Great Potential, Little Hope

The above storefront building at 2909-2917 Marcus Ave is owned by the city’s Land Reutilization Authority (LRA).  The building is just west of the Shelley House I blogged about last Tuesday.  If not for being in a local historic district, the city would have razed this structure years ago. The LRA came out of urban renewal when the idea of razing buildings so land could be reutilized was all the rage.  Today the LRA is a dumping ground for unwanted property:

The Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) receives title to all tax delinquent properties not sold at the Sheriff’s sale. It also receives title to properties through donations. The SLDC Real Estate Department maintains, markets, and sells these properties and performs land assemblage for future development.

The LRA has received attention in recent years, the RFT quoted a state audit in 2009:

The LRA does not have contracts related to costs incurred for property maintenance and upkeep. During the year ended June 30, 2008, the LRA paid approximately $660,000 to the St. Louis Development Corporation for property upkeep services, and $100,000 to the city’s Forestry Division for grass cutting, weed maintenance, and debris removal. In addition, there is no documentation to support why only $100,000 was paid while the Forestry Division’s billing records indicate it incurred charges of $1,658,000 for LRA properties. LRA staff indicated the land sales do not generate sufficient revenues to pay for all related costs and the city’s General Fund incurs the majority of the additional costs.

More recent:

A new study by the Show-Me Institute trains a spotlight on the largest St. Louis landholder. This is not any one individual or developer, but the Land Reutilization Authority, a joint creation of the city of St. Louis and the state of Missouri, which was set up in 1971 for the purpose of putting abandoned, tax-delinquent properties back into productive use.

The problem is, the LRA seems to have done more to thwart development than to encourage it. During the past four decades, the LRA has accumulated a larger and larger inventory of vacant properties in St. Louis, while rejecting many offers from private individuals and small businesses to purchase selected properties from the agency. (St. Louis Beacon: LRA needs to sell a lot of lots)

When I started this post I was just going to comment on how I liked the feel of the area, the arrangement of streets and buildings.  That changed when I discovered the city owns the building.  Many have rightly complained about Paul McKee letting his properties deteriorate, but at least he has a plan.

The city has no plan for this area, other than let it continue to decline further.  Then what?

The potential is all around, that “feel” I was talking about is great. Turning the area around takes leadership that appreciates the urban design of the period, rather than try to turn it into a late 20th century suburb. Given our lack of such leadership, with a few exceptions, I have little hope for this area. Of course I know our city can’t prosper if large areas are left to disappear.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Thoughts on the former Sportsman’s Park

Sportsman’s Park had two addresses: 3623 Dodier St. (Cardinals) & 2911 N Grand Blvd (Browns). Yes, St. Louis’ two major league teams played at the same ballpark on North Grand until the Browns became the Baltimore Orioles in 1954.  The last game at the ballpark was played 45 years ago today, May 8, 1966. That day the Cardinals lost to the San Francisco Giants 10-5 (source).

Many in St. Louis enjoyed games from the Grand Stand for decades, others not as long:

[Dateline: May 4] 1944 – Blacks were allowed to buy grandstand seats for the first time in St. Louis history. St. Louis was the last of the major league clubs to integrate seating. Blacks had been restricted to the bleachers. (Source)

The last to integrate? Hmm, not surprised.

I personally feel it was a mistake to relocate what had been renamed Busch Stadium to a razed section of downtown (see Urban Renewal Destroyed St. Louis’ Early Chinatown, Hop Alley). Baseball was first played on this site in 1866! A field does remain as part of the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club.  I wonder what Grand & St. Louis Ave would be like today if the Cardinals had remained on the site of Sportsman’s Park. Would it be a diverse & bustling neighborhood or would the surrounding neighborhoods have been razed for surface parking?

I realize the 1960s were a turbulent decade. The 8th Inning of Ken Burns’ Baseball series looked at this period. It starts with the razing of Ebbets Field, vacant after the Brooklyn Dodgers became the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Ballpark after ballpark was razed in this decade as baseball fought for fans, many interested in football.

The poll this week, upper right of blog, is about Sportsman’s Park.

