What A Difference A Year Makes

A year ago today people gathered at Washington Ave at 7th Street to witness the demolition of the massive pedestrian bridge betweem the shuttered St. Louis Centre mall and the former Dillard’s store. Here is my video from the event, the first 8:45 are various speakers:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvsl-eGi9f8

Here was the bridge before the demo crews began:

The sidewalks on both sides of Washington Ave were dark and depressing.

For a year now pedestrians and motorists have enjoyed the openness.

The former Dillard’s Store will soon open as the Laurel Apartments.  The increase in foot traffic I’ve observed in the last year has been remarkable.

– Steve Patterson

Readers OK With Cardinals 1966 Move Away From Sportsman’s Park

Last week readers weighed in on their thoughts on the 1966 relocation of the former Sportsman’s Park.  The single answer with the most responses goes along with my thought the Cardinals should have rebuilt rather than move downtown, but looking at all the answers it is clear readers support the move:

1. A great neighborhood ballpark, the Cardinals should have rebuilt at Dodier & Grand 23 [25%]
2. No opinion 15 [16.3%]
3. No choice but to move: the area was changing fast. 15 [16.3%]
4. Like people would have continued going to North St. Louis for a Cards game 14 [15.22%]
5. No choice but to move: too little parking and the streetcar line was replaced with buses in 1960. 10 [10.87%]
6. Other answer… 9 [9.78%]
7. A good neighborhood ballpark but it was no Wrigley Field 6 [6.52%]

It is the nine other answers provided by readers I find interesting:

1. How is this relevant to anyone?
2. A great ballpark that would’ve helped a great neighborhood evolve.
3. Cards set a popular trend moving downtown, too bad about Hop Alley though.
4. moving was part of a larger plan to destroy the northside
5. Looks like a great ballpark!
6. Best move ever, Busch II was a great stadium.
7. Why not look to the future? Use the space for something great for the city.
8. By buliding the new stadium downtown, really revitalized the downtown area.
9. Gave some definition to downtown – robbing NSTL to make the investment downtown.

Not sure where to start.  Relevant because the decision to relocate removed a source of revenue & jobs from one part of the city and placed it in another part that was bought and cleared via urban renewal.  We can’t undo the past but we can learn from our mistakes.

I don’t believe their was a plan to destroy the north side, that was just a casualty of the times. Busch Stadium II did not “revitalize” downtown, far from it.  A huge area was razed for the stadium, garages and other buildings.  The stadium did not create new development in that part of downtown.  MetroLink and renovations of nearby historic warehouses in Cupples Station a quarter center later helped offset the dead zone created in 1966.

– Steve Patterson

Cafe Tables Forcing Pedestrians Into Sidewalk Furnishing Zone

The steps of the Merchandise Mart building on Washington Ave between 10th & 11th create two points where the sidewalk gets restricted.  Otherwise there is room for pedestrians in the main part of the sidewalk with the outer “furnishing zone” left for bike racks and trees. Let’s look at how sidewalks are zoned:

Streetside Zones and Buffering

This chapter addresses the design of sidewalks and the buffers between sidewalks, moving traffic, parking and/or other traveled-way elements. The streetside consists of the following four distinct functional zones:

1. Edge zone—the area between the face of curb and the furnishing zone that provides the minimum necessary separation between objects and activities in the streetside and vehicles in the traveled way;

2. Furnishings zone—the area of the streetside that provides a buffer between pedestrians and vehicles, which contains landscaping, public street furniture, transit stops, public signage, utilities and so forth;

3. Throughway zone—the walking zone that must remain clear, both horizontally and vertically, for the movement of pedestrians. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) establishes a minimum width for the throughway zone; and

4. Frontage zone—the distance between the throughway and the building front or private property line that is used to buffer pedestrians from window shoppers, appurtenances and doorways. It contains private street furniture, private signage, merchandise displays and so forth and can also be used for street cafes. This zone is sometimes referred to as the “shy” zone.

The new restaurant Prime 1000 has changed the situation on the east end of the 1000 block of Washington Ave.

Tables and chairs now fill the sidewalk space, forcing pedestrians into the furnishing zone area.  If anyone were to use the bike racks the sidewalk would not be passable.

I’m a huge fan of sidewalk dining but this doesn’t work.  Perhaps one of the bike racks should be moved to the east of the steps to the restaurant, and the other just removed or relocated to another block or on 10th?

The other issue is the tables and chairs used  – they are too high for anyone seated in a wheelchair.  At least one regular height table should be available for disabled customers to be able to enjoy outside seating.  Lucas Park Grille & Flannery’s, both further west, also have high tables only.

– Steve Patterson

Three Downtown Aldermen Seek Place for Stakeholders on Discussion of Homeless Encampments

Last week the three aldermen representing downtown sent the following letter to Mayor Slay:

Dear Mayor Slay:

As the Alderwomen who represent our city’s downtown area, we write you today regarding news reports that local government is developing plans to relocate the homeless men and women living along the downtown banks of the Mississippi River. Recent events have drawn increased attention to these encampments, however their presence is an ongoing regional issue that predates even the beginning of your administration ten years ago. We commend your office for showing leadership on this important issue and taking the first steps toward implementing solutions that work for St. Louis’ most vulnerable and impoverished residents.

We look forward to being included in the process that develops the best approaches and solutions for this population. A lasting solution requires input from community leaders and residents. As you know, local partnerships, like the St. Louis City Continuum of Care, work with the homeless population day in and day out. They know the needs and problems that face this community and ought to be part of the solution for its future. Other stakeholders, such as nearby residents and business owners, should also be heard.

In short, this is a longstanding issue that requires an enduring solution. The proper approach must be delicate and allow the voices of those who directly serve and represent this population to be present at the planning table. Throughout the process, elected officials, social service agencies and community leaders should be able to offer their input, thoughts and guidance to ensure that this is a permanent approach to a decades-long issue. A process that neglects their advice or excludes their participation is simply a recipe for failure.

We urge you to reject any approach that does not include the numerous stakeholders involved in this issue. A “take it or leave it” plan developed without proper input and participation is inappropriate here and will only exacerbate existing problems surrounding this situation.

Thank you for your consideration of our position. We look forward to collaborating with you and your office on this issue, and the many others that face our great city.

Sincerely,

 

Hon. April Ford-Griffin, Alderwoman Ward 5

Hon. Kacie Starr Triplett, Alderwoman Ward 6

Hon. Phyllis Young, Alderwoman Ward 7

Last week I was nominated to the board of The Bridge:

The Bridge provides sanctuary for homeless and at-risk persons in St. Louis. Meals and support services for basic human needs are offered by a staff intent on eradicating homelessness by guiding guests on a path to self-sufficiency.

If elected to the board, the three-year term will begin in July. I look forward to learning more about this complex issue and exploring possible actions. I first typed solutions but I’m realistic enough to know homeless will always exist in our city & region. Our policies, however, can vary greatly.

– 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