The Council Towers Brick Relief Sculpture is Back

Last July I posted about the brick relief sculpture being removed from the Council Towers building in midtown (Brick Relief Sculpture Nearly Removed from Council Towers). Here was the scene in July:

ABOVE: Just one small section remains on the east face of Council Towers, July 2011

The developer has kept his word and rebuilt the artwork.

ABOVE: Brick sculpture is nearly finished, January 2012

The sculpture was designed by artists Saunders Schultz and William Severson.

- Steve Patterson

Intersection of Chouteau, Vandeventer & Manchester is Bleak

The other day I found myself in the 7-story Chouteau Building located adjacent to the intersection of Chouteau, Vandeventer & Manchester.

ABOVE: The point where Chouteau becomes Manchester Rd as it crosses Vandeventer

Bleak, depressing, and hostile are just some of the adjectives that popped into my head as I looked out the window. The above is just east of the emerging area known now as The Grove:

The Grove is a growing vibrant business and entertainment district along Manchester between Kingshighway and Vandeventer in St. Louis City. In the Grove you can find a diversity of independently owned restaurants, nightlife, retail, and services. It is also home to the premier nightlife in the area, and is a thriving center for the LGBT, artist, and cycling communities in the St. Louis area.

The new “pedestrian-friendly” streetscape project stops short of Vandeventer Ave, extending not far beyond Sarah.

ABOVE: Looking west along Manchester as seen from the Chouteau Building.

I’m bothered by the idea that we can hope to have a “vibrant” district surrounded by horrible space. I don’t fault the Grove but who is working on the Vandeventer & Chouteau corridors and the intersection where they meet Manchester? Last year it was announced that Bellon’s Wrecking & Salvage has sold the NE corner to Quik Trip which will further degrade the intersection.

The Grove is great but the approach from the east sucks and is getting worse, not better.

- Steve Patterson

Harris-Stowe State University Campus Disconnected From Adjacent City

In the 21+ years I’ve been in St. Louis I’ve watched Harris-Stowe State Universitygo through name changes and a major expansion of their campus.

ABOVE: Backside of entrance marker to Harris-Stowe State University WB on what was once Laclede Ave, facing Compton Ave & Saint Louis University

This was done under the leadership of university president Dr. Henry Givens Jr., now retired:

Givens managed to grab the LaClede Town housing project land – valued at roughly $17 million – for $10 after the federal government shut it down and turned it over to the city in the 1990s. His hard work and relentless political negotiating got him the old Vashon Community Center and three surrounding acres for another $10. The historically black college for teachers kept adding buildings – along with students and degree programs – and eventually earned full-fledge university status in 2005. (West End Word)

In 2006 Harris Stowe added their first dormitory.

ABOVE: Gillespie Residence Hall opened in 2006

In August of last year they opened a second  residence hall:

Harris-Stowe State University celebrated the opening of its second residence hall and new student dining facility on Friday, August 12. The university named the recently completed 65,000-square-foot, four-story structure in honor of attorney Freeman R. Bosley Jr., the first African-American mayor of the City of St. Louis and long-time advocate of the university and its mission. (St. Louis American)

Combined the two residence halls house 428 students.

ABOVE: Bosley Residence Hall

With two residence halls and more and more academic buildings just south of the emerging Midtown Alleydistrict:

Boutique hotels and trendy restaurants today are sprinkled among [marketing] agencies with names like “Scorch,” “Four Alarm” and “Spoke.” The development makes it difficult to envision that barely ten years have passed since the Thoelkes brought their shop specializing in cultural events and institutions to Midtown. (STLtoday.com)

What an exciting environment to have adjacent to a college campus! The closest establishment to campus is the hugely popular Pappy’s Smokehouse but also close is The Good Pie, The Fountain on Locust and opening this coming Saturday, Hamburger Mary’s. The students must walk to Midtown Alley all the time. Well, I’m sure they would  if they could.

