Working to make things happen usually isn't rocket science. It's often the opposite. Very simple little things done over and over and over again. Maybe a thousand little things. The challenge is getting away from pointing out errors or weaknesses and moving to action and results.
There are lots of issues in St. Louis deserving attention. The challenge is, how to make an impactful difference? Having meetings, talking about issues, making points about what needs to happen often leads to suggestions that these things require the actual work of someone...else. That's not effective.
If you want to see something happen, then you have to be part of making it happen. This subject reminds me of the criticism of volunteer groups. It always strikes me as extremely ironic when people are critical of volunteer organizations. Why would people criticize volunteer efforts?
Rather than criticize, how about joining, offering funds, or partnering in some other way? There certainly is plenty of work to do and not enough money, time or people to make it all happen. When people volunteer, they give of themselves, and they are trying to make a positive difference. They need help and support, not criticism. We get more done working together and leveraging our efforts.
A point was made at a recent meeting about helping to improve educational outcomes in city schools. The person made the statement that each one of us needs to become personally invovled. He was right. How does that happen? We hear lots of complaining about the city public schools. Other than complaining, what are people doing to make a difference in improving them?
I read online recently about the idea of targeting historic buildings for preservation. The idea is appealing. How will it happen? It will take a million, or maybe a thousand, small steps. People have to work together. Get on the same page. Share a vision and a passion. Overcome differences, find common ground, and move forward toward making things happen. That means alot work for a lot of someones. And usually it's on top of our normal 8-5 jobs, family and home commitments, walking the dog, and everything else that demands of our time.
Let's explore the things that we've done to make good things happen. A couple of best examples in St. Louis include the creation of Metrolink and the restoration of Forest Park. Getting those projects done took a million small things and years of work. What are some of the other big challenges we face? Zoning reform? Improving educational outcomes? Dealing with vacant and abandoned buildings? What should happen, but more importantly, how do we get things to happen?
Friday, October 02, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
"Urbanexus Next American City" finds St. Louis
Urbanexus - Next American City came to town this week and is finding a place where creative people are working together to remake St. Louis.
A meeting of Urbanexus representatives, local creatives, and out of town experts convened at the downtown Left Bank Books. The event started at 7, with most people lingering long after the 9 PM scheduled conclusion.
There were well over 100 people in attendace. The standing room only group overflowed into the upstairs balcony.
Had this event occured ten or fifteen years ago, there would have been likely fewer than a dozen persons on hand. And there would have been little to do afterwards. Attendees at last night's event had many venues to choose from for after meeting gatherings.
Among the issues presented included creating a 1% for the arts program. Former 28th Ward alderman Dan Maguire was in attendance and encouraged attendees to promote such ideas to current members of the Board of Aldermen.
Panelists included current alderman for the 21st Ward, Antonio French. Alderman French stressed the need for an update to the city's zoning and development process. His point was supported by another panelist and Trailnet representative who mentioned the importance of an understandable and predictable development process.
A German born architect and current UC Berkeley professor stressed the importance of cross collaboration. Cherokee street creative entrepreneur and start up business advocate Galen Gandolfi spoke eloquently about the importance of providing capital to low and moderate income persons and businesses.
St. Louis American editor Chris King moderated the event. It's always good to meet the people whose blogs we read. King did a good job emceeing the event and sharing his love for St. Louis. King described Alderman French, as exactly the sort of bright, educated, young professional person St. Louis needs to retain.
The need for strong leadership was a recurring theme. Whether its for passage of a tax for a regional trail system (have) or a 1% for the arts program (need), it takes leaders to make such ideas into reality. Question: How does St. Louis nurture the increase in such leadership that gave us the regional trail system to do more progressive things for St. Louis? Case in point: if a revamp of the planning and zoning code for St. Louis is a desired goal, how do we build leadership around that issue?
Downtown St. Louis has become the focal point for the discussion. But its important to remember that many of the principles discussed last night have already been happening in St. Louis for a long time. Alderman French cited the success of the Loop as an example of a creative person, Joe Edwards, making change happen. The role of gays and the sustainability of the Central West End was emphasized.
