that we’re done, I’m not sure what we’re going to do with our spare time. I do know that it was the perfect way to celebrate St. Louis’ 250th birthday!