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Doering Mansion Sacrificed for Disappointing Mississippi Bluffs Developments

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 Mansion
The former Doering Mansion
The River facade
The 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
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.  
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.
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.

— Steve Patterson

 

What To Do With 1.2 Million Square Feet In The Railway Exchange Building (UPDATED)

Downtown’s Railway Exchange Building, completed in 1913, occupies an entire city block. From the 2009 National Register nomination:

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.
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.

— Steve Patterson

 

Buildings I’d Like To See Rehabbed

In the nearly 25 years I’ve lived in St. Louis I’ve seen way too many buildings razed, but I’ve also witnessed quite a few be reoccupied.  Some we rehabbed before my arrival:

  • Powell Hall, 1968: I was only a year old when the St. Louis Symphony bucked the 1960s trend of building a sterile new downtown symphony hall, opting instead to move into a then 43-year old movie theater building that had seen better days. This year the building turns 90.
  • St. Louis Union Station, 1985: The 1890s main building closed to passengers before train service stopped under the large shed in 1978 — shifting service to what became known as “Amshack.” In 1985 Union Station reopened as a “festival marketplace” with hotel, shops, restaurants, etc under the shed.

Even since the 2008 recession renovation work has continued, albeit at a slower pace than the years right before. Some buildings I’ve previously blogged about have since been rehabbed — others saw the potential I did. Thus, I see value in sharing my list of buildings that I’d like to see reoccupied:

This is a collection of buildings
This is a collection of buildings where three streets intersect: N. Florissant, Carter, & Grove. All are owned by the city’s Land Reutilization Authority (LRA)
This rather ordinary building on Dr. Martin Luther King, just East of Goodfellow, has pleasing proportions, materials, details. It's in poor condition but I'd hate to see it razed. 
This rather ordinary building on Dr. Martin Luther King, just East of Goodfellow, has pleasing proportions, materials, details. It’s in poor condition but I’d hate to see it razed.
The former JC Penny store built in 1949 on MLK in the Wellston Loop in the modern style with an urban form, rather than style of its red brick neighbors that are 20-40 years older.
The former JC Penny store built in 1949 on MLK in the Wellston Loop in the modern style with an urban form, rather than style of its red brick neighbors that are 20-40 years older.
4831 Fountain, November 2009
4831 Fountain is a stunner, November 2009
In 2009 it looked like the Clemens Mansion on Cass would become senior housing, but some of the state funding didn't happen
In 2009 it looked like the Clemens Mansion on Cass would become senior housing, but some of the state funding didn’t happen

 

ABOVE: The Lemp Brewery complex was built over a period of years and thus includes numerous buildings.  Click the image for the Wikipedia entry
The Lemp Brewery complex was built over a period of years and thus includes numerous buildings.
Warehouses in the along Ashley between 2nd and Lewis woulds be razed if a new NFL stadium plan moves forward
Warehouses in the along Ashley between 2nd and Lewis woulds be razed if a new NFL stadium plan moves forward
The 18th Street facade of the Butler Bros Warehouse
The 18th Street facade of the Butler Bros Warehouse
1711 Locust was a power station for the original streetcar system, it is vacant and in disrepair.
1711 Locust was a power station for the original streetcar system, it is vacant and in disrepair.
1701 Locust is a handsome 4-story building built in 1926. It has had several owners in the last decade. It is vacant.
1701 Locust is a handsome 4-story building built in 1926. It has had several owners in the last decade. It is vacant.
The Jefferson Arms remains vacant although numerous developers have attempted to put together a deal to rehab the property.
The Jefferson Arms remains vacant although numerous developers have attempted to put together a deal to rehab the property.
The Railway Exchange building housed a downtown department store until recently. Their have been various concepts for preoccupancy, but nothing has begun.
The Railway Exchange building housed a downtown department store until recently. Their have been various concepts for preoccupancy, but nothing has begun.
Originally built as a YWCA, this building on Locust has been the home to the New Life Evangelistic Center since 1976. Some say it should be razed, but that's a short-sided view.
Originally built as a YWCA, this building on Locust has been the home to the New Life Evangelistic Center since 1976. Some say it should be razed, but that’s a short-sided view.