ABOVE: Harris-Stowe's fence prevents pedestrian access to the sidewalk along the east side of Cardinal Ave

ABOVE: A locked gate blocks access to the sidewalk on the west side of Cardinal Ave, seen here looking south toward campus, leading directly to Pappy's

ABOVE: Looking south from Cardinal Ave toward campus we see that buildings were located to block this natural access point.

To be fair to Harris-Stowe, when they acquired the LaClede Town land the area now known as Midtown Alley had yet to begin developing. In planning their campus they used the same failed logic as Saint Louis University — the area outside of the campus border has nothing now nor will it ever so it’s best we just turn out backs and keep the students safe from the big bad world.

ABOVE: Harris-Stowe campus on bottom, Cardinal Ave center and Hamburger Mary's upper right. Click to view in Google Maps

TOKY Branding + Design opened on Olive just east of Compton in 2002.  Two years later the Emerson Performance Center (lower left, above) opened permanently blocking access to Cardinal Ave and Olive St.  Just reaching the bus stops at that intersection is a challenge for students.

ABOVE: Harris-Stowe's official campus map shows access to Grand via Laclede but SLU closed that route

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ABOVE: Garbage dumpsters for Emerson Performing Center are located where a strong pedestrian connection on campus should lead to the city beyond

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ABOVE: You can't miss Hamburger Mary's on Olive, it opens on Saturday.

Hamburger Mary’s will likely draw huge crowds starting Saturday. I’m afraid students or others will get hurt trying to cross Olive St at Cardinal Ave to reach the new bar & grill. A strong campus connection at Cardinal Ave would have made pedestrian signals at Olive easier to justify. I cross at Compton Ave but I doubt others will go out of their way to do so.

Like Saint Louis University to the east, Harris-Stowe State University has very nice buildings, green grass and an orderly campus. Both fail at connecting to the city. – Steve Patterson

We Need A Form-Based Code

On Monday the St. Louis Preservation Board approved the demolition of some buildings at the Pevely Dairy site but denied the two most critical, the corner structure and the smokehouse. Facebook & twitter were on fire afterwords with people celebrating. This is a victory but much work remains to be done to win the war. I’m personally tired of fighting small battle after small battle yet feel like we are losing the war on urbanism.

Saint Louis University President Lawrence Biondi has demonstrated for decades he doesn’t respect the public street. Under his leadership SLU has invested in millions on turning it’d back to public space. Green grass, fountains and sculpture are offered as a consolation prize for creating dull & lifeless public space. To me this is unacceptable. People I consider friends think the Pevely building should be razed — they see it as vacant and useless. I strongly disagree.   If they want vacant and useless they just need to look at the vast expanses of high-maintenance lawn across Grand.

Urban streets are defined by buildings on both sides with doors, windows and activities adjacent or near the sidewalk. When St. Louis was built this was the natural way of building since everyone was a pedestrian. Today we need to recognize that most are motorists and build in a way that works for both pedestrians and motorists. It doesn’t need to be one or the other, we can accommodate both.

ABOVE: Non-urban building proposed by SLU for the urban Pevely site.

If St. Louis had a form-based code in place for the city, or at least midtown, SLU wouldn’t have planned new construction set behind a lawn. They would have realized since they had to maintain the building line that it made sense to retain the corner structure all along. To move our city forward and become more urban and friendly to both pedestrians and motorists we must completely replace our zoning which was written to support urban renewal through the destruction of all things urban. The 1947 plan called for leveling & reconstruction of Soulard!

We must determine which corridors should be reurbanized and which, if any, will be allowed to be suburbanized. Let’s stop this continual piecemeal battle over individual buildings and properties.

- Steve Patterson

Urbanists & Preservationists Will Support Pevely Dairy Today

ABOVE: The historic Pevely Dairy maintains the building line at both Grand & Chouteau. Click image for my post from last month

The Preservation Board usually meets on the 4th Monday of each month but due to the holidays will instead meet tonight. On the agenda is Saint Louis University’s proposal to replace the historic structures with a lawn. And probably a fountain.

