Rams Proposal For Edward Jones Dome Calls For Significant Changes To Structure And Broadway

As promised, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster released the confidential proposal from the St. Louis Rams to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC).

To Whom It May Concern:

In compliance with Chapter 610, the Missouri Sunshine Law, Attorney General Chris Koster made the following documents publicly available in response to various media inquiries and Sunshine requests regarding ongoing negotiations between the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission and its lessee.

Respectfully,

CHRIS KOSTER

Attorney General

Their proposal is significantly different than what the CVC had proposed. To me it seems like a new facility given how much would be entirely new.

ABOVE: Plan calls for removing most existing seating and the roof, moving the field 51'-8" to the east

ABOVE: Dome would be expanded across the existing Broadway and Baer Plaza

This means the dome is getting significantly larger than it is currently. The near corner of the drawing above includes access to the casino tunnel. The 2010 image below shows you where that is currently:

ABOVE: Baer Plaza with the Lumiere Link entrance in the foreground

As you can see that’s a lot of new building. Clearly the Rams want more than the lipstick the CVC proposed (see CVC Plan To Improve Dome Improves Broadway).

This brings up several thoughts:

1. Perfect excuse to make 4th & Broadway each two-way rather than the current one-way configurations
2. This would work well with the boulevard replacement of the I-70 elevated lanes, see CitytoRiver.org
3. Unlikely the St, Louis region is going to pony up the money for this.

I haven’t read the proposal in detail yet. You can read the proposal here.

- Steve Patterson

Poll: City Justified In Clearing Out Homeless Camps?

For a couple of years some homeless had set up camp near the riverfront. But that’s changing:

Hopeville was the second of three riverfront camps that the city plans to clear by May 18. The first, Dignity Harbor, was bulldozed last week. Officials said they have offered housing vouchers to residents of all the camps so they can stay in hotels and apartments. (STLtoday.com on 5/11/2012)

I visited Hopeville last year and while I was sympathetic to their situation I was also repulsed by what I saw.

ABOVE: The "Hopeville" camp in June 2011

The poll this week asks if the city was justified in clearing out these camps. The poll is in the right sidebar below the advertisement.

- Steve Patterson

Thirtieth Anniversary of Richard Serra’s Twain

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the dedication of ‘Twain’ by Richard Serra, easily the most hated or misunderstood art in St. Louis (depending upon your viewpoint).

ABOVE: Construction of "Twain" in 1981. ® Robert Pettus, used with permission

I tried to arrange a party for tonight to celebrate the anniversary. I had  a lighting designer and manufacturer willing to temporarily light the sculpture. But nobody with deep pockets or art world connections were willing to lift a finger. We’ve got abandoned buildings  galore but we also have an abandoned city block with art by a well known artist.

ABOVE: Is this how we want to present ourselves to visitors?

Being inside Twain is amazing, the sense of enclosure changes your perception of the surroundings. People do wonder inside and when they do they get it also.

ABOVE: Once you pass through one of the narrow openings the inside is spacious.

Below is from dedication day, May 1, 1982. Original film footage by Merrill Bauer.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3zIlq7Je74

Hopefully some day we can connect this block to Citygarden to the east.

- Steve Patterson

Street vs Alley?

Two downtown streets are more like alleys than streets: Lucas Ave & St. Charles St. Both are parallel to Washington Ave with St. Charles St. to the south and Lucas Ave to the north. I’m sure when early founders laid out the street grid these two had buildings facing them. in the 18th & 19th centuries.

ABOVE: St.Charles Street looking west toward 15th St., click image for aerial

In many places these two have been closed entirely as large buildings were built on the right-of-way after the city vacated it. Examples include the convention center and the former St. Louis Centre indoor mall. In recent years some lofts have entrances facing these two, such as Railway Lofts facing Lucas Ave and 10th Street Lofts facing St. Charles St. These are the exception though, not the rule. St. Charles St. runs along the back of my building, our recycling dumpsters are there as is the entrance to our parking garage.

ABOVE: Sanborn Fire map from February 1909 shows St. Charles relegated to back alley to buildings facing Washington & Locust, between 14th-15th. Click image to search Sanborn Maps on UM Digital Library

These need to stay as named streets because of the few places with entrances facing them but we shouldn’t encourage more facing them. In very dense cities you’ll see such streets as active places but we aren’t anywhere dense enough to make these safe to walk down at night. They also lack sidewalks so making entrances accessible is a challenge.

They’ve got proper names but they’re best viewed like they have been for over a century — as alleys.

- Steve Patterson

Happy First Birthday Downtown Bicycle Station

One year ago today the Downtown Bicycle Station opened on Locust between 10th and 11th.

ABOVE: A large crowd of supporters gathered for the ribbon cutting on Thursday April 28, 2011

The Downtown Bicycle Station describes itself as:

The Downtown Bicycle Station is located at 1011 Locust Street between 10th and 11th streets, in Downtown St. Louis. Housed in a LEED certified building, it will feature storage options for more than 120 bikes, as well as provide cyclists with the opportunity to use showers, lockers and other bike commuter amenities. The Downtown Bicycle Station will occupy approximately 1400 square feet. The Downtown Bicycle Station has been designed to encourage the use of alternate modes of transportation by reducing some of the traditional impediments to bike commuting. Downtown St. Louis will now offer a full service bike facility easily accessible to the City’s central business district and Metrolink stations.

