Many thought we’d never get a bike station — a place to shower, change clothes, and store your bike. After it opened the question became how long would it remain open? Today marks four years, in that time Trailnet moved their offices from a storefront space at 16th & Washington to an upper floor of the same building as the bike station. Also, local retailer Big Shark Bicycle Co opened Urban Shark in a connected space — offering service & sales.
A large crowd of supporters gathered for the ribbon cutting on Thursday April 28, 2011
For more information on daily, monthly, & annual memberships click here. I know when I commuted to work by bike in the late 90s I was glad my employer had a locker & shower I could use, this is an important asset for downtown as not all employers have such facilities.
In the nearly 25 years I’ve lived in St. Louis I’ve seen way too many buildings razed, but I’ve also witnessed quite a few be reoccupied. Some we rehabbed before my arrival:
Powell Hall, 1968: I was only a year old when the St. Louis Symphony bucked the 1960s trend of building a sterile new downtown symphony hall, opting instead to move into a then 43-year old movie theater building that had seen better days. This year the building turns 90.
St. Louis Union Station, 1985: The 1890s main building closed to passengers before train service stopped under the large shed in 1978 — shifting service to what became known as “Amshack.” In 1985 Union Station reopened as a “festival marketplace” with hotel, shops, restaurants, etc under the shed.
Even since the 2008 recession renovation work has continued, albeit at a slower pace than the years right before. Some buildings I’ve previously blogged about have since been rehabbed — others saw the potential I did. Thus, I see value in sharing my list of buildings that I’d like to see reoccupied:
This is a collection of buildings where three streets intersect: N. Florissant, Carter, & Grove. All are owned by the city’s Land Reutilization Authority (LRA)This rather ordinary building on Dr. Martin Luther King, just East of Goodfellow, has pleasing proportions, materials, details. It’s in poor condition but I’d hate to see it razed.The former JC Penny store built in 1949 on MLK in the Wellston Loop in the modern style with an urban form, rather than style of its red brick neighbors that are 20-40 years older.4831 Fountain is a stunner, November 2009In 2009 it looked like the Clemens Mansion on Cass would become senior housing, but some of the state funding didn’t happen
The Lemp Brewery complex was built over a period of years and thus includes numerous buildings.Warehouses in the along Ashley between 2nd and Lewis woulds be razed if a new NFL stadium plan moves forwardThe 18th Street facade of the Butler Bros Warehouse1711 Locust was a power station for the original streetcar system, it is vacant and in disrepair.1701 Locust is a handsome 4-story building built in 1926. It has had several owners in the last decade. It is vacant.The Jefferson Arms remains vacant although numerous developers have attempted to put together a deal to rehab the property.The Railway Exchange building housed a downtown department store until recently. Their have been various concepts for preoccupancy, but nothing has begun.Originally built as a YWCA, this building on Locust has been the home to the New Life Evangelistic Center since 1976. Some say it should be razed, but that’s a short-sided view.
There you go, my list of buildings I hope to see rehabbed and reoccupied. I don’t have any capital or the physical ability to do it myself — but those are requirements to simply express my desired outcome. I’ll start working on a Part 2 with more buildings.
Please vote in the poll, located in the right sidebar
Today’s poll is about Metro’s smoking policy. Riders can smoke at transit centers while waiting for a MetroBus, but those riders on platforms waiting for a MetroLink light rail train can’t smoke. Transit centers are points where numerous bus routes meet, often adjacent to MetroLink stations — Civic Center & North Hanley are two examples.
The poll question is: Metro allows smoking at MetroBus Transit Centers but not on MetroLink platforms. Metro should:
The options provided, in random order, are:
Allow smoking at both
Prohibit smoking at both
Keep policy as is — smoking allowed at one but not the other
Unsure/No Opinion
The poll, as always, is on the top of the right sidebar.It’ll close at 8pm central.
Part of the problem of losing hundreds of thousands of residents over a half century is a surplus of buildings. One property owner — The St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) — still has buildings they need to unload. Over the years some former schools have found new owners and new uses. For example, Franklin School:
In March 2006 the school looked roughBy October 2007 Franklin School reopened as affordable senior apartments
To facilitate getting other surplus school buildings rehabbed the SLPS has started offering tours of 27 of the buildings they have for sale, from their website:
The Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) Building Revitalization Collaborative was established in 2015 to promote the redevelopment of District-owned properties no longer in use as schools.
