New Book — ‘They Will Run: The Golden Age of the Automobile in St. Louis’ by Molly Butterworth and Tom Eyssell

Despite thinking the St. Louis region has been destroyed for the automobile, I’m also a car buff. For good or bad, the car had a big influence on the 20th century and St. Louis.

A new book looks at the auto manufacturers that called St. Louis home, the dealerships, and everything else to do with cars in St. Louis. (I may need to write the book on how Harland Bartholomew destroyed the city to accommodate the car.)

Anyway, ‘They Will Run: The Golden Age of the Automobile in St. Louis’ is a photo-filled history of the car in St. Louis from early manufacturers, to dealership rows like Locust & Kingshighway, Corvette assembly at Union  & Natural Bridge, etc.

From the local publisher:

Were it not for a few quirks of history, St. Louis might have become the center of the American automotive industry instead of Detroit. Since the late 1800s, St. Louis has been home to dozens of automobile makes and to numerous manufacturers, large and small. In They Will Run: The Golden Age of the Automobile in St. Louis, head down the road of automotive history in the Gateway City, where transportation has always meant power.

Many St. Louisans have heard of the famous Moon automobile of the early twentieth century, but what about the Dyke, the Dorris, and the Gardner? Learn about the city’s prominence as a key automobile manufacturing hub through the 1960s, and the role played by notorious St. Louis playboy and bon vivant Harry Turner in bringing the automobile to St. Louis.

Do you know which vehicles produced here helped the Allies win World War II? Or which ones helped carry and sell beer, create the legend of America’s first true sports car, or were raced around ovals and across the country? Dig down under the roads to uncover the previous lives of streets that once served as Automobile Rows lined with beautiful buildings in which to buy or repair cars.

Authors and car enthusiasts Molly Butterworth and Tom Eyssell deftly take the wheel of this in-depth guide to the automotive heritage of St. Louis. Sit back and enjoy the ride, from the horseless carriage, through the halcyon 1920s, and up to the everchanging automobile industry of today. (Reedy Press)

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed flipping through the pages of this book.

Here are three upcoming events, all free, where you can hear from the authors.

1. Book Presentation and Signing
   Tuesday, October 29 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
   Webster Groves Public Library
   301 E. Lockwood Ave.
   Webster Groves, MO 63119
   (314) 961.3784
   Free and open to the public
2. Book Presentation and Signing
   Tuesday, November 12 from 7 to 10 p.m.
   Alpha Brewing
   4310 Fyler Avenue
   St. Louis, MO 63116
   (314) 621-2337
   Free and open to the public
3. Book Presentation and Signing
   Monday, November 18 from 7 to 8 p.m.
   St. Charles City-County Library – Library Express WingHaven
   7435 Village Center Drive
   O’Fallon, MO 63368-4768
   (636) 561-3385
   Free and open to the public. Please register here.

A fascinating book packed with St. Louis history.

— Steve Patterson

New Book — ‘When The Blues Go Marching In: An Illustrated Timeline of St. Louis Blues Hockey’ (Championship Edition) by Dan O’Neil

Regular readers know I’m not a sports fan, but I can get caught up in the moment when a St. Louis team is close to winning a championship. When the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup one of my first thoughts was wondering when I’d see a Blues hockey book.

The answer was last Friday — that’s when I received a review copy of  ‘When The Blues Go Marching In: An Illustrated Timeline of St. Louis Blues Hockey’ (Championship Edition) by Dan O’Neil.

When I finished the first edition of this book, the Blues had gone 50 seasons without capturing the NHL’s ultimate prize. Then came their 51st season, unprecedented and improbable. Nineteen inconsistent games into the 2018-19 schedule, the Blues made a coaching change. Thirty-seven games in, they possessed the fewest points in the 31-team league. Playoffs were a pipe dream, and the Stanley Cup seemed more distant than ever. But steadied by an interim coach, lifted by a rookie goaltender, and sparked by a record winning streak, a storybook unfolded. And with it came a mandate to revisit this volume, to account for the most remarkable episode of all—the rags-to-riches tale of a Stanley Cup championship. (Reedy Press)

This is a new edition of a prior book. It’s entirely chronological starting  with the 1967 expansion of the National Hockey League (NHL) and concluding with the Stanley Cup win. In between these are important dates and the story behind that date — changes to players, coaches, and owners; memorable plays, etc.

There are some upcoming events that you might find of interest:

• Presentation and Book Signing:

Wednesday, October 30; 7pm-8pm
Grant’s View Branch of the St. Louis County Library
9700 Musick Ave
St. Louis, MO 63123

• Book Signing

Friday, November 8; 5pm to 8pm
Blend Salon and Spa
7401 Manchester Ave, Suite 200
Maplewood, MO 63143

If you’re a Blues hockey fan this is the book for you.

