Reurbanizing Jefferson & Lafayette Pt 1
The Union Club once stood on the SE corner of Jefferson & Lafayette:
The Union Club was a social club which built its Romanesque Revival home on the current Union Club site in 1890. The Great Cyclone of 1896 completely destroyed the first Union Club building which was rebuilt on the site in 1900. The building remained until the 1950’s when it was demolished and an Aldi Grocery store was erected on the site.
The history above is far too brief, for example, Aldi didn’t begin US operations until 1976. The building that had the Aldi store is visible in a 1971 satellite image. In 1958 the site had a large oval object. You can view images at HistoricAerials.com, just search for 1700 S. Jefferson 63104.
I-44 wasn’t around in 1958 but was in place by 1971. The former gas station on the NE corner of the intersection was built in 1960, per city records. That property is now owned by the Church of Scientology, again per city records. The gas station still in operation on the NW corner was built in 1950.
I’ll be looking closer at the NW corner on Monday, today I want to focus on the SE corner. For decades this intersection, with the exception of the Barr Library on the SW corner, went from urban walkable to auto-centric drivable. All over the city the same thing happened, one by one corners were chipped away and then the spots between the corners until nothing urban remained. It took decades to destroy this intersection and it will take decades more to reurbanize it.
ABOVE: The 2007 Union Club
Thankfully in 2007 a big step forward was made with the construction of the Union Club condos. Â It’s not perfect but it gives the SE corner much needed massing.
Just because an area was turned over to the auto decades ago doesn’t mean it must remain the way forever in the future.
If we build the right forms in the right places we can reorganize the city one intersection at a time. Monday I will look at the NW corner mostly occupied by the long vacant National/Foodland.
- Steve Patterson