There you go, my list of buildings I hope to see rehabbed and reoccupied.  I don’t have any capital or the physical ability to do it myself — but those are requirements to simply express my desired outcome. I’ll start working on a Part 2 with more buildings.

Any you’d like to see rehabbed?

— Steve Patterson

 

Surplus School Buildings Open For Tours

Part of the problem of losing hundreds of thousands of residents over a half century is a surplus of buildings. One property owner — The St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) — still has buildings they need to unload. Over the years some former schools have found new owners and new uses. For example, Franklin School:

March 2006
In March 2006 the school looked rough
October 2007
By October 2007 Franklin School reopened as affordable senior apartments

To facilitate getting other surplus school buildings rehabbed the SLPS has started offering tours of 27 of the buildings they have for sale, from their website:

The Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) Building Revitalization Collaborative was established in 2015 to promote the redevelopment of District-owned properties no longer in use as schools. 

In the spring and summer of 2015, SLPS will be scheduling a series of public open houses at the closed schools and community forums to discuss possible repurposing scenarios for each property. 

By bringing together community stakeholders and a technical advisory committee (TAC) comprised of a variety of experts, SLPS hopes to find creative solutions for these properties that will benefit the District and the St. Louis community as a whole. 

TAC members include architects, building planners, preservationists, real estate developers, and representatives from the fields of finance, education, construction and healthcare.

and…

The SLPS Building Revitalization Collaborative is holding a series of open houses starting in April. All tours start at 5:30 p.m. and run approximately one hour. Please check the website often, as dates and times of tours are subject to change.

If you’d like to plan ahead, please print and fill out the required RELEASE/WAIVER and bring it with you to the tour.

The buildings are not air-conditioned and have no water or electrical service. Debris and standing water may be present in some areas. Wear appropriate footwear.

The dates for the first 8 have passed, but 19 more remain:

  1. April 8, 2015: Baden
  2. April 9, 2015: Walnut Park
  3. April 13, 2015: Shepard
  4. April 15, 2015: Cleveland
  5. April 16, 2015: Stowe
  6. April 20, 2015: Ford Branch
  7. April 22, 2015: DeAndreis/Bunche
  8. April 23, 2015: Ashland Branch
  9. April 29, 2015: Turner
  10. April 30, 2015: Cook
  11. May 4, 2015: Clark
  12. May 6, 2015: Webster
  13. May 7, 2015: Jackson
  14. May 11, 2015: Mark Twain
  15. May 12, 2015: Scullin
  16. May 14, 2015: Lyon
  17. May 18, 2015: Lafayette
  18. May 19, 2015: Gundlach
  19. May 26, 2015: Cupples
  20. May 29, 2015: Williams
  21. June 1, 2015: Sherman
  22. June 3, 2015: Marshall
  23. June 4, 2015: Eliot
  24. June 8, 2015: Gratiot
  25. June 10, 2015: Wilkinson
  26. June 11, 2015: Euclid
  27. June 15, 2015: Banneker

Check out their website for more details, including a map.

— Steve Patterson

 

Majority of Readers Favor Replacing Jackson With A Woman on Future $20 Bills

The Sunday Poll was about who should be on future $20 bills — Andrew Jackson or one of four women from our history.  It was easy to predict the single answer with the most votes would be Andrew Jackson.

Q: Who should be on future $20 bills?

  1. Andrew Jackson — former President 11 [29.73%]
  2. Rosa Parks — civil rights activist 8 [21.62%]
  3. Harriet Tubman — abolitionist, underground railroad 7 [18.92%]
  4. TIE 4 [10.81%]
    1. Wilma Mankiller — 1st female Native American Tribe chief
    2. Eleanor Roosevelt — former first lady
  5. Unsure/No Answer 3 [8.11%]

But we can look at these numbers another way:

  1. Change 23 [62.16%]
  2. Don’t change  11 [29.73%]
  3. Unsure/No Answer 3 [8.11%]

A majority picked an answer that involves changing the $20 from Andrew Jackson to a woman. Be sure to vote for which of the four finalists you’d like to see on a $20 by 2020 — vote here.

— Steve Patterson

 

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