Lenore K. Sullivan Born 110 Years Ago Today

If you’ve spent anytime by the Arch or riverfront you’ve likely walked, biked or driven along Lenore K. Sullivan Blvd. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself who was this woman? If so, here’s your answer:

Leonor Kretzer Sullivan (August 21, 1902 in St. Louis, Missouri – September 1, 1988 in St. Louis) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri. She was a Democrat and the first woman in Congress from Missouri.

Sullivan attended Washington University in St. Louis and was a teacher and director at St. Louis Comptometer school. She was married to John B. Sullivan, who served four terms in Congress, and she served as his administrative aide. Following her husband’s death in 1951, she served as an aide to Congressman Leonard Irving until she left to run for Congress herself in 1952. She was re-elected eleven times. In Congress, she served for many years as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus.

Sullivan helped create the food stamp program, which was opposed by Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson and became law in the 60s during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

Sullivan was one of very few members of Congress, and the only woman member of Congress, to vote against the Equal Rights Amendment for women in the early 1970s.

She did not seek re-election in 1976, and was succeeded by Dick Gephardt. The former Wharf Street in front of the Gateway Arch in Downtown St. Louis was renamed Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard in her honor. (Wikipedia)

Sullivan was 49 years old when she became a widow then she served 24 years in Congress.

Here’s a quote attributed to her:

“A woman with a woman’s viewpoint is of more value when she
forgets she’s a woman and begins to act like a man.”

Her congressional bio:

SULLIVAN, Leonor Kretzer, (wife of John Berchmans Sullivan), a Representative from Missouri; born Leonor Alice Kretzer, August 21, 1902, in St. Louis, Mo.; attended public and private schools; attended Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.; teacher and director, St. Louis Comptometer School; served as administrative aide to her husband, John B. Sullivan, 1942-1951, and as secretary to United States Representative Irving of Missouri until May 1952, when she resigned to campaign for congressional nomination; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-third and to the eleven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1953-January 3, 1977); chair, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Ninety-third and Ninety-fourth Congresses); was not a candidate for reelection to the Ninety-fifth Congress in 1976; died on September 1, 1988, in St. Louis, Mo.. (US Congress)

So next time you’re on Lenore K. Sullivan Blvd. you’ll know a little bit more about her. Maybe at a St. Louis themed trivia night some information here will help you team. Oh yes, 110 years ago today was her birthday.

— Steve Patterson

Filling In Three Blocks Along North Tucker Boulevard

North Tucker Boulevard has been more urban than it is today. Over the years buildings came down left and right to provide surface parking, mostly for workers at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Much of the surface parking is owned by the paper but with hundreds fewer employees the same level of parking is no longer needed. It’s time to rethink north Tucker Blvd!

Below I’ve placed blue rectangles on the spots where new buildings could be constructed. The red are harder spots due to small size (Carr St) or a new useless plaza (south end).

The Carr St on the north to Convention Plaza (Delmar) on the south there are many opportunities to construct infill buildings. At the center is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

I can hear the naysayers now, “there’s no demand for new construction here” or “location, location, location.” The new Mississippi River Bridge opens in 2014 and then suddenly this will become a major entry into downtown St. Louis. Now’s the time to start planning so at least one building can be open by 2014. It may very well take 10-20 years to fill in as I’ve shown but this is the first step to getting to that goal.

Remember, 15 years ago naysayers said there was no demand for housing downtown — and they were right — sorta. Those who wanted a hip loft in a walkable downtown had no way as individuals to get what they wanted. A few were marketed but not enough were willing to take the risk — and it was a risk. Then Washington Ave went on a road diet going from 4 travel lanes to two, widening the sidewalks in the process. Through these efforts the area was reinvented and things began to take off.

Storefronts are still vacant but housing occupancy is on par with other areas.  The area of North Tucker Blvd I’m talking about is just a few blocks north of Washington Ave. The new Tucker streetscape is being finished now. It includes provisions for on-street parking in this area so ground-level retail is an option.

Lee Enterprises, owner of the Post-Dispatch, should be talking with developers now. They might get a new parking garage behind new buildings facing Tucker — I’d want the city to prohibit/strongly discourage a parking garage facing Tucker but facing 13th would be ok.

In the block opposite the Post-Dispatch new buildings on each side of 911 N. Tucker should be respectful without copying. Modern would be fine with me, just not a six-story mirrored box.

The opportunity for a “signature” building is on the NW corner of Tucker Blvd. & Cole St.

Cole Street has a very wide right-of-way east of Tucker, giving the opportunity for high visibility for pedestrians and motorists heading west on Cole. This is also an opportunity to look at Cole and how to encourage more pedestrians to use Cole to connect parts of downtown and the housing to the north.

Perhaps a CVS or Walgreen’s would locate in the ground floor of one of these buildings on Tucker?  New construction in this area could be exciting, much more so than Ballpark Village.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: How Many Times Have You Been To St. Louis Union Station In The Last 12 Months?

St. Louis Union Station is just a few blocks away from my loft, so it’s convenient to stop there. I still marvel at the grandeur of the structure and wish I could go back in time to see at its peak.

In 1912 Union Station was a busy place, but who visits Union Station in 2012? Hotels guests obviously. Anyone else? Bueller?

In the poll this week I want to get a sense of how often the readers of this blog frequent Union Station. Hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. The poll is in the right sidebar and results will be presented on Wednesday August 29, 2012.

— Steve Patterson

Planters Don’t Water Themselves

Planters require watering but how do you water many planters and hanging baskets over numerous blocks?

You don’t drag a garden hose around to do it, you drag a tank of water instead.  This is done as part of the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID):

The CID is a 165-square block area located in the center of Downtown, St. Louis. The District was established in January 2000 by property owners who were committed to providing a cleaner, safer, and more attractive environment that would protect existing assets, attract new investment, and create a more vibrant business, residential, entertainment and hospitality community in the core of Downtown St. Louis.

The CID, managed by The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis, provides enhanced services and programs above and beyond those provided by the city of St. Louis. These programs and services include maintenance, security, economic and housing development, marketing, special events, streetscape improvements and landscaping services, among others. (Downtown CID)

This is money well spent in my view.

— Steve Patterson

Ride The Forest Park Trolley Instead of Adding To Congestion

After the success of the Downtown Trolley came the bright Forest Park Trolley. Yes, I know, It’s just a standard bus that’s been wrapped in a cartoon-like trolley design.  To paraphrase Al Franken on SNL, gosh darn it, people like it.

Wrap a standard bus and suddenly people that otherwise wouldn’t ride a bus are boarding. It’s a good thing too because so many people going to the attractions in Forest Park want to drive their car and park. Metro reroutes the #90 (Hampton) bus on the weekends because of the traffic congestion inside the park. Let me repeat that, Metro has to reroute a bus line that normally goes through the park because it’s too congested inside the park.

Enjoy the beautiful weekend.

— Steve Patterson