The Downtown Bicycle Station is an initiative of the City of St. Louis, Missouri, done in collaboration with key partners and supporters. The project is funded in part by funds allocated by the US Department of Energy through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. With these funds, the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID) has the initial contract to manage the Downtown Bicycle Station; the CID has contracted with Trailnet for marketing and membership and Urban Shark for facilities and operations services. The project would not have been possible without several additional generous contributions.

Earlier in the week I requested information on usage but I received no reply. I have no idea how well it’s doing.

- Steve Patterson

Fiat Showroom, Not Dealership, Open Downtown

You can’t purchase or test drive a new Fiat 500 at the new Fiat St. Louis Downtown Showroom. You can check out five different cars on display in the space on the corner of 11th & Locust St. I love that the Lou Fusz folks realized they needed a presence downtown and made it happen.

ABOVE: Exterior of the Fiat St. Louis Downtown Showroom at 1015 Locust, click for map

I wrote about this in January after two blogs incorrectly reported a Fiat dealership was opening downtown (If It Sounds Too Good Top Be True…). One of the bloggers, friend Frank DeGraaf, commented on my post:

I spoke with the broker and a representative of CB Richard Ellis. They both confirmed that a Fiat “dealership” would go into this space. I never implied that it would be a full-service (maintenance) dealership, because even I understand that the space would not be suited for that, let alone the environmental issues that would have to be negated . However, the space will be used to display and sell Fiat 500′s (I call that a “dealership”, I don’t know what else to call it), a significant and positive development for downtown St. Louis.

Is this a half-servivce dealership? One third service dealership?  No, the word is “showroom”, not dealership, since they are displaying new Fiats but there’re not selling new Fiats.  If you are interested in a test drive and purchasing you need to visit their two actual dealerships in Creve Coeur, MO (link) or Fairview Heights, IL (link).

ABOVE: Two of the five 500s on display in the showroom

As a huge fan of the adorable Fiat 500 I’ll be passing through frequently as a reminder to buy a lottery ticket each month.

I welcome Lou Fusz downtown. If you are curious about these cars stop by on your lunch break. The showroom is open 10-5 Monday-Friday. Special vents are being planned to get downtown workers and residents to stop into the space.

- Steve Patterson

Peabody Opera House Valets Caught Driving On 14th Street Sidewalk

Last Sunday I was heading home on the bus just before 1:30pm in the afternoon. Something big was going on at the Peabody Opera House because traffic was backed up. At first I was happy to see cars weren’t being parked on the east sidewalk along 14th like the previous time I came through the area during an event. But, I was soon shocked — the valets were driving on the sidewalk to park customer’s vehicles diagonally on 14th.  Here are the pictures I got from the bus:

ABOVE: Stopped traffic on 14th, beyond the temporary stop sign you can see cars parked on the road diagonally

ABOVE: Two cars are parked on the road but in the background you can see a vehicle on the sidewalk, it was being driven

ABOVE: I spotted a 2nd vehicle passing the bus on the sidewalk!

ABOVE: Valet about to drive off the sidewalk onto the road

ABOVE: The bus was moving now and we caught up with the sidewalk-driving valets

ABOVE: The 1st vehicle I spotted driving on the sidewalk just after the valet parked it on the road

I posted one of the images to Twitter and Facebook then once home emailed a few to various city officials. I’ll email this post to people at the Peabody. Sidewalks are for pedestrians! They are not overflow parking or private driveways. If I have to sit in my power chair in the middle of that sidewalk  to get this to stop, I will.

- Steve Patterson

913 Locust As Narrow As It Looks

Squeezed in between two taller buildings is the structure at 913 Locust St. The building is only 23 feet 9 inches wide, the full width of the lot.

ABOVE: The little building at 913 Locust was built in 1900

According to city records (Geo St. Louis) it was built in 1900 — after the building on the right but 13 years before the building on the left. Like many buildings downtown it got a new appearance during the 20th century. Anyone out there know more about this building?

- Steve Patterson

City Hall License Office Is A Convenient Option For Many

The Missouri Department of Revenue has many license offices (search list) around the metro area but I’ve found one of the most convenient is the one operated by St. Louis Collector of Revenue’s office in City Hall.

ABOVE: License office in St. Louis City Hall

Like other offices you get register your vehicle, renew plates and your driver’s license. You’ll have to wait like you do at most license offices but the lines move quickly. I’ve been twice this year, it was nice not having to drive somewhere to take care of business. Keep this office in mind next time you need a license office.

- Steve Patterson

Pedestrian Expert Killed Crossing St. Louis Street A Decade Ago

Susie Stephens

Ten years ago today was a sad day for all of us who fight for pedestrian safety:

ST. LOUIS — A Washington state woman who was one of the country’s top experts on bicycle and pedestrian safety was killed yesterday morning when she was struck by a tour bus while crossing a downtown intersection here.

Susie Stephens, 36, of Winthrop, Wash., was struck shortly after 8:30 a.m.

The driver of the Vandalia Bus Lines vehicle told police he did not see Stephens as he made a left turn.

Stephens, a consultant, was in St. Louis to help stage a conference on innovative approaches to transportation sponsored by the Forest Service, said William “Bill” Wilkinson of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking in Washington. (seattlepi.com)

Susie was a year older than me at the time she was killed:

The Susie Forest is a living, growing, legacy to my daughter Susie and her commitment to creating livable communities. Susie was a bicyclist, an environmentalist, an activist, and a world traveler. She was dedicated to educating others about bicyclist and pedestrian safety, and she was killed in 2002 after being struck by a bus while legally walking across the street in St. Louis. (The Susie Forest)

For details of the accident at 4th & Chestnut click here.

- Steve Patterson