Raising Urban Kids

One of the great things about downtown’s Citygarden is I almost always seen someone I know when I pass through.

ABOVE: A friend plays ball with his young son as another friend watches.

Last Sunday was no exception, I stopped to talk to two friends and the young son of one friend. It seems like just last week when his son was in a tiny infant, now he’s playing ball. How’d that happen so quick? Downtown has a growing number of young kids being raised in the region’s most urban area. As you might expect schools and education is a concern for these parents. Rather than immediately flee the suburbs or exurbs a growing number of urban parents expect they can continue the walkable urban lifestyle they love while ensuring their kids get a good education as well as being exposed to a broad range of people.

These kids won’t be sheltered, they’ll know how to walk to the store alone when their older, they won’t be shocked when their out with friends in college and they spot a homeless person. The idea of a cleanup project won’t be a foreign concept either.

- Steve Patterson

Lighting Can Make a Positive Impact

So often people in cities put up flood lights for security but all they do is blind people and discourage them from being outside, not a good thing at all for a lively city.

ABOVE: Citygarden at night

Selectively lighting areas you can create an entirely different mood. How would the above appear if lit by flood lighting?

ABOVE: Fountain lighting at Citygarden

Outdoor public space need not be as bright as a Tuesday afternoon in July to be safe. Subtle lighting attracts people, thereby increasing safety.

- Steve Patterson

Two Great Years of Citygarden

ABOVE: Citygarden at night

It was two years ago today that Citygarden opened in downtown St. Louis. The two-block sculpture garden leaves a positive impression on all who visit.

ABOVE: Citygarden made the cover of Landscape Architecture in April 2010

The space has won numerous awards and graced the pages of many publications.  The critics all seem to love Citygarden!

ABOVE: A friend's grandsons love ringing the bells at Citygarden

And the critics that really matter, the kids, love the space just like us adults do.

ABOVE: Flowers, such as these Siberian Iris, feel right at home among sculptures from renowned artists.

I love Citygarden, but it’s not perfect.  Yesterday I filed an ADA grievance with the city’s Office on the Disabled against the City of St. Louis for accepting the curb ramp at 10th & Chestnut.  It doesn’t even come close to meeting ADA design guidelines — it should have been replaced by the general contractor by now.  I also don’t like 9th Street being closed to vehicles but that will take more work to convince the powers that be that we can’t keep effing with our street grid.

- Steve Patterson

Citygarden is great, but not perfect

Citygarden has impressed everyone in it’s its first year open in St. Louis.  The two-block sculpture garden is, in most respects, outstanding in design and construction.

ABOVE: curb ramp at 10th & Chestnut

The two curb ramps along 10th Street (at Chestnut and at Market) both hold water following a rain.

ABOVE: curb ramp at 10th & Market

Numerous ramps downtown have the same problem, but few were built as part of an otherwise high quality project. The mini lake at top is probably the worst downtown. Naturally, that is the one I use most often.  Even when dry I must use the side of the ramp — my wheelchair’s footrest gets caught if I go straight in.

ABOVE: water doesn't drain into the rain garden as it should

And the environmentally friendly rain garden isn’t getting all the rain water it is supposed to receive.  Hopefully these three areas will be redone someday.  The problem at 10th & Market will be corrected when the wide “hallway” is extended to the west.  Had Citygarden built it’s side planning for the future hallway the current issue wouldn’t exist.

ABOVE: hallway crossing 9th street

As a member of the Gateway Mall Advisory Board I can assure you I will bring up water retention at curb ramps and planning future projects so the hallway concept is easier to complete.

- Steve Patterson

Citygarden opened one year ago today

The mature trees make it feel like Citygarden has been around for many years, but it was just one year ago today that the two-block sculpture garden opened.

ABOVE: Mayor Slay at opening of Citygarden on 6/30/2009

The park has been an unquestionable hit with locals, as well as people from outside our region.

Lighting at Citygarden is outstanding.

ABOVE: The Fire and Ice Cream Truck is a popular place to buy water and locally produced food & drink

I love Citygarden and I’ve probably visited at least once per week during the last year.

Still, I’m frustrated by a number of things:

• 9th Street is blocked to vehicles between the hours of 10am and 10pm.  9th was designed to narrow the road and slow the little bit of traffic it would get.
• The curb ramp at 10th & Chestnut was poorly executed so that I have to approach just right to get onto the sidewalk.  Plus it holds water.
• Work was not done on 8th & 10th to make extending the “hallway”  to the blocks to the east and west a simpler matter.  Once again we will have to redo that which has just been done.

I’ll be there at noon today for a TweetUp (Twitter meet-up).

- Steve Patterson

Extending “hallway” element must be a top priority for the Gateway Mall

The hallway — that wide sidewalk along the north side of Market St — is what will eventually tie the blocks of the Gateway Mall together.

