Nineteen year ago I started this blog as a distraction from my father’s heart attack and slow recovery. It was late 2004 and social media & video streaming apps didn’t exist yet — or at least not widely available to the general public. Blogs were the newest means of …
The new NGA West campus , Jefferson & Cass, has been under construction for a few years now. Next NGA West is a large-scale construction project that will build a new facility for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis, Missouri.This $1.7B project is managed by the U.S. Army …
Book publisher Island Press always impresses me with thoughtful new books written by people working to solve current problems — the subjects are important ones for urbanists and policy makers to be familiar and actively discussing. These four books are presented in the order I received them. ‘Justice and …
This post is about two indirectly related topics: the new Siteman Cancer Center building under construction on the Washington University School of Medicine/BJC campus and an update on my stage 4 kidney cancer. Let’s deal with the latter first. You may have noticed I’ve not posted in three months, …
With the north-south section covered, I’ll resume heading west on Olive starting at 18th. For information on properties I checked city records on GEO St. Louis, it is generally reliable.
1800 Olive, built in 1962, contributes nothing. It is owned by the Salvation Army, which owns the Railton Apartments next door.
The one-story White Knight Diner at 1801 Olive dates to 1954, but it makes a positive contribution to the public realm. This place was featured in the 1990 film “White Palace” with Susan Sarandon & James Spader, click image for more information on this film.
MERS/Goodwill owns much of this city block
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The Currency Exchange owns the building at 1809 Olive, it has no off-street parking despite being surrounded by parking. It was built in 1926.
The surface parking lot between the Currency Exchange and 19th Street belongs to the police, came with the building that’ll be the new HQ next year. This reduces development potential unless they can get by with the parking located within the building.
This building faces Olive, 19th, & Pine. It was most recently a charter school.It should become occupied and hopefully altered, see below.
A doorway could be added to to enter the ground floor from Olive without a need for a ramp or steps. This could be for retail and/or restaurant.
Four buildings, four owners. Three from 19th century, one 20th century. The beige one-story building is from 1896, but it has been significantly altered.
The large parking lot fronting Olive, 20th & Pine is owned by an out of state entity, it should be more valuable developed.
2001 Olive was actually built in 1892, as a one-story building with 4 storefronts facing Olive and 3 facing 20th. By 1909 it was surrounded by taller buildings. Click image to view 1909 Sanborn map.
The narrow building at 2011 Olive was built in 1919. The empty lot on the east (right) is owned by the owner of the previous building.
This space at 2015 Olive is west of the previous building and has the same owner. This would make s nice patio/beer garden.
The rest of this block-face to 21st is these two buildings with the same ownership. The one on the left was built in 1903, the former Hamilton-Brown Shoe Factory. The one-story building on the right is from 1955. A taller building could replace the one on the right.
The 3rd floor is for lease but offices occupy the ground floor. The owner occupies much of the building, perhaps they can reconfigure so the ground floor becomes restaurant/retail space.
The remaining buildings on the south side of Olive, west of 20th, were built in 1926. This is within another proposed Northside Regeneration job center.
The block bounded by Olive, Pine, 21st, & 22nd, was cleared for the unbuilt 22nd Street Parkway. 21st & 22nd were vacated, these should be reopened.
St. Louis Brewery, owner of the Tap Room, owns this parking lot at 21st & Olive. Easily developed or turned into a beer garden.
Both of these buildings have the same owner and have been renovated within the last 5-10 years. Not sure if additional floors are an option.
The State of Missouri owns the vacant land at 22nd, part of the 22nd Parkway right-of-way.
I’ve long thought 22000 Locust was ripe for redevelopment. May 2010 photo.
It’s getting renovated into apartments right now, click image for more information.
Unfortunately the corner lot at 2201 Olive, just cleared of a non-urban building, will become a new surface parking lot for the apartment development.
The building at 2209 Olive (right) was built in 1906, but you can’t tell it. Expect lots of changes in this block.
