I First Arrived in St. Louis 21 Years Ago Today!

It was twenty-one years ago today that I first drove into St. Louis from Oklahoma City.  My college friend Mary Ann and I were on our way to Washington D.C. where were going to be roommates. Our first stop was her mom’s house on Lemp. I was just 23.

The buildings along I-44 got my attention immediately. Exiting I-55 onto Arsenal and then turning right onto Lemp I was blown away but what I saw.  I was less impressed by what I smelled, the wind was blowing the hops smell from the brewery that direction.

The next day, a Sunday, her mom and a gay couple she knew gave us the grand tour of St. Louis. If I wasn’t already sold based upon what I saw upon arrival, I was by the end of that day. I had my first concrete from Ted Drewes, saw the Central West End along Euclid & Maryland Plaza, Forest Park, etc.

I decided I would not be moving to D.C., St. Louis would be my new home. I removed most of my stuff from Mary Ann’s Civic wagon and placed it in her mom’s basement. We drove to D.C., I still wanted to see it.  After a few days I took the train to Chicago, my first time there, and caught a train into Kansas. From there I got a bus to Oklahoma City.

I loaded up my car that I had left at my parents’s house and drove up I-44 again. The last 21 years I’ve had a love-hate relationship with St. Louis. I nearly moved away in 1994 & 1999. Both times I got sucked back in. I’m glad, because I don’t think I would have enjoyed Portland or Seattle as much as St. Louis.

Tonight the author of For the Love of Cities, Peter Kageyama, will give a free presentation tonight at the Regional Arts Commission (RAC) 6128 Delmar, 6pm-7:30pm.  How could I miss such an event on such an important anniversary?

– Steve Patterson

Readers: MetroLink Light Rail was a Good Investment

This morning I’m meeting a friend at the airport so we can catch up on the ride to his downtown hotel. Sure, he could take a cab or ahotel shuttle or I could drive out there to get him, but why?

Our light rail connection to the airport is outstanding. We’ve enjoyed the connection since 1993. When I flew to Seattle in 2009 their airport light rail wasn’t yet complete.   Flying into LaGuardia Airport in 2005 I took a bus into Manhattan, NYC’s excellent rail system didn’t reach the airport.

No doubt the airport connection helped garner so many favorable responses in the poll last week, Poll: Was MetroLink a Good Investment?:

Q: MetroLink light rail opened 18 years ago, was it a good investment?

1. Yes, it is an important part of our region’s transportation system. 180 [79.3%]
2. Other answer… 19 [8.37%]
3. No, likely cost too much given the ridership 16 [7.05%]
4. Possibly, need data to know 10 [4.41%]
5. unsure/no opinion 2 [0.88%]

Here are the numerous other answers:

1. If it went faster I would easily say YES. Right now it is a VERY “nice to have”
2. Yes, although we need more lines for it to be truly effective.
3. Good starter line but not designed to take advantage of STL’s Urban Form
4. Yes, but it needs more lines to make it fully functional
5. No, because it’s taking away from the bus system.
6. It’s a good start, we need a north south line in high density residential nabes
7. It’s a needed part of trans. system, but need data to know if good investment
8. Yes, but it needs to be expanded to MidAmerica to grasp the airport’s potential.
9. ghetto link
10. Good investment, but really need to encourage TODs to maximize investment return
11. Overall yes but NIMBYs have strongly compromised its potential and overall worth
12. Yes, but the subsequent failures have hurt: lack of extension down 40, etc.
13. a good investment subsequently wasted by failure to expand to critical mass
14. It would have been but not as it stands.
15. No. It is too limited to be useful.
16. Only if they build more lines
17. Yes, but we need to do better.
18. yes, but it still needs improvement in service hours and number of stops
19. Without turnstiles, we have no idea how much revenue we are losing.

