What a Handsome Bride
Recently I attended the open house for Trailnet’s new offices at 10th & Locust. The offices are nice but it was their view to the south that really got my attention.
On the right is the long-vacant Bridge’s House building built in 1886. On the left is the renovated building that has Left Bank Books and Bridge Tap House on the ground floor and rental lofts on the upper floors. By contrast it looks very modern but it was built just four years later, in 1890.
The contrasts are what is so great! First, the floor levels don’t align with each other. Misguided historic standards in some neighborhoods require new construction to align perfectly with adjacent structures. The Materials and colors are also quite different, although brick is used on both buildings.
Then there is the blade sign from the 20th century, a real gem of a sign.
– Steve Patterson
Look at the 2nd story windows. I wonder if they are original to the building?
Look at the 2nd story windows. I wonder if they are original to the building?
I wonder what lies beneath that ugly green marble.
I wonder what lies beneath that ugly green marble.
When you say long vacant, I vaguely remember the wedding dress store conducting business in 2002 or 2003. It felt much different on that street then versus now. Locust St. has certainly made strides since that time. Thanks for highlighting it , it is simple items such as this and your observations that capture my interest. Very few people like to talk about these items and I really do appreciate it.Â
When you say long vacant, I vaguely remember the wedding dress store conducting business in 2002 or 2003. It felt much different on that street then versus now. Locust St. has certainly made strides since that time. Thanks for highlighting it , it is simple items such as this and your observations that capture my interest. Very few people like to talk about these items and I really do appreciate it.
It pains me that I can’t be the third-generation bride to buy my gown at that boutique. I agree w/ Stljmartin1, it remained open up until pretty recently, so I was hoping it would remain long enough for me to get married. Pretty sure Blustein’s has another storefront somewhere in the county, though.
It pains me that I can’t be the third-generation bride to buy my gown at that boutique. I agree w/ Stljmartin1, it remained open up until pretty recently, so I was hoping it would remain long enough for me to get married. Pretty sure Blustein’s has another storefront somewhere in the county, though.
Worse than that, st. Charles. My disdain for St. Charles is probably how many out there feel about the city. I hate what it represents in all of us. Usually if someone moves out there, they are no longer my friend, as I refuse to go where you get “more house for the money.” Selfish people will never understand there is a price to pay for all that house. Infrastructure costs, energy costs in transit, the raping of some of the best farmland in missouri, for what? Will they ever understand is that the lack of true central core eventually the vines will wither and die as well? Or will they continue to claim it is the lack of schooling opportunities that is to blame for their departure. But is that not a self fulfilling prophecy? Meaning if those that care leave, then who is left but just a few to fight for better? I love my St. Louis, and I always will.
I embrace my city, my local businesses. I have no problem paying a little more for better service. People move to the county/St. Charles. and so on. What do they miss? real community. I pretty much know every owner of where I shop and do business. Whether it be the coffee shops, the dry cleaners, the restaurants and so on.
Everyday people go to bed, myself included, thinking, ” I am good people”. But are we really, Am I? Could I not make more selfless decisions that benefit not only me but others? By needing less, expecting less and appreciating more. Do I need to spend an extra 20K on my car, so that you are adequately impressed and it equates to you seeing me how I want to be seen. Or should I make sacrifices. How much stuff do I need? How many toys? People claim they seek community, but what do they mean? I have never felt more of a community than when living in DTSTL.
Sorry, feeling a little punchy today.
Just received an email from my friends out in the county, just 100 feet the other side of the county border at Fenton/High Ridge. Invited them to the Greek Fest….Response was “we don’t like to drive in unless there is more to do”
I’m with you stl…we gladly pay a few more $$ (note I didn’t say $$$$) to buy local and inner-city rather than patronize big box, or county stores.
I look at them and the Laduites complaining about the deer and such….HEY. Nature was here first. Get use to it, You don’t need 4,000 sq feet…i’m not impressed.
City is the way to go. So much more diversity in every possible way.
Good for you, I hear ya, thanks for saying what I would like to but don’t ever have the time to write
I have often thought how much more vital St. Louis and other fine old cities would be if the standard approach over the past 50-75 years had been to confront and resolve our problems rather than to sprawl away from them at public expense.
While I agree with you on the futility of sprawl and liking the older urban core, I need to disagree with you on your community assumptions. Any “comunity” is made up of people, not buildings. The communities in Arnold and Cottleville are just as vital and important to their residents as those in the loft district, the CWE or Lindenwood Park. If you haven’t ever lived or worked in a suburban sprawl area, how do you know that they don’t have “real community”?! Communities revolve around and grow in response to common interests. You may not have a burning desire for a new vinyl-sided box or allegedly-better schools, but that should not diminish other people’s lack of a burning desire to tackle the challenges of an 80-year-old brick home or worrying because their kids don’t live on a cul-de-sac.
