Every auto drive that crosses the sidewalk is a potential obstacle for pedestrians, the more you have the less enjoyable the walk becomes.
ABOVE: An SUV sticks out onto the sidewalk waiting to get into the Renaissance Hotel drive
A decade ago leaders were talking about creating a 24/7 downtown around the Old Post Office — a block from the above. Then they razed a historic building facing the OPO and built a massive parking garage. The Pasta House restaurant in the OPO closed and the Culinaria in the ground floor of the garage now closes at 9pm. Hardly 24/7.
It’s no wonder downtown isn’t more lively, we do 10 wrong things for every one we do right.
A transit-oriented development (TOD) is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership. (Wikipedia)
In St. Louis, TOD is just a dream.
ABOVE: People selling soda & snacks to transit riders at 14th & Spruce.
We have a great need for retail around transit hubs but the design of these spaces doesn’t provide space for small businesses serving the public using transit. The number of people that pass through the Civic Center MetroBus Transit Center and MetroLink Station each day is a large number. This is the ideal space for commerce to take place. As I noticed one day, it does.
The number of riders won’t support a Walmart but a small snack shop makes sense. Even just a kiosk or two would work — the rent has to be low. Something that would allow a person to get a quick bite and water between buses/trains. Put the existing space to use.
ABOVE: Looking east toward Civic Center from 16th & Clark (click for map)
In addition to kiosks at 14th & Spruce we need to build over the light rail lines on both sides of the 16th Street bridge. From 16th to the curve at approximately 15th and from 16th to 18th (Union Station MetroLink).
ABOVE: Looking west toward the Union Station MetroLink Station from 16th & Clark
Ground floor spaces could be small retail shops and offices while upper floors could be offices and affordable workforce housing. East of 16th you might have a restaurant or two catering to the Scottrade Center/Blues hockey & The Peabody Opera House. Â Yes, this creates a long tunnel which requires expensive exhaust equipment but the value of the habitable space created would make it a worthwhile investment. Clark Ave desperately needs something to make the walk from 18th to 14th interesting.
Metro is looking to expand the MetroBus transit center because they feel the existing one isn’t big enough to handle all the buses. Now is the time to think about creating more than just a place to change transit  modes.
Recently I was in the Target on Hampton and saw they had finally added a fresh food section. I often wondered why a fresh food section wasn’t included when this store opened in 2005.
ABOVE: New fresh food section in the Hampton Target
They had to steal square footage from other areas to get the space to expand their grocery offerings. So I began wondering where all of you shop for groceries. Do you go to big supermarkets like Schnuck’s or Dierberg’s? Whole Foods? Vincent’s? Walgreen’s?
ABOVE: Soulard Farmers' Market (click for website)
The poll this week asks the question and provides many answers. The poll is in the right sidebar.
A week ago I took the bus to Fox Park — the neighborhood and city park — to check out a community project in the park. Mark Groth (St. Louis City Talk) told me he and others on the Fox Park park committee would be planting 40 trees so I had to stop by.
The city website for the park says: “Fox Park and Playground began to be used for recreational purposes in 1917 under a permit from the Fox Brothers and was purchased in 1931.” In 1909 the land that is now the park was the lumberyard for the Fox Brother’s millwork and wagon businesses.
ABOVE: The Fox Park pavilion faces Shenandoah Ave (click image to view in Google Maps)ABOVE: An auger made digging relatively easyABOVE: Placing the trees in the holes created by the augerABOVE: New playground equipment was recently added when the park was in the 7th wardABOVE: Next on the wish list is a new basketball court to replace the tired existing courtABOVE: Only one of two rims remains but it's in sad conditionABOVE: The west end of the park had buildings facing California Ave until recent yearsABOVE: Much work remains to address years of neglectABOVE: The east end of the park is leased to the Police Athletic League for a ball diamond
I really like this little neighborhood park, such a great asset  for the residents. I applaud them for putting sweat equity into the park.
Soliders’ Memorial is one of my favorite buildings downtown. It was built to honor the fallen from WWI but it was barely finished before the start of WWII in Europe, opening on Memorial Day 1938.
ABOVE: Mayor Dickman laid the cornerstone 75 years ago
Mayor Bernard F. Dickman laid the cornerstone on this day in 1936. These days we don’t build out of stone so we have ground breaking ceremonies  — a shiny shovel tosses a pile of dirt. Nothing to note the start of the building 75 years later.
ABOVE: Mayor Slay presented a proclamation in front of Soldiers' Memorial declaring Marine Week (June 20-26)
Soldiers’ Memorial has served as the backdrop for many events over the years, including Marine Week this summer.
ABOVE: People enjoy the steps during a downtown festivalABOVE: The mosaic tile ceiling in the center is impressive
The two galleries are filled with interesting WWI memorabilia. Stop in sometime and check it out.
AARP Livibility Index
The Livability Index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. for the services and amenities that impact your life the most
Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
Geo St. Louis
a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
