Lambert Airport Main Terminal MetroLink Extension Opened 17 Years Ago

When our light rail system, MetroLink, opened on July 31, 1993 it didn’t quite reach Lambert Airport, as it does today. Originally the line stopped at the Hanley Station. Eleven months later, on June 25, 1994, the 3.15 mile extension to the main terminal opened.

The original line used existing railroad right-of-way but new structures had to be constructed to get the line over I-70 & I-170 to get to the airport. Many use MetroLink to get to/from the airport for flights or work.  In fact, MetroLink has been a success:

“More than 15 Million passengers boarded Metrolink in FY 2010.”- Metro’s 2010 Annual Report

The airport’s Terminal 2 (East) opened in May 1998 but , due to several delays, the MetroLink  station didn’t open until December 23, 1998.

– Steve Patterson

It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A

In celebration of the annual St. Louis PrideFest this weekend I thought it would be interesting to talk about the connection between gays and the revitalization of rundown urban neighborhoods.

In watching Before Stonewall again recently one point stood out to me: gay men would open bars in run down neighborhoods because the buildings or rent was cheap and the level of scrutiny was potentially less than in other areas.

This is the story of one such place, a collection of businesses on 20th Street across from Union Station:

The area around Union Station was as run down as they come:

As railroad passenger services declined in the 1950s and 1960s, the massive station became obsolete and too expensive to maintain for its original purpose. With the takeover of national rail passenger service by Amtrak in 1971, passenger train service to St. Louis was reduced to only three trains a day. Amtrak stopped using Union Station on October 31, 1978; the six trains daily did not justify such a large facility. (Wikipedia)

Of course Union Station was famous for being in Escape from New York, helping solve problems for the film’s producers on where to film:

[Associate Producer] Bernardi suggested East St. Louis, Illinois, because it was filled with old buildings “that exist in New York now, and [that] have that seedy run-down quality” that the team was looking for. East St. Louis, sitting across the Mississippi River from the more prosperous St. Louis, Missouri, had entire neighborhoods burned out in 1976 during a massive urban fire. Hill said in an interview, “block after block was burnt-out rubble. In some places there was absolutely nothing, so that you could see three and four blocks away.” As well, Alves found an old bridge to double for the “69th St. Bridge”. The filmmaker purchased the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge for one dollar from the government and then gave it back to them for a dollar, “so that they wouldn’t have any liability,” Hill remembers. Locations across the river in St. Louis, Missouri were also used, including Union Station and the Fox Theater, both of which have since been renovated. (Wikipedia)

Union Station was, of course, reopened as a festival marketplace in 1985.  On 20th Street just across the street to the west stood a former YMCA building built in 1907. In the 1970s it contained the places shown on the above ad from 1976.

Today the building continues to serve travelers with a Drury Inn and Lombardo’s Trattoria.  Remember, “It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.” Learn more at www.stlouisgayhistory.com

– Steve Patterson

Carl Milles’ Meeting of the Waters in Aloe Plaza

The Swedish-born sculptor Carl Milles was born on this day in 1875.  Milles, as you probably know, designed the beautiful sculptural fountain “Meeting of the Waters” in Aloe Plaza, located across Market St. from Union Station.

“Aloe Plaza was named in honor of Louis P. Aloe, who died in 1929. He served as President of the Board of Alderman from 1916 to 1923 and led the movement for passage of the [1923] bond issue” that funded many St. Louis projects. But Aloe never met Milles:

Edith Aloe, Louis P. Aloe’s widow, became acquainted with the work of the Swedish sculptor, Carl Milles, at an exhibition of modern art held by the St. Louis League of Women Voters in 1930. The idea of commissioning Milles to build a fountain in Aloe Plaza grew out of her enthusiasm for his work.

But the country was in the middle of the Depression so her idea was put on hold until January 1936 when Mrs. Aloe gave a dinner in her home for the sculptor,Carl Milles, and members of the St. Louis Art Commission. She officially presented her check for $12,500.

The City signed a contract with Milles in 1936. Milles designed and cast the bronze statues for the fountain in his studio at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Cranbrook, Michigan. The fountain was completed in November 1939, but remained veiled until its dedication on May 11, 1940 before a crowd of 3,000 persons.

The fountain, originally named “The Wedding of the Rivers,” depicts the union of the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers, represented by the two central figures. Accompanying the two main figures and forming a wedding procession are 17 water spirits, symbolic of the smaller streams that empty into the two major rivers.

