Before the highway cut off downtown from the river

The razing of 40 blocks of St. Louis along the riverfront began on October 10, 1939. There was no plan at that time, a design competition wasn’t held until 1947.  So St. Louis created the biggest surface parking lot on what was the original village.

Ground breaking for construction of the Arch was held nearly 20 years later, on June 23, 1959.  For 20 years the only reason to connect with this location was to get to your car in a sea of cars.

Two years after the ground breaking we see that all that had changed was the reduction in the amount of land for surface parking.  By this point the city’s leaders saw this site as a wasteland, nothing we’d ever want easy pedestrian access to.

Future mayor Raymond Tucker was 43 (my current age) when the city razed these blocks.  One of his first duties as mayor would have been the ribbon cutting at the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex.  He was 68 when the depressed highway lanes created a permanent divide between the central business district and what would become the Jefferson Nation Expansion Memorial we know today.  He and others leaders at the time must have thought they were making good decisions for the future of our city.

But to them the site was simply parking.  They worked hard to get the Arch funded and built.  Tucker saw the Arch completed but not the landscaping, he died in 1970. This generation of men had experience with a very different St. Louis than us today.

Thank you to to Tom Bradley & Jennifer Clark of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial for the use of the above images.

– Steve Patterson

1975: Automobile Club of Missouri Headquarters destroyed by fire

Most of us are familiar with the curvy building on Lindell that is home to offices of the Automobile Club of Missouri. Modern architecture fan Toby Weiss wrote the following about the building:

3917 Lindell – Automobile Club of Missouri
One of two round white buildings on Lindell, it looks like the curvy female answer to the boys-will-be-boys clubhouse across the street. But this building was erected in 1977! As early as 1942 the Automobile Club was listed in this same spot, and they certainly waited a long time to join in the CWE urban renewal.

Maybe the delay was so that they could get exactly the perfect building. It’s a truly iconic piece on Lindell – everyone knows and admires this building, and Triple A takes exceptional care of it. They must stock pile drums of white paint for constant touch ups in between new coats. A view through the endless ribbon of windows reveal many original fixtures still in place, and the whole thing has a distinct 1960s Jetsons feel. Were the original plans drawn up in the 60s and they sat on them for a bit, or did they purposely try to evoke a by-gone era, even though it wasn’t all that by-gone? Again, it feels like a sly wink to the club across the street.  (Belt STL)

1977 was late for modern new construction in this section of town.  The new building was constructed to replace the old headquarters that were destroyed by fire on March 14, 1975.  So that answers the question about why the current building was built in 1977 but it doesn’t help me understand what was destroyed. My first place to look is the Sanborn Fire Insurance map from 1909.

– Steve Patterson

Have you ever ridden a municipal bus?

In the last week it came to my attention that I know many people, including some supporting Proposition A, have never once ridden a city bus.  That was me well into my 30s. So my poll this week is trying to see if readers here have actually ridden a bus or not. The poll is in the right column.

I’m still no daily rider but I’ve ridden the bus in several cities so I feel I know enough to give a general overview.  Hopefully more experienced riders will add their tips in the comments below. The route number for the bus is show at the top and on the sides, #13 in the above example.  Where you have more than one bus using the same stop this is helpful so you get on the correct bus.  All our buses here have bike racks on the front. I was very nervous the first time I went to place my bike on the rack.

In these examples the rack is folded up since it is not in use.  Loading your bike just requires you to pull down the rack so you can load your bike.  Each rack will hold two bikes in opposite directions from each other. The rack has trays for the wheels and a bar to hold it securely in place.  For more information see Metro’s Bike-N-Ride FAQ page.

Regular adult fares are $2.00 and $2.75 with a transfer valid for a connecting bus.  Bus drivers do not give change so if you use three singles to buy a pass w/transfer you will not get any change. Unlike our light rail where you buy a ticket and just walk on, with a bus you pay as you enter.  The fare box accepts bills and coins.  Riders with passes just swipe their pass as they enter. See the Metro Fare Chart for all the details.

