Saturday in Tower Grove Park

St. Louis has many beautiful parks, large & small.  Tower Grove Park must be ranked among the top parks in the city.

Tower Grove Park was first authorized by a state law passed on March 9, 1867, and came into existence on October 20, 1868, when Henry Shaw conveyed his lands to the City of St. Louis, by deed of gift. It is governed by a Board of Commissioners appointed under the authority of the Supreme Court of the State of Missouri. The Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of these Commissioners, by virtue of his office.

Under the terms of the 1867 act of the General Assembly of the State, the Park Board has the “full and exclusive power to govern, manage, direct and control” the park, “to pass ordinances” for its regulation and government, and, generally, has “all the power and authority … conferred upon or possessed by the Corporation of St. Louis in respect to the public squares and places” in St. Louis. The Commissioners submit an annual report to the Board of Alderman of the City.

Fulfilling the contractual obligations assumed in 1868, when the Mayor and Henry Shaw jointly signed the deed, the City supplied funds for the improvement of the land, and each year since then has placed funds in the hands of the Board, to be expended upon the Park at the discretion of the Commissioners.

For twenty years as the work of improving the Park land proceeded, Mr. Shaw gave his services as Comptroller and general supervisor, and during that period of devotion to the public welfare, he personally donated to the Park three noteworthy bronze statues and other works of art.

Tower Grove Park is a nearly rectangular tract 7,676 feet long and 1,550 feet wide, as originally platted. The area granted by Mr. Shaw’s deed was 276.76 acres, but the outer border, 200 feet wide, containing 74.74 acres, was reserved for leasing for villa residences, but this never materialized. Problems involved in the effort to carry out this provision resulted in many years of negotiation. In 1925, a satisfactory solution was reached, and this surrounding strip was legally merged in the Park.

There still remained a privately owned strip of land adjoining the Park at the northwest, known as the Payne Tract and containing about eight acres, which Mr. Shaw had desired to include in the Park. Through purchase and condemnation, this land was acquired before the end of 1926, and became in all respects a part of the Park.

Tower Grove Park is now a unit enclosed by four streets, and contains 289 acres. It is the second in size in St. Louis, and exceeds the next largest local park by more than 100 acres.

Should we demand local control?

Get out and enjoy Tower Grove Park if you haven’t in a while.

– Steve Patterson

Cinco de Mayo on Cherokee Street Saturday May 7th

Tomorrow is the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration on Cherokee — one of St. Louis’ most interesting streets.

The 2011 Cinco de Mayo festival will feature live entertainment on two stages, DJs, and roaming street performers. Over ten bands will perform throughout the course of the day. The main stage located at California & Cherokee will feature traditional Mexican performances while the Gringo Stage located at Oregon & Cherokee will showcase local bands selected by the St. Louis Secret Sound Society.

If you’ve not experienced the food & fun on Cherokee tomorrow is a good day to do so.

– Steve Patterson

National Train Day Saturday May 7th, 40 Years of Amtrak

Saturday May 7th is National Train Day:

This year, Amtrak celebrates four decades of providing the nation with vital intercity and high-speed passenger rail service. After 40 years dedicated to serving communities across the country, Amtrak is proud of its role in America’s history, but even more excited about what’s to come. Here, you can learn what’s coming down the tracks, from the future of high-speed rail service to Amtrak’s energy-saving initiatives. And, of course, you can also take a look back at train travel through the years.

I love rail travel, it gets you into city centers. Sometimes it gets you back home.

Last month I took the train to Jefferson City to visit legislators at the Missouri capital. It was a good day until the train broke down in Hermann MO. After a couple of hours two motor coaches showed up to drive us into Kirkwood & St. Louis.  We arrived about 4 hours after we were supposed to arrive.

I sent an email to Mid-American Coaches praising their driver Hank for taking me to my street after dropping off the others.We arrived after local bus & MetroLink service ended and didn’t want to “walk” home alone in my power chair.

Despite the delay returning from Jefferson City last month I’m taking the train to Kansas City today. Hopefully the trip today and the return Sunday will be problem free.

