Most visitors to St. Louis know the tourist standbys: Forest Park. Busch Stadium. The Zoo. The Arch.

But the Gateway City boasts a hidden gem that most sightseers have never heard of, and many locals have never experienced – the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.

That’s why when the Friends of the Cathedral Basilica were presented with the opportunity to create an exhibit at the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, which serves more than 15 million travelers per year, they jumped at the opportunity. And when it came time to design this high-visibility display, they called on Project 13.

Our goal was to inspire viewers to visit the Cathedral – a masterpiece of art, architecture, and history – and to capitalize on the massive display space by creating a powerful and striking installation that presented layers of details about this iconic site.

A handcrafted gold-leaf wall, 7 feet tall by 22 feet long, serves as the eye-catching backdrop for the entire display. Six canvases, each over six feet tall, with brilliant, full-color photographs highlighting some of the Cathedral’s most breathtaking views, are suspended on the wall.

Cable systems between the large canvases and the glass that encases the exhibit suspend smaller images, detailing some of the Cathedral’s mosaics, domes, arches, and statues, while a red, hand-textured Venetian panel mounted to the wall serves as the backdrop for archival images from the Cathedral’s construction.

Also within the exhibit rests a workbench from the Cathedral’s museum, which contains tools and materials used by the artisans who created the mosaics, and a large shelf containing artifacts from the museum, including transept models and mosaic samples.

The final layer in the display is the vinyl text and graphic embellishments applied to the inside and outside of the glass, which includes copy outlining the Basilica’s impressive history, and the web address where visitors can learn more about visiting the Cathedral.

Executing the design was itself a masterpiece – of coordination. Working entirely from New York, we orchestrated a team of vendors and partners in New York and St. Louis, including Mary Lou Olson, who took the photographs of the Basilica; Rob Weaver Finishes, who created and installed the gold-leaf wall and red Venetian panel; Axelle Fine Arts, who printed the large canvases; and Creative Framing, who stretched and installed the large canvases, and installed the cable system. Highly-detailed renderings and instructions by Project 13 ensured that all the elements came together properly, and within the constraints of a non-profit budget.

As if all that weren’t enough, this marks the first Project 13 endeavor involving a search by the Department of Homeland Security: to enter the airport, all equipment and vehicles were swept by bomb dogs! Fortunately, we passed the sniff test – and the exhibit has drawn raves from the client and travelers.

"I had no idea that we would have such an incredible turnout because of the airport display.  We get approximately 25 - 30 people daily that are visiting solely because of the display.  Everyday I get comments from people that saw our installation at the airport and think that it is wonderful.  I could not of hoped for a better reaction. Thanks for all that you did!"

– Ann W. Richardson
Director of Development, Friends of the Cathedral Basilica