A week ago I posted many photos of the old Kiener Plaza, see Remembering The Old Kiener Plaza. Today we take a close look at the new Kiener Plaza that opened over the weekend.
The first three images were taken the afternoon of May 8, 2017 from the SE corner of the Kiener West parking garage.
The Eastern halfThe central portion, occupied by 6th Street until the West block was added in the early 1980sThe Western half
Also taken on the 8th
With the old median removed from Market St, there is now room for back-in diagonal parking. Unlike Citygarden, some parking for us disabled folks was planned from the beginning.
These next images were taken Monday 5/15 during a media preview.
The “hallway” along the South sideLooking South from 6th & Chestnut.Looking SE from the centerOlympic Runner by William Zorach (1887-1966) was completed in 1965 It was funded by a stipulation in the will of businessmen Henry J. Kiener. Click image for more informationThe new fountain basin is smaller than the original 1960s version, LED lighting will be used to change colors of the water — replacing dyes used in the past.Looking East toward the Old Courthouse and ArchLooking toward 6th & Chestnut. These parking garages desperately need new facades.Looking toward the NW corner, Louis Sullivan’s Wainwright bolding is in the backgroundLooking WestLooking EastLooking East. some of the many movable tables & chairsA drinking fountain is located near the center. It’s frost free so you have to hols down the button fir a little bit before water will make it above the frost line. Be patient.There’s also a frost-free bottle filler faucet.There is lots of seating all over the 2-block parkIn the NE corner is a spot for something arriving in a couple of months. Presumably a sculpture…The East of the playground is for the youngest kids. The bright surface is rubberized for safety.AS you move West the activities changeThis timber jungle gym should be popularAns finally a …bungee/swing?
The next group of images were taken before and after the ribbon cutting on Friday May 19, 2017:
On the 15th I asked if the Downtown Trolley stop would return to Broadway @ Market. By opening day it had.Sadly, St. Louis’ anti-pedestrian habits are on full display at 6th & Chestnut. The pedestrian signal to cross 6th switches tp a countdown and then to a stop based on some traffic engineer’s standard — long before vehicle traffic on EB Chestnut get a yellow/red light. Pedestrian-friemdly cities give the walk signal until it’s time for the vehicle signals to change.A few spots of bright green illustrate St. Louis’ only protected bike lane. Cyclists get a signal too, so they know to stop when pedestrians have a walk signal yo cross Chestnut. A person leaving TGI Friday’s is supposed to cross 6th on the limited signal, then cross Chestnut, to reach Kiener Plaza — because a direct pedestrian crossing would slow down motorists turning left from 6th into Chestnut — this is how this intersection has been since 6th was closed in the early 80s. Motorists are more important than pedestrians in St. Louis.Another view, the one crosswalk to cross Chestnut at 6th in the background.Like Citygarden, a 20-block long “hallway” runs parallel to Market. Also like Citygarden, there is no public restroom.In another similarity to Citygarden, if the food truck window lines up correctly then access isn’t too bad — but when not lined up those of using mobility devices can forget about access.Ons of my favorite areas is paved in crushed granite, allowing storm water to be absorbed. There are also moveable tables & chairs in this area and “festival lighting” at night — evening photo below.As before, the money shot is the runner statue with Old Courthouse and Arch in the background. A very popular spot on the first day.Slowly the crowd for the ribbon cutting began to thin out.The new fountain was turned on just as the ribbon was cut. LED lights under the water can change color so dye won’t be used in the future. to color the water.The planting areas all act to collect water from the impervious patterned paving. Here another stye of bench is provided.Kids enjoying the nee splash fountain that encloses four squares. Night photo later.East end with people.While on the ground I got one of the free frisbees being handed out, stood from my chair, and tossed it onto the expansive lawn. Loved it.The center not long after the ribbon was cut. Compared to the old Kiener Plaza, the space is much better suited to large crowds & festivals.The West end.
This next batch of images were taken the evening of opening day, May 18th.
When I arrived just before 8pm this was the only artificial lighting that was on. I felt a few sprinkles so I quickly snapped this shot in case it began raining harder.Later I got closet and focused on the water.The “festival lights” over the crushed granite area is nice. Unfortunately the cafe tables & chairs were folded up — not inviting. I didn’t check to see if they were locked to the polls — hopefully not.When I first heard there would be a splash fountain I thought we already have one just two blocks West in Citygarden. More compact, this one is very different. They’re complimentary.Besides the fountain lighting, I also like the tree lighting and the fixtures in the center. Very nice glow without any glare. The taller spots, seem in the upper right, are obnoxious, however.A couple strolls through Kiener PlazaA woman was photographing her dogs all over the park while I was there.One thing often mentioned by City-ArchRiver folks is the “moonlighting” of the lawn and East end. I had early cataracts so I get annoying glare from most lighting. Still. I liked this area better when the lighting was off. I could see just fine because of so much other artificial lighting downtown.The moonlighting is located way on top of the Met Square building.Unlike the actual moon, this produces lots pf glare and consumes enormous amounts of electricity. I save lean pff the spots and moonlighting — save those for use during special evening events only. If ever.
Yesterday my husband and I had a picnic at Kiener Plaza — I moved the table and chairs several times to stay in the shade.
Having a table to use made this possible, much harder on a bench
Here’s a great time-lapse video included on the media’s thumb drive. I uploaded it to my channel because it wasn’t on CityArchRiver’s.
And a video I made from clips from opening day.
Overall I think they’ve done an outstanding job, but the previous space was so awful it was hard to not do better. Accessibly is excellent, as is the amount of seating. The trees are a good size and will provide good shade within just a few years. Very glad to have the Olympic Runner statue back –the original plan for the new Kiener Plaza didn’t include it.
The misses are few:
No good place for accessible food truck lines
No power supply for food trucks, so each must run noisy & polluting generators.
No public restrooms.
Excessive artificial lighting.
Same mistake as Citygarden — no plan to extend “hallway” East & West of borders. Shortsighted.
City’s auto-centric pedestrian crossing time limit regardless of time vehicle signal is green.
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