Old Man River’s City RevisitedMain MenuOld Man River's City RevisitedAbout the siteEast St. Louis BackgroundBuckminster Fuller and His Utopian VisionBackground info on why he was chosen to helpEvent at the Mary Brown CenterOn February 25, 1971 the designers of the Old Man River and community members from East St. Louis gathered at the Mary Brown Center to discuss the projected idea of a domed city.The Design PathwayA brief look at how the design and description of the Old Man River's City Project shifted from 1971 to 1976Media Coverage of Old Man RiverInterview with the Old Man River's City DesignersDavid Thompson sat down to talk to four individuals involved in the design work of the Old Man River's City project. Thank you to Tom Thomson, Bill Wischmeye, Carl Safe, and Dennis Cope for taking time out of their schedules to answer these questions and being candid about their opinions on the project itself.When Hope and Skepticism CollideAcknowledgements and BibliographyExhibit FeedbackPlease feel free to complete our feedback page and leave comments letting us know what you thought.Stephanie Cuvarf72d31241e6d8c3b45c4337cb676688e83dea0e0Cathy McNeese6a0d33e14329dcb08a2c74d126ca47588f4fd3c2David Thompsonf9dd88556180b38187c27d862fc17e8c454d3fa5
Buckminster Fuller at the Mary Brown Center
1media/R__Buckminster_Fuller_with_his_domed_city_design_thumb.jpg2020-04-28T00:05:25+00:00David Thompsonf9dd88556180b38187c27d862fc17e8c454d3fa5512Picture of Fuller in the foreground with the famous paneled picture of the dome's diorama and several members of the community in the background. Provided by the Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville Museum.plain2020-05-04T17:20:00+00:00David Thompsonf9dd88556180b38187c27d862fc17e8c454d3fa5
This digital exhibit explores the history and evolution of Buckminster Fuller’s Old Man River Project. This innovative design was created as a potential solution to the urban housing problems in East St. Louis, Illinois, but was never built. Through photographs, interviews, newspaper articles, design sketches and blueprints this presentation provides a closer examination of the events surrounding the creation of The Old Man River Project.
Each section has its own page and does not need to be read in particular order.
Old Man River Community Response Digital Display is the group project requirement for HIST 582 Practicum in Exhibition, part of the Museum Studies Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program. This is the first digital display created for thecourse, and was developed due to the social distancing and shelter-in-place restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring Semester 2020.