Urbanists Taking Back the Streets in NYC

A friend and regular Urban Review reader sent me a link to an interesting new site, New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign:

Streets are more than just car corridors; they are valuable civic spaces and resources that need to be wisely allocated. The New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign is building the movement to re-imagine our streets as lively public places.

Amen.

Perhaps it is time to take back our streets from the territorial aldermen and developers lacking any urban vision…

– Steve

Families Must Pay For St. Aloysius Windows A Second Time

Decades ago local families around St. Aloysius paid to have stained glass windows installed with their family names on them. For decades this is where they worshiped. Now the church is closed and if the new owner, Jim Wohlert, has his way the buildings will all be leveled.

When workers began removing the windows last year these families began inquiring about the windows bearing their family name. St. Ambrose, the parish where most of St. Aloysius parish was consolidated into, told them they’d be able to obtain the windows.

But the price tag is hefty.

One such family, who does not want to see the buildings razed, provided me with a copy of the letter they received from Fr. Bommarito. The cost to obtain their family windows? Try $2,350, half of the $4,700 appraised value. Keep in mind, this family paid for the windows in the first place!

Perhaps had the church sold the property to one of the other bidders for roughly $400K more they’d be able to return the windows to the original families without any cost to them. To the older members of these families, some of whom have lived in the area for 75 years or so, this is not easy money to find on such short notice.

Does the church have a layaway plan?

– Steve

The Gelateria Rivals City Grocers for Most Significant DT Neighborhood Contribution

After speaking to a class at Webster’s Old Post Office campus last night I headed over to meet a friend at The Gelateria for what else — gelato! A steady stream of customers came in and out during the nearly two hours we hung out. Finally around 9pm I decided it was time to scoot home.

Today I’m back at The Gelateria having a beverage while checking email and updating my site (yes, they are a free wi-fi hotspot). With weekend hours until midnight they are the late night destination place downtown.

At the end of 2004 I proclaimed City Grocers the best new thing:

A grocery store as the best of 2004? YES! Nothing else will have such an impact on the future of downtown as a grocery store. Schnuck’s Markets development arm, Desco, is busy razing the Century Building for a f*cking parking garage – they can’t be bothered with serving the real needs of downtown. But, local developer Craig Heller and grocer Rance Baker decided to fill the void by opening City Grocers in the ground floor of Heller’s Bell Lofts. Heller, Baker and the staff of City Grocers are the urban heros of 2004!

While City Grocers’ role is not diminished by the new kid downtown they are challenged for the title of most significant neighborhood contribution. I’ll call it a tie for now. However, Joe Edwards’ bowling alley, Flamingo Bowl, may be the new king when it opens this summer.

If you haven’t checked out the grocery selection at City Grocers or the hazelnut gelato at The Gelateria you are missing out.

– Steve

[UPDATE 2/23/06 @ 12:30pm – Changed headline from “…most significant downtown business” to “…most significant DT neighborhood business.” This should help clarify that I am talking about businesses that contribute to the feel of a neigbhorhood and not a 9-5 CBD. Nobody decides to spend a Saturday downtown due to ATT/SBC (unless they are putting in OT). – SLP]

Moseley To Open Cinema Downtown

The Post-Dispatch’s Deb Peterson is reporting local theatre owner Harmon Moseley will open a theatre in part of the Jefferson Arms. For those that have lived here a while you’ll recall the various attempts to have a theatre downtown — behind the train shed turned parking lot at Union Station.

The lame idea that people would drive to Union Station to see a film was absurd. Of course they hoped people would take in dinner while they were there. Well, they thought wrong. Destination places tend to do well as long as they are the new & hot destination.

A theatre will do great at Jefferson Arms. Not so much because of the building (although it is interesting) but because of the location on Tucker at Locust. With the many downtown residents and the many more of us that like to visit friends downtown I can see it staying busy.

Moseley says he wants to “raise the bar” in St. Louis by including a full bar. Great idea as some recent movies require a good stiff drink to deal with the poor script and lackluster performances. They cannot all be Brokeback Mountain.

Now for a mini-rant…

In the last five years we’ve witnessed a virtually empty downtown transform into an interesting downtown. We are a long way from being 24/7 but each new enterprise helps. A neighborhood needs all those places necessary for daily life. A theatre isn’t exactly a necessity but I can’t imagine doing without the option.

Downtown leaders need to be marketing the businesses that have opened. They are doing a poor job.

For example, take the Explore St. Louis site from the Regional Commerce & Growth Association (RCGA). They list the following neighborhoods in St. Louis: Laclede’s Landing, The Ville, Lafayette Square, Soulard, South Grand, The Hill. Uh, hello, Downtown!!! You know, the place where your offices are and where we have this white elephant convention center and near bankrupt convention hotel.

The Loop does well because of the efforts of Joe Edwards and other merchants. They have no bureaucratic entity like the Downtown Partnership or Downtown Now to deal with. They get organize, decide what they are going to do and then do it. We kinda have that downtown already with the developers bringing in new business owners. Do we need the Partnership?

Maybe some of our independent filmmakers in town can put together a documentary on the politics behind the razing of the Century Building. Wouldn’t that make an interesting opening film in the Jefferson Arms?

– Steve

Preservation Board to Review An Issue With Lafayette Walk

The agenda for Monday’s Preservation Board meeting is not yet published (due to a web issue I’m told) but I do know of one issue that will be heard: exposed gas meters in front of Orchard Development’s new Lafayette Walk project.

In January 2005 the Preservation Board approved the Lafayette Walk project (PDF review file) with staff noting:

The project is an important contribution at this neglected entrance to a significant City neighborhood. Because of its size and the manner in which it will dominate this entrance, it is very important that the details in project design as well as in project execution be well done. The success of the Lafayette Square Historic District, in large part, relies on the fine detail and historic character of its buildings and streets.

Some Lafayette Square residents are rightly upset that each unit has an exposed gas meter facing the public sidewalk. What is not known is how this happened or who is to blame. Was it a gas company requirement? The developer trying to save some money on installation of the gas service? Or simply an oversight on the part of the Cultural Resources staff? Whatever the reason it is most certainly unsightly.

You can only do so much with landscaping, especially in such small spaces. Yes, this is minor in the big scheme of things but these meters really stand out. The Preservation Board meetings are almost always interesting and this topic alone promises to make it a good one. The fun begins Monday 2/27/06 at 4pm at 1015 Locust, 12th floor.

– Steve