St. Louis Hosted The 1916 Democratic Convention

Ninety-six years ago candidates for president were securing delegates to get the nomination for their party. The Democratic Party held their convention in St. Louis:

The 1916 Democratic National Convention was held at the St. Louis Coliseum in St. Louis, Missouri from June 14 – June 16, 1916. It resulted in the nomination of President Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey for President and Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana for Vice-President. (Wikipedia)

St. Louis Coliseum?

The St. Louis Coliseum was an arena in St. Louis, Missouri from 1908 to 1953 at the southwest corner of Washington Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue.

When the cornerstone was laid on August 22, 1908, it was claimed the building would be the largest public building in the United States. It replaced the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall as the city’s main indoor arena.

The building was leased for several years by Tex Rickard and was the site of boxing matches. It was also a venue for the Veiled Prophet Parade.

Kiel Auditorium which opened in 1934 effectively replaced the Coliseum, and it was condemned as unsafe by the city in 1953. (Wikipedia) 

This new Coliseum was needed because the new St. Louis Library was going to be built on the site of the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall.

Three years after the St. Louis Coliseum was razed Jefferson Bank opened their new facility on the site, see: Jefferson Bank’s 1956 Move South of Delmar, Away From Pruitt-Igoe, & 1963 Protest. View the site today in Google Maps here.

St. Louis built numerous facilities in the early 20th century:

• 1883:  St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall, lasted 25 years
• 1908: St. Louis Coliseum
• 1929: St. Louis Arena
• 1934 Kiel Opera House, now Peabody Opera House
• 1977: Cervantes Convention Center, later expanded and now know as America’s Center

St. Louis was a finalist for the 2012 Democratic convention but Charlotte NC was selected.

– Steve Patterson

Will Renewed Activity Get Vacant Space Leased?

555 Washington Ave is one of our most stunning buildings. It, along with the narrow 511 Washington, are joined internally:

These two facades cover one building behind; the two structures were elaborately joined together in 1898, at which time 555 gained its magnificent recessed entryway. The facade at 511 is one of only two curtain-wall cast iron facades left in the city.

After a period of decline lasting into the 1970s, the building was renovated in 1987 as office space and remains in use today. As with the previous block, this one is isolated from the string of older buildings found to the west — but the profile view of their heavily articulated street elevations, with the old Stix building rising beyond, is quite impressive. (Built St. Louis)

When the St. Louis Centre Pedestrian Bridge over Washington Ave came down two years ago many more people began to see this facade.

The first floor space at 6th & Washington remains vacant. I’m hopeful that all the activity with the Laurel & MX across 6th Street will help the building’s owner lease the first floor space.

– Steve Patterson

Eads Bridge Rehabilitation To Begin

Last week local and federal officials gathered on the Arch grounds with the historic Eads Bridge in the background:

Deputy Federal Transit Administrator Therese McMillan today joined Missouri and Illinois officials to kick off the Eads Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which will repair and restore the historic, 138-year old bridge and ensure safe and efficient light rail service for thousands of people who use the bridge to cross the Mississippi River every day.

[snip]

The $36 million project is funded in part by more than $34 million in federal dollars, including $25 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $9 million in additional federal transit funds directed to the Bi-State Development Agency of the Missouri-Illinois Metropolitan District. Local funds will cover the remaining cost to modernize and repair the bridge, which was built in 1874. (Source)

MetroLink light rail trains began using the lower level to cross the Mississippi River in 1993. The upper level was closed to vehicles and pedestrians for many years but was reopened within the last 10-12 years.

This work won’t be visible but is necessary for continued use to the bridge. One speaker noted that before the Arch, the Eads Bridge was St. Louis’ most recognized structure.

It’s nice to see investment in infrastructure but we have so much the needs so much work, how will we ever pay for it all?

“When you look into the future and you begin to look at what our investments will mean when we’re competing with China, India, emerging economic powers like Brazil, we better have our infrastructure ready to go, to be able to compete on a global basis,” said Victor Mendez, who runs the Federal Highway Administration. (CBS News)

Funding is largely based on state & federal fuel taxes but the income hasn’t kept pace  with costs.

– Steve Patterson

The End Of The Hodiamont Streetcar Right-of-Way

Forty-six years ago today the last streetcar in St. Louis stopped rolling down the streets. The Hodiamont was St. Louis’ last streetcar line. The Hodiamont ran in city streets from downtown to just west of Vandeventer Ave where it went into its own private right-of-way.

ABOVE: The streetcar tracks come out of the private right-of-way and head east on Enright Ave

Eventually new rubber-tire buses with air-conditioning  replaced  the older streetcars:

Only three lines were left in April 1964, when the new Bi-State agency winnowed the system to the Hodiamont line, which ran from downtown to the Wellston Loop. Along the way through north St. Louis, the Hodiamont had its own right-of-way, like a railroad. (STLtoday.com article from 2010 — recommended)

I can’t help but wonder if running a new modern streetcar through this right of way today would make sense. Or even a bus line?

— Steve Patterson

Beautiful Detailing On Older Infrastructure

Many of you have probably driven under the railroad tracks while traveling on Chippewa St between Gravois Ave and Meramec.

If you’re like me you never paid much attention to the design of the underpass. But earlier this month I was on a MetroBus heading westbound on Chippewa and it had to stop at the light at Meremac (aerial) and there was the railing right next to the bus window.

I love the detail, so much more interesting than today’s infrastructure. Seems we either get boring stuff with zero detail or over the top designs. I’d much rather see a nice balance.

– Steve Patterson