History bulldozed on this day in 1963

One of my favorite books is St. Louis Day by Day by Frances Hurd Stadler (1989). The entry for July 24th takes us back to 1963, forty-seven years ago today:

Bulldozers moved in to demolish the large cast-iron watering trough at the triangle formed by the intersection of Franklin, Easton and Leffingwell avenues. Made of fourteen sections bolted together, the trough had long served as a refreshment spot for some of the city’s busiest draft horses. Franklin and Easton, now Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, had formed part of the first road to St. Charles. As the nation expanded west, this link became vital, joining with roads beyond St. Charles up the Missouri River, and eventually branching off onto the Santa Fe Trail.

Within the city, Easton was an important business thoroughfare, and the Y formed by the three streets was the logical place for trade wagons to halt and for horses to drink. The only remaining St. Louis example of this once-common feature of equine architecture can be found at Alabama, Virginia, and Ivory avenues, where neighborhood residents have built a small park and planted the old watering through with flowers.

Today the triangle of Franklin, Easton & Leffingwell isn’t a triangle. The Franklin side was removed when Dr. Martin Luther King Drive received new curbs and sidewalks, around 2004.

Since the book was published the flowers have been replaced by a fountain at the Ivory Triangle:

I wonder if the trough that was removed in 1963 would be an interesting community spot had it remain?

– Steve Patterson

Readers want more payment options for on-street parking

The poll last week was about on-street parking and the answer with the biggest number of votes was more payment options.

Q: On-street parking downtown is free after 7pm weeknights and all day Saturday & Sunday. Thoughts? Pick up to three answers:

1. More payment options like bills, plastic or via phone 75 [27.17%]
2. Too many blocks lack any on-street parking. 40 [14.49%]
3. Extend the 2-hour limit to 3 or 4 hours on blocks with few storefronts. 33 [11.96%]
4. Enforce the 2-hour time limit but not during events like festivals or sporting events 21 [7.61%]
5. Perfect as is 21 [7.61%]
6. Regardless the city needs to enforce the 2-hour limit to encourage turnover 20 [7.25%]
7. Downtown parking meter rates & times should be the same as other areas in the city 18 [6.52%]
8. Downtown on-street parking should be free 24/7  – 16 [5.8%]
9. On-street parking shouldn’t be free on Saturdays 9 [3.26%]
10. On-street parking should stay free after 7pm weekdays but not on the weekends 8 [2.9%]
11. On-street parking should stay free on the weekends but weekdays should be paid until 9pm 7 [2.54%]
12. Other answer… 6 [2.17%]
13. No opinion/unsure 2 [0.72%]
14. On-street parking should be removed so we have more room for traffic flow.  0 [0%]

The six other answers were:

1. lower the costs to visit downtown and more people will come.
2. Enforce the limit, but get rid of the ugly garages that eat up downtown space
3. Meter parking should be free after 6PM
4. On street parking should be free after 5:00 on weekdays and all weekend.
5. Prices should fluctuate based on demand at any given time
6. It’s fine

So what do I make of these results? That the biggest group don’t mind paying to park on the street, they just want more options than change.  If you park in an area that allows more than two hours of parking it requires a lot of quarters, dimes and nickels.  I personally buy a $10 roll of quarters every so often just so that I make sure I have enough.

Cities with modern parking policies have “pay-n-display” machines rather than our 20th century meters.  Pay-n-display eliminates meters at each spot — in fact there are no specific spots — you can get more cars in a given amount of street.  After paying the fee with cash, coin, or credit you affix a receipt inside your car window.  Other systems allow you to extend your time via your cell phone.

The second most popular response was “Too many blocks lack any on-street parking.”  This is a big peeve of mine, in particular the north side of the 1100 block of Washington.  The lane that should have on-street parking in front of the bowling alley, hair salon, pizza place and diner is reserved for “turning movements” — all that traffic that goes north on Tucker.  I’ve made two short videos of this block to highlight the lack of traffic during the weekday rush hour.

March 2010:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_e_CqFA4fk

September 2009:

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

It is clear there is disagreement on downtown’s parking policy.

