Civic Space in Rock Hill Missouri
The Rock Hill Public Library is just down the street from the Rock Hill City Hall. Both are located in generic strip centers, with the library in the newer of the two. Â One benefit is each is near food, the library has a pizza buffet next door while city hall is next to a chop suey place.
With the most important civic spaces in a municipality just a storefront among many it is no wonder they don’t care to save the historic 19th century church I posted about on Tuesday. How could I expect this community to value history, good design, or anything without a massive asphalt parking lot?
– Steve Patterson
These are both “temporarary” facilities. From the Library website:
“The new Rock Hill Library and City Hall was completed and dedicated May 16, 1965. . . . In August of 2005 the Rock Hill Public Library was forced to vacate its location in the City Hall building due to redevelopment. The former City Hall building was sold [and demolished]. The Library moved to its current location at 9741 Manchester Rd. in the Colonial Square Shopping Center. Designed by Bond Wolf Architects and built by Muccigrosso Construction Inc., the new 3700 square foot library took five months to complete. The Library reopened January 3, 2006.”
And from the Webster-Kirkwood Times, City Hall is on the move again, to another, larger, temporary location at 320 Thornton: http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Articles-i-2011-07-08-175878.114137-City-Hall-To-Share-Building-With-Police-Department.html Apparently, the city still plans to build a new, “real” city hall in “several years”.
Obviously, government facilities in Rock Hill are secondary to accomodating development. But, in a perverse way, the lack of money is forcing them into “green” solutions, reusing existing, vacant structures, instead of building a new McMansion-like “city hall” that seems to be the model in too many other cities.
These are both “temporarary” facilities. From the Library website:
“The new Rock Hill Library and City Hall was completed and dedicated May 16, 1965. . . . In August of 2005 the Rock Hill Public Library was forced to vacate its location in the City Hall building due to redevelopment. The former City Hall building was sold [and demolished]. The Library moved to its current location at 9741 Manchester Rd. in the Colonial Square Shopping Center. Designed by Bond Wolf Architects and built by Muccigrosso Construction Inc., the new 3700 square foot library took five months to complete. The Library reopened January 3, 2006.”
And from the Webster-Kirkwood Times, City Hall is on the move again, to another, larger, temporary location at 320 Thornton: http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Articles-i-2011-07-08-175878.114137-City-Hall-To-Share-Building-With-Police-Department.html Apparently, the city still plans to build a new, “real” city hall in “several years”.
Obviously, government facilities in Rock Hill are secondary to accomodating development. But, in a perverse way, the lack of money is forcing them into “green” solutions, reusing existing, vacant structures, instead of building a new McMansion-like “city hall” that seems to be the model in too many other cities.
Is the greenest solution for Rock Hill simply to dissolve?
absolutely, unfortunately one the biggest drawback to the county is the number of or former small bedroom muni’s. Where as the City itself and St. Charles county, dominated by St. Charles, Wentzville and O’Fallon, do have some levarge being under less fragmented governance and at least using the same set of rules. I know, I know, city rules need to be changed and often applied unevenly, but at least their is one set of rules in a city that is also technically a county.
Their is another factor being played out between Webster Groves, Kirkwood, and the communities in between them like Rock Hill. Their is pockets of strong traditional black neighborhoods in which I would rate those neighborhoods in Webster Groves and Kirkwood as having much better city street infrastructure and parks and the likes. I notice a very distinct difference of city infrastructure/parks in a black community that straddles both Rockhill and Webster Groves in my opinion. In other words, I would argue that dissolving Rock Hill would help one community/neighborhood a lot more then it would ever hurt the rest of the community.
As far as some north county muni’s, where you have multiple Rockhill’s present, dissolving them would help everybody who happens to live in those communities.
Beneficial for everyone except for the people in power bleeding these communities dry.
Is the greenest solution for Rock Hill simply to dissolve?
absolutely, unfortunately one the biggest drawback to the county is the number of or former small bedroom muni’s. Where as the City itself and St. Charles county, dominated by St. Charles, Wentzville and O’Fallon, do have some levarge being under less fragmented governance and at least using the same set of rules. I know, I know, city rules need to be changed and often applied unevenly, but at least their is one set of rules in a city that is also technically a county.
Their is another factor being played out between Webster Groves, Kirkwood, and the communities in between them like Rock Hill. Their is pockets of strong traditional black neighborhoods in which I would rate those neighborhoods in Webster Groves and Kirkwood as having much better city street infrastructure and parks and the likes.  I notice a very distinct difference of city infrastructure/parks in a black community that straddles both Rockhill and Webster Groves in my opinion. In other words, I would argue that dissolving Rock Hill would help one community/neighborhood a lot more then it would ever hurt the rest of the community.Â
As far as some north county muni’s, where you have multiple Rockhill’s present, dissolving them would help everybody who happens to live in those communities.
Beneficial for everyone except for the people in power bleeding these communities dry.
Having grown up in Rock Hill, I can tell you that these makeshift facilities and the official line of having been “forced out” due to redevelopment only tell a sliver of the story. Somewhere along the line, the small muni’s government became unfathomably corrupt – so much so that when it came time to begin development of their new municipal center (originally slated for McKnight Road), their finances were in a mess. Why haven’t they dissolved? My guess is provincialism compounded by the school-district battle. Rock Hill is a working-class muni, situated within the Webster Groves School district. They wouldn’t have any interest in dissolving into Brentwood, and I think the feeling is mutual (Brentwood’s become just a tad uppity over the last decade). Likewise, Webster has always begrudgingly accepted Rock Hill. In no way would the famed bedroom community ever embrace Rock Hill as its own.
Having grown up in Rock Hill, I can tell you that these makeshift facilities and the official line of having been “forced out” due to redevelopment only tell a sliver of the story. Somewhere along the line, the small muni’s government became unfathomably corrupt – so much so that when it came time to begin development of their new municipal center (originally slated for McKnight Road), their finances were in a mess. Why haven’t they dissolved? My guess is provincialism compounded by the school-district battle. Rock Hill is a working-class muni, situated within the Webster Groves School district. They wouldn’t have any interest in dissolving into Brentwood, and I think the feeling is mutual (Brentwood’s become just a tad uppity over the last decade). Likewise, Webster has always begrudgingly accepted Rock Hill. In no way would the famed bedroom community ever embrace Rock Hill as its own.
I find it interesting that anyone perceives any sort of difference between our regions 90+ puppet municipalities. Brentwood is “uppity” and Rock Hill is “working class”, etc.
It’s all just suburbia, one and the same.
I find it interesting that anyone perceives any sort of difference between our regions 90+ puppet municipalities. Brentwood is “uppity” and Rock Hill is “working class”, etc.Â
It’s all just suburbia, one and the same.