Mini SS Admiral Anchors New Exhibit At St. Louis Museum
Beginning March 14, the “mini-Admiral” — a 120th-scale steel replica of the historic Mississippi River SS Admiral excursion boat that was based for decades on the St. Louis riverfront — is anchoring a brand-new exhibit at the National Transportation Museum in St. Louis.
The museum is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with a new exhibit called “Roads, Rivers, Rooms and Reels” that explores the stories, culture and travel experiences that grew up along America’s most iconic roadway.
The Admiral replica, a 20-foot-long stainless-steel model, is a centerpiece of the exhibit. The model was originally built in the 1980s by apprentices of Local 36, the sheet metal workers union, in St. Louis. About a year ago, museum curator Coby Ellison told KSDK TV in St Louis, the museum was contacted by retired union members who wanted to update the model with technology that wasn’t available in the 1980s, including 3D printing for interior details. The detailed replica features intricate elements like fencing and other features.
Ed Hoganson, retired marketing director of Local 36, was one of the apprentices who worked on the original Admiral replica in the 1980s. According to Hoganson, quoted in a Labor Tribune story, the original idea for the replica came from the late Wayne Lavanchy, a Local 36 instructor. In 1990, Local 36 sold the replica to the then-owners of the Admiral. The model has changed hands several times since then. Hoganson tracked it to a St. Louis museum called the Antique Warehouse.
The replica pays tribute to one of the most storied boats in St. Louis history.
Launched in 1940, the SS Admiral was a premier excursion boat noted for its Art Deco style. Built by legendary boatbuilder Streckfus Steamers Inc. in St. Louis, the vessel was constructed on the steel hull of the former railroad transfer boat Albatross, built in 1907. Originally built as a steam-powered side-wheel paddlewheel boat, it was converted to diesel-powered propellers in 1973. The original steam engines are on display at the museum.
It was renowned as the largest inland passenger steamer, with a 4,400-person capacity, and the first air-conditioned excursion boat in the country. Known as the “flagship” of the Streckfus Line, it offered daily excursions, dinner and dancing with live music from 1940 through 1978, when it became a stationary entertainment venue.
It became the President Casino Laclede’s Landing in 1993 and finally was scrapped in 2011.
The “Roads, River, Rooms and Reels” exhibit at the National Transportation Museum runs through the end of the year. The “Roads” part of the Route 66 exhibit features a 1926 Willys automobile to mark the start of the highway. The “Room” part of the exhibit showcases a recreated section of the historic Coral Court Motel, a notable Route 66 motel in St. Louis County known, like the Admiral, for its Art Deco design. The “Reels” exhibit will highlight the 66 Park-In Theatre on Watson Road, a beloved local drive-in theater.
Featured image caption: Fifty-six years ago on the St. Louis levee, the excursion steamboat Admiral boards passengers for an evening cruise while the permanently moored Goldenrod Showboat and Str. Becky Thatcher light up the waterfront. (Photo from the Keith Norrington collection)