The 1922 building at 2231 Olive contributes to the Locust Olive Historic District, click image for nomination.
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2200 Olive occupies a large parcel of land. The largely blank walls were common in 1963 when it was built.
The Lincoln Arms Hotel, built in 1928, provides low rent rooms by the week, serving a niche market. Walk by in the summer and the smell is awful. The physical form is ideal along a streetcar line.
Firestone owns this location built in 1964, not sure if they’d cash out the real estate.
I’d long assumed this surface parking lot belonged to the company in the building across the alley.
This 1968 building at Olive & Jefferson is interesting, but also low-density.
There are many more development sites, to the north & south, between 18th & Jefferson. I expect this to be a high activity area for development.
The impressive mosaic tile ceiling in the center of St. Louis’ WWI memorial
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, a day for family gathers, the Indianapolis 500 race, etc. But the origin dates to the 19th Century:
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. (continue reading…)
My heart goes out to all who’ve lost family or friends in service to our country.
Macy’s is located on 3 floors of the Railway Exchange building
You likely heard the news last week about the Macy’s store downtown:
Retailer Macy’s will close its downtown St. Louis in the Railway Exchange Center later this summer.
A final closing sale will begin June 2 and last 10 weeks. (KSDK)
Immediately following the announcement people were upset, but clearly not enough to keep the store open. The poll this week asks: How will Macy’s closing their downtown location affect downtown St. Louis in the long-term? The provided answers are:
Very negatively
Negatively
Neutral
Positively
Very positively
Unsure/no answer
These answers will be presented in random order in the poll (right sidebar) so the order doesn’t influence the results. You the comments below to share your thoughts.
For a few years now many people have been gearing up for the 50th anniversary of the last piece of the Arch being set into place, that will be on October 28, 2015. I wasn’t born yet so the topping of the Arch isn’t the big deal as it is to those alive at the time, watching it take shape. To many they only knew the Arch grounds as a parking lot.
Demolition of nearly 40 city blocks began in 1939, for decades the area was just parking. From the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial archives.
This parking lot is the subject of chapter three of a new book: The Gateway Arch: A Biography by Tracy Campbell. If you want a coffee table book on the Arch, this isn’t it. If you want an interesting biography of an iconic object, this is your book. This book will be released on the 28th.
The Gateway Arch was expected to open to the public by 1964, but in 1967 the public relations agency stopped forecasting the opening date. The arch’s visitor center opened on June 10, 1967 and the tram began operating on July 24.
The arch was dedicated by [VP] Humphrey on May 25, 1968. He declared that the arch was “a soaring curve in the sky that links the rich heritage of yesterday with the richer future of tomorrow” and brings a “new purpose” and a “new sense of urgency to wipe out every slum.” “Whatever is shoddy, whatever is ugly, whatever is waste, whatever is false, will be measured and condemned” in comparison to the Gateway Arch. About 250,000 people were expected to attend, but rain canceled the outdoor activities. The ceremony had to be transferred into the visitor center. After the dedication, Humphrey crouched beneath an exit as he waited for the rain to subside so he could walk to his vehicle. (Wikipedia)
Hopefully we’ll have dry weather on October 28, 2015.
I love patronizing food trucks, street food is part of the reason I live downtown. Food trucks are often located at various downtown locations, right next to the sidewalk. Very convenient.
Foods trucks at Third Degree’s recent open house
Food truck events, on the other hand, aren’t so convenient for those of us who’re disabled. Walking across grass, which is often uneven, is not an easy task. For some, it’s impossible.
The able-bodied can easily line up in grass.
For a few years now cities coast to coast have wrestled with accessibility of popular food truck events, so no citizens are excluded from participation. In 2011 Napa, CA halted a friday night event until a more accessible location could be found (source).
I’m asking local organizers to consider everyone when planning a food truck event.
AARP Livibility Index
The Livability Index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. for the services and amenities that impact your life the most
Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
Geo St. Louis
a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