ABOVE: "Hallway" in Citygarden as seen from the block with Richard Serra's Twain

Unfortunately as well designed as Citygarden is, when built they didn’t plan to connect the hallway element to the blocks to the east and west. The crossing at 9th Street meets the design criteria of the master plan but at 8th and a 10th it was somehow forgotten. Hopefully we will get all the blocks from Broadway (5th)  and 20th.  Right now we have only the two between 8th and 10th.  Going forward we will need to make sure as each block is done that we plan ahead for the next adjacent block.

- Steve Patterson

Improvements needed to the city block containing “Twain”

As I explained yesterday (Readers split on Richard Serra’s “Twain”) the Richard Serra sculpture “Twain” was designed for it’s location and it must be seen from the inside to appreciate it.  As an appointed member of the newly formed Gateway Mall Advisory Board I see improving the appeal of this block as very important.  I and the other board members need to work within, or revise, the existing master plan (PDF).  So I looked to see what it said about Serra’s Twain:

“One of his earlier works, the City is fortunate to have one of his often ‘misunderstood’ sculpture.  Once the improvements to the two eastern blocks of the garden have been made, the space surrounding Twain should be revisited to see how it could better integrate into the redesigned blocks to the east and west.”

No real specifics except the clear understanding that the sculpture is to stay put. One of the best ways to integrate this block is the “hallway” element that is supposed to run the entire length of the Gateway Mall.

ABOVE: Two blocks of the hallway element is complete between 8th & 10th

Once the hallway is greater than two blocks long it will be a strong organizing element. You can hopefully imagine how extending the above one more block west will help Twain:

ABOVE: Narrow attached sidewalk between 10th and 11th Streets

The current sidewalk between 10th and 11th is nothing like the one from 8th to 10th. One of the best aspects of this hallway idea is how it will flow from block to block.

ABOVE: Gateway Mall hallway crosses 9th Street

At 9th street the design guidelines from the master plan are actualized.  Rain gardens help narrow 9th street and the sidewalk continues across the street easily.  Those of us using wheelchairs as well as those pushing a stroller can just continue in the same direction. Unfortunately the same treatment was not done at both 8th and 10th.  This mistake means part of the new Citygarden will need to be redone to extend the hallway in both directions.

ABOVE: Looking west across 10th Street

As you can see the 10th Street edge of the hallway in Citygarden is quite different than at 9th.  Had someone looked ahead they would have built the paving and curb here to the new standard so that all that needed to be done was the other side of 10th.  Ditto for 8th Street.  I intend to ensure as blocks are redone consideration is given to extending the hallway as adjacent blocks are rebuilt.

OK, so the “hallway” takes care of one side of the block.  The other three need new wider sidewalks as well. I had originally thought we needed some porous gravel paths leading to Twain but Serra wanted it to be approachable from any angle.   However the ground is currently uneven in places and my power wheelchair got stuck a few times.  Anyone in a manual wheelchair would be out of luck.  Even the wheels on a stroller are likely to get muddy.  I suggest special pavers that allow grass to grow through openings in places in and around the piece.  This would ensure a level surface while maintaining the all grass appearance.

Over and over I’ve heard people say the homeless and drunk baseball fans use the interior of the “Twain” sculpture as a giant steel urinal.  With so much activity in Citygarden to the aast I don’t think that is still the case.  Plus portable toilets are now available across the street at Citygarden.

ABOVE: Two portable toilets along the West edge of Citygarden

Stunning Citygarden with portable toilets on the sidewalk, classy.  So my grand idea is to include a low-maintenance pay toilet on the SE corner of the Twain block, accessible from the hallway.   New York City recently added it’s first pay toilet:

The “Pay-Per-Potty” — as some cleverly call it — is purported to be automatically self cleaning. It even does the floors and is touted as more sanitary than regular public toilets.

Inside the unit, a sit-down, so to speak, will cost you a quarter.

The quarter will get you get 15 minutes of private time — and not a second more.

“The doors open and the eyes of New York are upon you,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.

Just in case you don’t know how much time you have left, a handy-dandy warning light will give you a three-minute warning.  (Full story)

Here are some short videos of pay toilets:

New York:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu8DJFH1Ubw

San Francisco:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TvK94inAKU

New Zealand:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpKZmKizO9s

The Gateway Mall Master Plan calls for public restrooms along the length but not in the three blocks between Gateway One (7th  to 8th) the Civil Courts (11th-12th/Tucker), just where they are needed most. The pay public toilet I envision might be covered in stainless steel, some other metal or even growing plants.

- Steve Patterson

Readers split on Richard Serra’s “Twain”

ABOVE: Inside Serra's Twain looking East to Citygarden and the Arch

I didn’t appreciate “Twain” until after Citygarden opened and I spent more time in the area. Sure, I’d driven and walked passed it many times but I had never ventured across the grass.  I’ve learned my wheelchair does a decent job on grass and, after getting up close to Twain and passing through the passageways, I now have a love affair with the sculpture.

Here are the results of last week’s poll:

Q: Which best describes your thoughts on the Gateway Mall block w/Richard Serra’s ‘Twain’ sculpture?