The conclusion of the staff report (see agenda):

The proposed subsequent construction of the Ambulatory Care Center cannot be evaluated at the time these comments were prepared and needs to be considered once presented at the Preservation Board meeting. The Cultural Resources Office recommends that the Preservation Board approve the demolition of the milk plant at 3626‐80 Chouteau and the garage at 1101 Motard, as the loss of these Merit buildings would have an acceptable effect on the urban design and the streetscape. The Cultural Resources Office also recommends that the Preservation Board uphold the denial of the demolition of the office building as it is a sound, High Merit resource and has reuse potential, and the iconic smokestack. These two structures on the parcel with the address 1001‐03 S. Grand, are prominent in the streetscape and their loss would have a noticeable effect on the physical fabric of the neighborhood and urban design.

Many have expressed the viewpoint the corner structure and smokestack occupy a tiny portion of the total site and therefor do not impede plans for new construction on the rest of the site. I’d love to see a drawing with Saint Louis University’s proposed building superimposed over the corner structure and smokestack.

- Steve Patterson

Filling in Midtown

In April 2011 ground was broken on a new building in midtown:

St. Louis broke ground April 15 for a new $12 million building project that will feature the studios and offices of St. Louis Public Radio | 90.7 KWMU and classrooms for the rapidly expanding field of new media. (Source)

The building at 3651 Olive Street was taking shape last month when I passed by.

ABOVE: New UMSL building under construction.

The building site was a parking lot for many years.

ABOVE: View of site before construction via Google Streetview

It has been a slow process of filling in the holes in the urban fabric along Olive between Grand & Spring. The opposite side of Olive is unfortunately dominated by a parking garage. Surface parking lots at both ends are opportunities to build bookends to the garage. If we view parking lots as building sites rather than a permanent fixture we can slowly convert our streets to pleasant places.

- Steve Patterson

Pevely Dairy Fate to be Decided Today, or Not?

The proposed demolition of the historic, and urban, Pevely Dairy complex at Grand and Chouteau is on today’s Preservation Board agenda, but won’t be heard:

St. Louis University’s request for permits to demolish the Pevely Dairy buildings is off Monday’s agenda of the city’s Preservation Board but that does not mean SLU is abandoning its effort to raze the historic complex.

A university spokesman said today that seeking a delay for a hearing on its request for demolition permits gives SLU more time to present its case to the city panel. SLU has said it wants to replace the Pevely complex with a building for its SLUCare physician’s practice. (STLtoday.com)

Part of me doesn’t trust that the issue won’t be decided at today’s meeting. But, it’s quite possible the staff will indicate the issue will be on the December agenda.The main problem I have is SLU’s false claim the historic structure is in the way.

Given the history of Saint Louis University these past two decades the Pevely building and smokestack aren’t in the way of a new building. No, they are where SLU President Fr. Biondi wants  grass and a fountain. Trying very hard not to use a few choice expletives!

ABOVE: SLU's anti-urban research building on the SE corner of Grand & Chouteau

Biondi hates urbanity, or maybe he just doesn’t know what makes a good city. The SLU campus is very pristine and in the center, interesting, But the edges are dead zones due to all the fenced lawns created by Biondi. Intended to make the area safer, SLU policies suck life out of the area to the point the sidewalks are nearly vacant, which isn’t safe. People create safety.

ABOVE: Most of the large site is occupied by non-historic structures

The smokestack and building at the corner, with the rooftop sign, are the two elements that should be saved. The warehouse elements in the foreground (above) should be replaced, just not with lifeless iron fencing with lawn.  New medical buildings can be built around & embracing the old. The smokestack could be the centerpiece of a courtyard. The architectural possibilities were explored during a recent design charrette:

After a thorough discussion of the site’s dimensions, SLU’s extensive landholdings in the area, and the university’s probable needs, participants subdivided into four groups. Each focused on a different approach, including converting the corner building into doctors’ offices with a larger modern addition, adapting it into market-rate housing and ancillary facilities for the medical school, finding additional on-site locations for new buildings, and generating an overall site plan to connect this corner to the rest of the university. (SLU Says It Can’t Reuse the Pevely Buildings; Local Designers Beg to Differ)

I look forward to seeing the many varied solutions these teams developed.

