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19th Annual Look at the State of St. Louis’ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Pt 2: Kingshighway to City Limits

January 16, 2023 Featured, MLK Jr. Drive, North City Comments Off

This post continues looking at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in St. Louis, west of Kingshighsway. For east of Kingshighway see Part 1.

The MLK corridor is underserved by financial institutions, so it’s nice to see a bank on the NW corner of MLK & Belt Ave., within the huge Friendly Temple Church complex.

Unfortunately like so much this too is auto-centric, set back behind auto storage. There are no provisions for a pedestrian ADA accessible route — pedestrians must use automobile driveways to reach the accessible building entrance. Pedestrians are likely prohibited from using the drive thru lane on the east side. An accessible parking space is provided, but it doesn’t have the required high sign at the front of the space.

A favorite building of mine, located on the SW corner of MLK & Blackstone Ave, continues to fall apart. The load-bearing side wall is starting to crumble.

Just to the west, on the SW corner of MLK & Goodfellow Ave, is another great building slowly decaying.

Looking west on MLK at Goodfellow Ave. we see the previous building on the left, a handsome but newer old building on the NW corner,

Both street sides of this building have campaign billboards for Jeffrey Boyd — he and two others resigned in 2022 in a pay-to-play scandal. All 3 were found guilty, headed to prison.

A little further west, up a slight grade, is another building I like that’s crumbling.

At 5879 MLK is the 22nd Ward Headquarters, the one-time office of Jeffrey Boyd.

At 5930 MLK is a former J. C. Penny department store. Gorgeous International Modern design. Would love to see this renovated and occupied.
IDEA: a hydroponic with a storefront market.

West of Euclid the iconic Wellston Loop streetcar building…continues to deteriorate. A couple of years ago it was covered and protected, but those efforts appear to have stopped. In the 90s the vacant lot you see held a nice 5+ story building.

As seen from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at the city limits.

From east to west MLK Dr passes through the following wards: 14, 11, and 12. It’s a boundary for the 10th ward.

North St. Louis is the least populated part of the city, so each ward is physically larger than other wards. The bad news is this means lots of problems, poverty, etc. On the plus side the solutions that should be implemented are largely big picture, not micro neighborhood by neighborhood. The latter is how we end up with nice urban infill around a renovated historic building…across the street from a gas station/convenience store (see Arlington Grove vs Mobile in Street View.

The urban Arlington Grove Apts as seen from the auto-centric gas station across the street, 2013

Hopefully new aldermen will be more open to urbanist planning rather than continuing the failed suburbanization of the city. I’m not optimistic.

— Steve
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St. Louis urban planning, policy, and politics @ UrbanReviewSTL since October 31, 2004. For additional content please consider following on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, and/or X (Twitter).

17th Annual Post on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in St. Louis

January 18, 2021 Featured, MLK Jr. Drive, North City Comments Off

Since 2005 I’ve looked at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive every year on the national holiday to honor the civil rights leader killed in 1968. This is my 17th such post.

In St. Louis two streets were renamed in 1972 — Franklin Ave east of Leffingwell Ave and Easton Ave west of Leffingwell Ave became Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. This travels through north St. Louis from the Mississippi River to city limits.

Though not bustling like new suburban malls, it still had lots of commercial activity. In the nearly half century since the streets were renamed the black middle class largely abandoned north St. Louis — moving to either other parts of the city, north county & beyond, even out of state. With some exceptions, retail activity on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive has collapsed — as have many buildings.

Today we’ll start at MLK & Tucker then head west. Why not start further east? Well, only one block of MLK remains east of Tucker (12th) — between 9th & 10th. On the south side of the street is the side of an anti-urban hotel and on the north side a surface parking lot enclosed by chain link fencing. The blocks between Broadway (5th) and 9th are part of the convention center and dome.

At Tucker & MLK you have the former Post-Dispatch building being renovated into office space for Square and others. All photos, except where noted otherwise, were taken on Saturday January 9, 2021.

The first block of MLK east of Tucker is closed during building renovations, left. The main entrances used to face Tucker & MLK, but that will change when it reopens.

