History was made last month — for the first time in the history of St. Louis every alderman is a Democrat. Yes, we all know the City of St. Louis is a Democrat city — to get elected you need to be a Democrat — at least a DINO. But up until last month at least one member wasn’t a Democrat.
In 1949 Democrats took majority control of the Board of Aldermen but Republicans continued to have multiple members, dropping to one in 1977 but up again to two in 1979 when Fred Heitert was sworn in. The number was back to one after Jim Shrewsbury defeated the GOP incumbent in the 16th Ward. Republican Fred Heitert was an alderman from April 17, 1979 t0 April 19, 2011 — when his successor Larry Arnowitz, a Democrat, was sworn in. But that same day in 2011 an Independent, Scott Ogilvie, was sworn in representing the 24th Ward. Last month Ogilvie was sworn in to a 2nd term — this time as a Democrat.
So last month, on April 21, 2015, became the first time in St. Louis’ history that every Alderman was a Democrat. UPDATE 5/19 7:45am: Current seniority list.
How long will this last? If this is broken will it be by a Republican, an Independent, or a Green?
South Broadway once had some stately homes, with great views overlooking the Mississippi River. In early 2006 one was gone — razed for a multi-building condo project known as Mississippi Bluffs.
The former Doering MansionThe river facade
Most of the site for Mississippi Bluffs was to come from the former Good Samaritan Home, the Doering Mansion to the North, was included in the sale of the closed retirement home. The developer wanted just the retirement home site, but the seller wouldn’t split them up. Rather than market the Doering Mansion himself, the developer incorporated that land into his plans:
He’s building an oasis of 34 high-end condominiums on the Mississippi, each with its own garage and surrounded by 6.2 acres of park, sidewalks for dog walking and jogging, and a large pool. It sits on the city’s only mile of terrain above the flood plain, 80 feet above the Mississippi, perfectly positioned for views of the barge industry to the north, vast river to the south and Illinois forest to the east.
Now, if only he could sell that idea to everyone else.
The land Curran is so fond of was once the site of a retirement home run by the Good Samaritans. The nonprofit organization also owned the adjacent Doering Mansion, which sat unused for 30 years. When the complex went up for sale in 2003, the owners’ only stipulation was that the mansion and the home could not be sold separately—no exceptions. Thus both buildings just sat. And sat. (St. Louis Magazine — September 2007)
I wrote about this project quite a bit at the time:
Many questioned the plan and the developer’s ability to perform. See map.
Only one of the planned buildings was built — on the south end of the site. As promised, the garage doors weren’t visible from Broadway
But the balance of the site remained vacant for years. Now the plan has changed — not for the better.
The view from the North entry, where the Doering once stood. Garage doors are highly visible from Broadway.Up close the garages are very prominent. The original condo plan had the tuck-under garages. Click image for the official website
Their views of the river are stunning.
It’s certainly possible had the Doering Mansion not been razed it would still be vacant and falling apart, but it’s also possible it would’ve been renovated and occupied years ago. A trusted politically-connected developer was allowed to raze one the few remaining mansions in a historic district because his project would fail without doing so. It failed anyway.
If only the Doering Mansion had been offered for sale on its own, only then would we have known if anyone would’ve been interested in renovating it. I’m just glad I don’t get down to this area very much anymore, I’d hate to see these garages on a regular basis.
Please vote in the poll, located in the right sidebar
The 2016 election cycle is heating up, on the GOP side many have declared their candidacy and others are still considering running. It’s too early to know who the GOP will nominate at their July 2016 convention in Cleveland — that’s the point — to later be able to compare 2015 perceptions with 2016 reality.
For today’s poll I combined declared & potential candidates from these two sites:
There was a lot of overlap, but each had some not listed on the other. Here is the combined list of 47, listed alphabetical:
Skip Andrews
Kelly Ayotte
Haley Barbour
John Bolton
Kerry Bowers
Jeb Bush
Herman Cain
Dr. Ben Carson
Dale Christensen
Chris Christie
Ted Cruz
Mitch Daniels
John Dummett, Jr.
Bob Ehrlich
Mark Everson
Carly Fiorina
Newt Gingrich
Lindsey Graham
Nikki Haley
Chris Hill
Mike Huckabee
Bobby Jindal
John Kasich
Peter King
Michael Kinlaw
Dennis Michael Lynch
Susana Martinez
Sarah Palin
George Pataki
Rand Paul
Ron Paul
Tim Pawlenty
Mike Pence
Rick Perry
Michael Petyo
Condoleezza Rice
Mitt Romney
Marco Rubio
Brian Russell
Mitch Sandoval
Rick Santorum
Tim Scott
Rick Snyder
John Thune
Donald Trump
Scott Walker
Allen West
I usually randomize the answers in the poll (right sidebar), but because of the sheer number of names they’re displayed in alphabetical order. The poll question isn’t who you want to see make it to the final 5, but rather who you think will be the 5 who survive the next 9-12 months.
Please be sure to pick 5 answers, the poll closes at 8pm tonight. UPDATE: Because of a software problem this morning I’m going to leave this open until 10pm.
Sunday afternoon the new Shriner’s Hospital for Children will be dedicated. The new facility will open for patients on June 1st, a return to the City of St. Louis after 52 years in the affluent suburb of Frontenac.
