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Grand Center’s Northern Boundary?

February 25, 2013 Featured, Midtown, Public Transit 4 Comments

If you were to ask most people what is the northern boundary of Grand Center is they’d likely tell you Delmar Blvd. That’s where the urban buildings end and the parking lots begin, the change is stark.

ABOVE: For a few blocks from Olive to Delmar, Grand has an urban feel to it.
ABOVE: For a few blocks from Olive to Delmar, Grand has an urban feel to it.
ABOVE: Upon going north to Delmar you can quickly tell you're suddenly in a different place.
ABOVE: Upon going north to Delmar you can quickly tell you’re suddenly in a different place.

The Grand Center website confirms Delmar Blvd as the northern boundary:

Where is Grand Center?

The Grand Center district is conveniently located in Midtown St. Louis. The boundaries of the district run along Grand from Lindell to Delmar and from Vandeventer to the west and Josephine Baker to the east. The heart of the district is located at Grand and Washington, next to the Fabulous Fox Theatre. (Grand Center district FAQ)

That’s settled then isn’t it? Hold on, not so fast. Let’s go for a walk north to see if we can find any evidence that suggests a different boundary.

ABOVE: The street sign at Delmar is a "Grand Center" branded sign. Ok, north edge so that makes sense, right?
ABOVE: The street sign at Delmar is a “Grand Center” branded sign. Ok, north edge so that makes sense, right?
ABOVE: Same at Franklin Ave
ABOVE: Same at Franklin Ave
ABOVE: And at Bell Ave
ABOVE: And at Bell Ave
ABOVE: and at
ABOVE: and at Windsor Place
ABOVE: And Finney Ave
ABOVE: And Finney Ave
ABOVE: One block before Page Ave is the last Grand Center sign, Cook Ave is the street on the north side of the Rock Church
ABOVE: One block before Page Ave is the last Grand Center sign, Cook Ave is the street on the north side of the St. Alphonsus Ligouri “The Rock” Church

Five blocks (map) covering a third of a mile is marked on street signs as being part of Grand Center but you don’t see the signature double head streetlights north of Delmar, just the standard issue cobrahead lights. No banners, no branded trash receptacles. Nothing except a different street sign.

Grand Center folks like to say the district is “steeple to steeple” referring to Saint Francis Xavier (College Church) on the south and  St. Alphonsus Ligouri “The Rock” on the north. That sounds good but the reality is this isn’t the case in practice.

ABOVE: The distinctive Grand Center double-head light are continuous from Lindell to the south side of Delmar.
ABOVE: The distinctive Grand Center double-head light are continuous from Lindell to the south side of Delmar.

Clearly the streetscape sends a very different message than the phrase “steeple to steeple” does. Clearly Grand Center.

This week Grand Center is holding a “public open house”, maybe they’ll present something to improve the streetscape north of Delmar.

ABOVE: Conveniently Grand Center is hosting an open house on February 28th
ABOVE: Conveniently Grand Center is hosting an open house on February 28th

The open house is being held at the Metropolitan Artist Loft building. How do you get to Grand Center? Let’s take a look at how Grand Center Inc tells you to do it via public transportation and then I’ll add in the other ways they fail to mention:

Public Transportation

MetroBus

Take the #70 Grand MetroBus for several stops available in Grand Center. Click here to plan your trip through Metro Transit – St. Louis.

 MetroLink

The Grand MetroLink Station is now open. Travel about two blocks north on Grand Boulevard once out of the MetroLink Station to get to Grand Center at Lindell Boulevard and Grand Boulevard. (Grand Center, Inc)

That “about two blocks” is a half mile walk, that’s just to reach the south edge of Grand Center.  Use your MetroLink ticket as your transfer and catch the #70 northbound. For the Metropolitan you want the stop just on the north side of Lindell.

Not arriving via MetroLink? You can catch the #10 MetroBus from downtown, CWE and even  south city along Gravois. Other good MetroBus options include the #97 (Delmar) and #94 Page, getting you to Grand & Delmar and Page, respectively. Remember the farthest north Grand Center sign is just a block from Page.

You’d think since Grand Center President, former Mayor Vince Schoemehl, is also on Metro’s board the transit information would be more complete.  The five block discrepancy in the northern boundary remains a mystery.

UPDATE: 2/26/2013 @ 9:35am: In the comments below it was pointed out the website says Page, not Delmar. So here’s the proof

From http://www.grandcenter.org/about/district/ on 2/17/2013
From http://www.grandcenter.org/about/district/ on 2/17/2013

— Steve Patterson

 

Currently there are "4 comments" on this Article:

  1. JoeBorough says:

    Yes, please let’s begin building our main north-south thoroughfares. I’d love to see retail and 8-story residential buildings lined north-to-south along Vandeventer and Grand and Union and Goodfellow and Kingshighway and Newstead and Skinker. We should be extending the energy of the CWE and Downtown and Grand Center north and stop looking to “cap” this energy at Delmar. Let’s build the city north-to-south the rest will fill itself in. Get me 7 more Joe Edwards’.

     
  2. Will Fru says:

    From “About Grand Center” (http://www.grandcenter.org/about/district/):

    Where is Grand Center?

    The
    Grand Center district is conveniently located in Midtown St. Louis.
    The boundaries of the district run along Grand from Lindell to Page and
    from Vandeventer to the west and Josephine Baker to the east. The heart
    of the district is located at Grand and Washington, next to the Fabulous
    Fox Theatre.?

     

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