Poll: Will you shop at the downtown Macy’s more than you used to?

A few days ago the downtown Macy’s store in the Railway Exchange building had a reopening event:

The store is shrinking to three floors from seven at the Railway Exchange but will carry more clothing for office workers and more housewares targeted at residents of downtown lofts and apartments. Gone are the store’s furniture department and two restaurants. All 134 store employees remain. (Source)

The store was packed on Thursday! Looking around the housewares department it is clear a car-free downtown resident could get everything needed to stock a loft kitchen, including a stock pot. I’m more likely to buy clothing at a thrift store than a department store so I can’t speak to the selection of men’s clothing.

My poll question this week asks “Will you shop at the downtown Macy’s more than you used to?” I hopefully have covered all the possible answers but if not supply your own.  The poll is in the upper right of the blog.

– Steve Patterson

What A Difference A Year Makes

A year ago today people gathered at Washington Ave at 7th Street to witness the demolition of the massive pedestrian bridge betweem the shuttered St. Louis Centre mall and the former Dillard’s store. Here is my video from the event, the first 8:45 are various speakers:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvsl-eGi9f8

Here was the bridge before the demo crews began:

The sidewalks on both sides of Washington Ave were dark and depressing.

For a year now pedestrians and motorists have enjoyed the openness.

The former Dillard’s Store will soon open as the Laurel Apartments.  The increase in foot traffic I’ve observed in the last year has been remarkable.

– Steve Patterson

Backed By Nine St. Louis Businessmen Charles Lindbergh Began Historic Flight 84 Years Ago Today

Eighty-four years ago history was made, thanks in part to financial help from St. Louis:

At 7:52 A.M., May 20, 1927 Charles Lindbergh gunned the engine of the “Spirit of St Louis” and aimed her down the dirt runway of Roosevelt Field, Long Island. Heavily laden with fuel, the plane bounced down the muddy field, gradually became airborne and barely cleared the telephone wires at the field’s edge. The crowd of 500 thought they had witnessed a miracle. Thirty-three and one half-hours and 3,500 miles later he landed in Paris, the first to fly the Atlantic alone.

Working as a mail pilot a year earlier he heard of the $25,000 prize for the first flight between New York and Paris. Backed by a group of St. Louis businessmen, Lindbergh supervised the building of his special plane and set out after the prize. Other teams were attempting the feat – some had met disaster. Lindbergh equipped himself with four sandwiches, two canteens of water and 451 gallons of gas. Midway through the flight “sleet began to cling to the plane. That worried me a great deal and I debated whether I should keep on or go back. I decided I must not think any more about going back.” (Source)

Air travel has changed considerably since Lindbergh’s flight to Paris. Today the flight only takes eight and a half hours, still too long on a plane for me.  The Concorde took just under 3.5 hours.

Twenty years after Lindbergh’s flight planner Harland Bartholomew wrote in St. Louis’ 1947 Comprehensive Plan:

It is reasonable to assume that the developments in air transportation during the next few decades will parallel that of automobile transportation, which really started about three decades ago. St. Louis must be prepared to accept and make the most of conditions that will arise. Provision of the several types of airfields required must be on a metropolitan basis. The recently prepared Metropolitan Airport Plan proposes thirty-five airfields.

Three were to be located within the city limits. Crazy times.

– Steve Patterson

Bike To Work Day Friday May 20th

As part of National Bike Month this week is Bike to Work Week and tomorrow is Bike to Work Day. Consider getting out that bike and riding to work tomorrow:

To celebrate National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 20, join Trailnet for a free continental breakfast for bike commuters at various Refueling Stations around St. Louis. Breakfast will be served 6:30 – 9:00 a.m.

TRAILNET REFUELING STATION LOCATIONS INCLUDE:

Missouri History Museum: 5700 Lindell Boulevard

Creve Coeur: 12166 Conway Road

Missouri Botanical Gardens: 4344 Shaw Boulevard

Downtown St. Louis:1011 Locust

Delmar Loop: 6133 Delmar Boulevard

Central West End Station: West Pine at Euclid

Downtown Clayton: 7711 Bonhomme Avenue

Children’s Hospital: 1 Children’s Place

DeMun: 700 DeMun Avenue

Presented by: Great Rivers Greenway

In Partnership With: Bike St. Louis, Big Shark Bicycle Co., City of Creve Coeur, CIty of St. Louis, Companion Baking, Downtown Bicycle Station, Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri History Museum, Moonrise Hotel, Pedal the Cause, and Urban Shark.

Being the critic I can’t help but notice the western bias of the fueling stations. The persons living in the Baden (north) or Carondelet (south) areas and heading to say midtown or downtown are basically out of luck.  When I lived in Dutchtown (south) I commuted by bike three days a week to I-70 & Union (north) in 1999. Come on, Children’s Hospital and Pine @ Euclid just blocks apart but nothing north and only the Botanical Gardens south.  Hopefully 2012 will see better coverage for these refueling stations.

– Steve Patterson

Readers OK With Cardinals 1966 Move Away From Sportsman’s Park

Last week readers weighed in on their thoughts on the 1966 relocation of the former Sportsman’s Park.  The single answer with the most responses goes along with my thought the Cardinals should have rebuilt rather than move downtown, but looking at all the answers it is clear readers support the move:

1. A great neighborhood ballpark, the Cardinals should have rebuilt at Dodier & Grand 23 [25%]
2. No opinion 15 [16.3%]
3. No choice but to move: the area was changing fast. 15 [16.3%]
4. Like people would have continued going to North St. Louis for a Cards game 14 [15.22%]
5. No choice but to move: too little parking and the streetcar line was replaced with buses in 1960. 10 [10.87%]
6. Other answer… 9 [9.78%]
7. A good neighborhood ballpark but it was no Wrigley Field 6 [6.52%]

It is the nine other answers provided by readers I find interesting:

1. How is this relevant to anyone?
2. A great ballpark that would’ve helped a great neighborhood evolve.
3. Cards set a popular trend moving downtown, too bad about Hop Alley though.
4. moving was part of a larger plan to destroy the northside
5. Looks like a great ballpark!
6. Best move ever, Busch II was a great stadium.
7. Why not look to the future? Use the space for something great for the city.
8. By buliding the new stadium downtown, really revitalized the downtown area.
9. Gave some definition to downtown – robbing NSTL to make the investment downtown.

Not sure where to start.  Relevant because the decision to relocate removed a source of revenue & jobs from one part of the city and placed it in another part that was bought and cleared via urban renewal.  We can’t undo the past but we can learn from our mistakes.

I don’t believe their was a plan to destroy the north side, that was just a casualty of the times. Busch Stadium II did not “revitalize” downtown, far from it.  A huge area was razed for the stadium, garages and other buildings.  The stadium did not create new development in that part of downtown.  MetroLink and renovations of nearby historic warehouses in Cupples Station a quarter center later helped offset the dead zone created in 1966.

– Steve Patterson