New Tucker Blvd Streetscape Needs to be Continued From Washington Avenue to Spruce Street

The project to redo Tucker Blvd from Cass Ave to Washington Ave is nearly complete. The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge will be open in early 2014, bringing many into downtown along the rebuilt Tucker Blvd, but the rebuild stops at Washington Ave, because that’s where the old passenger rail tunnel stopped.

The public right-of-way (PROW) north of Washington Ave is a generous 80 feet wide, the new streetscape is fresh looking, with 2 lanes in each direction plus parking protected by curb bulbs. The half mile from Washington Ave south to Spruce St the width nearly doubles to a massive 150 feet. It has too many lanes — seven total travel lanes, a center turn lane, plus two parking lanes. See map.

This half mile stretch of Tucker Blvd looks dated and functionally it’s awful as a motorist and as a pedestrian.

Plus in a busy central business district the minimum width ADA ramp is way too narrow for all the pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs, & [mobility] scooters. Just north of Market St the future Gateway Mall “hallway”, the wide sidewalk planned to connect the mall from Broadway to 20th can be planned for.

Of course, many other streets throughout the city also need a road diet. I know, there’s no money for any of them. We need to figure out which ones need a diet and what we’d like to do. Then work to fund them.

Funding rarely comes first…

— Steve Patterson

500 North Broadway Less Prison-Like

In a July 2010 post I described 500 North Broadway as a “prison-like office building.” The building was sold in January 2011, the new owners intent to change its image:

Robert Guller, principal of BEB Management of Town and Country, said Friday that he will invest $10 million to $15 million on improvements to 500 North Broadway over the next year or so. He also plans to sell the naming rights of the 40-year-old building.

Guller and his father, Arthur, completed their cash purchase of the building on Wednesday. (stltoday)

Two and a half years later the building remains heavy& dark, but the new entry/lobby is very welcoming, especially at night.

We should go back to see what it used to look like to appreciate the changes.

When the building was sold in 2011 it was mostly vacant, still is based on the tenant list out front. Now that construction is complete there will be tenants interested in relocating to this location. Other buildings, like One Financial across Broadway, are also getting new lobbies to shed tired old looks so they can retain/attract tenants.

Kuddos to the owners & architects for improving the outward appearance of this building.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: What should St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones do with the site of the former Cupples 7 Warehouse?

The wrecking contractor is finishing up the demolition of the Cupples 7 warehouse at 1014 Spruce St, just west of Busch Stadium so now’s a good time to figure out the next step(s).  For those new to this issue here’s a recap:

1. The Cupples Warehouse district is very historic, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (see nomination). 
2. Various past attempts to raze most or all failed. The other remaining warehouses have all been rehabbed for new uses.
3. Private owners allowed a small hole in the roof of Cupples 7 to grow into a gigantic hole over the last 10-15 years, causing the wood interior floors to collapse.
4. The previous St. Louis Treasurer, Larry Williams, agreed to buy the note from the bank if the city issued a demotion permit.
5. A few years ago the city closed off adjacent streets out of fear the building would collapse.
6. The city said the building must come down, the risk of collapse was too great.
7. New Treasurer Tishaura Jones bought the note and began the demolition required by the city.

The eastern half of the building is basically gone, just rubble. The western half, however, remains. It too has internal issues but not to the degree the eastern half did.

The poll question this week asks “What should St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones do with the site of the former Cupples 7 Warehouse?” You’ll be able to pick up to 3 answers which range from paving the site for parking to stopping demolition on the western half.

I know what I want her to do but I’ll save that for the post presenting the results on Wednesday August 28th. You can vote in the right sidebar and share your thoughts in the comments below.

— Steve Patterson

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Complaints About Our Pedestrians

I’ve done my fare share of complaining about motorists — blocking crosswalks, nearly hitting me making right turns, parking on sidewalks, etc. Today I want to talk about bad behavior among pedestrians.

First thing I should get out of the way, I’ve been known to exhibit bad pedestrian behavior. Specifically, I can think of one time crossing Tucker, I didn’t wait for the pedestrian signal. I started across because I knew the pattern of the lights. What I momentarily forgot was cars can legally make a right turn on red. They had the right of way but I cut them off by crossing when I did.

So what are some of my complaints?

1. People walking 2-3 abreast, expecting others to step aside so they don’t have to walk single file. We have very few sidewalks downtown where pedestrians can walk 2-3 abreast while meeting others going the opposite direction. So sorry folks, I’m not going to stop and wait behind a planter or trash can so your trio can remain intact.
2. People come out of stores clueless that anyone else is using the sidewalk.
3. People in front of me walking slowly but not letting me pass them, especially when they’re smoking.

We’re not Manhattan, but it would still be nice to have our pedestrians be more aware of their surroundings. To be fair, I probably encounter many pedestrians who are tourists so they aren’t familiar with downtown, they may not even be used to walking in a downtown context with crowded sidewalks.

— Steve Patterson

State-Owned Retail Space on 9th Street Finally For Lease

In October last year I posted about a downtown hotel that used a state-owned retail storefront rent-free for a decade. Then in December I noted the storefront was being emptied of the hotel’s stuff, they used it for long-term storage. Since December I kept expecting to see a for lease sign go up. Finally on Monday I spotted the sign!

From the flyer:

Short-term on-street parking is still needed in front of this space, and the retail spaces in the former Board of Education building to the immediate south. Right now the city has the  parking lane marked as no parking but also no driving, I don’t get the logic behind leaving a full lane completely unused.

Hopefully this will get leased soon so the state can get revenue ($54,945/year) and a long-vacant storefront gets activated.

— Steve Patterson