We must resist SLU’s efforts to destroy both Grand & Chouteau corridors. Biondi has already done a number of Grand at the main campus and the medical campus but hope remains for Chouteau and eventually Grand can be urbanized again, largely by  building over Biondi’s lawns.

ABOVE: The historic Pevely Dairy maintains the building line at both Grand & Chouteau

Where SLU has replaced walkable urban buildings with acres of fenced lawn we can build new 1-2 story “liner buildings” to recreate the walls of the urban street. The SW corner shouldn’t be destroyed, liner buildings can fix the anti-urban SE corner but two such corners would be a disaster.

The NE corner is a suburban fast-food chain and the never urban NW corner is being cleared for more dead SLU grass. Yawn.

ABOVE: The NW corner of Grand & Chouteau should be developed in a urban manner, respecting & engaging the sidewalk.

The Grand viaduct is being replaced and the MetroLink station getting rebuilt. The #70 Grand bus is Metro’s busiest and the #32 MLK bus travels up and down Chouteau & Manchester. If developed right, Grand & Chouteau could be a great pedestrian environment. Chouteau is important for connecting Lafayette Square & Downtown  to The Grove.

My guess is Biondi has surrounded himself with yes men that tell him he’s done a great job with the campuses. Well, on the chance he’ll read this post:

Stop it! You are destroying the city! What you’ve done will take decades to undo and it must be undone to create lively sidewalks. It sickens me my tuition helped fund your destructive ways. Retire!

- Steve Patterson

Readers: Saint Louis University Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Raze The Historic Pevely Dairy Complex

College campuses often reflect their location: rural, suburban or urban. Although Saint Louis University is in an urban location, it is doing a great job of destroying all aspects of urban life.

ABOVE: The former Pevely Dairy at Grand & Chouteau (click image for map)

Last week the majority of readers that voted in the poll do not want this to continue:

Q: Should the St. Louis Preservation Board allow SLU to raze the former Pevely Dairy building at Grand & Chouteau?

1. No 134 [66.34%]
2. Yes 43 [21.29%]
3. Maybe 14 [6.93%]
4. Other: 9 [4.46%]
5. Unsure/No Opinion 2 [0.99%]

The 43 “Yes” answers must be from those who think they have a rational look at life.

ABOVE: SLU's anti-urban research building on the SE corner of Grand & Chouteau

The reality is each and every time an urban building is replaced with an anti-urban building set behind a green lawn the environment is denigrated, making revitalization that much harder. Wealthy institutions know this will help them but more land, something they couldn’t do if areas thrived with private investment.

Here are the nine other answers provided by readers:

1. Not the main structure.
2. Hell no! Apparently SLU thinks its interests are parallel to ours. WRONG!
3. only if they replace it with a huge fountain or better yet museum of fountains
4. Yes, SLU doesn’t own enough vacant land for this project.
5. No, there’s a shortage of university housing, build reasonably price apts
6. Need to see post-demo land use plans before final determination
7. SLU has a Center for Sustainability with no real estate–rehab Pevely for that
8. No, they should renovate it and add on another building if needed
9. If it can’t be rehabbed

From the nomination (PDF) to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009:

