Urban Review on Vacation in Toronto

You may have been wondering why I have not been posting as regular as usual. Well, I’ve been traveling to two different places; back to Oklahoma City to see family over the holiday weekend and then Toronto. This was my first trip to Toronto. I arrived in Toronto very early Wednesday morning (July 5th) and I return to St. Louis today.

In the time I’ve been here I’ve ridden nearly every streetcar line, both subway lines as well as their light rail line. The other form of mass transit was the ferry to the Toronto Islands. Otherwise, my experience here has been on foot. In these few days I’ve taken over 1,800 photos!

Many issues where raised for me in Toronto which I will go into detail in future posts. In short, Toronto and St. Louis have many similarities as well as some stark contrasts. I will be exploring these in future posts as well as making many of my images available on Flickr.

In the meantime share you impressions of Toronto, either from personal experience or perceptions.

– Steve

Oklahoma City’s Mesta Park & Heritage Hills Neighborhoods

As a child growing up in Oklahoma City I was fond of many of the frame homes gracing the street grid North of downtown. Once I got my driver’s license I would spend hours driving around looking at all the homes that we so much more interesting than the 1960′s ranch my parents built about a year before I was born.

The home pictured at right is one of many in Oklahoma City’s “Heritage Hills” neighborhood. This hipped roof four square home is pretty common for Oklahoma City. The porch extending over the driveway to create a porte-cochere is also fairly common for the era.

It should be noted that Oklahoma City has only a handful of alleys and those are mostly confined to the downtown area. So garages were used for carriages and later for cars. The horses and dirty cars were kept out back as standard practice until after WWII when they crept toward the front all over the country. The porte-cochere was a great way to drop off passengers as well as protect the horse/car from the hot sun.

It is the one story classic bungalow that I really miss. These homes make up the bulk of Oklahoma City’s pre-war housing stock. The wide porches and overhangs help protect the walls from the hot sun.

The version actually happens to have a small second floor. This was often referred to as an “airplane bungalow.” The upstairs space, mostly just a single room, would serve as a sleeping porch to catch breezes from windows on all four sides. The houses were almost exclusively of frame construction with the porch piers of stucco, brick, stone or sometimes wood.

Just blocks away from the very ordinary bungalow above is this magnificent place, the Overholser Mansion built in 1903, four years before Oklahoma became a state. Not a bad little shack huh?

Nearby was the Skirvin family home. Bill Skirvin, was a wealthy business man and owned the finest hotel in town named, of course, the Skirvin Hotel. His daughter Perle Skirvin was born in Michigan in 1889, the year of the land run in Oklahoma. The family moved to Oklahoma in the late 19th Century and Perle lived in the area until she got married to George Mesta, they moved to the East coast.

She was only 36 when George died and in 1940 she moved to Washington D.C. and got involved in politics. In the 40s “Mesta was known as ‘the hostess with the mostest’ for her lavish parties featuring the brightest stars of Washington, D.C. society — such stars included artists, entertainers and many top-level national political figures.” In 1949 she graced the cover of Time Magazine after being named Ambassador to Luxembourg by President Harry Truman.

Her most famous quote:

“Any bitch with a million dollars and a nice dress can be a great hostess in Washington.”

Her life was the basis for Irving Berlin’s musical Call Me Madam staring Ethel Merman and the neighborhood where she was raised is known as Mesta Park. Not bad for a girl from Oklahoma.

See additional photos of homes from these two adjacent neighborhoods on Flickr.

– Steve

Dr. King, The Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum

Thirty-eight years ago history was forever changed by an assassins bullet(s) in Memphis Tennessee. Two weeks ago I stood in front of the Lorraine Motel, now the National Civil Rights Museum, and wept. There it was the balcony where a strong leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was taken down in his prime. I knew the National Civil Rights Museum was located in Memphis but I wasn’t expecting to see it upon my arrival.

It was evening and the old motel signs were on as well as the balcony lights. I was overcome with emotion. Seldom can you stand in a single spot where history was changed. I had several of those moments on my trip. The next day I found myself in front of Little Rock’s Central High School where nine African-American students were denied access in 1957 simply based on their race. Two days later I was walking the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial with my family. My niece’s husband is a survivor of the bombing, he was in the Journal Record building across the street from the blast. His name is on the wall of survivors which is organized by building.

But back to Memphis.

I arrived on Tuesday afternoon two weeks ago. I’d been through Memphis on the way to Atlanta a few years ago but I never stopped to see anything. This time I went out of my way to check out the city and, in particular, its streetcars. That evening, looking for a good dinner spot, I spotted the Lorraine signs while on the streetcar loop. The old hotel was a block away, down a slight hill. It was as I made my way toward the hotel from the streetcar stop that I started getting emotional. How different would our cities and lives be had Dr. King’s life not been taken?