If you want to cast aspersions, they would be better directed at where employers have chosen to locate, stay and/or grow over the past 65 years. The wholesale movement of employment opportunities out of the city has done more to kill the urban experience than any suburban housing growth. Workers, no matter where they choose to live, have to get there every day, get home every day, and, many days, get out and run errands at businesses near work over the lunch hour. The vibrant urban centers that we love are that way because they have worker-driven street life and, indirectly, encourage people to choose to live in urban areas, not 25%-30% vacancies in their office buildings. But, instead, we have Clayton, the Monsanto campus, the Mastercard campus, the Highway 40 corridor, West Port, Earth City, etc, etc, etc. . . . .
True, but to a point. Community is made of individuals. I know many that live out west and if you do too…ask them about their neighbors. I know many that do not KNOW their neighbors beyond a first name or face recognition. Many urban familys know their full neighbor’s names, know when they have visitors/family events, a whole slew of things that few communities in the burgs have beyond those living on either side of them. You hear it when they are suprised when their neighbor is busted for meth or something….”oh they always kept to themselves” kind of stuff.
And the ultra modern sprawl, particul out west (phx, vega) with the walled back yards and regulations preventing street parking or basketball nets in the front yard, and they have no clue who lives on the other side of the wall.
I did say I was feeling a little off yesterday. Ready for a fight, but not necessarily on here. And to respond I have lived in St. Louis County. I was born there. I have also lived in small towns, other big cities and so on, hence why from my experience I could say what I had felt in DTSTL versus the other. Not taking away from what you are saying, just defending that I did not come by this without experience of my own. And I do know that those out there have a sense of community in the way they feel to things but it is different than my own. I see there community in their neighborhoods, their schools and churches. Which is fine.
The kind I see in DTSTL is more broad and concerned with things that affect all of us, so I repeat myself in observing that the community I find here is more in tune with how I think of things and so I appreciate it. I believe that many in the county think that DTSTL is very different and that if they experienced it, it may be to their liking. And to your point, I thought the employers moved to where the workers were? And the sensibilities of people in their homes is not much different than when they decide to build businesses; Build out, not up. Sprawling spacious campus. It is this disconnect that I think is emblematic of the exact same thing I speak of above. That in that sprawling campus, there is probably community but then outside of that they jump into car and go to the next little kingdom within their world. The school, the church, the big box store. Never experiencing the realities of life outside this false facade. Look at politics, this is exactly why people cannot relate with one another. They only know people like themselves. same social and economic surrounding.
I’ve lived somewhat of an itinerant life – lived in 4 states, attended 3 elementary schools, 2 high schools and 3 colleges, owned 3 homes and have had a dozen jobs – and I currently live in the Lindenwood Park part of southwest city. My take is a bit different than yours – I think feeling a sense community, or not so much, has a lot more to do with age and stage in life, combined with strong common interests and a manageble community size, than it does with architecture and buildings. Community takes personal connections, and smaller groups tend to have a stronger sense of identity. If you’re feeling your strongest connections, to date, in DTSTL, great! I’ve lived in a different part of the same city for 6 years now, and I still feel like very much of an outsider, more than I have in many other places. As people age, it’s harder to connect with younger folks, since we’ve become the old fogeys, and it’s harder to connect with people our own age, because they’re over-commited already, with existing friends, kids, grandkids and jobs. It doesn’t matter if the area is urban, rural or suburban – living in a dorm or watching your kids’ ballgames with other young parents creates a much different dynamic than being the 40 or 50-something couple that just moved in down the streeet that doesn’t have any kids at home.
On the jobs side, there are really two separate dynamics. There are office jobs that are highly appropriate for dense urban areas and there are manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and retail jobs that don’t fit nearly as well. For many reasons, the latter work well / better in less-dense suburban areas – that horse is already out of the barn and probably long gone. It’s the former where St. Louis (and many sunbelt cities) seems to have missed the boat. By continuing to focus on making DTSTL “friendliest” to SOV commuters (by building multiple freeways, parking garages and bridges over the Mississippi), to the exclusion of both transit users and pedestrians, the city has sytematically destroyed a major intangible to attracting higher-end office uses. Parking is a major PITA in places like downtown Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver, etc, and they all are attrcting both employers and employees willing to put up with the added costs and hassles. In contrast, our downtown, as is downtown Clayton, is neither urban nor suburban, they’re a strange hybrid where walking is possible, in theory, but because parking still remains surprisingly available, many people still default to driving a half mile instaed of walking – they’re not much different than a suburban office park!
