Cementland

a mini ethnography research

Critic: Dr. Samuel Shear, Michael Allen
Spring 2022
St. Louis, MO

Cementland represents the failure of not just one dreamworld—the early- to mid-20th century American dream supported by the mechanisms of industrial capitalism—but also the failure of a dreamworld that was intended to rise from the ruins of industrial capitalism. Bob Cassilly’s Cementland theme park was designed as an imagination of an alternative use for the ruins left behind by the abandoned factory; rather than let the ruins fester and become reclaimed by the natural world, he imagined a space in which people could escape from the vulgarities, ambiguities, and restrictions of everyday life. But Cassilly’s dream more or less died when Cassilly himself died, leaving behind a ruin within a ruin.

Cementland may currently appear as a wasted potential to some, but to others, it may simply be a dream that is not dead but has not yet been realized. It will take others outside of Cassilly to move in that direction. Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence, Italy took multiple lifetimes of building, and perhaps Cementland will follow a similar path, but one of continuous reinvention by those who were inspired by him or inspired by the land and ruins themselves.

nolli map created based on the Google Ariel View over time

“In the afternoon, when the sun shines on the city, you get the nice reflection.
You don’t see all the trash and stuff. It’s the best view of the city.”

— Bob Cassily

Cementland, St. Louis, IL. photo took on site

The rise of Cementland included authorship beyond Cassilly’s vision. After the industrial cement factory closed, the 54-acre plot of land became an area for construction companies to dump dirt and other materials. Cassilly welcomed this material as he repurposed it with his guiding hand of innovation and excitement for unexpected purpose. In our field visit, we found that since Cassilly’s death, Cementland has become a dumping ground for various other materials. Couches, some intact and some displaying springs, dot one entrance along with unexpected items such as a boat and a tricycle. Many “outdated” clothing items and technologies such as CDs sat in piles alongside piles of well-sorted construction materials.