Potential Development Sites Along Proposed Streetcar Line, Part 8: Central Business District
This post is the final in a series looking at potential development sites along the proposed initial route of the St. Louis Streetcar. Previously I reviewed:
- Olive 15th-16th
- Olive 16th-18th
- 14th & Olive To North Florissant & St. Louis Ave.
- Olive 18th to Jefferson
- Jefferson to Compton
- Compton to Vandeventer
- Vandeventer to Taylor & Children’s Pl
I saved the downtown CBD (Central Business District) for last. You may think downtown is done but I found lots of opportunities for additional development.
![ABOVE: Artist rendering of streetcar in downtown St. Louis](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/downtownstreetcar1.jpg)
![The downtown section of the route has one-way single tracks, with opposite directions a block apart. This is different than the rest of the route and due to the narrow street widths in the CBD.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/stlstreetcardowntownmap.png)
Coming east into downtown from the west the lines will be in the center of Olive Street. East of 14th the line goes to a single eastbound track to 6th Street, turning right (south) onto 6th, right (west) onto Chestnut St/Kiener Plaza, right (north) onto 7th, left (West) onto Locust to 14th. There are many areas not directly served by this compact loop, but it gets riders within 2-3 blocks of many places of employment/interest.
Ok, let’s start at 14th and Olive and do the loop and end up on the other side of the library at 14th & Locust.
![Library Park bounded by Olive, 13th, Pine, & 14th will stay a park. Will be welcomed open space as the corridor gets greater density.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1301pine.librarypark.jpg)
![The north side of Olive between Tucker (12th) and 13th is a disaster area, perfect for infill development. This is three different parking lots with three different owners, one is Christ Church Cathedral.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1211olive.jpg)
![The US Bank site will hopefully get redeveloped, getting a new building(s) like it once had.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/301ntucker.jpg)
![In February 1909 this block was very dense. Soon after the one open corner got a very large building. Most remained as late as 1971.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cb515feb1909sanborn.png)
![Looking back west across Tucker. Infilling the bank site with a building about the height of the Jefferson Arms would be ideal.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/301ntucker2.jpg)
![Looking back at the Park Pacific. This new garage isn't going anywhere for decades but all the retail spaces should get leased.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1200olive.jpg)
![Between 1965-1999 the former St. Louis Post-Dispatch building was covered in a steel curtain wall system. Click image to view the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1139olive.jpg)
![I'd like to see a more interesting use of the ground floor spaces, currently the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners is behind these blinds.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1139olive2.jpg)
![Between Olive and the new SLU Law School is 210 N Tucker, now a date center. But I have hope for the ground floor...](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/210ntucker1.jpg)
![The Wheeler Post Office, entered off Olive, recently remodeled. It no longer occupies the front section of the building. This leaves room for small retailer(s), assuming it isn't filled with racks of servers.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/210ntucker2.jpg)
![The Olive side and rear of the building has been unfortunate since built in 1969, new backup generators make it worse. Creative paint perhaps?](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/210ntucker3.jpg)
![1111 Olive was built in 1942 as an annex to the Post-Dispatch, KSDK TV had early studios here. This is also now a data center.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1111olive.jpg)
![The western portion of the ground floor is open air, not sure if it always has been this way. Perfect for cafe seating protected from sun/rain.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1111olive2.jpg)
![Four buildings remain on the south side of the 11xx block of Olive](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1108-16olive.jpg)
![The remainder of the block, except a building facing Pine, is surface parking lots ready for new construction.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1100olive.jpg)
![The building on the left, 1107 Olive, was threatened with demolition for parking last year but it was denied. It'll get renovated but the big store is the corner at 11th.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1101olive.jpg)
![This corner has underground parking for Louderman Lofts building](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1101olive2.jpg)
Let me stop the flow of images briefly to talk more about this corner. Looks final, right? Drive to underground garage, stairs up to grade? Parking for commercial tenants and even a couple of lofts? You’re thinking there is no way this going to ever change. Seeing how it was built made me inquire with Louderman developer & resident Craig Heller of Loftworks, here’s his response:
Our plan has always been to build on that lot – parking for Louderman has been built under the lot. When it was built we sank piers to bedrock so that we build a new structure on top.