— Steve Patterson

New Book — ‘Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit’ by Steven Higashide

I’ve known for a while that today’s the day Metro rolls out the biggest change to bus routes in decades. I wasn’t sure how I’d evaluate the changes then last week a new book shows up: ‘Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit’ by Steven Higashide.

From publisher Island Press:

Imagine a bus system that is fast, frequent, and reliable—what would that change about your city?

Buses can and should be the cornerstone of urban transportation. They offer affordable mobility and can connect citizens with every aspect of their lives. But in the US, they have long been an afterthought in budgeting and planning. With a compelling narrative and actionable steps, Better Buses, Better Cities inspires us to fix the bus.

Transit expert Steven Higashide shows us what a successful bus system looks like with real-world stories of reform—such as Houston redrawing its bus network overnight, Boston making room on its streets to put buses first, and Indianapolis winning better bus service on Election Day. Higashide shows how to marshal the public in support of better buses and how new technologies can keep buses on time and make complex transit systems understandable.

Higashide argues that better bus systems will create better cities for all citizens. The consequences of subpar transit service fall most heavily on vulnerable members of society. Transit systems should be planned to be inclusive and provide better service for all. These are difficult tasks that require institutional culture shifts; doing all of them requires resilient organizations and transformational leadership.

Better bus service is key to making our cities better for all citizens. Better Buses, Better Cities describes how decision-makers, philanthropists, activists, and public agency leaders can work together to make the bus a win in any city.

Though I have a hard time post-stroke reading a book cover to cover, I dived into the introduction and some chapters. Here are the contents so you can see how it’s organized:

• Preface: My Own Bus Story
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: We Need to Unleash the Bus
• Chapter 1: What Makes People Choose the Bus?
• Chapter 2: Make the Bus Frequent
• Chapter 3: Make the Bus Fast and Reliable
• Chapter 4: Make the Bus Walkable and Dignified
• Chapter 5: Make the Bus Fair and Welcoming
• Chapter 6: Gerrymandering the Bus
• Chapter 7: Technology Won’t Kill the Bus—Unless We Let It
• Chapter 8: Building a Transit Nation
• Conclusion: Winning Mindsets and Growing Movements

The introduction agues we must reduce greenhouse emissions from transportation — public transit it how we accomplish that goal. Specifically, the bus is how we reduce greenhouse emissions by reducing car trips — including Lyft & Uber trips.  Higashide also points out that civic leaders, business leaders, and transit agency executives & board members don’t ride the bus in their regions. Non-riders think adding wifi, for example, will make a difference. Frequency and convenience is what matters. If the bus runs every 15 minutes that’s great — bus not if you need to walk 5 blocks on each end of the trip.

If you’re interested in learning about the importance of bus service is to a region, and how to improve it,  I suggest getting this book when it comes out October 10th. Read more about author Steven Higashide here.

I’ll be using this book as a guide for my first look at Metro’s new bus service on Wednesday morning.

— Steve Patterson

New Book — Soft City: Building Density for Everyday Life by David Sim, Forward by Jan Gehl

Upon receiving the email about this new book I immediately responded, “Yes, I’m interested.” Of course, European cities are very different from sprawling American metropolises. Still, I think there’s value in David Sim’s analysis of the approach we need to take.

From the publisher:

Imagine waking up to the gentle noises of the city, and moving through your day with complete confidence that you will get where you need to go quickly and efficiently. Soft City is about ease and comfort, where density has a human dimension, adapting to our ever-changing needs, nurturing relationships, and accommodating the pleasures of everyday life. How do we move from the current reality in most cites—separated uses and lengthy commutes in single-occupancy vehicles that drain human, environmental, and community resources—to support a soft city approach?

In Soft City David Sim, partner and creative director at Gehl, shows how this is possible, presenting ideas and graphic examples from around the globe. He draws from his vast design experience to make a case for a dense and diverse built environment at a human scale, which he presents through a series of observations of older and newer places, and a range of simple built phenomena, some traditional and some totally new inventions.

Sim shows that increasing density is not enough. The soft city must consider the organization and layout of the built environment for more fluid movement and comfort, a diversity of building types, and thoughtful design to ensure a sustainable urban environment and society.

Soft City begins with the big ideas of happiness and quality of life, and then shows how they are tied to the way we live. The heart of the book is highly visual and shows the building blocks for neighborhoods: building types and their organization and orientation; how we can get along as we get around a city; and living with the weather. As every citizen deals with the reality of a changing climate, Soft City explores how the built environment can adapt and respond.

