Saturday April 2nd I noticed the main portion of the parking lot south of city hall was full while the part closer to 14th St was empty. Â The Cardinals had an away game this day so I’m not sure why all the cars. Â I thought it was good to see the parking lot bringing in revenue on a Saturday rather than just sit vacant.
But wait, the gates are wide open! Of course on a Saturday there probably isn’t enough turnover to staff the booth. Â The Treasurer’s Office needs to enter the 21st century and get technology to automate the process to collect the parking fee. Of course the Treasurer also has downtown parking meters at no charge on weekends but some [refer lots and would pay.
The lesson for me is to get to the person in charge.  I was only after I left my card for Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention & Visitor’s Commission, that change happened. Once I was able to explain the situation directly to her she began having meetings to get the cabs relocated.  After that was done she hired a form to redesign the bollard locations so the pedestrians would be protected from vehicles in the circle drive. I picked up a copy of the bollard plan the week prior to the work being done just in case I saw something that might need correcting. But the plan was great.
Since the 2008 announcement St. Louis Centre is being converted into a parking garage with ground-level retail. So the plaza remains a lifeless hole downtown. Don’t even think about sitting on the grass at lunch, the guard will run you off. The grass, and the entire plaza space, are for show only — not use.
The Ambassador filled the space beautifully but it has been gone more than 15 years now. Â Mercantile Bank, later bought by U.S. Bank, wanted to create a welcoming entrance to the tower. Â A massive dead space isn’t welcoming! The solution?
In the short term invite vendors to sell food from carts & trucks at lunchtime. Â A vendor truck can just pull into the circle drive. Â Also, invest in a few tables, chairs and umbrellas. Â Encourage people to sit on the grass and play in the fountain. Basically the opposite of what they’ve done for 15+ years.
Longer term the grassy area should be replaced with a highly  modern glass & steel building of at least 2 stories in height. I’m thinking a restaurant space, perhaps with more seating on the roof.  The auto access for the circle drive could be removed and the plaza repaved to eliminate the curbs, part being used for seating of the restaurant.
We just can’t afford dead corners like this to remain lifeless, no matter how green the grass is even in November.
I’ve eaten at Rosalita’s Cantina only once since it opened a few months ago, but I’ve admired their sign each time I pass by. My admiration of their sign began last October.
Blade (projecting) signs were once common throughout cities, but in the 1970s a national movement to remove “clutter” began that killed off unique signs, especially those that projected from the building facade. Â Thankfully those decades old attitudes are slowly dying off.
Note to self, have lunch at Rosalita’s Cantina again soon.
The west end of Kiener Plaza containing the Morton May Amphitheater was built long after the east end, the city only owns a small amount of the land, the rest of the west block is owned by the Southern Real Estate & Financial Co, presumably established by the May Co. Â The land is leased by the City of St. Louis.
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