St. Louis Civil Rights: Jefferson Bank Protest

Fifty years ago today, just days after the 1963 March on Washington ended, protestors were staging a sit-in at Jefferson Bank, then located on the SW corner of Jefferson & Washington, 2600 Washington Ave. The dispute, however, wasn’t new, it had been ongoing for seven years by this point.

As I detailed a few years ago, Jefferson Bank moved into their new building in 1956. After the move, all their cashiers were suddenly white. Black customers were no longer represented behind the teller windows. To learn more about the struggle, protest, and change consider attending an event tonight at the Missouri History Museum:

Commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Jefferson Bank protests, one of the most important chapters in St. Louis civil rights history, with those who lived the experience and those who continue the work today. 

Jefferson Bank Protests: Looking Back, Looking Forward Friday, August 30 • 7pm • Lee Auditorium • Free

I still find it weird that I was born just three and a half years after the March on Washington. I know society has progressed immensely since then, but work remains.

— Steve Patterson

An Infuriatingly Avoidable Accessibility Issue

The former headquarters of the Missouri Pacific Railroad reopened on May 12, 2011 as luxury apartments called Park Pacific. The Lawrence Group was the architect as well as owner/developer, they an impressive job.

But I’ve had a few issues, such as rolling dumpsters left blocking the Pine Street sidewalk.

In the 2+ years since the building reopened a number of businesses moved in. KMOX radio moved into some commercial office space, for example. At the street-level there are a number of options: frozen yogurt, fine dinning, smoothies, and most recently, Art Saint Louis + Mississippi Mud coffeehouse.

Earlier this week I had a meeting with someone, she suggested we meet at Art Saint Louis + Mississippi Mud. When Art Saint Louis announced their plans to relocate from 555 Washington Ave to the Park Pacific I was interested, the sidewalk entrance from their Washington Ave location wasn’t wheelchair accessible, but at least they also had a 2nd entrance via the lobby.

I just assumed with the $109 million dollar building renovation the accessible entrance to their new space must be through the main lobby as well. I thought nobody would build a tenant space with a brand new non-ADA exterior-only entrance. Turns out I was wrong, The Lawrence Group designed, built, & leased a storefront with one public entrance without required wheelchair access as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The architect can’t say the owner made changes without their knowledge — the owner & architect are the same entity!

The sidewalk should’ve been raised up when poured, but it wasn’t. They had two years to fix it while the space was vacant and for lease, but they didn’t. No, it wasn’t until I arrive that it became an issue to fix. The executive director of Art Saint Louis and owner of Mississippi Mud were both apologetic, they genuinely felt bad.  Two staff from the Park Pacific got involved, guiding me through the lobby to a back service corridor, to a back door to the Art Saint Louis space.

But it was worth the journey, the new space is very nice. Much better than their previous space, which had become very dated.

One person said they could grind off the step, though it would be steeper than the ADA allows. On Tuesday post some were shocked when I said I was ok with the city using asphalt to deal with a problem where a sidewalk sank, causing a bit of a lip less than this one. It was suggested I have a double standard.

Well, yes and no.

The sidewalk situation I posted about Tuesday has several parties involved, hard to determine who’s at fault for the sidewalk sinking next to a water vault lid that didn’t sink.  Here we know clearly who’s responsible — and they received tax incentives to do the project. The mayor and other elected officials were present at the ribbon cutting.  So yes, I hold this project to a higher standard, but I wouldn’t call it a double standard.

At this point I want the entrance fixed precisely conforming with the ADA — not a fraction of an inch out of compliance. I have a digital level I’ll bring to test the solution. The Lawrence Group should know better, they cannot claim ignorance. They created the problem for themselves during the renovation, they didn’t address it for the 2 years the space was vacant.

Unfortunately the very nice people at Art Saint Louis + Mississippi Mud will be inconvenienced while this is busted out and redone in compliance with the ADA. If you plan to lease space for a business please make sure it is ADA-compliant. You can’t assume just because the owner of the building is an architecture firm that they got it right, bring along an independent 3rd party to verify before you sign the lease.

