Turtle Playground Park
By Robert Cassilly
Category: Sculpture
About
The three large turtles are named Richard, Sally, and Tom after the children of Mrs. Sonya (Sunny) Glassberg, who donated the playground to Forest Park. The four small turtles are named for her grandchildren Antonio, David, Adam, and Emily. The playground is open from dawn until 10 p.m. daily.
Dimensions: variable
Year Completed: 1996
Material: Concrete, landscaping
Owner: Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry and Forest Park Forever
Donor: Sonya (Sunny) Glassberg
*Photo Courtesy of Forest Park Forever.
About the artist:
Robert Cassilly
1949-2011
Bob Cassilly was an American sculptor and entrepreneur. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, he was best known as the founder of the idiosyncratic City Museum. Cassilly graduated from Vianney High School and earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in art from Fontbonne University in St. Louis.Turtle Playground, which features three large and four small turtles, officially opened in 1996. Visitors will find a snapping turtle, a soft-shelled turtle, a red-eared slider, a Mississippi map, three box turtles and a stinkpot along with a snake that is curled to form an area for sitting and a serpent taking a bite out of the Highway 40 overpass. Seven large eggs, three with emerging turtles, adorn the sitting area.