– Steve Patterson

St. Louis Walk of Fame old enough to drink

Twenty-one years ago the St. Louis Walk of Fame was dedicated.  Ten individuals with a connection to St. Louis were honored:

Chuck Berry

Katherine Dunham

James B. Eads

T.S. Eliot

Scott Joplin

Charles Lindbergh

Stan Musial

Vincent Price

Joseph Pulitzer

Tennessee Williams

Over 100 additional people have been inducted in the 21 years since the original 10.

– Steve Patterson

Stimulus funds helped with renovation of building in Marine Villa neighborhood

Yesterday afternoon the ribbon was cut on a newly renovated property in south St. Louis. The handsome 4,932sf building at 3500 Illinois Ave was renovated with the help of federal stimulus funds.

I couldn’t check out the 2nd & 3rd floors but the first floor was nice.  The building was in very poor condition when the project started.  This was the 8th renovation project on this block where the city helped out to get the project done.

I saw a number of the contractors and suppliers who were present.  The stimulus was about jobs and getting money flowing.  Using the money to continue to target a once run down block is a good strategy.  The house has already sold — it closed last week. This is a key difference from what we might see in other areas.  Alderman Ortmann (D-9th Ward) and Alderman Craig Schmid  of the adjacent 20th Ward both focus on owner-occupied single-family homes. So what had contained 2-3 units is now a massive single family property.

Their bias against multiple units and rentals means buildings wait for renovation until a pile of money is available to make a project work as a single house.  I question the wisdom of creating such massive single-family homes.  How will such homes do when resold? Wouldn’t more units help support local businesses?

I did like that the rear entry to the home was level — no steps at all from the new sidewalk to inside.  The bathroom on the first floor featured a small shower without a step — another good touch for the accessibility. The many residents from the Marine Villa neighborhood were pleased to see the building finally renovated.

– Steve Patterson

Union Pacific’s ‘City of Saint Louis’ debuted on June 2, 1946

You know the song the City of New Orleans, here is the chorus:

Good morning America how are you?
Don’t you know me I’m your native son,
I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

But did you know there was a City of Saint Louis train as part of Union Pacific’s city series?

“The Union Pacific’s City fleet is credited with being the first lightweight streamlined passenger train to operate in the United States. In 1934 the City of Salina, the first in the fleet, debuted as a three-car lightweight trainset that the Electro-Motive Corporation named the M-10000. The Union Pacific was so impressed with the train, and the response it received from the public, that it purchased seven more sets and the City fleet was born.

Following the City of Salina, also in 1934 was the City of Portland, followed by the City of Los Angeles, City of San Francisco, and City of Denver in 1936. The City fleet became revered throughout the west and rivaled the Santa Fe’s legendary Super Chief, and every other western passenger train, in exquisiteness and fine traveling. Once the trains received their Domeliners in the mid-1950s they became the lavish way to travel for many in Hollywood.“

Sixty-three years ago today (1946) the City of Saint Louis joined this series of luxury trains:

The City of Saint Louis was another of Union Pacific’s vast City fleet of trains connecting the Midwest with the west coast. The City of Saint Louis debuted on June 2, 1946 originally connecting its namesake city, in conjunction with the little Wabash Railroad between Kansas City and St. Louis, with Cheyenne, Wyoming via Denver and Kansas City. However, later in 1951 it was operated all of the way to Los Angeles via the Southern Pacific. Not long after the St. Louis hit the rails it was upgraded with lightweight, all-streamlined equipment in 1947 featuring diners, Pullman sleepers, lounges, observations, and even dome cars which were added in 1958 from Pullman-Standard.

Through the end the City of Saint Louis, along with her sister City trains, remained a top-notch, all matching consist operation by Union Pacific. As rail travel patronage slacked off through the 1960s the train was eventually downgraded, however. In June 1968 the City of Saint Louis was cut back to just Kansas City and remained as the City of Kansas City. While service remained satisfactory, however, this did not secure the St. Louis or other City trains’ futures as they were all discontinued with the startup of Amtrak in the spring of 1971. (Source)

So what began 46 years ago today lasted only 22 years (1946-1968).  I’m not a fan of flying so I’d love to see true high-speed rail (200+ mph) in the US.

Because the tune is probably in your head by now, here is Arlo Guthrie performing The City of New Orleans in 1978:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxoM6trtZE

– Steve Patterson