ST. LOUIS – A faint church bell sings on top of a tiny church displayed amongst a building full of glass exhibit casings. It’s within those glass casings, entire miniature worlds are found.
From churches and doll houses to neighborhoods and shopping centers, there are hundreds of miniature exhibits found at the 6,200 square-foot Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis.
Within just one of these miniature worlds, a four-story brick home is situated in the middle of the first-floor room of the museum. The detail-oriented house is just one of the many exhibits built on a foundation of love.
The four-story home was designed by a “miniaturist” married couple, Fay and Joe Zerbolio, who built and designed the house together. Joe had used inspiration from their own home to build the exhibit.
The couple included every minor detail of what makes a home, including anything from an old-fashion furnace to bookcases and even a water heater and oil conversion tank in the basement.
Fay took on furnishing and decorating the home with wingback chairs and curtains, as well as stitching together the rugs, seat covers and pillows. The couple’s pets and children are also represented in the miniature home.
According to the exhibit, “For Fay, the house was a labor of love, and for Joe, it’s what he did for love.”
The Zerbolio’s four-story home replica is neighbors with a haunted house, displaying many of the ghosts, skeletons, and monsters that make their home right next door. The haunted house is styled with intricate stained glass windows, moss-covered stone walls and different colored lighting.
The haunted house display is a guest favorite, according to Meg Dietrich, president of the board of directors at the museum.
“My favorites vary from day to day because I like them all,” Dietrich said.
Since 2001, the Miniature Museum has called the city’s Bevo neighborhood it’s home. The museum pays homage to its location by even featuring a miniature version of the Bevo Mill amongst its many other installments.
With a mission that began in 1989, the museum wanted to host a collection for all ages to enjoy and learn from.
That mission continues as their collections grow and even inspires others to grow there own collections inside the museum’s gift shop.
From tiny violins and furniture to jewelry, the gift shop allows guests to become “miniaturists” too. The gift shop features items such as tiny candle holders for $45 to candy dishes for $20.
“It’s a place where all ages and genders can see things in a small frame of reference, but miniatures tell a history too,” Dietrich says.
The detail of these displays is even riddled into the time period a “miniaturists” was working in. Dietrich says some “miniaturists” might be working in the Victorian or 17th century which can be seen in the clothing style or home style of the exhibit.
“Mostly it’s about the joy of just seeing something you are familiar with in a big size, and to see it in such a small, detailed miniature is just fun,” Dietrich says.