Tough issues such as a challenged public school system and attracting middle class families were debated. Some suggested writing off the idea of attracting middle class families. Others said a "quiet tax" exists for families choosing to live in the city and paying to place their kids in private schools.
What is never brought up in the schools debate is the fact that most enrollees into private high schools in the St. Louis region live outside the city of St. Louis.
Here's a related question. The City of St. Louis has a residency requirement for most public employees. As a former public employee, I support the policy. What I don't understand is why are employees of the city public libraries and city public schools exempt from a residency requirement? You must be a city resident to serve on the school board, but you don't need to live in the city to be a city school teacher.
Wouldn't city school teachers have a more vested interest in the success of city schools if they were city residents themselves?
A meeting of Urbanexus representatives, local creatives, and out of town experts convened at the downtown Left Bank Books. The event started at 7, with most people lingering long after the 9 PM scheduled conclusion.
There were well over 100 people in attendace. The standing room only group overflowed into the upstairs balcony.
Had this event occured ten or fifteen years ago, there would have been likely fewer than a dozen persons on hand. And there would have been little to do afterwards. Attendees at last night's event had many venues to choose from for after meeting gatherings.
Among the issues presented included creating a 1% for the arts program. Former 28th Ward alderman Dan Maguire was in attendance and encouraged attendees to promote such ideas to current members of the Board of Aldermen.
Panelists included current alderman for the 21st Ward, Antonio French. Alderman French stressed the need for an update to the city's zoning and development process. His point was supported by another panelist and Trailnet representative who mentioned the importance of an understandable and predictable development process.
A German born architect and current UC Berkeley professor stressed the importance of cross collaboration. Cherokee street creative entrepreneur and start up business advocate Galen Gandolfi spoke eloquently about the importance of providing capital to low and moderate income persons and businesses.
St. Louis American editor Chris King moderated the event. It's always good to meet the people whose blogs we read. King did a good job emceeing the event and sharing his love for St. Louis. King described Alderman French, as exactly the sort of bright, educated, young professional person St. Louis needs to retain.
The need for strong leadership was a recurring theme. Whether its for passage of a tax for a regional trail system (have) or a 1% for the arts program (need), it takes leaders to make such ideas into reality. Question: How does St. Louis nurture the increase in such leadership that gave us the regional trail system to do more progressive things for St. Louis? Case in point: if a revamp of the planning and zoning code for St. Louis is a desired goal, how do we build leadership around that issue?
Downtown St. Louis has become the focal point for the discussion. But its important to remember that many of the principles discussed last night have already been happening in St. Louis for a long time. Alderman French cited the success of the Loop as an example of a creative person, Joe Edwards, making change happen. The role of gays and the sustainability of the Central West End was emphasized.
Tough issues such as a challenged public school system and attracting middle class families were debated. Some suggested writing off the idea of attracting middle class families. Others said a "quiet tax" exists for families choosing to live in the city and paying to place their kids in private schools.
What is never brought up in the schools debate is the fact that most enrollees into private high schools in the St. Louis region live outside the city of St. Louis.
Here's a related question. The City of St. Louis has a residency requirement for most public employees. As a former public employee, I support the policy. What I don't understand is why are employees of the city public libraries and city public schools exempt from a residency requirement? You must be a city resident to serve on the school board, but you don't need to live in the city to be a city school teacher.
Wouldn't city school teachers have a more vested interest in the success of city schools if they were city residents themselves?
Friday, September 18, 2009
Urbanists: are you "hitting the hustings"?
I had to look that term up on Google to learn what it meant. "Hitting the hustings" is an old English expression that means campaigning and debating for an issue.
We read a lot of ideas about ways to improve St. Louis. There is lots of debate online and in the blogs. However, most citizens don't follow blogs. They get their information by attending meetings or talking with friends and neighbors.
If you're passionate about an issue, are you out there in person making presentations to promote your ideas?
We read a lot of ideas about ways to improve St. Louis. There is lots of debate online and in the blogs. However, most citizens don't follow blogs. They get their information by attending meetings or talking with friends and neighbors.