Soft City offers inspiration, ideas, and guidance for anyone interested in city building. Sim shows how to make any city more efficient, more livable, and better connected to the environment. (Island Press)

The number of topics covered is overwhelming— zoning, transportation, walkability, climate change, etc. This book is packed with photos and colorful diagrams. See sample pages & contents at Google Books.

— Steve Patterson

2017 Book — ‘Lost Treasurers of St. Louis’ by Cameron Collins

Today’s book isn’t new, it came out two years ago.  I saw ‘Lost Treasurers of St. Louis’ by Cameron Collins in late April at Apotheosis Comics & Lounge, after we had dinner Meskerem Ethiopian next door. Both on South Grand.  At home I confirmed I hadn’t received a copy, so I emailed my contact at Reedy Press asking for a review copy. Boy I’m glad I did!

This month marks 29 years that I’ve lived in St. Louis, so while I didn’t go to high school here I do have nearly three decades of memories. This book helps me remember places I’ve either experienced in person or heard about from others. Few local books have brought me so many hours of joy.

A kaleidoscope of bygone places, events, and items once identified with the Gateway City, Lost Treasures of Saint Louis captures the essence of cherished times that still resonate with St. Louisans. Lost Treasures celebrates dancing to Ike and Tina at the Club Imperial, Bowling for Dollars at the Arena, taking in movies at Ronnie’s Drive-In, and myriad other pastimes enjoyed through the years. Rarely seen photos and artifacts revive eateries like Miss Hulling’s Cafeteria and the Crystal Palace, entertainment and sports attractions like the Goldenrod Showboat and Sportsman’s Park, retail stores like Famous-Barr and Scruggs, Vandervoot and Barney, community establishments like Cleveland High School and St. Bridget of Erin Church, and locally manufactured products like Mavrakos Candy and Falstaff Beer. Gone but not forgotten, all of the subjects featured elicit nostalgia and also reveal how the past has shaped our city. (Reedy Press)

The main organization is as follows:

• Food & Drink
• Entertainment
• Retail
• Media
• Community

Each of those have numerous subcategories.

The older restaurants are ones that either closed before I moved to St. Louis, or I didn’t eat there before they closed.  Here are the ones in the book I did patronize at least once:

• 94th Aero Squadron
• Rossino’s (I thought it was a basement fire trap, but I loved the food)
• Duff’s
• Del Pietro’s House of Pasta
• Shakey’s Pizza Parlor (Not in STL, but I remember eating at a Shakey’s in Oklahoma City in the 70s)
• Dierdorf & Hart’s
• Miss Hulling’s Cafeteria
• The Parkmoor
• Naugles
• Lemmon’s

Others in the book that I really wish I’d tried include The Salad Bowl and Beffa Brothers Cafeteria.

From the ‘Entertainment’ section there are fewer that I’ve visited. I always meant to go to National Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, but I just didn’t get there before it closed & moved. I do think I went bowling once at Western Bowl that was at 4041 Bingham. I recall others before they were replaced by Walgreens.

None of the pools & roller rinks resinate with me. I’ve heard of the various amusement parks, but they were before my time. As far as ‘Attractions’ I recall seeing The National Coin-Op and Video Game Museum on Laclede’s Landing years ago. I also remember passing ‘The Elvis is Alive Museum’ in Wright City.

Oh ‘Excursion Boats’ is an area where I have regrets. I know by the time it was a casino The Admiral was no longer what it was back in the day — but why didn’t I go on it just once?

The ‘Nightclubs & Music Venues’ is another where most were before my time. Mississippi Nights was open until 2007, but I never went. I recall the Castle Ballroom building before it was razed.

The ‘Movie Theaters & Drive-Ins’ section includes many I’ve heard of or seen the outside of the building. I  recall seeing the Ambassador Theater  as it was being torn down, I pass by the Loew’s Orpheum Theater weekly.

In ‘Sports Venues’ I so wish I’d gone to something…anything…at The Arena. I’d love a time machine to go back and see a baseball game at Sportsman’s Park. While I have biked at the velodrome in  Penrose Park, the wooden St. Louis Motordrome that was at Grand & Meramec was gone long before I was born.

I’m a fan of food and grocery stores so the ‘Markets, Delis, & Grocers’ section is of particular interest. I’d heard of Bettendorf’s many times, but I don’t recall hearing about Rapp’s. I now live just blocks from the National Supermarkets where I shopped when I lived in Old North in the early 90s.

There are many more sections, all with great photos. You get the idea though, hours of great memories. This gorgeous hardcover coffee table book can be purchased directly from St. Louis publisher Reedy Press, St. Louis bookstore Left-Bank Books, from  Apotheosis Comics (if they still have it), and from you know where.  The latter has a nice preview.

Note that none of the links in this post are affiliate links — I make zilch if you click them.

— Steve Patterson