Rock Hill to Trade Namesake for Gas Station & Convenience Store

Pretend for a moment the modest stone church at the the NE corner of Manchester & McKnight was built in 1945. It would be old enough to be historic just based on age. In reality, though, the church was built by slaves in 1845. The City of Rock Hill, where the church is located, took it’s name from the church. Serious history!

Rock Hill has foolishly agreed to allow a developer to raze the recently vacated church for a gas station and convenience store. Seriously.

The 1845 limestone church, located at McKnight and Manchester roads, could very well be razed to make way for a gas station and convenience store. Rock Hill Presbyterian Church is one of the earliest churches to be established in the greater St. Louis area. Until August 2010, it was the oldest Presbyterian Church west of the Mississippi to hold worship services on a continuous basis in the same structure, according to a history from the Rock Hill Historic Preservation Commission.

U-Gas, based in Fenton, has reached a purchase agreement with the property owner, Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Inc.

Adjoining the church on the same property is the city-owned Fairfax House. The house was built between 1839 and 1842.

Plans call for the house to be moved to the northern end of the two-acre tract, with the move paid for by U-Gas. Bill Biermann, the attorney representing U-Gas, spoke at the July 5 board of aldermen meeting. (Source)

Incredibly shortsighted! It sounds like the purchase agreement is contingent on being able to build the gas station, so it may be possible to save the last bit of history in the area.

However, the developer must wait  6 months to see if someone can be found to relocated the stone structure. In the meantime, those seeking gas in the area will have to hope they have enough fuel to drive 825 feet further west, or another 1,200 feet beyond that.

The Fairfax house has been moved three times already, the most recent in 1997 from property across Manchester Rd.

The lovely timber frame home known as Fairfax is built to fit the Golden Mean in architecture. The appealing structure of four rooms joined with a central hallway is held together with tenon joinery, its frame resting upon massive oak sills hand hewn on site. Each window and door is delicately held together with a series of carefully placed hand carved wooden pegs. Delicately carved muntins lay across the panes of glass in the double hung window sashes. A brick lined food cupboard reaches floor to ceiling in the dining room and two massive Rumford Chimneys reach from cellar floor through rooftop. The hand turned newel post is still pinned underneath the first floor visible from the basement after being in constant use for some 160 years! (source)

The house would be moved a fourth time.

To see the architect’s sketch of the addition click here.

I propose that, if the church is razed, the city change it’s name to one of the following:

• U Gas Hill
• Gas Hill
• Sprawl Hill
• Un-Rock Hill

Driving through Rock Hill is pretty depressing, these two structures are the only thing pleasant along this stretch of Manchester Rd. Take them away and there will be no relief from the sprawl.

– Steve Patterson

Delayed Reduction of Lanes on Manchester Delayed Safety Benefits of Road Diet

The official ribbon cutting for the new Manchester Rd. streetscape in The Grove Commercial District was held back on May 19th, 2011. I was there for the event, arriving via the MetroBus shown below.

After reading of the status of the streetscape on April 27th I thought it would be very complete:

From the new pedestrian street lights to the widened sidewalks, the Manchester streetscape is shaping up nicely and quickly becoming a modern, attractive pedestrian-oriented street. The older style “Cobra” street lights will be removed soon, and the trash cans, bike racks, modern planters, and other street furniture will be all that is left to install. (source)

Upon arrival, I was disappointed the crosswalks and new lane configuration had not yet been repainted. I talked to several people that morning about the danger this posed. Later that day I got an email from Neighborhood Development Specialist, Chris Colizza, of Park Central Development (The Development Corporation for the 17th ward).  He wrote:

We met this morning at the Manchester streetscape ribbon-cutting. I confirmed with the Board of Public Service that restriping is scheduled for the week of May 30th, and the restriping will place crosswalks in line with the curb ramps, moving traffic farther from the center of intersections. Please let me know if you have any questions.

I was waiting to blog about my impressions of the changes until after the pavement markings had been completed. June began without any changes.  Waiting.  Then June was gone and July was here, still waiting.  And then tragedy on the 4th:

Police say John Foster Courtney was standing outside the St. Louis bar [Novak’s] when Justin Kramarczyk, 24, hit him in a Hyundai Sante Fe. Kramarczyk then allegedly sped away from the scene.

Courtney died that evening. The very next afternoon the following was posted on the 17th Ward blog:

Attention Manchester Residents and Business Owners,

Restriping of Manchester will occur on Wednesday July 6 and Thursday July 7, weather permitting. Cars parked on the street between 6 a.m. 6 p.m. will be towed.

Restriping Manchester is a critical component of making the street more attractive to businesses and residents. Traffic lanes will be reduced, leading to slower traffic and more pedestrian activity, as well as becoming safer for all users. Some parking will be lost to accommodate such changes, but following the restriping, the City will be eliminating some of the “No Parking” signs to help alleviate some unnecessary “No Parking” areas. (link)

It’s impossible to say if Foster Courtney would be alive today if the “critical component” had been completed after all the construction cones & signs had been removed?  It certainly looks to me like the city had an “oh shit” moment and quickly got on to the work that should have been done by the end of May. But any liability will be up to a jury as was the case with Elizabeth Bansen and Susie Stephens.

I never met Foster Courtney, or the suspect in the hit-and-run, Justin Kramarczyk. I have eight and seven mutual friends, respectively, with each on Facebook. Some are very close to one or the other.

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis LGBT community is reeling following a tragic accident in the early morning hours of July 4th which has left one community member dead and another’s life in ruin.