In the spring and summer of 2015, SLPS will be scheduling a series of public open houses at the closed schools and community forums to discuss possible repurposing scenarios for each property.
By bringing together community stakeholders and a technical advisory committee (TAC) comprised of a variety of experts, SLPS hopes to find creative solutions for these properties that will benefit the District and the St. Louis community as a whole.
TAC members include architects, building planners, preservationists, real estate developers, and representatives from the fields of finance, education, construction and healthcare.
and…
The SLPS Building Revitalization Collaborative is holding a series of open houses starting in April. All tours start at 5:30 p.m. and run approximately one hour. Please check the website often, as dates and times of tours are subject to change.
If you’d like to plan ahead, please print and fill out the required RELEASE/WAIVER and bring it with you to the tour.
The buildings are not air-conditioned and have no water or electrical service. Debris and standing water may be present in some areas. Wear appropriate footwear.
The dates for the first 8 have passed, but 19 more remain:
April 8, 2015: Baden
April 9, 2015: Walnut Park
April 13, 2015: Shepard
April 15, 2015: Cleveland
April 16, 2015: Stowe
April 20, 2015: Ford Branch
April 22, 2015: DeAndreis/Bunche
April 23, 2015: Ashland Branch
April 29, 2015: Turner
April 30, 2015: Cook
May 4, 2015: Clark
May 6, 2015: Webster
May 7, 2015: Jackson
May 11, 2015: Mark Twain
May 12, 2015: Scullin
May 14, 2015: Lyon
May 18, 2015: Lafayette
May 19, 2015: Gundlach
May 26, 2015: Cupples
May 29, 2015: Williams
June 1, 2015: Sherman
June 3, 2015: Marshall
June 4, 2015: Eliot
June 8, 2015: Gratiot
June 10, 2015: Wilkinson
June 11, 2015: Euclid
June 15, 2015: Banneker
Check out their website for more details, including a map.
Today’s post isn’t for everyone, but I know from past experience some of you will appreciate the message. If you’re religious fine, if you’re religious and get offended hearing others say they’re not religious — you’d better stop now.
Click the image for the official website.
I learned about Openly Secular Day on the most recent CBS Sunday Morning:
“Like a light switch, it’s, ‘You’re immoral, you’re gonna raise evil children, you’re a bad parent,'” said Todd Stiefel, of Raleigh, North Carolina. A former Catholic, he leads the Openly Secular campaign. “They’re questioning your whole existence. I’d rather somebody assume I’m stupid than assume I’m wicked. It’s painful. It’s discrimination. It’s prejudice.” (Atheists: In godlessness we trust)
Many featured were once theists or like Mandisa Thomas, is assumed to be religious based on race:
It can be extremely difficult to discuss religion objectively in the black community. Many have social, emotional and financial stakes invested in this institution, so for one to even say they have doubts is like committing treason.
To openly identify as an atheist in the midst of heavy religious influence can be next to impossible, and good luck finding other blacks who also don’t believe. It is very important to note however, that the Internet has made it easier for black atheists to find each other, and there is a large community of us online. (CNN: Confessions of a black atheist)
Back to Openly Secular:
Our Mission The mission of Openly Secular is to eliminate discrimination and increase acceptance by getting secular people – including atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, humanists and nonreligious people – to be open about their beliefs.
Our Vision Discrimination is rampant against those who are secular. Teens are made homeless after being thrown out of their homes; young activists receive death threats; people lose relationships with friends, family, and coworkers for not believing the same. A 2014 Pew research study, for example, showed 53% of people would be less likely to vote for someone who does not believe in God. Many minority groups, such as gay candidates, were less stigmatized than secular candidates. Disturbingly, respondents were more likely to vote for an adulterous candidate than an openly secular one.
We envision a world where there are no social costs for being secular, where families and communities remain whole when some members have moved away from religion or supernaturalism.
The following videos are some of the many made for today to show you that many people are openly secular:
Most of the videos are not from the well-know, just ordinary folks.
If these messages resonate with you know that you’re not alone — many of us are Openly Secular.
AARP Livibility Index
The Livability Index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. for the services and amenities that impact your life the most
Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
Geo St. Louis
a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