And one final, fine point – many businesses locate not where the workers are, they choose to locate where the boss wants to be. If the owner lives in Wildwood, they’re more likely to locate in the county than in the city. If the owner lives in Ladue, Clayton is pretty attractive. In most businesses, the owner could care less about where the employees live, as long as they show up on time and get their jobs done. – it’s your problem, not his or hers. So, if St. Louis wants to grow / rebuild a true urban core, we would be much better served by investing a robust transit system than we will be in trying to provide a parking space for every employee!
I have always appreciated your perspective and thank you for sharing. Much to think about in here. I hope you had a good holiday weekend.
Worse than that, st. Charles. My disdain for St. Charles is probably how many out there feel about the city. I hate what it represents in all of us. Usually if someone moves out there, they are no longer my friend, as I refuse to go where you get “more house for the money.” Selfish people will never understand there is a price to pay for all that house. Infrastructure costs, energy costs in transit, the raping of some of the best farmland in missouri, for what? Will they ever understand is that the lack of true central core eventually the vines will wither and die as well? Or will they continue to claim it is the lack of schooling opportunities that is to blame for their departure. But is that not a self fulfilling prophecy? Meaning if those that care leave, then who is left but just a few to fight for better? I love my St. Louis, and I always will.Â
I embrace my city, my local businesses. I have no problem paying a little more for better service. People move to the county/St. Charles. and so on. What do they miss? real community. I pretty much know every owner of where I shop and do business. Whether it be the coffee shops, the dry cleaners, the restaurants and so on.
Everyday people go to bed, myself included, thinking, ” I am good people”. But are we really, Am I? Could I not make more selfless decisions that benefit not only me but others? By needing less, expecting less and appreciating more. Do I need to spend an extra 20K on my car, so that you are adequately impressed and it equates to you seeing me how I want to be seen. Or should I make sacrifices. How much stuff do I need? How many toys? People claim they seek community, but what do they mean? I have never felt more of a community than when living in DTSTL.Â
Sorry, feeling a little punchy today.Â
Just received an email from my friends out in the county, just 100 feet the other side of the county border at Fenton/High Ridge. Invited them to the Greek Fest….Response was “we don’t like to drive in unless there is more to do”
I’m with you stl…we gladly pay a few more $$ (note I didn’t say $$$$) to buy local and inner-city rather than patronize big box, or county stores.
I look at them and the Laduites complaining about the deer and such….HEY. Nature was here first. Get use to it, You don’t need 4,000 sq feet…i’m not impressed.
City is the way to go. So much more diversity in every possible way.
Good for you, I hear ya, thanks for saying what I would like to but don’t ever have the time to write
I have often thought how much more vital St. Louis and other fine old cities would be if the standard approach over the past 50-75 years had been to confront and resolve our problems rather than to sprawl away from them at public expense.
While I agree with you on the futility of sprawl and liking the older urban core, I need to disagree with you on your community assumptions. Any “comunity” is made up of people, not buildings. The communities in Arnold and Cottleville are just as vital and important to their residents as those in the loft district, the CWE or Lindenwood Park. If you haven’t ever lived or worked in a suburban sprawl area, how do you know that they don’t have “real community”?! Communities revolve around and grow in response to common interests. You may not have a burning desire for a new vinyl-sided box or allegedly-better schools, but that should not diminish other people’s lack of a burning desire to tackle the challenges of an 80-year-old brick home or worrying because their kids don’t live on a cul-de-sac.
If you want to cast aspersions, they would be better directed at where employers have chosen to locate, stay and/or grow over the past 65 years. The wholesale movement of employment opportunities out of the city has done more to kill the urban experience than any suburban housing growth. Workers, no matter where they choose to live, have to get there every day, get home every day, and, many days, get out and run errands at businesses near work over the lunch hour. The vibrant urban centers that we love are that way because they have worker-driven street life and, indirectly, encourage people to choose to live in urban areas, not 25%-30% vacancies in their office buildings. But, instead, we have Clayton, the Monsanto campus, the Mastercard campus, the Highway 40 corridor, West Port, Earth City, etc, etc, etc. . . . .
True, but to a point. Community is made of individuals. I know many that live out west and if you do too…ask them about their neighbors. I know many that do not KNOW their neighbors beyond a first name or face recognition. Many urban familys know their full neighbor’s names, know when they have visitors/family events, a whole slew of things that few communities in the burgs have beyond those living on either side of them. You hear it when they are suprised when their neighbor is busted for meth or something….”oh they always kept to themselves” kind of stuff.