The next day I ventured back to the area south of downtown Memphis where the National Civil Rights Museum is located, attached to the former Lorraine Motel. My schedule didn’t allow for time to see the museum but I wanted some daytime pictures. Besides, the $12 admission fee seemed a bit steep especially considering I’m usually not a fan of static museum displays. Then I saw something totally unexpected.

An anti-museum banner at a table on the edge of the grounds. Yes, a protest calling for people to boycott the National Civil Rights Museum.


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Walking In Memphis… & Little Rock

I’m planning a road trip to visit the family in Oklahoma. Instead of my usual route directly on I-44 I’m taking a quick detour through Memphis & Little Rock. The main goal is to experience Memphis’ Mainstreet Trolley and Little Rock’s River Rail.

While I am in those cities I also want to check out some modern in-fill projects, New Urbanist projects and other vibrant areas. The problem is, I don’t know where to find what I’m looking for. So, I’m open to suggestions you may have on places to visit in Memphis & Little Rock. I will have only a few hours in each city and will be spending a night in Little Rock.

So, if you can think of urban projects or places to visit in either city please use the comments below. If you’ve got links to websites with helpful information please include those as well.

– Steve

Local Stores Offer More Humor Than Chains

Seattle’s City Market store offers a humorous take on current affairs to attract customers. A friend of mine sent me this image he took while walking home from work the other day. Apparently this local market is known for its signs. My friend wrote in his email:

These are the folks that brought us “The Passion of the Sandwich” and “Salvador Deli”

Humor is one of the things seldom expected from big national chain stores or even regional chains but is often the hallmark of the business owner behind the counter at a locally owned business. Yet one more reason to skip the chains.

– Steve

Planes, Trains, Automobiles or Bus?

A few days ago I did a post about seeing all the lights of commuters coming to St. Louis from the hinterlands as I drove to Oklahoma for the holiday weekend. Yesterday someone placed the following comment on that post:

Steve, I am surprised you took an automobile to Oklahoma instead of either a bus or train. Isn’t that being a bit hypocritical?

Interesting question. Typically I’d just do a simply reply to that comment and that would be that. But instead I thought this worthy of a fresh new post.

In the 15+ years I’ve lived in St. Louis I’ve gone back to Oklahoma City to visit my family many times. Most have been by car while a few have been by plane. None have been by bus or train.
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Oklahoma City About to Abandon Chance for Excellent Mass Transit System

No, this is not Urban Review Oklahoma City. But I do return to my hometown a few times a year and keep tabs on what is happening there. Besides, we can learn from looking at other city’s successes or, in this case, mistakes.

At right is the remains of a once great rail system serving central Oklahoma. Like most cities of any size, Oklahoma City had streetcars to serve urban transportation needs. Back in the day a number of municipalities dotted the countryside around OKC and these were served by the “Interurban” rail service.

Behind OKC’s Union Station are these twelve tracks. Yes, twelve. Three long platforms, like the one shown in the foreground, served six of the twelve lines. Passengers entered the Union Station and took underground tunnels beneath the tracks and then came up through stairways to get to their platform.

The platforms had long canopies protecting passengers from the sun and bad weather. It appears to have been a great system, capable of serving many passengers. These platforms and tracks will soon be gone.

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Saving Face in Seattle

What do you do when a beloved building is where you want to build a new 22-story high rise tower? Most developers and elected officials would assume you have to clear the existing site.

Saving a facade is not a new concept but when done well it still interests me. I think it is good to continually remind ourselves this is an option to completely razing an existing structure.

From the new architect’s website:

Built in 1915, the Crystal Pool Natatorium was once among the most popular gathering spots in the city. Protected by a glass roof, the huge pool was filled with saltwater siphoned from Elliott Bay by a monstrous coal-fired pump and then heated to a tempting temperature.

Given the pool’s pedigree – it was designed by theater architect Martin Priteca, creator of Seattle’s Coliseum, Paramount and Orpheum theaters – it’s no surprise the Crystal Pool showcases one of the most artistic façades in town.

The new tower retains old walls facing each street but the corner element is new — a retail space. The windows in the old facade are also updated with metal canopies to help protect pedestrians from rain as they walk along the sidewalk. While not a pure restoration of the entire original envelope it is an acceptable compromise.

Architect Blaine Weber from the Puget Sound Business Journal:

Weber said Cristalla’s developers deserve kudos for going “beyond the call of duty.” Despite its age and artistry, the Crystal Pool is not an official landmark. While the city’s design review board and the Belltown community expressed a strong desire to save at least the façade, the developers did not have to listen.

“Another developer with an aggressive attorney could have said we can’t spend another $ 2 million or $ 3 million preserving this,” said Weber.

Besides incorporating the façade, developers also “left quite a few square feet on the table” when they embraced a slimmer and less obtrusive design, reducing floor plates from an average of 20,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet, said Weber.

The retention of the old facade as well as the use of massing to relate to the low-rise buildings adjacent to the site shows great skill. From the sidewalk you really don’t get the sense you are walking next to a 22-story tower — and that is a sign of a pedestrian friendly high rise.