If you're passionate about an issue, are you out there in person making presentations to promote your ideas?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Mapping St. Louis urbanism
There is much talk on the blogosphere about revitalizing neighborhoods and improving our city's urban assets. Most of the talk centers around built environment issues. Concerns over building scale, setbacks, demolition of historic buildings and neighborhood walkability are frequently mentioned.
There is such intense debate about the built environment, some advocates of urbanism suggest that parts of St. Louis are not urban. If this is so, then does it mean we could map the urban parts of St. Louis?
STL Rising differs from the above point of view. We see the whole city as urban. We'd add some adjoining areas outside the city to our urban fabric as well, but we'd definitely not remove any parts of the city from what is urban.
The city proper is a whole, with one overall tax base and many distinct neighborhoods and 28 individual wards. When we pay our 1% earnings tax, annual real estate taxes, or buy a gallon of gas, it doesn't matter where in the city we buy it, the tax revenue from the sale supports the whole urban community of St. Louis.
If I'm a city resident, then I'm 1/350,000th of our city's urban fabric. It doesn't matter what neighborhood I live in or what my house looks like. I'm part of the city. When you visit the city, and spend money here or attend an event, then you're part of our city's urban fabric too. STL Rising's position is the most important ingredient in sustainable urbanism is people.
So I'd be curious to hear from others, with anonymous comments welcome. If you believe parts of St. Louis are urban, while others are distinctly not, how do you make the distinction?
There is such intense debate about the built environment, some advocates of urbanism suggest that parts of St. Louis are not urban. If this is so, then does it mean we could map the urban parts of St. Louis?
STL Rising differs from the above point of view. We see the whole city as urban. We'd add some adjoining areas outside the city to our urban fabric as well, but we'd definitely not remove any parts of the city from what is urban.
The city proper is a whole, with one overall tax base and many distinct neighborhoods and 28 individual wards. When we pay our 1% earnings tax, annual real estate taxes, or buy a gallon of gas, it doesn't matter where in the city we buy it, the tax revenue from the sale supports the whole urban community of St. Louis.
If I'm a city resident, then I'm 1/350,000th of our city's urban fabric. It doesn't matter what neighborhood I live in or what my house looks like. I'm part of the city. When you visit the city, and spend money here or attend an event, then you're part of our city's urban fabric too. STL Rising's position is the most important ingredient in sustainable urbanism is people.
So I'd be curious to hear from others, with anonymous comments welcome. If you believe parts of St. Louis are urban, while others are distinctly not, how do you make the distinction?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
City wants to super-size your block party
An article in the Beacon describes a plan to close long stretches of city boulevards for several hours at a time to create miles long play areas connecting multiple neighhborhoods. With our abundant street system, this idea sounds fun and feasible.
Closing long stretches of city streets has been done for parades. Market was closed during the Final Four a few years ago for the "March to the Arch". We participated with thousands of others, dribbling basketballs down a mile or so stretch of Market Street. We brought the dog and a group of our son's friends. It was fun.
The plan is being developed by the Mayor's office and Trailnet. It's an effort to get neighbors outside, away from the television, doing healthy activities with friends and families. Boulevards closed for the day might link with city parks, creating an open space and recreational network. Lindell has been mentioned as one of the possible streets.
Okay, so STL Rising doesn't like to complain, but it seems like some places get all the cool stuff. Lindell and the CWE is a great choice, but what about doing this in lesser known parts of the city?
Last weekend I attended the Gateway Cup bike race around Francis Park in St. Gabriel's parish in South St. Louis. A former U-City resident now Chesterfield resident, and lifelong St. Louis area resident in his sixties approached me. He said he had never seen Francis Park in his life. He was amazed at the neighborhood's beauty. I suspect he's never been to Natural Bridge and O'Fallon Park or South Grand and Carondelet Park either.
I hope if the city does move forward on its plan to close long stretches of major city boulevards, the lesser known parts of St. Louis get to participate. We have lots of streets to celebrate.