The new main entrance will be on the opposite end, a previously windowless addition has been transformed into the new main entrance at Tucker & Cole.

In 2020 the few remaining old buildings on MLK between 13th & 14th were razed. This view from the NW corner of MLK & 14th we can see all the way to Tucker & Convention Plaza (aka Delmar).

In 2020 the city leased a former RV park that occupied an entire city block bounded by MLK, Jefferson, Cole, and 23rd.

Tiny houses began being set into place so unhoused individuals could have a safe place to live.

The storefront at 2706 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive was boarded up.

I’ve been watching the house at 3047 MLK slowly deteriorate. It has stood here since 1880.

The McKee-owned warehouse in the triangle where Page & MLK meet is another that has been slowly crumbling.

The MLK side is actually the back. At the top you can see a wall on the mechanical penthouse has collapsed.

Here’s a cropped view to show the wall collapse. This will allow more water & animals into the structure.

On the block west of Whittier Street stood large 3-story building. In the foreground the sign for the late Ald Sam Moore is still in place at the Ville Mall business incubator he helped build. It’s suburban-style front parking lot is in stark contrast to businesses in older buildings across MLK

A better view of the site where a large 3-story warehouse stood for decades.

The well-proportioned, but vacant, building at 4277 MLK has lost brick from the exterior row.

The closed Marshall School building that faces Aldine Ave is still awaiting a buyer.

A positive sign just west of Newstead, very glad to see this building getting some attention.

This handsome building at 4524 MLK needs attention to keep it from getting beyond the ability to save it.

The building at 4534 MLK is getting some tuck pointing to help it keep standing.

In the last 16 years the building has been a dollar type store at least twice, it’s closed again. 4949 MLK

For a few years now a new building has been under construction at 4973 MLK, set back suburban-style. It looks finished, but has yet to be occupied.

The former Sears on Kingshighway near MLK is now the Urban League, the building is still named after Victor Roberts.

The auto & tire business at 5018 MLK is burnt out.

Last year I knew the facade wouldn’t last long so I included it for documentation purposes.

And sadly one of my favorite buildings in the entire city was finally razed.

The former National market at 5870 MLK has had other uses over the years, last as Ali Market. A medical marijuana dispensary license has been awarded to Growing Jobs Missouri. Hopefully this will still happen.

In late August 2020 the upper floor collapsed while the business at 5917 MLK was open. I doubt the building will be here next year. Click image to see Post-Dispatch story in a new tab.

As in prior years there are a few bright spots along an otherwise bleak street.

As long as there is extreme poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even if he has a billion dollars.
— Dr. King, “The American Dream” speech, June 6, 1961 at Lincoln University. Listen here, quote at 14:23.

Views From The Temporarily Closed Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge (16 photos)

June 16, 2020 Featured Comments Off

In my nearly three decades of living in St. Louis I’ve crossed the Mississippi River on the MLK Bridge many times.

The bridge was built across the Mississippi River in 1951 as the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge to relieve congestion on the MacArthur Bridge to the south. Built as a toll bridge, it was owned by the City of East St. Louis. At one time, it carried U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 66 across the river. In 1967, the bridge fell into disrepair after the (free) Poplar Street Bridge was completed; traffic moved to the new bridge, resulting in declining toll revenues needed for maintenance.

Eventually, ownership was transferred dually to the Missouri and Illinoisdepartments of Transportation and the bridge was renamed after Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, after the national civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1987, the states removed the toll for travel across the bridge. A bi-state project for about $24 million to renovate the bridge, at the behest of local civic and government leaders, was carried out in the late 1980s. In the spring of 1989, the rebuilt bridge was reopened. In June 1990, the lighting of the bridge was completed by the St. Louis Port Authority. In the 21st century it is considered an important contributor to satisfying the transportation needs of the region and enhancing the ambiance of the historic St. Louis riverfront. (Wikipedia)

Recently I’ve crossed the river on the MLK using my power wheelchair. This wasn’t dangerous since it closed to traffic in 2018 for maintenance and work on an approach in Illinois. The reopening has been pushed back as flooding last year delayed the work.

