Housed in a restored 1940s train car factory formerly owned by American Car and Foundry, the Foundry Art Centre (FAC) is a fine arts gallery with a rich story that helps set the ideal backdrop for memorable off-site events and meetings. This beautifully modern building overlooks the Missouri River in the Frenchtown district of Historic St. Charles, Missouri, and the entire facility has managed to capture a creative and enduring spirit that seamlessly blends with the atmosphere of any event.
“Rather than demolish the 36,800-square-foot building, the community of St. Charles worked tirelessly to complete a $2.2 million renovation and opened the region’s premier, interactive, interdisciplinary art center in the spring of 2004,” said Jillian Schoettle, media and design specialist for the FAC. “It is a truly unique space in a historic, charming area. The addition of art is really what closes the deal for many people who rent our facility. Our galleries are filled with intriguing and creative works that are thoughtfully chosen and professionally hung. Not only is the environment beautiful, but the works that fill it are as well.”
The FAC is always free and open to the public, and the center strives to make art available to everyone in the community by using its expansive space. Along the south side of the building, the FAC offers 5,200 square feet of Smithsonian-caliber exhibition space to host national exhibitions in Galleries I, II and III; a Grand Hall provides space and a stage for performances, weddings, dances, corporate parties and more, and the north side features two gallery spaces, the Ameristar Gallery and the Baue Family Children’s Gallery.
Groups both big and small that are looking to host off-site events at the FAC can choose from a virtual gallery of spaces to customize their occasions, which can range from intimate gatherings in the gallery to grandiose productions with a creative sense of personality, place and vision.
Meeting Spaces
The FAC rents two large spaces, the Grand Hall and the Ameristar Gallery, for events and meetings. The aptly named Grand Hall is the largest space at 6,000 square feet and can accommodate 350 guests seated. The open, airy space features the Grau Schierding Stage, and is used for weddings, receptions, proms and homecomings, as well as corporate parties and fundraisers. Numerous photographers have commented on the lovely lighting from the draped globe lights that line the room. The Ameristar Gallery is approximately 1,400 square feet and accommodates 80 guests seated, and it is generally used as a meeting space or for holiday parties.
Catering to the Arts
The expansive kitchen space at the center provides options for groups looking to have their meeting or event catered. The FAC event team works with four preferred caterers that have been carefully vetted over time and provide a full range of food options and price points to accommodate any event. Menus range from formal steak dinners to quick and healthy power lunches to a Greek buffet that features an elaborate gyro bar. But the center also welcomes nonpreferred caterers for an upcharge of 25 percent after approval by the events manager. Alcohol may be served through a caterer with a valid liquor license.