– Steve Patterson

Saturday in Tower Grove Park

St. Louis has many beautiful parks, large & small.  Tower Grove Park must be ranked among the top parks in the city.

Tower Grove Park was first authorized by a state law passed on March 9, 1867, and came into existence on October 20, 1868, when Henry Shaw conveyed his lands to the City of St. Louis, by deed of gift. It is governed by a Board of Commissioners appointed under the authority of the Supreme Court of the State of Missouri. The Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of these Commissioners, by virtue of his office.

Under the terms of the 1867 act of the General Assembly of the State, the Park Board has the “full and exclusive power to govern, manage, direct and control” the park, “to pass ordinances” for its regulation and government, and, generally, has “all the power and authority … conferred upon or possessed by the Corporation of St. Louis in respect to the public squares and places” in St. Louis. The Commissioners submit an annual report to the Board of Alderman of the City.

Fulfilling the contractual obligations assumed in 1868, when the Mayor and Henry Shaw jointly signed the deed, the City supplied funds for the improvement of the land, and each year since then has placed funds in the hands of the Board, to be expended upon the Park at the discretion of the Commissioners.

For twenty years as the work of improving the Park land proceeded, Mr. Shaw gave his services as Comptroller and general supervisor, and during that period of devotion to the public welfare, he personally donated to the Park three noteworthy bronze statues and other works of art.

Tower Grove Park is a nearly rectangular tract 7,676 feet long and 1,550 feet wide, as originally platted. The area granted by Mr. Shaw’s deed was 276.76 acres, but the outer border, 200 feet wide, containing 74.74 acres, was reserved for leasing for villa residences, but this never materialized. Problems involved in the effort to carry out this provision resulted in many years of negotiation. In 1925, a satisfactory solution was reached, and this surrounding strip was legally merged in the Park.

There still remained a privately owned strip of land adjoining the Park at the northwest, known as the Payne Tract and containing about eight acres, which Mr. Shaw had desired to include in the Park. Through purchase and condemnation, this land was acquired before the end of 1926, and became in all respects a part of the Park.

Tower Grove Park is now a unit enclosed by four streets, and contains 289 acres. It is the second in size in St. Louis, and exceeds the next largest local park by more than 100 acres.

Should we demand local control?

Get out and enjoy Tower Grove Park if you haven’t in a while.

– Steve Patterson

Cinco de Mayo on Cherokee Street Saturday May 7th

Tomorrow is the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration on Cherokee — one of St. Louis’ most interesting streets.

The 2011 Cinco de Mayo festival will feature live entertainment on two stages, DJs, and roaming street performers. Over ten bands will perform throughout the course of the day. The main stage located at California & Cherokee will feature traditional Mexican performances while the Gringo Stage located at Oregon & Cherokee will showcase local bands selected by the St. Louis Secret Sound Society.

If you’ve not experienced the food & fun on Cherokee tomorrow is a good day to do so.

– Steve Patterson

National Train Day Saturday May 7th, 40 Years of Amtrak

Saturday May 7th is National Train Day:

This year, Amtrak celebrates four decades of providing the nation with vital intercity and high-speed passenger rail service. After 40 years dedicated to serving communities across the country, Amtrak is proud of its role in America’s history, but even more excited about what’s to come. Here, you can learn what’s coming down the tracks, from the future of high-speed rail service to Amtrak’s energy-saving initiatives. And, of course, you can also take a look back at train travel through the years.

I love rail travel, it gets you into city centers. Sometimes it gets you back home.

Last month I took the train to Jefferson City to visit legislators at the Missouri capital. It was a good day until the train broke down in Hermann MO. After a couple of hours two motor coaches showed up to drive us into Kirkwood & St. Louis.  We arrived about 4 hours after we were supposed to arrive.

I sent an email to Mid-American Coaches praising their driver Hank for taking me to my street after dropping off the others.We arrived after local bus & MetroLink service ended and didn’t want to “walk” home alone in my power chair.

Despite the delay returning from Jefferson City last month I’m taking the train to Kansas City today. Hopefully the trip today and the return Sunday will be problem free.

– Steve Patterson