Broadway through Baden. Natural Bridge, Page and MLK on the north side. Hampton, Manchester, S. Grand and Jefferson on the South side.
Why hold back?
Closing long stretches of city streets has been done for parades. Market was closed during the Final Four a few years ago for the "March to the Arch". We participated with thousands of others, dribbling basketballs down a mile or so stretch of Market Street. We brought the dog and a group of our son's friends. It was fun.
The plan is being developed by the Mayor's office and Trailnet. It's an effort to get neighbors outside, away from the television, doing healthy activities with friends and families. Boulevards closed for the day might link with city parks, creating an open space and recreational network. Lindell has been mentioned as one of the possible streets.
Okay, so STL Rising doesn't like to complain, but it seems like some places get all the cool stuff. Lindell and the CWE is a great choice, but what about doing this in lesser known parts of the city?
Last weekend I attended the Gateway Cup bike race around Francis Park in St. Gabriel's parish in South St. Louis. A former U-City resident now Chesterfield resident, and lifelong St. Louis area resident in his sixties approached me. He said he had never seen Francis Park in his life. He was amazed at the neighborhood's beauty. I suspect he's never been to Natural Bridge and O'Fallon Park or South Grand and Carondelet Park either.
I hope if the city does move forward on its plan to close long stretches of major city boulevards, the lesser known parts of St. Louis get to participate. We have lots of streets to celebrate.
Broadway through Baden. Natural Bridge, Page and MLK on the north side. Hampton, Manchester, S. Grand and Jefferson on the South side.
Why hold back?
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Morning bits
Smells are powerful mental cues. They can remind you of things from decades ago. I had one of those scent triggered memories today.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I spent about half my childhood in downtown San Francisco visiting my mom at her "Upper Tenderloin" or "Lower Nob Hill" (depending on your point of view) apartments. My sister and I would ride the bus from our suburban home in the East Bay to the South of Market area A/C transit station on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. From there, we'd walk the ten or so blocks up the hill to mom's Leavenworth or Bush Street apartments.
Along the way, there were lots of activities and various smells. Some good, some not so good. Fresh newspapers being delivered. Flower stands on the sidewalk. Along with the fresh flower stands, good food aromas coming from coffee shops, restaurants and hotels were my favorites. This was way back in the early 70s.
Fast forward to the present. I've worked in downtown St. Louis for about 15 years. Good smells haven't really been part of the experience. Dust and cold concrete mostly. Today, that changed. I exited the parking garage onto Olive near 7th street and for the first time, I noticed the smell of breakfast cooking. It immediately took me back to those early morning walks in downtown SF.
It may not seem like much, but the smell of breakfast cooking sure beats the alternative of cold concrete and musty air that used to greet morning visitors to our downtown.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I spent about half my childhood in downtown San Francisco visiting my mom at her "Upper Tenderloin" or "Lower Nob Hill" (depending on your point of view) apartments. My sister and I would ride the bus from our suburban home in the East Bay to the South of Market area A/C transit station on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. From there, we'd walk the ten or so blocks up the hill to mom's Leavenworth or Bush Street apartments.
Along the way, there were lots of activities and various smells. Some good, some not so good. Fresh newspapers being delivered. Flower stands on the sidewalk. Along with the fresh flower stands, good food aromas coming from coffee shops, restaurants and hotels were my favorites. This was way back in the early 70s.
Fast forward to the present. I've worked in downtown St. Louis for about 15 years. Good smells haven't really been part of the experience. Dust and cold concrete mostly. Today, that changed. I exited the parking garage onto Olive near 7th street and for the first time, I noticed the smell of breakfast cooking. It immediately took me back to those early morning walks in downtown SF.
It may not seem like much, but the smell of breakfast cooking sure beats the alternative of cold concrete and musty air that used to greet morning visitors to our downtown.
Friday, September 04, 2009
The Gateway Connector project
The Illinois Departmnent of Transportation has plans to build a north-south running highway known as the "Gateway Connector" through the metro east intended to connect communities from Troy through O'Fallon to Columbia.