– Steve Patterson

Readers: ‘Death and Life’ a Classic, Happy Birthday to the Late Jane Jacobs

Jane [Butzner] Jacobs was born on May 4, 1916, ninety-five years ago today. Jacobs was 45 when she finished & published Death and Life of Great American Cities.  Jacobs died on April 25, 2006.

The poll (and post) last week asked:

Q: Have you read ‘Death and Life of Great American Cities’ by Jane Jacobs?

1. Yes, a must-read classic! 38 [37.25%]
2. No, it is on my list to read 23 [22.55%]
3. No, never heard of the book before 20 [19.61%]
4. No, I have no desire to read it 11 [10.78%]
5. Other answer… 6 [5.88%]
6. Yes, but it has been years 4 [3.92%]
7. Yes, wasn’t impressed 0 [0%]
8. Yes, no longer relevant though 0 [0%]

It is nice to see that more than half have read it or plan to do so. From the other answers we see that some are currently reading the book.

1. Never heard of it, but I’m curious.
2. no, but i think i’ve heard of it before somewhere
3. I just started reading it a couple weeks ago
4. almost finished; amazingly relevant and still underappreciated 50 yrs later
5. Yes, A real eye-opener that still applies to mistakes being made today
6. Just started the other day. It all seems right so far!

To me the book is an enjoyable read filled with excellent observations and lacking the pompous theories that fill so many books on urban planning and architecture. THE classic on urban planning.

Happy Birthday Jane Jacobs!

– Steve Patterson

Supreme Court Ruled on Restrictive Covenants 63 Years Ago Today

The modest house located at 4600 Labadie was at the center of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling 63 years ago today:

In 1930, J. D. Shelley, his wife, and their six children migrated to St. Louis from Mississippi to escape the pervasive racial oppression of the South. For a number of years they lived with relatives and then in rental properties. In looking to buy a home, they found that many buildings in St. Louis were covered by racially restrictive covenants by which the building owners agreed not to sell to anyone other than a Caucasian. The Shelleys directly challenged this discriminatory practice by purchasing such a building at 4600 Labadie Avenue from an owner who agreed not to enforce the racial covenant. Louis D. Kraemer, owner of another property on Labadie covered by restrictive covenants, sued in the St. Louis Circuit (State) Court to enforce the restrictive covenant and prevent the Shelleys from acquiring title to the building. The trial court ruled in the Shelleys’ favor in November of 1945, but when Kraemer appealed, the Missouri Supreme Court, on December 9, 1946, reversed the trial court’s decision and ordered that the racial covenant be enforced. The Shelleys then appealed to the United States Supreme Court.

On May 3, 1948, the United States Supreme Court rendered its landmark decision in Shelley v. Kraemer, holding, by a vote of 6 to 0 (with three judges not sitting), that racially restrictive covenants cannot be enforced by courts since this would constitute state action denying due process of law in violation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Although the case did not outlaw covenants (only a state’s enforcement of the practice), in Shelley v. Kraemer the Supreme Court reinforced strongly the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws, which includes rights to acquire, enjoy, own, and dispose of property. The Shelley case was a heartening signal for African Americans that positive social change could be achieved through law and the courts. (National Park Service)

I visited the block again last month and it is like many in North St. Louis:  quiet with maintained homes but signs of flight.  The house pictured on the left in the image above recently burned down, the remains razed.

Interesting, other African-American families lived on the block — predating the restrictive covenants. One family had lived on the street since the 19th century.

Hats off the the Shelley’s for fighting for years to stay in their home. No doubt the ruling prompted many white families to leave for other parts of the city and for the newly developing suburbs. It would be interesting to look at property records on this block to see when other houses were sold.  Were the Kraemer’s the first? Did others leave before the court case was settled?

The Shelley house, built in 1906, is an owner-occupied private residence and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood is currently identified as the “Greater Ville”, the Ville had been the center of African-American life in St. Louis for decades.

– Steve Patterson