The Pevely Dairy Company Plant sits on an approximately eight-acre site in the Midtown Neighborhood of St. Louis on the west side of South Grand Boulevard between Chouteau and Hickory Avenues. Constructed between 1915 and 1945, the Pevely Dairy Company Plant was designed as the headquarters for the growing company; it remained in service as a dairy until November 2008. It is comprised of three buildings, a smokestack, and two parking lots. The 1915 four-story, red brick office building is located at 1001 South Grand Boulevard. It features a three-bay façade with large display windows in the first level, and retains the original wood door and pedimented entrance surround. A terra cotta cornice with colored tile designs ornaments the flat roofline. Many of the original wood industrial windows have also been retained on this building, as well as the glazed brick walls and floors and intricate woodwork. The 1916 milk plant sits behind the office building at 3626 Chouteau Avenue. This three-story brick and concrete industrial building had additions in 1943, 1945, 1975 and 1997. Featuring metal hopper windows, three loading docks, two metal coolers and two steam tanks, the milk plant’s architecture is primarily functional rather than artistic. The interior retains its glazed brick walls and floors, as well as large, open storage rooms that include concrete mushroom columns. A 1928 garage is located south of the milk plant at 1101 Motard Avenue. This brick, arch-roofed structure retains original glazed glass metal windows, with sliding metal doors and stepped parapet walls on the east and west elevations. The interior consists of an open parking area with a concrete floor. Originally connected to a boiler and powerhouse, the 1943 smokestack now sits across a parking lot from the office building. The brick structure includes a glazed brick design spelling out the Pevely name. The adjacent parking lot and a lot between the milk plant and garage have historically served as open parking and loading space, and are included in the boundary. Though three of the Pevely structures have burned since the period of significance, the factory as a whole retains the industrial structures primarily associated with the company. These buildings are in good condition and continue to reflect their industrial significance.

The issue is said to be on the November 28th Preservation Board agenda, which isn’t available yet. I’m glad to see Mary “One” Johnson is no longer on the board, she consistently voted in favor of demolitions.

Saint Louis University must show the structure(s) cannot be reused — not necessarily for their intended purpose  but for any reasonable use. We’ll see how they try to spin this at the meeting.

- Steve Patterson

Poll: Should Saint Louis University be Allowed to Raze the Former Pevely Dairy Building at Grand & Chouteau?

ABOVE: The former Pevely Dairy at Grand & Chouteau (click image for map)

Father Biondi, President of Saint Louis University, must get a rush razing buildings, putting up fences and killing off potentially interesting areas. Word broke last week SLU wants to clear away the remainder of the Pevely Dairy at the SW corner of Grand & Chouteau:

The complex, at Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard, is made up of large brick buildings erected between 1915 and 1945. SLU has sought demolition permits for the buildings, which are on the National Register of Historic Places. The university argues the buildings can’t accommodate a modern medical practice. (STLtoday.com)

The Preservation Board will consider allowing demolition at their November 28th meeting (4pm). The poll this week asks simply if you think permission should be granted. Many will answer no but some may say maybe if SLU can show the building can’t be rehabbed. Others will say yes because you think since they own the building it is within their right to remove it from the landscape. The poll is in the right sidebar.

- Steve Patterson

SLU Garage Keeps Sidewalk at Olive & Compton Dead

One hundred years ago the block at SW corner of Olive & Compton contained about a hundred buildings — flats and houses mostly. But also a very large indoor skating rink, complete with electric lights!  Those buildings, and the life they gave to the sidewalks, are long gone.

In 1998 Saint Louis University constructed a massive parking garage on this corner — over 180,000 square feet on the ground floor. It’s impossible to have a vibrant (and safe) street life with such a lifeless structure consuming so much length of the sidewalk.

Of course we must stop building in such a way that kills sidewalks. But what do we do here? What we aren’t going to do is recreate the structures that existed 100 years ago, time marches on.  The massive garage isn’t going anywhere due to remaining debt and need.

But rarely is anyone parked on Olive. Why would they? There are no businesses or residences  to visit.

That’s the solution — squeezing in occupied structures between the garage and sidewalk. The garage would likely require mechanical ventilation since a structure(s) would cut off natural cross-ventilation. Small storefront spaces would occupy the sidewalk level, excellent incubator spaces. Apartments on the 2nd & 3rd floors, an elevator & stair would be in the middle.

Yes, you can point out all sorts of issues but I challenge you to instead think of how to make it work because I’m not satisfied this sidewalk will remain lifeless.

- Steve Patterson