Learn to Appreciate the Little Things in Life at the Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis

Imagine a French armorer’s workshop gleaming with chest plates and shields or a bright red barn brimming with hay barrels and farm animals, a 1940s soda shop or an art deco hotel. At the Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis, these scenes and more are created using a one-inch scale and fine craftsmanship, encouraging us to understand and appreciate more with less.

“The ability to enhance a life by bringing scaled-down order and illumination to an otherwise chaotic world – a world over which we might otherwise feel we have little control – cannot be overvalued,” Simon Garfield, author of In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate the World, writes in an article for The Guardian. “The fascination of holding in our hands something completely realized at an impossibly reduced scale is a wholly fulfilling one, and the satisfaction of inquisitive observation will never tire.”

The Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis opened to the public in 2001, but the collectors and craftspeople behind the organization have worked on it since the 1980s. All the dollhouses and room boxes that you see in the two-story museum have been donated, and president Meg Dietrich believes that every one is a work of art.

“Miniature artisans might focus on different aspects such as porcelain or wood – some even specialize in tiny books that you can actually read – but they all have a certain skill level,” she explains. “Miniatures must be imaginative and creative, and the best artisans aren’t afraid to try new techniques. They see the potential in every object and every material.”

Throughout the museum, items such as wingback chairs, oriental rugs, grand pianos, candy jars and Bevo Mill, which sits across the street, are meticulously constructed with everything from wood to clay and metal to paper. In the model of Fay and Joe Zerbolio’s St. Louis dream house, behind the red-brick walls and stained-glass windows, you can also see silk slippers that boast 64 stitches per inch. “They’re the only pair Fay ever made,” Dietrich says, “and understandably so.”

Today, the use of 3D printers is impacting miniatures, but Dietrich believes that things are only improving.

As you scrutinize the scenes within the museum, including a music room, a bachelor pad and a general store, don’t miss the prototype for a Mary Engelbreit dollhouse handmade by the St. Louis artist. Fun fact: Engelbreit still lives in St. Louis, and Green Door Art Gallery in Webster Groves is the only place that sells her original drawings.

The dollhouses might immediately draw your attention, but the room boxes are equally impressive, especially those assembled in unusual containers – think wicker baskets, glass bottles and CRT TVs.

With such a diverse selection of dollhouses and room boxes, the museum appeals to everyone. “Recently, we had a gentleman visit with his family, and after a couple hours, he said, ‘I kicked and screamed the whole way here, but I’m so glad that I came,’” Dietrich says with a laugh. “We get that reaction from a lot of men who come with their wives or their children.”

Run by volunteers, the Miniature Museum of St. Louis is worth a stop, and if you’re visiting with kids, make sure to ask about the scavenger hunts!