Here are some of my thoughts:

• Light rail is one of several types of fixed rail transit, others include heavy rail and streetcars. Each has it’s place. Light rail into Illinois and to the airport was a good investment because we had the right-of-way, bridge, and tunnels to support the construction.
• The extension further into Illinois was also a good investment as the distance is substantial, getting many cars off the roadways with minimal infrastructure since the line used existing at-grade right-of-way.
• The extension to Shrewsbury, however, was not a good investment. Expensive tunnels and flyover bridges drove up costs enormously. The distance covered is not that great.
• The lack of turnstiles made sense in the late 80s when the original line was being planned, ridership was unknown and the additional costs to construct a closed system would have been too much. I don’t think much revenue is lost by those who don’t pay, but not having a reloadable card option (yet) is a huge disadvantage.
• Light rail is typically run in it’s own right-of-way so therefore it isn’t where you need it to be – in the street next to your destination.
• Light rail doesn’t belong in street right-of-ways, that’s what a streetcar is for.
• I see very limited need for additional light rail in the region.  An extension into Madison County Illinois would be nice.  Connecting north county via existing right-of-way from Clayton or airport area makes sense too.  Extending into south county from Shrewsbury also makes sense.
• I oppose street running light rail going through north & south St. Louis to get county riders downtown.
• We will never again have a streetcar system serving all neighborhoods in the city and light rail only serves a very small portion of people.  Bus service, therefore, is the main mode of transit.
• Light rail distracts Metro and funding from bus service, which has been getting the short end of the stick for too long.

– Steve Patterson

Family Walks a Block to City Museum

On July 28th I posted about traffic heading to City Museum was backing up onto Washington Ave (Traffic Backup at Noon). The next day I noticed traffic was even worse:

The original traffic jam was on Friday July 15th, the one above was Friday July 29th.  By Monday August 1st the situation was very different.

No traffic but a family of four parked in the parking lot to the east of the Ely Walker building and walked a block north to City Museum. Nice. Despite what some may think, it is safe to walk downtown without getting mugged or shot.

– Steve Patterson

The Evolution of a Downtown Property

The property currently known as the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark has gone through considerable changes in the last 45 years. After the 1964 World’s Fair in NYC  St. Louis mayor Cervantes convinced civic leaders to pay $6 million dollars to buy the Spanish Pavilion and bring it to downtown St. Louis.

No towers, just a low-rise tourist attraction that didn’t attract tourists for long. A 1989 KSDK story (w/video) fills in some of the details. Basically the first tower was added in 1976, following the bankruptcy of the pavilion.  It was known as the Breckenridge Inn. Later it became a Marriott and the second tower was built to the west.

A few years ago the Marriott became the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. An addition was built at the NE corner of the property to expand the lobby bar.

But it’s the latest addition that has many impressed, including me.  For a while now a steel & glass structure was constructed on the roof of the first tower.

The new space is occupied by Three Sixty:

Soaring nearly 400 feet above downtown St. Louis, Three Sixty is the ultimate rooftop bar. Located atop the perfectly positioned Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, Three Sixty offers sweeping views in all directions – hence the name – including a birds’ eye view right into Busch Stadium. With a cocktail in hand and a tasty bite to savor, it is the perfect perch to take in the Cardinals, the Gateway Arch, the mighty Mississippi and the sites of St. Louis near and far.

Open daily at 3 pm, Three Sixty has an extensive wine, beer and cocktail selection as well as a delicious assortment of small plate fare expertly prepared by Chef Rex Hale. Hale, whose culinary experience has taken him to kitchens around the world, has created a menu that’s globally inspired but bursting with locally sourced ingredients. Signature items include Mini New England Lobster Rolls, New York Strip Crostini and Roasted BBQ Oysters. There is also a Woodstone gas firedeck oven that reaches the ideal temperature to produce perfectly cooked pizzas.

The stunning 6,000 square-foot space features indoor and outdoor seating, accommodating guests year-round with its flexible layout. With a giant outside bar, several indoor bars, an open kitchen, a dramatic wine wall, flat-screen TVs, Zen-like fire pits and contemporary styling, its sleek, urban vibe is a perfect addition to the downtown entertainment scene. Already known for its stellar location and first-class amenities, the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark has now been crowned with a rooftop bar on par with the best in the country.

Thursday night I joined the group City Affair at Three Sixty – for three hours.

It was the first night of decent weather since they opened. There is lots of seating indoors as well as out but both were packed.  The artichoke pizza I had ($14) was excellent as was the local Urban Chestnut Winged Nut on draft ($6). The views were outstanding!

The take away is buildings are rarely static, they change slowly over time to meet our changing tastes and uses for them.

– Steve Patterson

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