I had spotted the top of the piers. Folks, this is how you plan ahead! This was done 8-10 years ago and it may well be another 8-10 years before Heller can build on the corner. But when market conditions are right he’ll be able to see a handsome return on the cost of those piers. In the meantime, this would be a good corner for a food cart vendor with a few tables, chairs, umbrellas, etc. Ok, back to the streetcar route…
![Diagonally across the intersection is two surface lots, one owned by the Omni Hotel on Pine. These will take longer to get developed.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1014olive.jpg)
![The buildings on the north side of the 10xx block of Olive are all handsome. Bussone's owns their building, perhaps downtown's oldest bar will get a new storefront?](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1011olive.jpg)
![Craig Heller's Loftworks also owns the small parking lot at 10th & Olive.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1001olive.jpg)
![This lot is in poor condition, with nothing but dirt underneath. I see this getting infill as well.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1001olive2.jpg)
![At 8th & Olive we have the vacant Arcade-Wright building. Click image to read about the development plan](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/800olive.jpg)
![Diagonally across the intersection is the Chemical Building . Click the image to read about development plans for this building. Retail will be more viable once the streetcar line opens.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/777olive.jpg)
![The Laclede Gas Building on the SE corner of 8th & Olive should benefit from the streetcar line.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/720olive.jpg)
![The fur & leather store that operated in the corner spot closed recently, a good spot if a direct exterior entrance is added.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/720olive2.jpg)
![Until recently the top floor had the Point of View restaurant and the bar's law center.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/720olive3.jpg)
![An 8th & Pine MetroLink light rail station is located on the corner of the Laclede Gas Building.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/720olive4.jpg)
![Macy's, formerly Famous-Barr, is closing at the end of the month.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/601olive.jpg)
![The Railway Exchange Building, where Macy's is now on the lower 3 levels, has some very exciting things happening now, tomorrow I'll share what's going on in the former May Company offices.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/615olive.jpg)
![The 6xx block of Olive used to have more terra cotta buildings but only one was spared from demolition.The streetcar will run eastbound on Olive (left) and northbound on 7th (right).](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/622olive.jpg)
![The corner of this block is a surface parking lot at 6th, the streetcar will turn onto 6th from Olive .](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/600olive.jpg)
![The Met Square building, built in 1988, is glossy and internally focused. Hopefully it can be softened up a bit at the street-level.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/500olive.jpg)
![Besides the sliver of the white terra cotta building, this is the only remaining non-parking building on the block.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/207n6th.jpg)
![The two Kiener Plaza garages are awful. They should both be razed, replacing one with s garage using modern technology to fit more cars in s tight space. Click image to watch video of high tech parking.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/101n6th.jpg)
![Looking north up 6th from Chestnut we see both Kiener garages, built in 1966. Both should be razzed, replacing one with a compact automatic parking garage, click image to watch a demo video of this technology.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/101n6th2.jpg)
![The streetcar would have a track in Chestnut plus a track in Kiener Plaza as a layover point](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/600chestnut.jpg)
![I don't like the 1981 addition to Sullivan's Wainwright building. Click image to read s 1981 review in the NY Times.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/700pine.jpg)
Click image to read a 1981 review in the NY Times.
![And we're back to the block that's almost entirely a 1962 parking garage in poor condition. The block will have streetcar line on 3 sides.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/200n7th.jpg)
![The surface parking lot on the SW corner of 7th & Locust is the only hole in that city block, it should be filled.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/700locust.jpg)
![A few years ago the owner of the US Bank tower considered building a parking garage to replace this useless plaza. Hopefully an occupied building will replace the plaza. The Ambassador Theater was razed in 1996 for the plaza, click for info.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/701locust.jpg)
![Once taller, shortened many years ago, vacant since 2009.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/318n8th.jpg)
![The first two buildings remain threatened with demolition. I'm not attached to them, I just want buildings not a circle driveway.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/923locust.jpg)
![Much of city block 823 bounded by 11th, Locust, Tucker, & St. Charles, is surface parking. Miss Hullings Cafeteria was located here for decades, click for more info.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1101locust.jpg)
![The 1960 building on the NE corner of Tucker & Locust needs to be replaced with a larger structure.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/400ntucker.jpg)
![On the west side of Tucker is the vacant Jefferson Arms. Hopefully developers will be able to find the right formula to make the numbers work.](http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/401ntucker.jeffersonarms.jpg)
As you can see there are many opportunities along this route to re-urbanize and densify. Many more opportunities exist 1-4 blocks away from the route.
Here are two sentiments I’ve heard from readers recently:
- “The streetcar should go down Washington Ave.”
- “It would be nice if the activity on Washington Ave. would expand to other streets.”
If we’d put all our eggs into the Washington Ave basket we’d still wish years later the activity would reach other streets. By running the streetcar one and two blocks south of Washington Ave we’ll be expanding the activity while making it easier to get people to their Washington Ave places, like Mosaic.
Tomorrow we look at the entrepreneurial activity taking place on the 12th & 13th floors of the Railway Exchange building.
— Steve Patterson