And the ultra modern sprawl, particul out west (phx, vega) with the walled back yards and regulations preventing street parking or basketball nets in the front yard, and they have no clue who lives on the other side of the wall.
I did say I was feeling a little off yesterday. Ready for a fight, but not necessarily on here. And to respond I have lived in St. Louis County. I was born there. I have also lived in small towns, other big cities and so on, hence why from my experience I could say what I had felt in DTSTL versus the other. Not taking away from what you are saying, just defending that I did not come by this without experience of my own. And I do know that those out there have a sense of community in the way they feel to things but it is different than my own. I see there  community in their neighborhoods, their schools and churches. Which is fine.
The kind I see in DTSTL is more broad and concerned with things that affect all of us, so I repeat myself in observing that the community I find here is more in tune with how I think of things and so I appreciate it. I believe that many in the county think that DTSTL is very different and that if they experienced it, it may be to their liking. And to your point, I thought the employers moved to where the workers were? And the sensibilities of people in their homes is not much different than when they decide to build businesses; Build out, not up. Sprawling spacious campus. It is this disconnect that I think is emblematic of the exact same thing I speak of above. That in that sprawling campus, there is probably community but then outside of that they jump into car and go to the next little kingdom within their world. The school, the church, the big box store. Never experiencing the realities of life outside this false facade. Look at politics, this is exactly why people cannot relate with one another. They only know people like themselves. same social and economic surrounding.
I’ve lived somewhat of an itinerant life – lived in 4 states, attended 3 elementary schools, 2 high schools and 3 colleges, owned 3 homes and have had a dozen jobs – and I currently live in the Lindenwood Park part of southwest city. My take is a bit different than yours – I think feeling a sense community, or not so much, has a lot more to do with age and stage in life, combined with strong common interests and a manageble community size, than it does with architecture and buildings. Community takes personal connections, and smaller groups tend to have a stronger sense of identity. If you’re feeling your strongest connections, to date, in DTSTL, great! I’ve lived in a different part of the same city for 6 years now, and I still feel like very much of an outsider, more than I have in many other places. As people age, it’s harder to connect with younger folks, since we’ve become the old fogeys, and it’s harder to connect with people our own age, because they’re over-commited already, with existing friends, kids, grandkids and jobs. It doesn’t matter if the area is urban, rural or suburban – living in a dorm or watching your kids’ ballgames with other young parents creates a much different dynamic than being the 40 or 50-something couple that just moved in down the streeet that doesn’t have any kids at home.
On the jobs side, there are really two separate dynamics. There are office jobs that are highly appropriate for dense urban areas and there are manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and retail jobs that don’t fit nearly as well. For many reasons, the latter work well / better in less-dense suburban areas – that horse is already out of the barn and probably long gone. It’s the former where St. Louis (and many sunbelt cities) seems to have missed the boat. By continuing to focus on making DTSTL “friendliest” to SOV commuters (by building multiple freeways, parking garages and bridges over the Mississippi), to the exclusion of both transit users and pedestrians, the city has sytematically destroyed a major intangible to attracting higher-end office uses. Parking is a major PITA in places like downtown Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver, etc, and they all are attrcting both employers and employees willing to put up with the added costs and hassles. In contrast, our downtown, as is downtown Clayton, is neither urban nor suburban, they’re a strange hybrid where walking is possible, in theory, but because parking still remains surprisingly available, many people still default to driving a half mile instaed of walking – they’re not much different than a suburban office park!
And one final, fine point – many businesses locate not where the workers are, they choose to locate where the boss wants to be. If the owner lives in Wildwood, they’re more likely to locate in the county than in the city. If the owner lives in Ladue, Clayton is pretty attractive. In most businesses, the owner could care less about where the employees live, as long as they show up on time and get their jobs done. – it’s your problem, not his or hers. So, if St. Louis wants to grow / rebuild a true urban core, we would be much better served by investing a robust transit system than we will be in trying to provide a parking space for every employee!
I have always appreciated your perspective and thank you for sharing. Much to think about in here. I hope you had a good holiday weekend.Â
I know Brides House was open in 1998 when I got my dress there. Â I think it remained open at least 5 years after that. Â The best part was that the alterations were done up on the 2nd or 3rd floor and there was an elevator attendant to get you up and down on the manually operated elevator.Â
I know Brides House was open in 1998 when I got my dress there. I think it remained open at least 5 years after that. The best part was that the alterations were done up on the 2nd or 3rd floor and there was an elevator attendant to get you up and down on the manually operated elevator.