John Foster Courtney, 29, of St. Louis was struck at about 12:30 a.m. Monday as he crossed Manchester Avenue outside of Novak’s in the heart of The Grove. He succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital at about 11:30 p.m. that night.

Charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident is Justin Kramarczyk, 24, also of the city. Kramarczyk was observed drinking prior to the incident, according to a probable cause statement from police investigators. Additional charges are expected in the case. (The Vital Voice)

Alcohol can impair the judgement and reaction time of drivers, as well as pedestrians. I was not there and have no knowledge of alcohol consumption by either. My thing is planning & design and the more I thought about it the more angry I got.

The new lane configuration from four to two lanes shouldn’t have been done the week of May 30th, the reduction in speed and the number of lanes should have been done before the start of the construction on the $2.8 million road diet project. Waiting until after a fatality was negligence on the part of the city.

It also doesn’t take a genius to know that when you have more than one gay bar in an area that patrons will hop from one to the other. Not placing a direct crosswalk means people will jaywalk late at night after they, and others, have been drinking.  Motorists are naturally more likely to see pedestrians when they are in places where we expect them to be, crosswalks.

Two days after Courtney was struck, another accident happened:

A second wreck happened near the site of a deadly hit and run in the Grove neighborhood on July 4.

The latest crash happened around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday [July 6]. A vehicle was heading eastbound on Manchester when it clipped the back of a cab. The vehicle then hit a parked car and went up onto the sidewalk. (source)

Courtney’s rugby teammates, the St. Louis Crusaders, are selling $20 memorial t-shirts “with all proceeds going to the Courtney Scholarship at Culver-Stockton College.”

Foster gave us many gifts when he was here, including his humor, warmth, kindness, and athletic ability. His final gift was as an organ donor.

Contributions can also be made to Mid-America Transplant Services.  My heart goes out to everyone impacted by the loss of Foster Courtney.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Should St. Louis County & City Require Prescriptions for Cold & Allergy Medicines to Stop the Production of Meth?

You thought manufacturing had left the St. Louis region? Not so, the manufacturing of meth is going strong. Not in the city, but in the rural fringes:

Leaders in four area counties announced on Thursday a regional anti-meth drive — pushing simultaneously to require prescriptions for cold and allergy medications containing the key ingredient used to make the illicit drug.

Officials in St. Charles and Franklin counties say they’ve already lined up enough votes on their governing boards to pass countywide prescription requirements for products with pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed. The measures would apply both in unincorporated areas and cities.  (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

St. Louis County & St. Louis City are not part of this effort and some think those making meth with drive in to buy cold & allergy medication. So my poll question this week asks if St. Louis County & City should also require prescriptions for cold and allergy medications now sold over the counter?

– Steve Patterson

Was 3901 Forest Park Too Old To Fight For?

Many are upset about plans to raze the “flying saucer” at Forest Park & Grand as well as the former headquarters of the American Automobile Association of Missouri at Lindell and Vandeventer. But near both buildings, at Vandeventer & Forest Park, a building dating to 1901 is nearly gone.

It wasn’t mid-centry modern, it was 1901 industrial.

The building held the corner nicely, standing watch over the intersection as it had done for more than a century. Neither of the modern buildings nearby hold their corners at all.

Sure it’s ugly but with new windows, the old storefronts opened up and a recreated cornice it could have been spectacular. The demolition permit was applied for on March 17, 2011.  I did not see it on any agenda of the Preservation Board.  The property is in a Preservation Review District.  It’s also in the Cortex Life Sciences District, which meant it’s fate had already been determined.

We will get this district about 20% built when cities move onto the next big thing after life sciences research.

– Steve Patterson

Bank of America Thinks I’m a Cubs Fan (I’m Not)

I’m not a baseball enthusiast but I do root for the home team, the St. Louis Cardinals. After all, I live downtown about a mile from Busch Stadium.  I can even hear the home run fireworks. So you can imagine my shock when I opened my mailbox Wednesday:

Now I realize Charlotte NC is a long way from both St. Louis and Chicago.  They have the minor league Charlotte Knights, but no major league team.

I had to look up to be sure the St. Louis Cardinals have always been in St. Louis:

The Cardinals were founded in 1882 as a member of the American Association called the St. Louis Brown Stockings. The club quickly achieved success, winning four AA pennants in a row in 1885–1888. St. Louis played in an early version of the World Series, the first two times against the National League’s Chicago White Stockings, now named the Chicago Cubs. The 1885 series ended in dispute, but St. Louis won the 1886 series outright, beginning a St. Louis-Chicago rivalry that continues today.  The American Association went bankrupt in 1892, and the Browns moved to the National League, leaving much of their success behind for the next three decades. The club changed its name to the “Perfectos” in 1899, before adopting the “Cardinals” name in 1900. (Source)

So no living person working at Bank of America should be confused.  St. Louis did have the Browns, but they moved to Baltimore in the 1950s to become the Orioles. What about the Cubs?

William Hulbert, president of Chicago’s club, the White Stockings, signed multiple star players, such as pitcher Albert Spalding and infielders Ross Barnes, Deacon White, and Adrian “Cap” Anson, to join the team prior to the N.L.’s inaugural season of 1876. (Source)

As I thought, the Cubs have always been in Chicago.

Wrigley Field is 300 miles from Busch Stadium and nobody would confuse one with the other. Wrigley Field is in zip code 60613 and Busch in 63102, pretty distinctive. Somehow Bank of America got very confused. A couple I know, who are big Cardinals fans, got the same mailer at their home in the 63104 zip code.

I want to set the record straight, I’m not a Cubs fan.

– Steve Patterson