I emailed Lawrence Group partner Steve Smith that same day, saying I was “angry & disappointed.” Infuriating!!

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Issue RFP on Cupples 7 Site

The top answer in the poll last week indicates readers would like Treasurer Tishaura Jones issue a RFP (Request For Proposals) regarding the soon to be vacant site occupied for decades by the Cupples 7 warehouse.

Here are the poll results:

Q: What should St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones do with the site of the former Cupples 7 warehouse? (pick up to 3)

1. Issue a RFP (request for proposals) from developers 73 [32.74%]
2. Don’t raze the western half! 48 [21.52%]
3. Solicit public to get ideas 34 [15.25%]
4. Set up a design charrette 32 [14.35%]
5. Plant it for a public park 18 [8.07%]
6. Pave it for surface parking 8 [3.59%]
7. Unsure/no opinion 5 [2.25%]
8. Construct a parking garage 3 [1.35%]
9. Other: 2 [0.9%]

Here are the two “other” answers submitted by readers.

1. Sell the site for a $1 to the first worthy development w/ funding.
2. set up a public speaking dais for a press conference on it and resign.

Ouch! I agree a RFP should be issued, but only after getting ideas from the public. The RFP shouldn’t be open-ended, it should have parameters based on public input.

In the interest of transparency & change, Jones will [hopefully] seek input and put together an open process to address the disposition the site.

The south wall of the west section was nearly gone when I visited yesterday. I think the north & west walls are the most critical, even saving just the first 3 floors of these walls makes sense until we have a handle on the next steps.

— Steve Patterson

One Spot On Sidewalk A Challenge, Who’s Responsible?

I’ve used many sidewalks throughout St. Louis, most are adequate. It just takes one bad point though to made a decent sidewalk barely adequate. That happened to me on Saturday going from Kingshighway to Grand for yesterday’s post. The entire length, over 1.5 miles, was good until I was almost at Grand.

I see these often, I think they’re lids for vaults. Everyone I’ve encountered are raised above the adjacent sidewalk.  Who’s responsible? The City? MSD (Metropolitan Sewer District)? The adjacent property owner, Saint Louis University? I haven’t a clue, but I’ll email this post to a few people and find out.

— Steve Patterson

Competing Visions for Forest Park Avenue Corridor

Forest Park Ave from Kingshighway to Grand (map) is 1.6 miles long with the potential to be a dense urban corridor. Developers, however, would like to make it a typical low-density big box chain retail corridor. I’d like to show you why I believe two big box retail developments at Forest Park Avenue & Vandeventer are out of character, why these will undo the work others have done recently.

I had enough photos of various buildings along Forest Park Ave to write this post, but Saturday I spent about 90 minutes taking around 150 photos as I traveled the entire length in my wheelchair. Why go to such trouble? I believe cities can’t be properly understood driving through in a car, or worse, relying on Google street view. You’ve got to hit the pavement to really get what an area is about.

I got off the bus on Forest Park Ave at the first stop east of Kingshighway and returned downtown from the Grand MetroLink station, about 2 miles of travel.  Don’t worry, I’m only going to show you a small percentage of the images I took.

As you can see each block for the last 1.5 miles from Kingshighway has buildings fronting Forest Park Ave, nearly all 2 or more floors. Seems like every decade since the early 20th century new buildings have followed this pattern. But now Pace wants to change the pattern drastically, a new vision.

Pace Properties wants to build a retail center, called Midtown Station, on Forest Park Ave. between Vandeventer and Spring.

Pace says the site is ideal because of its proximity to St. Louis University and Washington University, as well as major employers like Ameren Missouri, BJC and Wells Fargo. (KSDK)

From the development flyer:

Next to Saint Louis University should be walkable retail shops, not the blank walls of the back of big boxes. I’m not opposed to retail, I’m opposed to the form these developments will likely take. I’m gathering examples of how this could be done much better, look for another post next month.

I don’t want this new suburban big box vision to reverse the urban corridor.

— Steve Patterson