Poll: Name the future commercial district along Grand at the Old White Water Tower

My post last Monday was about the commercial district along Grand Ave around the Old White Water Tower (Grand Ave Water Tower Commercial Area Had Such Potential, Still Does). Although all the original buildings on the circle have been razed, I still see potential for the area.

Every good commercial district needs an identity (See The Loop, Grand South Grand, Cherokee, etc) so I figured why not see what we could collectively come up with for the stretch of East Grand Ave centered at the Old White Water Tower at North 20th Street.

The area is entirely in the College Hill neighborhood:

The name College Hill was given to this area because it was the location of the St. Louis University College Farm. This area, bounded generally by Warne (O’Fallon Park, I-70, Grand Blvd. and West Florrisant was acquired by the University for garden and recreation purposes in 1836, it was subdivided in the early 1870’s. The Bissell Mansion, the Old Water Tower at 20th Street and East Grand Avenue, and the Red Water Tower at Bissell Street and Blair Avenue are mainstays in this old Northside neighborhood and are testimony of a rich historical heritage. The housing of this neighborhood dates back between 1880 and 1920. Town and four family flats predominate the neighborhood, with a mixture of single family brick dwellings. The houses have large yards and are ideal for landscaping. The homes located near the crest of the hillside bluff enjoy a view of the river and its valleys. Nearly half of the housing dwellings are owner-occupied. Historically the area’s commercial center has been concentrated along East Grand around the Old Water Tower with a strip along West Florissant.

The neighborhood map looks like this:

The poll this week asks you to name the commercial district. I’ve provided the following answers:

• 20 Grand
• Bissell Point
• College Hill
• Grand College Hill
• Grand Water Tower District
• Old White
• The Column
• The Corinthian
• unsure/no opinion
• Doesn’t matter, will never become a commercial district again

You can also provide your own answer if you don’t like any of those provided.

– Steve Patterson

A Freshly Painted Crosswalk

The bold & highly visible “continental” crosswalk at 17th & Olive is such a beautiful sight to my eyes.  Wish all crosswalks were marked in this way.

– Steve Patterson

The Color of Windows

The standard color of most new windows is white, although some manufacturers do offer other choices, sometimes at the same price. Throughout the city windows have traditionally been dark in color, not white. The contrast of the above picture illustrates why dark windows work better with dark brick buildings.

The white windows jump out at you, drawing too much attention to themselves. The dark windows recede and work with the brick, rather than compete.

I haven’t verified this, but I think the windows on floors three and higher are black clad whereas the first and second floors have unclad wood windows that arrived onsite with white primer. If you are painting or replacing your windows give some thought to color, don’t assume white.

– Steve Patterson

Grand Ave Water Tower Commercial Area Had Such Potential, Still Does

When I first spotted the “old white” water tower in the middle of Grand Avenue (Satellite image) I was blown away by the commercial buildings that surrounded the iconic white column. First, information on the tower:

Described as “the only perfect Corinthian column of its size in the world,” the Grand (“Old White”) Water Tower on 20th Street and Grand Avenue was built during the waterworks expansion led by Thomas Whitman (brother of poet Walt Whitman) following the Civil War. The 154-foot tower, designed by architect George I. Barnett, was completed in 1871 at a cost of $45,000. The tower is constructed of a brick shaft resting on a Chicago stone base and octagonal stone platform, topped with an iron capital cast in a leaf design. It was retired from service in 1912. In the 1920s and 30s, beacons placed atop the tower served as navigational aids to pilots seeking Lambert International Airport. Legend has it that Charles Lindbergh once used the lights to find his way home when he was lost in a Mississippi River fog. In 1933, after citizens objected to a recommendation that the monument be torn down, Mayor Bernard Dickmann came to the tower’s defense. “To wreck this tower would, to my mind, verge closely on an act of sacrilege,” the Mayor declared. (St. Louis Water Division)

The tower was safe, but the context wasn’t. It screamed potential. Even boarded, the buildings had such great massing, materials and proportions.Where else does such exist in the country? Nowhere I know of. In 1988, two years before I arrived, Freeman Bosley Sr. was elected to office as 3rd ward alderman.  The potential would be razed, rather than realized.

In 1990 South Grand was nothing, the Delmar Loop was just getting started, and the few customers on Cherokee St were looking for prostitutes. None of these three districts had  visionary elected officials but at least they didn’t see them as something to actively level.

Some of the land surrounding the tower is owned by the city agency, the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). The rest of the land is owned by the Citizens for Community Improvement, Inc.

Citizens For Community Improvement Inc in Saint Louis, MO is a private company categorized under Career and Vocational Counseling. Our records show it was established in 1971 and incorporated in Missouri. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $400,000 and employs a staff of approximately 9. Companies like Citizens For Community Improvement Inc usually offer: Greenleaf Job Training Services, Jobs And Training Services, Job Training Services. (source)

So what do we do today?

• Begin a planning process for a series of concentric circles around the tower, the smallest circle would be the most detailed. Planning area would be more an oval, along Grand and include I-70 and Florissant.
• Develop a catchy name for the commercial district, begin marketing to build an identity.
• Develop form-based standards for new construction,  buildings should be 2-4 stories high.

I see street-level retail with residential units above.  There may be some demand for office space in addition to retail.  No, Plaza Frontenac doesn’t have to worry about high-end retailers  leaving the upscale mall for this area. But where you have people there is a need for services.

Of course, this planning should have started 20+ years ago.

– Steve Patterson

Traffic Backup at Noon

Friday the 15th I observed an unusual sight, traffic backing up on Washington Ave at 11:45am. At the moment some cars were sitting on Washington Ave waiting to turn onto  16th Street. Obviously some big event at City Museum was attracting lots of people, and their cars.

Other than before and after events, downtown has no traffic to speak of.  It would be nice if more people would use transit or at least not try to park in front of the door of their destination. Most of these people probably ended up parking a block or two away anyway. I see the same thing at other venues all the time, drivers on 18th street waiting to turn onto Clark Ave to reach Scottrade Center. Really? What are they thinking?

If you are driving to a major event downtown please don’t try driving to the exact spot where the event is held, target a block or two in any direction. Better yet, take a bus or train.

– Steve Patterson