An uproar arose over the nudity of the male figure, reprenting the Mississippi River and the female figure, the Missouri River. In deference to the criticism, the name of the fountain was changed to ,”The Meeting of the Waters.” (source)

Oh yes the horrors of a nude male sculpture, we can’t use the word marriage when nudity is involved. Perhaps we should rename the fountain as Milles originally intended? Perhaps for the 75th anniversary in 2015?

Here is more info on Louis P. Aloe:

Louis P. Aloe was the president of the highly successful business created by his father, A. S. Aloe & Company, which manufactured and sold optical, surgical, and photographic equipment. Elected to the highest city office achieved by a Jew in St. Louis, Louis was president of the Board of Aldermen from 1916 to 1923. In 1917 he became acting mayor during Henry Kiel’s illness and was widely acclaimed for his leadership during that critical period and in the effort to pass the 1923 bond issue. He suffered a severe stroke in 1926, a year after his defeat for the office of mayor, and died in 1929. His son-in-law, Howard F. Baer, took over leadership of A. S. Aloe at Louis’s death. The fountain was finished in November 1939, but the dedication was delayed until the spring, when some three thousand people gathered to witness the unveiling.Lighting and landscaping were added to the area in 1954. During the renovation of Union Station in the mid-1980s, Aloe Plaza and Milles Fountain, just across the street, also underwent some refurbishing. (source)

Howard Baer built a new headquarters for A. S. Aloe & Company just two blocks north of Aloe Plaza. Sadly that building was razed in 1996.  For pictures and more information see Built St. Louis here. Without a doubt, this fountain, created by Carl Milles, is the finest in St. Louis.

– Steve Patterson

Readers Sympathetic to Homeless Residents of Riverfront Tent Camps

Visiting the “Hopeville” camp recently was one of the most depressing experiences in recent memory for me.  I can’t imagine living that way, but I’m a bit spoiled.   I did get a sense of community in the 2+ hours I was there from things such as two raised planter beds with flowers, tomatoes, peppers and herbs.

An organization has a good list of the Types of Homelessness:

People are homeless for diverse reasons. Because of this, a one-size-fits-all formula for homelessness does not exist. Listed below are the six main types of homelessness that we have identified in our work with the homeless since 1984.

Short-Term Houselessness: When a traumatic event occurs such as a house fire or natural disaster, people with positive relational resources, solid inner resources & sufficient physical resources are able to recover in a short period of time, usually within 30 days.

Long-Term Houselessness: Much like Short-Term Houselessness, the loss of a house is the result of an unforeseen event, except in this situation the people who are affected have modest physical resources which lengthens the amount of time it takes to recover, sometimes up to 120 days.

Permanently Supported Homelessness: The Permanently-Supported Homeless population lacks both relational & inner resources due to mental or physical disability & must rely upon outside resources to provide the goods & services needed to sustain life.

Near Homelessness: Those in the Near Homeless category have overextended their personal support systems, which keeps them on the brink of homelessness. Literally “one paycheck away from homelessness,” these folks cannot withstand any type of setback. The loss of a job, roommate, or vehicle can easily push them over the edge.

Self-Induced Homelessness: Self-induced homeless persons reject their relational resources by refusing to cooperate or submit to any form of authority. As a result, they are unable to maintain housing, employment or any type of productive relationship.

Environmentally Dysfunctional Homelessness: This segment of the homeless population has experienced a series of traumatic events, often a result of the toxic environment in which they were exposed. Broken, dysfunctional or non-existent relational resources have severely weakened their inner resources making it almost impossible for them to sustain the physical resources needed for stability. War Veterans can fall into this type of homelessness when their inner resources are unable to withstand the traumatic events of war.

I got the feeling that some individuals living in the camp don’t want permanent housing.  Most used to live in the now demolished railroad tunnel under N. Tucker. There they weren’t visible and they were more protected from the elements.  But now we see them, an unsettling situation to some.  To me it is a fact of life that a small percentage of any population will be homeless by choice or due to mental illness, addiction or other factors.

To pare $7 million from its $23 billion budget, the state cut loose more than 4,000 Missourians with mental illness who had depended on the emergency rooms and 88 in-patient beds at these facilities. The curtain was brought down abruptly and amid great uncertainty over where this vulnerable population would go — or could be taken — in times of crisis. (STLtoday.com)

In the poll last week readers got to weigh in on the issue:

Q: What, if anything, should St. Louis do about the homeless camps on the north riverfront?