1. Get rid of Twain ASAP. 104 [43%]
2. Like Twain but the block is too bare, needs more art & activities. 63 [26%]
3. I don’t hate Twain but I’m not crazy about it either. 37 [15%]
4. Like Twain and the minimal surroundings, just needs new sidewalks, etc 26 [11%]
5. Love Twain, don’t change that block at all. 7 [3%]
6. Other answer… 4 [2%]
7. Unsure/no opinion. 1 [0%]

While the biggest block (43%) favors removal of Twain that means a small majority are at least okay with it staying.

As I thought, readers would not be short of opinions on Twain.  One example shared by others:

I’ve always felt that Twain – an interesting piece in of itself – is simply in the wrong venue. Had this same reviled installation been originally placed in Laumeier Sculpture Park, it would likely be valued (even lauded) lauded today as an environmental work. I think we could do right by both Serra and the city by relocating Twain to Laumeier and expanding Citygarden into that space.

Twain was designed for the current site, not a suburban park.  Moving the piece would destroy it.

SERRA’S “TILTED ARC” in Federal Plaza, New York, angered workers in adjacent federal office buildings because it runs, 120 feet long and 12 feet high, across part of a much-used square. The obligatory detour around it, and its confrontational scale and placement in a city where pedestrians cherish the little open space they can get, makes it vulnerable to the charge that while it may be imposing as sculpture, it is insensitive as urban design.

“Tilted Arc” is seriously threatened with removal, and in St. Louis Alderman Timothy J. Dee of the 17th Ward has introduced a bill that would put it up to the voters to decide if “Twain” should be removed from city property. A simple majority would do it next Aug. 5 if the proposition gets on the ballot. “A whole lot of people want it moved,” Dee said.

Former Alderman Dee’s bill wasn’t approved by the Board of Aldermen.  Public art should never be the subject of a vote at the polls.  The work was designed for this site and no other, moving it would destroy it.

ABOVE: Construction of "Twain" in 1981. Photo by Robert Pettus, used with permission

As you can see from the above image the context in 1981 was rather bleak. The idea was to get glimpses of the city through the openings.  You cannot appreciate “Twain” from the street or even from the sidewalk. I recently sat with Amy Broadway of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts as we watched a 1986 documentary clip on “Twain.”  It included interviews with Serra himself.  He explained how he wanted you to be free to approach from any direction, hence no paths. He wanted you to see the city differently. While I was there I experienced Serra’s “Joe:”

ABOVE: "Joe" by Richard Serra

“The urban works need a large number of people to complete their content. (I feel strongly that these sculptures could not be in a dessert)  They need the interaction of people.”
- Richard Serra

Here is a little video clip I made of “Twain:”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nWOLmkr_Kk

Tomorrow I will outline suggestions for physical improvements to the block.  Thanks to photographer Robert Pettus for the permission to use his image.

- Steve Patterson

Poll: what to do with Richard Serra’s ‘Twain’?

Citygarden, located in two blocks of the Gateway Mall, is an unquestionable hit with anyone who has seen the 2-block (8th, Market, 10th, Chestnut) sculpture & botanical garden.

ABOVE: Citygarden (left) and Twain (right), July 2009

But the block to across 10th Street to the West is a very different story!  ‘Twain’ by Richard Serra was installed in 1982, a decade earlier than the two blocks (now containing Citygarden) were razed.

ABOVE: Plaque for 'Twain' is in the grass next to 11th Street.

Art is something you should love or hate and ‘Twain’ manages to make sure viewers have one of those reactions, no in the middle.

I have my feelings which I’ll share on Wednesday April 14, 2010 when I show the final results of this week’s poll: “Which best describes your thoughts on the Gateway Mall block w/Richard Serra’s ‘Twain’ sculpture?” I phrased the question the way I did to get at feelings on the block as a whole as well as the art itself.  The answers provided are:

• Love Twain, don’t change that block at all.
• Get rid of Twain ASAP.
• Like Twain and the minimal surroundings, just needs new sidewalks, etc
• Like Twain but the block is too bare, needs more art & activities.
• I don’t hate Twain but I’m not crazy about it either.
• Unsure/no opinion.

And you can make your own answer if you like. The poll software will randomize the answers so please read them before voting.  Share your thoughts below on why we should keep or remove Twain.

- Steve Patterson

Winter light show at Citygarden

When Citygarden opened this past Summer it was an instant hit.  Kids especially loved the various places to get wet.

The splash fountain was packed with kids. Adults lined the edges watching as the kids had fun.

Even adults got into the fountain and got wet, I couldn’t resist.

July 12, 2009

But when Fall arrived the fountains were turned off but they remain interesting. How can a turned-off fountain be interesting?

During the day you see a random arrangement of these white balls placed over some of the fountain heads.  Interesting.  But come back at night and it gets very interesting.

The lights that add interest to the fountain during the Summer illuminate the balls.  But the color is not static. The two videos that follow are very brief but they give you an idea of how they change:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rueLAw1Jbw

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngOE3f9UcCY

The video doesn’t do it justice, it must be experienced in person. These two blocks continue to be interesting even during a time of the year an outdoor garden is not always so interesting.

– Steve Patterson