Second Downtown Dog Park: Land Between Federal Courthouse & Stadium West Parking Garage

Today’s post continues a series on a 2nd dog park for downtown:

• March: Temporary Dog Park On Former Cupples 7 Site Would Be Too Costly
• April: Second Downtown Dog Park: Serra’s ‘Twain’
• May: Second Downtown Dog Park: Wedge Between Busch Stadium & MetroLink Line

Today’s site is close to residents in the Cupples district and is also a good site for new construction. Unlike the others, this site is privately owned.

Fencing this square would better define the federally-owned public park and provide much-needed activity.  The owner might get a tax credit if it leased the land to a non-profit dog park. As you can see there are numerous locations downtown for a 2nd dog park.

— Steve Patterson

75th Anniversary of Aloe Plaza, Carl Milles’ ‘Meeting of the Waters’

I’d hoped there would be a big celebration over the weekend, continuing into today, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Aloe Plaza and ‘Meeting of the Waters’ by Swedish sculpture Carl Milles. A year ago I contacted 6th-ward Ald Christine Ingrassia, IKEA, and others about collaborating on an event. Nothing.

The Carl Milles wanted the title to be “Wedding of the Waters” but prudish attitudes didn’t think nude figures should be associated with weddings, so he agreed to change the name to “Meeting of the Waters.” Through Aloe Plaza has suffered from decades of neglect, the sculpture is still magnificent. Others agree, it was the top vote getter in yesterday’s poll:

Q: What are your two favorite public fountain/water features in the City of St. Louis? Pick two — one can be added

1. Meeting of the Waters — Aloe Plaza 13 [25.01%]
2. Grand Basin — Forest Park 11 [21.16%]
3. Splash fountain — Citygarden 8 [15.38%]
4. Lily pond — Tower Grove Park 7 [13.46%]
5. World’s Fair Pavilion Fountain — Government Hill in Forest Park 4 [7.69%]
6. TIE 3 [5.77%]
   1. Kiener Memorial/Runner Statue — Kiener Plaza
   2. Waterfall — Citygarden
7. TIE  1 [1.92%]
   1. May Amphitheater Waterfall — Kiener Plaza
   2. Fountain Park fountain — Fountain Park
   3. Unsure/no answer
8. TIE 0 [0%]
   1. Clock Tower fountain — Saint Louis University
   2. Grand & Lindell — Saint Louis University
   3. Waterfall — Old Post Office Plaza
   4. Wading pool — Tower Grove Park
   5. Circular Fountain — Benton Park
   6. Wading pool & spray — St. Louis Place Park

Two answers were added for fountains listed in the poll (Aloe Plaza & Grand Basin), they were added to the totals above. The Grand Basin nearly beat out “Meeting of the Waters”, which is understandable.

The size & proportions of the basin are very pleasing. From various angles, close up or far away it is captivating.

— Steve Patterson

Second Downtown Dog Park: Serra’s ‘Twain’

Between the Arch grounds and the Gateway Mall downtown has an excess of public park land — land unlikely to ever see new buildings again. Still, some want to make more park lmd nearby — a dog park where the Cupples 7 warehouse once stood. See Temporary Dog Park On Former Cupples 7 Site Would Be Too Costly.

Meanwhile most blocks of the Gateway Mall go unloved. For a few years now I’ve been trying to build support for updating the block West of Citygarden — the block containing Richard Serra’s ‘Twain’.

Why turn a developable site into a dog & sculpture park when you can just fence in an existing sculpture? It’s already parkland, it needs more activity, it has a great location next to Citygarden. As a dog park a fence would be installed just inside new perimeter sidewalks, with at least two vestibule entry/exit points. Access would be limited to dog park members.

I still want to see a public restroom on one corner at 10th so the porta-potties at Citygarden can be retired. The restroom structure could be accessed from outside the dog park, with water for dogs on the inside.

— Steve Patterson

Eleanor Roosevelt Visited St. Louis 75 Years Ago

Seventy-five years ago today First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote about her visit to St. Louis the day before.  She arrived at St. Louis’ Union Station, having been in Kansas City.  Later that Sunday she visited Fort Belle Fontaine:

I visited a training school for boys between the ages of 12 and 18, yesterday afternoon. It is about 16 miles out of St. Louis and is run on the cottage system with much land around it. The boys work three hours of the day on academic school courses and four hours on actual labor jobs.

Yesterday being Sunday, the WPA orchestra and the choral leader were putting on a concert in which the boys themselves participated. The commentator told the story of the music which the orchestra was about to play and the boys joined in the singing. Sometimes it was a quartette of boys trained under the WPA recreational project by the choral director, sometimes it was a song by the entire glee club.

The boys never had any time to weary of too much orchestral music, nor did they have to sit still too long, because periodically they rose and sang as loudly as they wanted. (My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt Monday November 6, 1939)

The Works Progress Administration (WPA), started in 1935, had numerous projects on the historic site, including terraces down to the Missouri River.

Why is it historic? Glad you asked:

Fort Belle Fontaine Park has been a St. Louis County Park since 1986. Few are aware that this was the first United States military installation west of the Mississippi River, established in 1805. Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery expedition (1804-1806) spent the first night of their expedition on an island opposite Cold Water Creek and their last night two years later at the fort, which had been established in their absence. Other major expeditions left from this site betweem 1805 and 1819 to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. Until it was replaced by Jefferson Barracks in 1826, Fort Belle Fontaine was an important gathering place in the wilderness for officers and enlisted men, Native American, French, Spanish and American settlers, trappers and traders, and the local businessmen and farmers who supplied the fort with necessities. (St. Louis County)

A year after, to the day, that Mrs. Roosevelt visited St. Louis her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented 3rd term in office.

The recent PBS special The Roosevelts was fascinating, highly recommenced!! If you haven’t been, I also revommend visiting Fort Belle Fontaine

— Steve Patterson

One Year Until 50th Anniversary of Last Piece of Arch

The big 50th anniversary of the day the final piece of the Arch was lowered into place is one year from today. CityArchRiver 2015 has been working for a few years now to complete a big update to the Arch grounds for a huge celebration, but don’t expect to see everything you remember from the winning design completed in the next year. The balance of the work will be finished after this anniversary, well after in some cases (cough: gondola).

Here are some future anniversaries, opportunities to celebrate:

• June 10, 2017: 50th anniversary of the Arch opening to the public
• May 25, 2018: 50th anniversary of the inauguration by VP Humphrey
• May 30, 2022: 75th anniversary of the opening of the design competition
• February 18, 2023: 75th anniversary of the jury selecting Saarinen’s design the winner
• December 15, 2033: 100th anniversary of the idea for a riverfront memorial
• May 28, 2037: 50th anniversary of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• February 12, 2038: 75th anniversary of the start of construction
• October 10, 2039: 100th anniversary of the start of demolition to clear the historic riverfront

I suspect a year from today I’ll be both impressed and disappointed by what is finished.

— Steve Patterson