– Steve

An Urban Walgreen’s in Suburbia

Yes, Walgreen’s has built a decent new store in an up to the sidewalk urban fashion in an otherwise suburban area. But don’t look for this in the St. Louis region. I’m in Seattle on a combination business trip and brief vacation. Yesterday we spotted this new Walgreen’s in an area of NW Seattle (map)

The first thing you can see is the typical Walgreen’s window where a true second floor should exist. But under that is a sign & entrance for a place that does nails. What gives?

Walgreen’s is known for seeking high-profile corner locations but they don’t necessarily want a pedestrian corner entrance. Instead they want a parking lot and adjacent entrance. This is a good compromise design.

Seattle has requirements to build more urban even in areas that in the past had been allowed to have typical suburban development — far setbacks behind a sea of parking. Seattle has realized people will walk if you make the path interesting and convenient.

So the street corner, at far left in this picture, has a smaller business but gives Walgreen’s the visibility they desire. The other end of the building relates well to both the sidewalk and their small, but adjacent, parking lot.

Behind the Walgreen’s is local grocery store QFC with a large parking lot. This new Walgreen’s gives a more urban feel to the corner that it previously lacked. Between the Walgreen’s and QFC parking lot is a narrow drive-thru lane to serve the pharmacy.

Also of note is the red bike rack. The placement near the entrance is excellent. I would have preferred an “inverted-u” type rack that allows the bike to be supported in two places. This wave type rack is sexier which is why it gets selected. This rack is designed to hold three bikes — the middle bike entering from the opposite side. Whomever specified this rack failed to understand that point as the user would have to trek their bike through the planting area to do so. As a result, this is a essentially two-bike rack. An inverted-u rack would also hold two bikes and would have been cheaper. In the space they have they could have done two inverted-u racks for a total of four spaces — probably for the same cost as this single rack that really only hold two. I’m glad to see racks becoming more common but more thought needs to go into their selection and placement.

Back to the Walgreen’s…

Why don’t we have such urban thinking in the St. Louis region?

Basically it boils down to elected officials that are either ignorant of what it takes to make a more urban and walkable community or too lazy/spineless to require developers to do something different than their auto centric sprawl prototypes. At the same time these elected officials are trying to deal issue of meeting air quality compliance and population loss. Solutions are at hand but it requires doing business differently.

I recently had a St. Louis Alderman tell me, as we were discussing developments, “if you knew all the information” I’d have a different view. The additional information was tidbits like the store in question only has two standard models which the alderman accepted at face value. The “if you were in my shoes” answers just don’t cut it. It is an easy way out. Finally the real sentiment came out that in the past we haven’t had developers lined up to do projects in the city. So a developer expresses an interest in a project so we accept whatever it is they want to build because that is their standard model.

The building anything you want attitude is not limited to officials in the city. Municipalities in St. Louis County are tripping over each other to give developers incentives in a fight for sales tax dollars that are regionally flat. Brilliant.

The buildings we are constructing today will be with us for at least 20 years. That alone is a sad statement as we should be building for much longer life spans. But even a short 20 more years of parking dominated development is too long. Our region will fall behind other regions that are actively embracing pedestrian-friendly designs. Our region needs to attract more people, hedge our bets against rising fuel costs and make real efforts to reduce auto use that leads to lower air quality.

We cannot continue to have elected officials that simply accept the developers first sales pitch. We can demand better in our community.

– Steve

Bringing Life to a Suburban Corner

This weekend I was reviewing pictures from previous trips to Seattle and ran across images of a project I spotted on a 2002 visit. I found it quite interesting at the time and think we could do well to employ such thinking on more than a few corners in our region.

This Tully’s Coffee location is located in suburban Seattle (map). From this view you can see how it conforms to the sidewalk which includes right turn lanes typical of suburban streets. But pedestrians do exist in the area.

From the main street you can see the building is not very large but is well detailed. It creates a sense of place at the corner of an intersection that needed it. Street trees and outdoor seating make this a pleasant place.

You’ll never guess what it is in front of.

Walgreen’s!

Yes, this small Tully’s Coffee location is in front of a typical corner Walgreen’s store. It includes entrances facing the corner as well as the Walgreen’s. I can envision people stopping at Walgreen’s to pick up something and deciding to run in for a latte. Conversely someone might stop for a coffee and realize they needed a few things they can pick up at Walgreen’s. It is a win-win for both retailers and the community.

I’m not a fan of Walgreen’s — they seem to procreate more quickly than rabbits. Throughout our region we have many stores identical to this one in Seattle. With so many existing and likely more on the way we should give serious consideration to such a concept.

It doesn’t have to be a coffeehouse at the corner. Could be a small restaurant like a Subway (or a locally owned equivalent). The idea is to begin placing buildings at the sidewalk line to make our cities more pedestrian friendly.

– Steve