In February 2016 the St. Louis region was still accepting the fact the Rams were returning to California, our proposal to clear the north riverfront for a new National Football League (NFL) stadium had been rejected — by Kroenke or voters…can’t remember.
Also in February 2016 Major League Soccer (MLS) expressed interest in St. Louis as an expansion city. I didn’t want the historic north riverfront to continued being targeted, so I proposed a different site. A site I’d wanted to see redeveloped for years. The short remnants of the never-built 22nd Street Parkway.
This image is from that February 2016 post, taken from the adjacent hotel.
I haven’t been back to that hotel yet, but I have ridden the St. Louis Wheel at Union Station. Twice, in September 2019 and earlier this month.
Today’s post is a look at similar views from those two visits, nearly 18 months apart.
Before: looking northwest on September 24, 2019During: a similar view as above on March 7, 2021. In time the Union Station surface parking lot in the foreground will get developed.
Now for a cropped view focusing on Market over the 22nd Parkway.
Before: the Market St bridge and the ramp up to it had been there for decades. I saw the big hole on the other side of Market as an architectural advantage.During: the decaying Market Street bridge is gone! The new MLS stadium is set into the hole. A tunnel will provide service access to the stadium.
Now looking west:
Before: The 22nd Parkway cut a slice between 21st & 22nd streets. Prior NFL & MLS stadium proposals were here, wedged up against I-64.During: for the first time in 6+ decades Clark Ave will be uninterrupted between 20th & Jefferson.
It’s even more exciting closer to street level.
Before: pretty much a dead zone in 2019.During: you can see Clark Ave taking shape. Eventually the long vacant land in the foreground will be developed.
It is very exciting to see this area beginning to recover from the damaging 22nd Street Parkway project. It’ll take years to fill in, but it’s better to naturally fill in over time than to be an all at once infill project.
August 15, 2020Featured, MLS StadiumComments Off on Soccer Stadium, Team Name, and COVID-19
By the time the newly-named St. Louis CITY SC hit the pitch in their Downtown West stadium, now under construction, the bulk of the COVID-19 pandemic should be over…hopefully. Originally they were to join Major League Soccer in 2022, but the current pandemic delayed the MLS expansion schedule a year.
The new MLS stadium is being built North of Market Street, West of 20th Street — exactly where I suggested in February 2016.The Market Street bridge over the old 22nd Street Interchange is getting filled in.
This delay will greatly benefit the St. Louis CITY SC. Construction on the stadium was just beginning as Coronavirus began spreading in the U.S. The year delay gives more time to compete the facility and the adjacent training grounds and club offices. The delay also gives them time to make design changes to help in case of future pandemics.
The most obvious would be hand washing stations in public & private areas. The owners & architects are likely discussing other possible design changes:
Larger public & private restrooms. Or at least have more dividers.
Larger locker rooms, or again more separation.
Larger back spaces, like kitchens & staff areas.
How to handle lines to enter, for concessions.
Potential for high-tech equipment to check temperature of those entering the stadium, locker rooms, offices, etc.
How to make the stadium look good on television if a game is played without fans.
Materials that resist germs, hold up well to deep cleaning.
Equipment to automate the sanitizing of spaces, especially locker rooms.
Evaluate the design of HVAC equipment to determine if it meets the newest guidelines for removing contagious air droplets, bringing in fresh air.
There are probably many more design considerations than the above.
The St. Louis CITY SC crest.
Then there’s the name of the team, announced two days ago: St. Louis CITY SC.
We are East of the River and West of I-270. We are Old North and South County. St. Charles and St. Ann. Belleville and Oakville. We are the heart of a vibrant midtown and the soul of dozens of historic downtowns.
Our club represents every street, neighborhood and community in the region, standing up for one another. We are the collective spirit of generations old and young, doers and makers, always looking forward – together.
We are America’s First Soccer Capital and we tenaciously embrace our future. This is our club. This is our home. This is our CITY. (St. Louis CITY SC)
Part of me likes the idea that they’re trying to accomplish — getting us to view the region as outsiders do — a city called St. Louis. Outsiders don’t see or care that St. Louis County is carved up into 90 municipalities, or that the City of St. Louis physical boundaries were frozen in place nearly a century and a half ago. .
Carolyn Kindle Betz, who heads the local ownership group MLS4TheLou, has announced the name and logo for the new Major League Soccer team in St. Louis.
The team is named “Saint Louis City SC” and the color “city red” which borders on the color pink is featured in their logo.
Betz says that the team’s name is a way to bring the region together. The “City” aspect of the name is used by many other soccer clubs internationally. (Fox2)
Betz is right, I was able to find a lot of football clubs with ‘city’ in the name, Manchester City FC is the most known example. It seems not all football…uh…soccer fans like ‘city’ in the name.
Football is full of boring team names like ‘United’, ‘Rovers’ and ‘City’. Look in the right places, however, and you’ll find some really, really good ones. (Planet Football)
It’s interesting how U.S. teams use F.C. (football club) or S.C. (soccer club). The MLS league will have thirty teams once expansion is complete. Thirteen use ‘FC’ in their names, including the three other expansion teams. With St. Louis CITY SC, the will have four ‘SC’ teams. The remaining thirteen do not use either ‘FC’ or ‘SC’ in their team names.
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