In 1924 the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children opened on the NE corner of Euclid & ClaytonIn 1963 the Shriner’s built a larger hospital on many acres in Frontenac
Changes in care meant the 1960s facility was too large:
The hospital is leaving a 182,000-square-foot facility in Frontenac for a 90,000-square-foot facility in St. Louis. The new hospital, at 4400 Clayton Avenue, will continue to use 12 inpatient beds despite its license for 80. (Post-Dispatch)
Many of us have been watching the new building take shape for a while now, much more visible than the facility they’re leaving.
The new hospital as seen from across I-64 last OctoberThe Clayton Rd entry in December, the ADA accessible route is on the right
New hospital dedication ceremony May 17 Dedication of the new replacement hospital for Shriners Hospitals for Children — St. Louis, will take place from 1 – 4 p.m., Sunday, May 17.
Imperial Potentate Dale Stauss and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Doug Maxwell will officially open the building for visitors that day. Following a special ceremony featuring the local and national leadership of Shriners Hospitals for Children – as well as a few surprises from the patients – the hospital will be open for tours. Tours of the hospital will include a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see in some areas of the hospital that will be restricted to patients, families and employees only, such as the operating rooms, patient rooms and patient-family quarters.
Sunday’s dedication is open to the public. Yesterday I got a tour of the facility, here are most of the photos I took:
Approaching on Clayton Ave, from EuclidAt the entranceThe required ADA accessible routeCrosswalk at driveAt the main entryJust inside the front doorsLooking to the left of the reception deskLooking out toward Clayton Ave from the lobby cafeIn the cafe area changing images are projected onto a wallOne of the exam roomsA side entry on the East side allows patients to arrive/leave in privacyThere are six double rooms . Each patient has a tablet for music, games, etc. Patients can also adjust a color-hanging LED light over their bed!The nurses station in the recovery areaThe main operating roomOn the 2nd floor is the board room, which will also be used for staff meetingsA 2nd floor loungeA large research labRecreational therapyOne of the hotel-like rooms for family staying overnightA family lounge on the 3rd floor with windows facing East toward downtownThe view looking East
This new hospital is good news for the City of St. Louis, even better news for the young patients & their families who’ll receive care here in the decades to come. I know the hospital where I had surgery at age 4 looked nothing like this, it was a scary institutional place. Thankfully all new hospitals have gotten more welcoming.
The last all-new hospital in the 22-hospital Shriner system was in 1997 — so this is a big deal. Shriner’s St. Louis has always had a connection to Washington University, this new location will strengthen that relationship. Again, Sunday’s dedication is open to the public.
The Railway Exchange Building was recognized as an architectural and engineering wonder even before it was constructed. But the building’s rich history was built more on the shoulders of the companies it was designed to house than the structural supports and ornamental flare it boasted in its design. The building has been a commercial asset to the St. Louis downtown since its construction, housing what became the city’s largest department store. In addition, many local businesses operated on the upper floors of the building, and the building’s official moniker derived from the abundance of railroad company tenants occupying the building when it opened.
The Railway Exchange Building was designed in 1912 by Mauran, Russell and Crowell as a home for the newly merged Famous-Barr Company. By the time Famous and Barr were merged, each had established themselves as a prominent department store in St. Louis. William Barr & Company opened as a drygoods store in 1850. Located on Fourth Street between St. Charles and Vine, the drygoods company grew rapidly, and by 1876 boasted over 300 employees and 32 departments with a separate manager for each division. In 1880 William Barr moved into the Julia Building, a four-story construction that occupied half the block at 6th an Olive Streets. As the city’s first department store, Barr’s took advantage of the mail-order trade as well as the in-house sales. The company remained in this building until it was replaced in 1913 by the Railway Exchange Building.
May Department Stores was bought out by Federated Department Stores in August 2005, a year later Famous-Barr became a Macy’s (Wikipedia). In 2011 Macy’s consolidated into the lower 3 floors, from 8, but still couldn’t make it. Macy’s closed in 2013 (Post-Dispatch).
Railway Exchange building in 2011, before the consolidated Macy’s closed.
Tuesday morning I attended the public presentation by ULI St. Louis’ Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) on their recommendations to the developer that owns the structure. Unfortunately, their presentation isn’t yet online. Here are some highlights from memory:
With 1,000 parking spaces in the block to the South they didn’t recommend including any parking within the building.
Reskin/update the parking garage, remove the ramp off 7th
Consider a plaza for the surface lot at 6th & Olive.
The building would get sectioned into various zones for development into many functions. Different developers could then work on their portion, without any single developer having to take on the entire project at once.
The total square footage would be reduced some by opening up floors at various spots — such as creating 2-story volumes in some residential units.
Remove the roof and create an outdoor walk around the perimeter of the 21st (top) floor.
Residential units on the floors just below. Various sizes could be offered.
Two hotels on floors below the residential, one a boutique hotel like 21C and one an extended stay. With new startups downtown they indicate there is demand for such hotels. Each hotel could have large volume spaces.
Recreational space, like a gym or basketball court.
Street-level retail like Urban Target, CVS/Walgreens, a fresh produce market, etc.
The building would still likely be over a million square feet after the reductions in floor area. With four primary facades you could have separate entrances for each function.
I still don’t like the existing garage, it’s old & ugly. The flow inside is awful. The garage needs to be replaced with a new garage if parking is excluded from the building. I’d love an Urban Target, a 24/7 CVS or Walgreens, and a Trader Joe’s. The developer already has interest in a couple of the pieces, but not enough to move forward just yet. The TAP felt if broken up into pieces it could be marketed nationally to interest developers from outside our region.
UPDATE: 5/14/15 # 7:40PM — the ULI presentation wasn’t available online yesterday as I finished the post, but thanks to a reader this morning who posted the link.
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Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
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a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
