A Sign That Was Worth Saving

Sometimes a sign is worth saving, in Tulsa just such a sign was worth the trouble & expense. Plus the building it sat on too!

In the 1930’s, Meadow Gold put it up atop a small building at 11th and Lewis. It was a beacon along Route 66 until sometime in the 1970’s. “It’s more than just a sign, it lives in people’s hearts and memories it truly is a landmark,” said Lee Anne Ziegler. A few years ago the owner of the building on which the sign rested decided to tear the building down. The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and others mounted a sign rescue project. They got a grant from the National Parks Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. They were able to take the sign down and begin restoration. Other grants and donations helped finish the project. (source)

I took these images in September 2009, about 5 months after this opened. I had decided to drive Route 66 from the Oklahoma border to Oklahoma City, much more interesting than I-44.

The new location is 9/10th of a mile west of the original. I like the sign and the windowless building, makes an interesting stop for those seeing Route 66 sites.

— Steve Patterson

My First Wikipedia Edit

Wikipedia is a crowd-sourced encyclopedia. Better than peer reviewed, it’s peer-edited! This post is a story about how I made my first edit and uploaded my first image.

The other day I wanted to find the address of the Page Warehouse in Tulsa designed by architect Bruce Goff (1904-1982), but the Wikipedia page List of Art Deco buildings in Tulsa, Oklahoma listed an address on East 13th, rather than East 11th. It also said it had been demolished.

The listed address was 408 East 13th, which is surrounded by highway off ramps. Someone must’ve assumed it was demolished because there are no buildings remaining at that address anymore. But I knew it was on East 11th, which was Route 66 in Tulsa. I drove past the building last on September 4, 2009.

Knowing the address in Wikipedia was wrong I looked up Page Moving & Storage instead of Page Warehouse. Ah yes, 2036 East 11th, the building still stands and the company is still in existence at that address.

But Wikipedia was still wrong…I couldn’t just leave it that way. I had to create a profile and correct the information, I might as well add one of the 6 images I took 4 years ago too. The registration process & editing were fairly simple. Wikipedia tracks who edits each page.

According to Wikipedia, it has over 19 million accounts (Wikipedians) with only a fraction as regular contributors. I’ve not looked at the results of their 2011 editor survey, except that 90% are male. Not sure what conclusions, if any, to draw from that.

Are you a Wikipedian?

— Steve Patterson

Downtown Trolley Ignored By Metro, CVC, & Downtown Community Improvement District

In July 2010 the #99 downtown circulator became the #99 downtown trolley, a bus wrapped in a cartoonish look.

“We are pleased to introduce this new trolley service, which will not only benefit downtown residents and workers, but also the millions of visitors St. Louis welcomes annually,” said Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC). “Just in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, this new service will enable tourists to experience more of the world-class attractions, sports venues, culture, retail and dining that St. Louis offers.” (Partnership)

Many laughed three years ago, but based on observations during my use, I’d say it has been a resounding success. I regularly see other downtown residents, workers, & tourists on the trolley bus. It does the job Metro, The Downtown Community Improvement District, and the Convention & Visitors Commission intended.

Unfortunately, it is all too often ignored by these three entities. I’ve got two examples:

First, I overheard a Metro employee helping tourists who wanted to go from the Crowne Plaza hotel to Sweetie Pies’ Upper Crust the next day.  The Crowne Plaza is located downtown at 200 N 4th St (@ Pine St) and Sweetie Pies’ Upper Crust at 3643 Delmar in Midtown/Grand Center.

The Metro employee suggested walking to the Convention Center MetroLink station to catch the train to Civic Center MetroLink station to catch the #97 (Delmar) MetroBus to Sweetie Pies. Really?

I’d have suggested catching the #99 trolley across Pine St, taking it to the City Museum stop on 16th between Delmar & Washington Ave, walking half a block to 16th & Washington Ave to catch the #97 to Sweetie Pies. Google Maps agrees, though it would make the transfer at 14th & Washington.

The order of suggested routes does vary based on departure or arrival times. The MetroLink option it suggests is to go to Grand and take the #70 bus north to Delmar. This may have been what the Metro employee told them to do, but I’m pretty sure I heard her suggest the Civic Center. The point is people get needlessly directed to MetroLink, having them walk more or go way out of their way.  I’d never want a tourist to try to find the #97 bus after leaving the train, it is confusing to me and I know the area well.

The other example is one of omission.

Yes, the pedestrian directories to help tourists navigate downtown doesn’t the trolley route & stops. It’s as if the trolley doesn’t exist at all.

Trolley info doesn’t appear on the downtown directories! Such a huge omission, but not surprising given the anti-bus attitude of so many. The trolley route could easily be shown on the directories.

The directory listings are just printed, easily updated. I’ll be notifying all three entities (Metro, Downtown CID, CVC) about the omission. We’ll see how long it takes to get them updated.

— Steve Patterson

Readers Apathetic About Bridgeton Landfill Issues

The poll last week was a bust, only 34 people voted, about a third of the usual number of responses. I attribute this to a combination of the poll itself (poorly phrased?) and apathy about an issue miles from the municipal limits of the City of St. Louis.

Here are the results:

Q: Thoughts on government (EPA/MO-DNR) regulation/oversight at the Bridgeton & Westlake landfills?

1. Government should’ve done substantially more 18 [52.94%]
2. Government should’ve done a little more 7 [20.59%]
3. Government reaction has been just right 7 [20.59%]
4. Government should’ve done a little less 1 [2.94%]
5. Government should’ve done substantially less 1 [2.94%]
6. Unsure/No Answer 0 [0%]

For what it’s worth, more than half thought government should’ve done substantially more. I agree, but I also think we can all do substantially more to reduce what we send to landfills.

My boyfriend and I recycle everything we can, but also to reduce the items sent to landfills & recycling:

• Buy some items in larger sizes to reduce packaging waste from multiple smaller packages
• Make cleaning products with Borax and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, such as liquid laundry detergent & dishwasher powder. Saves lots of packaging, as well as money.
• For 3 months now we’ve been vermicomposting in a Rubbermaid container in our loft. Yes, red wiggler worms eat our kitchen scraps!

Here are some other green things we do:

• Use connected LED bulbs in our 3 most used lights
• Use the Nest thermostat to control our HVAC system
• Line dry our clothing indoors
• Use reusable shopping bags
• Try to buy more fresh fruits & veggies rather than packaged processed “food”
• Make our own yogurt, hummus, and other items.

The two landfills with issues mentioned in my original post have been closed for years now, but everyone should be concerned about the mountains of trash we create.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Galleria To Improve Pedestrian Access, Adding ADA Access Routes From Public Transit Stops

I’m very pleased to announce The Galleria Saint Louis & General Growth Properties, Inc. (GGP) will make substantial site modifications to better accommodate pedestrian visitors to the mall.

Thankfully GGP was very cooperative from day one, they willingly recognized the access issues I raised and quickly agreed to address them.  For the last 18+ months we’ve been working together on a mutually agreeable resolution. GGP and I share a desire to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities.

For those pedestrians arriving at The Galleria via the Richmond Heights MetroLink light rail station, a new pedestrian access route will be completed.

Additional pedestrian access routes will be constructed as well.

Again, I’m very pleased to be able to make this announcement.

— Steve Patterson