After a friend/regular reader walked across the bridge I decided to give it a try as well. I knew from her description that I couldn’t easily get to the south (eastbound) lanes. I had to first roll along the north lanes (westbound), go into Illinois where the concrete center divider sections had been removed, then go back along the south lanes to get great views of the Eads Bridge, Arch, Laclede’s Landing, etc.

I’ve done it twice now, once late evening and the other in the morning. The lighting is different. I took lots of photos on both trips, but here are 8 from each — in chronological oder.

Tuesday April 21, 2020

I finally reached an opening in the center divider

A barge pushing upriver after passing under the Eads Bridge

I was shocked to see occupied houses on low land just north of the bridge approach in Illinois.

Looking north at the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Saturday May 23, 2020

You can see sections where the concrete paving was replaced.

Obligatory Arch & skyline view, sans barge.

In the center you can see the new pocket park under construction on the Laclede’s Landing side of the Eads Bridge, the site of the former Switzer Building. More on this in a future post.

The Illinois side is shockingly barren and flat. A few remnants of industry remain.

One of the reasons the MLK bridge has been closed was this work in Illinois on the roads that approach the bridge.

This month I noticed a change, looks like forming for new bases for new light fixtures.

Looking north again. The north flood gate was still closed.

I may go across again before it reopens to vehicles, it would be nice if the public was invited to cross the bridge the weekend before it reopens.

— Steve Patterson

15th Annual Look at St. Louis’ Dr. Martin Luther King Drive

January 21, 2019 Featured, MLK Jr. Drive, North City Comments Off

This is my 15th annual look at St. Louis’ Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, but my first as a resident living North of the street named for the civil rights leader.

After decades at Tucker & MLK, the Post-Dispatch will soon be moving to smaller offices nearby.

Dr. Martin Luther King Drive ends a block East of Tucker, at Hadley. Hopefully the new owners of the building will do something to improve the pedestrian experience along the West side of Hadley.

Last year this building at 14th was being prepped to reopen, which it did.

Been watching the back of this building fall away for many years now.

A message on the board covering the door of another vacant building, just to the West of the previous.

Next doors is a charming old service station. This is located on the corner where 3 streets come together: MLK, Webster, and James Cool Papa Bell. Bell was a baseball player in the negro leagues, click image to learn more about him.

Close up of the boards covering the door & windows.

The coffeehouse at MLK & Page, in the Housing Authority building, moved a year or so ago. The retail space remains vacant.

This suburban-style business incubator contains a number of businesses, but also a storefront church and the alderman’s office.

Bricks are starting to fall from this building. It should be stabilized, but it’ll likely be allowed to crumble until neighbors demand it be razed.

Across MLK this building is having some issues at the top center. It’ll likely be worse next year.

Would be nice to see a project that includes the rehab of the former John Marshall School. Click image to view the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

Another building in need of stabilization.

After a fire a few years ago I thought this building near Euclid would be gone soon — but it’s still here.

Saw some newer houses so I turned onto Clara Ave., one looks like it has been boarded for a while now. the others all look well maintained.

One of my favorite buildings in the entire city is still hanging on.

The hole in the side of this building keeps getting larger every year. I’m thinking now the buildings from here to Hamilton have been razed. Welcome to the once-bustling Welston Loop area.

On the West side of Hamilton the first building is having major issues.

Other buildings on the same block are in better condition. Across MLK is the old JC Penny.

On the South side of MLK another storefront was recently razed.

And finally we have the deteriorating Welston Loop streetcar building.

It’s hard not to get depressed by the lack of investment in this corridor.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis’ Dr Martin Luther King Drive

January 15, 2018 Featured, MLK Jr. Drive Comments Off

This is my 14th consecutive year looking at St. Louis’ Martin Luther King Drive — documenting physical changes since the prior year. Next year, my 15th, may well be my last. Each year it gets more and more depressing to do.

Each year there is at least one bright spot, but they pale in comparison to the profound disinvestment.

So here is a look at St.Louis’ Martin Luther King Drive, starting at 14th and heading West to the city limits. In some cases I’ve included previous photos to compare to this yesr. All photos for this year were taken a week ago.