Kunstler’s wrong, St. Louis’ new train/bus depot is not an eyesore

I’ve been a fan of James Howard Kunstler for years.  I heard him speak in St. Louis when The Geography of Nowhere first came out – he autographed my copy.  I frequently check out his “Eyesore of the Month.”  This month the eyesore is St. Louis’ Gateway Station.

The above was followed by:

Check out this monstrosity: the new St. Louis Amtrak station, an utterly bewildering piece-of-shit shoehorned under a bunch of freeway ramps behind a UPS depot parking lot. Where’s the Prozac dispenser?
Salutes to reader Laura Louzader out in Missouri who says of this monument: “It is a nasty pocket in the city’s neglected back yard, and the first things you see when you exit the station are the dark parking lot under the overpasses, weed-choked vacant lots, and abandoned, shacky little buildings.”

“What a wonderful introduction to St. Louis! There are only two platforms and four pockets for trains, which tells you how committed Amtrak and St. Louis are to passenger rail.”

Kunstler concludes with a picture of our magnificent Union Station from a similar perspective as this one I took last year:

So because Union Station is no longer used for rail transit our new station is a “piece-of-shit.”   The problem I have is not the criticism of the new station – a few are correct.  The problem is relying on an account/pictures from a visitor from Chicago.  I’m often critical of projects and places but I always visit in person to see for myself rather than be potentially misled by a reader.

Had Kunstler done his homework he would have known it has been more than thirty years since the last train backed out of Union Station.  From 1978-2008 St. Louis’ Amtrak station was in two different portable buildings (#1 1978-2004, #2 2004-2008).  It is not like we stopped using Union Station one day and the new station the next.

Our Gateway Station combines Amtrak and  Greyhound with our MetroLink light rail and MetroBus.  I’d say that is a good combination.  Utilizing  the space under the highway makes sense and bringing these services together in one spot can help visitors.

I spoke with Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari by phone to discuss the station.  His district covers 22 stations.

• Last five years in Union Station were “pretty awful.”  A pod under the shed served a couple of tracks. Trains had to back out.
• St. Louis is now the envy of many cities because of this combination of rail, bus and local transit.
• Original 1980s re-developer of Union Station wanted train nostalgia, not actual trains
• St. Louis is working on developing new structures around the station.
• Platform capacity at this new station is double what we’ve had for the past 30 years.
• Number of platforms can be increased as rail traffic increases.

The area where the station is located is not in the heart of our loft district (where I live) but is next to the highway and train tracks.  Locating a train station sorta requires it to be next to the tracks.

AI wrote about the development potential of this  area in July 2006, more than two years before the Amtrak/Greyhound station opened next to the existing MetroLink station:

Between the Civic Center Station (14th) and the Union Station Station (18th) is development nirvana. At the immediate corner of 14th & Clark we’ve got a nice grove of trees leading to the station platforms. I could see a new building design just to the west, facing Clark, that leaves this corner plaza intact. However, I’d get out the chainsaw for the right building(s) on the corner at 14th. The problem here is the big curve is closer to street grade than I’d like and lowering it might be too costly. But, from what was once 15th to 16th you’ve got a clean shot over the tracks. Same for 16th to 18th.

Concentrating more residences near 18th and Clark would create more daily users for Union Station (so it is not entirely dependent upon tourist traffic). Offering downtown residential units without included garage space might also offer affordability to those that want a car-free lifestyle but cannot currently afford to live near a MetroLink station. Of course, garage space could be built on the main and a few upper levels with retail along the street-face and office & residential over the parking. A mix of housing in numerous price ranges might be the best solution.

While I’d have no opposition to a mid or high-rise tower I don’t think it is necessary either, at least not from a design perspective. Clark and the adjacent numbered streets would have had 3-6 story buildings originally. This creates a nice friendly scale along the sidewalk for pedestrians. Even is part of the structures did get taller a shorter height at the sidewalk would still be best.

The cost-effectiveness of construction over a functioning transit line is the big problem with this plan. The cost of the required concrete tunnel may necessitate more floors just to help break even. The concept is certainly worth detailed analysis.

No question the buildings immediately across 15th look a bit shabby as does the numerous fenced parking lots.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: where is your thermostat set during the Winter?

Cold weather has hit St. Louis which means people are cranking up their furnaces, using more energy.  You can possibly save energy (and money) by adjusting the setting:

You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. By turning your thermostat back 10°-15° for 8 hours, you can save about 5%-15% a year on your heating bill-a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates.

A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save.  (EnergySavers.gov: General Thermostat Operation)

I’m fortunate in that my condo stays about 68º just based on heat from surrounding units and only a single exterior wall.  The past week my furnace has only kicked on during the night because I went to bed with the thermostat still set at 68º.

The poll this week asks where you keep your thermostat set when you are home and awake.  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

– Steve Patterson

Due to state law, we are unable to display any bars in the selected area

Oh great, an app to find bars near your location…

Except that Missouri law prevents the app from working!  WTF?  Trying to think of the logic as to why such a law would be in place.  I scanned the long list of Missouri liquor control laws and didn’t find an obvious one to review.   Probably and old Blue Law.

– Steve Patterson

Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts has been open for several years now but I never visited until last week.  I went to see the “Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark” exhibit which runs through June 30, 2010.  The exhibit was more interesting than I first thought it would be – a pleasant surprise.  The building is much bigger and more interesting than I expected based on the stark street elevation.

The Pulitzer and the Contemporary next door to the West break all my normal conventions about good urban buildings.  Both present large blank walls to the pedestrian on the sidewalk.  The Pulitzer is set back from the sidewalk and the front door is hidden from street view.  But both structures work as quasi-civic buildings which often break traditional sidewalk relationships.  Blocks and blocks of the beautiful concrete walls would get old quickly but in small doses they make a nice contrast to the older buildings in midtown.

The Pulitzer is open Wednesdays noon to 5pm and Saturdays 10am – 5pm. Admission is free.

– Steve Patterson

Better restaurant choices in the center of the region

There are good restaurants throughout the region, on both sides of the Mississippi River.  To generalize, the core of the region has eclectic locally-owned restaurants and the further out you go the more you encounter generic chain after generic chain.  There are exceptions, of course.  I’ve been to great locally owned restaurants in suburban strip malls and I’ve been to chains in the core.  Chains can be company owned as well as a locally-owned franchise.

I regularly use the website Urbanspoon.com to find new restaurants, track my favorites and read reviews by others. The other day I started looking at the list of restaurants by area – city neighborhood vs. areas further out.  Sure enough, my suspicions were correct. But why?

Part could be many formula chains prefer stand alone buildings typical of suburbia. Conversely, the local restaurateur may only be able to afford rent on an older building.

Are urban types more prone to try new cuisines compared to counterparts in suburbia?  Do the restaurants fit the clientele?  Are foodies drawn to the core? I’d say the answers are all yes.

– Steve Patterson