The project has a price tag of $500,000,000. Its price is very comparable to the $460 million cost of the Highway 64 rebuild from Interstate 270 into the city of St. Louis, but its size is much different, running 41 miles compared to the 11 of the Interstate 64 rebuild.
As one would expecet, the project has both opposition and support, but rather than debate the merits of the plan, what I find interesting is the timelines involved. It seems like the project has been on the drawing boards for at least 10 years and planners estimate it could take another 20 years before the road is ready to drive on.
Opponents cite urban sprawl as the reason to block the project and among the supporters are businesses working in real estate and home building. They say the project will open land for development.
The thing that amazes me is the way we are looking at decade after decade to plan such a project. Why does this take so long? Wouldn't it be better to either commit to move forward or outright kill the project? The slow funding and decision making process is torture for the participants on both sides.
If we have STL Rising readers in the metro east, it would be great to hear your take on the proposed Gateway Connector. Given the extremely long lead time for this project, one gets the sense that the road building industry and highway lobby has some of the longest horizons in American society. Sort of like the 50-year business planning strategies of the Far East.
The project has a price tag of $500,000,000. Its price is very comparable to the $460 million cost of the Highway 64 rebuild from Interstate 270 into the city of St. Louis, but its size is much different, running 41 miles compared to the 11 of the Interstate 64 rebuild.
As one would expecet, the project has both opposition and support, but rather than debate the merits of the plan, what I find interesting is the timelines involved. It seems like the project has been on the drawing boards for at least 10 years and planners estimate it could take another 20 years before the road is ready to drive on.
Opponents cite urban sprawl as the reason to block the project and among the supporters are businesses working in real estate and home building. They say the project will open land for development.
The thing that amazes me is the way we are looking at decade after decade to plan such a project. Why does this take so long? Wouldn't it be better to either commit to move forward or outright kill the project? The slow funding and decision making process is torture for the participants on both sides.
If we have STL Rising readers in the metro east, it would be great to hear your take on the proposed Gateway Connector. Given the extremely long lead time for this project, one gets the sense that the road building industry and highway lobby has some of the longest horizons in American society. Sort of like the 50-year business planning strategies of the Far East.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Carondelet to bookend its southern flank
Redevelopment takes time. Sometimes a long time. Today, St. Louis celebrates a milestone in one of its longest term redevelopment efforts.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and other community leaders will take part in the groundbreaking of a new business park to rise on the site of the decades abandoned and once environmentally unusable Carondelet Coke site.
The new business park will bring jobs to the Carondelet neighborhood and the city of St. Louis and complement what's happening across the River Des Peres at the new River City Casino project.
Visitors to the area will see new businesses, more workers, and the historic South Broadway commercial area will have new traffic from the increase in activity. It's a win-win for all, and the result of coordinated effort between the City of St. Louis and its development agencies, the State of Missouri and its development agencies, the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and residents of Carondelet.
With new historic rehab housing developments underway, a new community center nearly complete, the Ivory Triangle area experiencing rapid growth as an entertainment and dining destination district, and now the redevelopment of the Carondelet Coke site a reality, Carondelet is making rapid progress in becoming one of the city's latest neighborhood improvement success stories.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and other community leaders will take part in the groundbreaking of a new business park to rise on the site of the decades abandoned and once environmentally unusable Carondelet Coke site.
The new business park will bring jobs to the Carondelet neighborhood and the city of St. Louis and complement what's happening across the River Des Peres at the new River City Casino project.
Visitors to the area will see new businesses, more workers, and the historic South Broadway commercial area will have new traffic from the increase in activity. It's a win-win for all, and the result of coordinated effort between the City of St. Louis and its development agencies, the State of Missouri and its development agencies, the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and residents of Carondelet.
With new historic rehab housing developments underway, a new community center nearly complete, the Ivory Triangle area experiencing rapid growth as an entertainment and dining destination district, and now the redevelopment of the Carondelet Coke site a reality, Carondelet is making rapid progress in becoming one of the city's latest neighborhood improvement success stories.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
1988 - 2013
In 1988, the Dow Jones Industrials were under 2,000, Ronald Reagan was president, the Iran Contra affair was in the news, and a 25 year time capsule was set at the northeast corner of the Metropolitan Square building in downtown St. Louis.