Riders are asked to exit the set of doors that are midway toward the back.  That allows new passengers to begin entering the bus.   Unlike our light rail, or commuter rail/subways in other cities, a bus doesn’t automatically stop at every stop.  A pull cord runs along each side of the interior of the bus.  You pull the cord to alert the driver you wish to stop at the next stop.

If you are among those that has never ridden a municipal bus I encourage you to do so.  I still prefer modern streetcars but the bus has a place in most transit systems.

– Steve Patterson

I-70 closure not a major problem

A week ago Sunday I drove the Northbound detour as all traffic was routed onto surface streets as MoDOT closed I-70 downtown as they removed the Madison Ave overpass.

Traffic made its way up Broadway and back onto I-70 between Madison and St. Louis Ave. It was not fast but it kept moving.

I’m now more convinced than ever that after I-70 is moved to the new bridge that we can convert the existing highway lanes to a tree-lined boulevard.  The grassroots group City to River has organized a walking tour downtown this coming Saturday, March 20th (first day of Spring).  The tour begins at the Stan Musial statue on the West side of Busch Stadium, 3pm (City to River is hosting a walking tour of Memorial Drive).  Arrive via the stadium MetroLink station, the tour concludes near the Eads Bridge MetroLink station.

– Steve Patterson

Gateway Mall Advisory Board appointed by Mayor, approved by Aldermen

Today the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a resolution approving Mayor Slay’s nominees to serve on the initial Gateway Mall Advisory Board. The advisory board was formed last year by ordinance 68407.  The 14 appointed positions are:

1. A designee of the St. Louis Public Library;

2. Four representatives of businesses with physical locations adjacent to the Gateway Mall;

3. A real estate developer with one or more projects adjacent to the Gateway Mall;

4. A representative of the Downtown St. Louis Residents’ Association;

5. A representative of an organization which has conducted a festival or other special event in the Gateway Mall within two (2) years prior to appointment;

6. An architect or landscape architect;

7. A representative of a public arts organization or agency;

8. A person with expertise in urban sustainability;

9. A person appointed at large; and

10. Two persons, one designated by each of the Aldermen of Wards Six and Seven , respectively; after revision of ward boundaries, one person designated by the aldermen of any ward in which any part of the Gateway Mall is located.

Not all positions were filled by Today’s resolution, the remaining will be filled shortly. An additional 10 ex-officio positions round out the board.

From the press release:

Appointed by the Mayor to the Gateway Mall Advisory Board are A.J. Bruning, Downtown Resident’s Association; Jack Reis, EVS Realty; John Sondag, AT&T; Pat Shannon, Shannon’s Restaurant; Byron Marshall, Union Station; Waller McGuire, St. Louis Public Library; Steve Smith, The Lawrence Group; Mike Kocielo, Entertainment St. Louis; Andy Trivers, Trivers & Associates; Chris Fannin, HOK; Sarah Smith, Community Development Ventures; Mike Kinman, Christ Church Cathedral; Steve Patterson, Urban Review; and Les Sterman, Downtown Resident.

Serving in an ex-officio capacity will be Pete Rothschild, Red Brick Management; 6th Ward Alderman Kacie Starr-Triplett; 7th Ward Alderman Phyllis Young; Don Roe, St. Louis Planning & Urban Design; Gary Bess, Director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry; Maggie Campbell, Partnership for Downtown St. Louis; Ann Chance, Special Events Manager; Lynnea Magnuson, Soldier’s Memorial; and Patricia Roland-Hamilton, Gateway Mall Conservancy.

The Gateway Mall Advisory Board will likely convene in April.

Yes, my name is on the above list.  Thank you to Ald. Kacie Starr Triplett for agreeing to allow me to fill the slot representing the 6th ward.  The Gateway Mall Conservancy Board was also recently created:

Named to the Gateway Mall Conservancy Board were Peter Fischer, Gateway Foundation; Robert Archibald, Missouri Historical Society; Steve Cousins, Armstrong Teasdale LLP; John Ferring, Plaze, Inc.; David Mesker, retired, A.G. Edwards; Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts; Kitty Ratcliffe, St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission; Henry S. Webber, Washington University; Josephine Weil, Community Volunteer; and Patricia Roland-Hamilton as Executive Director.

More information can be found at GatewayMall.org.

– Steve Patterson