Oak Knoll Park was established in 1958 and named for the 150
year old Post Oak trees on the grounds. It is Clayton's second
largest park covering 14.5 acres. The park has a walking path that
takes you to the gardens and down to the pond. On the grounds there
are two stone mansions that were built in the early 20th Century.
One is used by the St. Louis Artist's Guild and the other is used
by the Clayton Child Center. The park has picnic areas, a
playground, restrooms, parking, beautiful gardens, and a pond with
a fountain. Original items that still remain include the stone
pillars at the Clayton entrance, the posts from the gates on Big
Bend, and the carriage house that is now the home of the Parks
& Recreation department. During the summer there are music
concerts in this park.
The area was originally farmland until 1905 when Charles Rice
bought the land and built a 22-room stone mansion in 1914. Later
Alvin Goldman (Mrs. Rice’s brother) built a second stone
mansion there that was completed in 1929. The Rice and Goldman
families named their estate Oak Knoll for the trees on the land.
The property went up for sale in 1958 and the city of Clayton
bought in and made it into a park. In 1962 the buildings were used
by the Academy of Science which included displays on science and
natural history. They later moved and became the St. Louis Science
Center in 1985. After that the city leased one house to the Clayton
Child Center and the other to the St. Louis Artists’ Guild,
who added sculptures to the park.
Have fun finding this cache and enjoy this beautiful park. Good
luck!
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Congratulations and FTF honors to sgtmta!
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