Stephen & Peter Sachs Museum
A 19th-century landmark, reimagined
- Client
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Location
- Missouri, United States
- Size
- 9,000 square feet (renovation + addition)
- Status
- Completed
Widely regarded as one of the most historically significant buildings in the Midwest, the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum holds a foundational place in the story of both the Missouri Botanical Garden and plant science in the United States. Constructed in 1859 — the same year the Garden itself opened — the Georgian-style museum originally housed the Garden’s first library, herbarium and natural history specimens. For generations, it served as a center of botanical inquiry and learning, closely tied to the vision of founder Henry Shaw and his belief in public education, science and cultural enrichment.
Over time, however, significant code and accessibility challenges forced the building to close to the public. For more than three decades, the museum stood largely inaccessible. Despite its closure, the building’s historic value never diminished, and its presence continued to anchor the Garden’s narrative of discovery and stewardship.
The new addition tells a distinctly modern story intentionally placed in dialogue with the original museum rather than in imitation of it.
The restoration of the museum was championed by Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, President of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who envisioned the building’s rebirth as a public-facing cultural venue. His goal was to preserve Henry Shaw’s legacy while transforming the museum into a dynamic space for exhibiting the Garden’s art collection, global plant-based crafts, traveling exhibitions and lectures — reconnecting the building to contemporary audiences while honoring its past.
Following a multi-year capital campaign, the project undertook a meticulous restoration of the historic structure alongside a carefully considered addition designed to resolve long-standing accessibility and functional limitations. Because the entire Garden is designated a National Historic Landmark, the work required close collaboration with the National Park Service throughout design and construction. Additional complexity arose from the presence of an adjacent Civil War–era stone wall, which demanded exceptional care during excavation and construction.
The restoration process revealed unexpected layers of history. During construction, hidden fresco paintings were discovered on a barrel-vaulted ceiling — an extraordinary find that prompted the involvement of specialty conservators to restore these long-concealed artworks. The project also transformed the building’s basement level, converting what was once underutilized space into a fully finished art gallery.