1. Provide alternate land to use that has running water,power, restrooms and some shelters (ie: campground) 20 [15.27%]
2. Force them to leave immediately 17 [12.98%]
3. Offer them annual lease option from City of St. Louis. Lease would require sub-leases with all residents. Rent would be paid with required volunteer service. 17 [12.98%]
4. House them in safe supportive apartments 17 [12.98%]
5. Put them on a bus to somewhere else 15 [11.45%]
6. Nothing 12 [9.16%]
7. Allow them to remain but charge for trash service and cite for maintenance violations 10 [7.63%]
8. Fund more emergency / transitional housing 9 [6.87%]
9. Arrest them for trespassing 5 [3.82%]
10. Other answer… 5 [3.82%]
11. Provide services to make them more comfortable 4 [3.05%]

Fifteen people picked to bus the homeless elsewhere, they must not realize that St. Louis is where other cities in the region send their homeless. The safe & supportive housing option also isn’t realistic with this group unless you want to lock them up to make sure they stay. So what do you do? I think a campground with some basics is a good idea.  This is also an idea that Larry Rice supports, which makes me question my own support.

The “other” answers supplied by readers were:

1. crappers
2. Pub. housing in exch. 4 comm. service
3. teach them to do the “thriller” dance as a group, then use internet pr
4. Bus them to the county.
5. Get the county and others to help fund and participate in a solution.

There are portable toilets on site. The Thriller dance idea is humorous but not sure how it would help them.

Last week HUD released the 200+ page 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report:

More than 1.59 million people spent at least 1 night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program during the 2010 AHAR reporting period, a 2.2 percent increase from 2009. Most users of homeless shelters used only emergency shelter (78.7 percent), while 17 percent used only transitional housing, and less than 5 percent used both emergency shelter and transitional housing during the reporting period.

Those who are homeless are that way due to many factors.  To the family who find themselves homeless due to a foreclosure require a different solution than the individual who can’t stay sober.

The land currently being used is owned by the City of St. Louis, although records indicate part is leased to electric utility Ameren. I have no idea if water &/or sewer lines exist in the area but a slightly more orderly campground might be the best solution for the less than 100 people at three camps near the floodwall.

– Steve Patterson

Back to the 5th Ward

We know with certainty that every ten years the boundaries of St. Louis’ 28 wards will change to reflect new population based on the most recent Census. Each decade we see small changes, more dramatic at times.

Most wards are currently in the positions they were in the 1960s.  Sure, the exact lines have moved around but with respect to other wards they are similar. But wards 1, 2, 6, 8, 10, 20, and 25 have different, in some cases dramatically different. For example the moving of the 20th ward from north to south in 2001.

I’ve been through two redistricting in St. Louis – 1991 and 2001. In 1991 I was living in Old North St. Louis in the 5th ward before in after. Mary Ross was the alderman.

In 1994 I moved south to a two-flat that was in Dutchtown. Ward boundaries didn’t mean anything to me in the early 1990s but I was in the 13th ward, represented by Fred Wessels who is still the alderman. In 2001 my house became part of the 25th ward, then represented by Dan Kirner. Four years later I ran unsuccessfully against his widow Dorothy Kirner who was elected in a special election.

In 2007 I moved to a downtown loft, which happens to be in the 6th ward represented by Kacie Starr Triplett.  Under a proposed ward map I will again be in the 5th ward, represented by April Ford Griffin since 1997.

After the census, all legislative bodies are required to redraw the legislative districts to represent the new population figures for each district. The City of St. Louis has 28 wards as directed by the City’s Charter. Therefore, each ward must represent an average of 11, 403 residents. The task for redrawing the boundaries is assigned to the Legislation Committee.

The committee, chaired by Alderwoman Phyllis Young with Alderman Terry Kennedy acting as vice chairman, has successfully completed this process and voted the bill from the committee. It will now go onto the full Board of Aldermen for consideration; however, with 28 co-sponsors, there is little doubt of passage.

The two goals of the group were that (1) the process would be participatory and (2) that no ward would move significantly from its current area. With that in mind, President Lewis Reed and Alderwoman Young met with each alderperson to discuss each ward’s base of population, priorities for that alderperson, and current development areas. After those meetings were completed, aldermen were brought in as small groups representing adjacent wards to discuss common boundaries and to negotiate the new lines. This process continued for the past two months to lastly redefine the boundaries.

The map that you may view here represents the final product of the redistricting process. The initial goals were achieved as members of the Board of Aldermen have actively engaged with one another in accomplishing the task. (source)

What are your thoughts on redistricting?

– Steve Patterson