Let Us Turn Our Thoughts Today to Martin Luther King

The following is one of my favorite works about Dr. King:

Let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong
We are bound together
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead
We are bound and we are bound

If you are a fan of singer/songwriter James Taylor you know those words from his song “Shed a Little Light (iTunes link).” His words echo what I think King symbolizes – “hope and love”, “sister and brotherhood”, “all men and women.”

A very relevant part of his song is “We are bound together/by the task that stands before us/and the road that lies ahead.” The road that lies ahead is Martin Luther King Blvd which runs from downtown to the city limits. The task is returning this street to an important part of the community – a street worthy of its name. We are all bound to this task because we cannot rebuild our city by continuing to ignore the north side.

From the Post-Dispatch:

The five-mile stretch of road extends from North Tucker Boulevard downtown to the Wellston border and has become known for its rows of vacant buildings and broken glass. Along the drive, shopkeepers are holding out hope that eventually, new businesses will add variety to the smattering of chop suey joints, pawnshops and beauty parlors. They hope to add to the spark of development that occurred along the street since 2000, including a new strip mall, a handful of stores, a Blockbuster video and a few new restaurants.

The P-D talks about a nearly $8mil plan from four alderman whose wards include MLK Blvd:

Crews are laying conduits for new street lights between Grand Boulevard and Kingshighway, the start of the $7.8 million improvement project. Next along that stretch will come new sidewalks, curbs and trees.

In 2006, crews are scheduled to begin the second phase: laying fresh asphalt, improving drains and curbs between the north city limits and Kingshighway. In 2007, the same kind of fix is scheduled on Martin Luther King Drive between Kingshighway and Jefferson Avenue.

Done right, these improvements will certainly help. Done wrong, it will be a major waste of time & money. The right way is recognizing we are a city and that urban values of pedestrian-friendly streetscapes are important. The wrong way is turning MLK Blvd. into a scary suburban mess like Manchester road in West County. The street needs much more than new sidewalks and trees. It needs people. Lots of them. Diversity will be the key – racially and economically. A combination of new shopping & new housing is a very good start to bringing people back.
I drove the entire street yesterday from Tucker to Wellston. Below are just a fraction of the pictures I took along the 5 mile route:

School ready to become condos…

New industrial buildings East of Jefferson have created large “dead” zones.

Some deterioration is severe but even this building can be saved. The problem is making the economics work. The reality is, we cannot afford to not save this street.

Neighborhood children are housed in faceless warehouses like this day care. No wonder people want to leave if they can.

New retail follows the suburban sprawl strip center model. Why live in the ‘burbs when you can have the same drab shopping in the city?

The only good thing about this “plaza” is that it fronts the street. Out of site is the large, fenced parking lot.

Several blocks near the Ville neighborhood are still intact. However, across the street is vacant land.

The Preservation Board recently denied demolition requests for the two-story building and adjacent one story building. The owners incorrectly think the land is worth more without the structures. Acres of frontage is already available on the street.

Spectacular buildings like this one dot the street from end to end.

One of my favorite buildings in the entire city. You can tell this was an important street at one time.

Auto salvage lots surround this beautiful building. Yes, it is rough but the contrast of buff brick and green glazed “bakery brick” on the corners is fantastic.

These homes are on Euclid between MLK Blvd and Page Ave. Absolutely stunning! Like in the CWE, Euclid was always an important street. So what do you think these homes face?

Ouch. A new Roberts Brothers Plaza backs to Euclid. An articulated wall screens the loading docks of the storefronts. No street trees except for a few old trees. No landscaping. Even with landscaping this is so wrong. Retail & jobs within the neighborhood is a start. Making the development fit within the neighborhood is a must – this fails to do so.

This the front of the strip center built by the Roberts Brothers. I applaud their financial commitment to the neighborhood. The execution, however, is dreadful and at best is a wash – the pros just being level with the negative. No street trees or parking lot trees. In an area where a larger percentage of people may not own a car this development does not reflect any concern for the pedestrian or the user of public transportation.

The Roberts operate out of the old Sears building at Kingshighway & King Blvd. This is the East facade – facing the strip center in the prior picture. No sense of community. Even by strip center standards it is dull and lifeless – a low that is hard to acheive.

The corner of Kingshighway & MLK Blvd. includes a new building with a Blockbuster video. Whatever you may think of chain stores it is a positive sign in a depressed area. Unfortunately this very important intersection was not enhanced by this investment. Another missed opportunity.

Continuing West the buildings become larger and grander. A new storefront and this building can compete with many in the city.

Churches are a very important part of MLK Blvd, especially in an area West of Union. On my visit yesterday the most visible life was near the churches – makes sense for a Sunday afternoon. The street was full as were many parking lots. Parking lots that created dead zones on the street. Architecturally, most of these churches take away from the appeal of the street rather than contribute. I’m curious how many of these church goers live in the immediate area.

Spray painted on the front of this building is a warning against standing in front. Nothing says welcome like that! Great looking building & block, though.

This stunning building is just East of Goodfellow. In this area you still have vacant lots but they are more the exception. Vacant buildings out number occupied buildings. But, the bones of a once vibrant neighborhood commercial street clear.

At Goodfellow is a great corner building – vacant like so many. I can visualize myself living on this street if rejuvenated.

West of Goodfellow you get some very large buildings. This was, without a doubt, a major shopping destination for much of the city’s central & north side.

One of the best examples of International Modern in the city of St. Louis, this large building was likely a department store. If anyone knows the history please use the comments below. I want this building! Can you picture a rooftop garden overlooking an exciting urban street?

The blocks between Goodfellow and the City of Wellston have a wonderful scale. The homes in adjacent blocks were some of the grandest in the city. If revitalized, this section of MLK Blvd. could rival the Loop and Washington Ave.

The old Wellston streetcar station is spectacular. A 5-mile streetcar line connecting this section to downtown along MLK Blvd. could do wonders to connect people with other parts of the city.

In twenty years this may be one of the most desirable streets in the city and region. Only then will it deserve the name Martin Luther King.

Peace.

– Steve