In our household, we were in the middle of a three year relocation from California to St. Louis. We lived in an apartment in West County, spent weekends exploring St. Louis neighborhoods, and had no kids. We weren't involved in city affairs much at all. We paid little attention to the new high rise being completed downtown and didn't think much about long term efforts to revitalize the city. We were already though, captivated by its neighborhoods, its history, and lifestyle.
Back in 1988, people more involved in St. Louis were keenly aware that its future was in question. Maybe that's why the builders of Met Square only set a 25 year time horizon for their time capsule? The time capsule is set to be opened in just a few years, and many of the same people on hand for the sealing of the capsule are still working in important roles to guide St. Louis forward.
We moved away from St. Louis in 1989. But in 1993, we returned, moving into the city proper. A month later, our son Matt was born. Now he's a junior in high school and we're still city residents. He's seen first hand a lot of the positive changes of the past two decades.
In 2013, when they open the time capsule at Met Square, son Matt will be 20 years old, and St. Louis should be on track for celebrating further progress. Many had written off the city's chances for renewal, but enough people stuck around to see things through for better days today and a brighter future tomorrow.
If you were in St. Louis in the late 80s, what sorts of things were you and your friends and associates thinking about St. Louis and its future? Maybe you were on hand for the placing of the time capsule or topping out of Met Square. Was there a sense of optimism or doubt?
When we moved away in 1989, it was a tough decision for us. We weighed the pros and cons and decided on returning to California, even though St. Louis rated higher on a side by side comparison we did at the time.
For a place like St. Louis city, twenty five years is a good timeframe for planning and implementing community progress. If we look ahead over the next twenty five years, what should be the top things we prioritize for action?
In our household, we were in the middle of a three year relocation from California to St. Louis. We lived in an apartment in West County, spent weekends exploring St. Louis neighborhoods, and had no kids. We weren't involved in city affairs much at all. We paid little attention to the new high rise being completed downtown and didn't think much about long term efforts to revitalize the city. We were already though, captivated by its neighborhoods, its history, and lifestyle.
Back in 1988, people more involved in St. Louis were keenly aware that its future was in question. Maybe that's why the builders of Met Square only set a 25 year time horizon for their time capsule? The time capsule is set to be opened in just a few years, and many of the same people on hand for the sealing of the capsule are still working in important roles to guide St. Louis forward.
We moved away from St. Louis in 1989. But in 1993, we returned, moving into the city proper. A month later, our son Matt was born. Now he's a junior in high school and we're still city residents. He's seen first hand a lot of the positive changes of the past two decades.
In 2013, when they open the time capsule at Met Square, son Matt will be 20 years old, and St. Louis should be on track for celebrating further progress. Many had written off the city's chances for renewal, but enough people stuck around to see things through for better days today and a brighter future tomorrow.
If you were in St. Louis in the late 80s, what sorts of things were you and your friends and associates thinking about St. Louis and its future? Maybe you were on hand for the placing of the time capsule or topping out of Met Square. Was there a sense of optimism or doubt?
When we moved away in 1989, it was a tough decision for us. We weighed the pros and cons and decided on returning to California, even though St. Louis rated higher on a side by side comparison we did at the time.
For a place like St. Louis city, twenty five years is a good timeframe for planning and implementing community progress. If we look ahead over the next twenty five years, what should be the top things we prioritize for action?
Sunday, August 30, 2009
St. Louis International
They were walking through Tower Grove Park carrying carved sticks adorned with shrunken heads. They were dancing to the rhythm of drums and recorded music. They were walking dogs and visiting with friends new and old. They were wearing costumes from around the world. They were dining on cuisine from over thirty nations. They were all attending the the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park which continues today.
For a weekend in late sumer, Tower Grove Park hosts and the International Institute presents the Festival of Nations, a multicultural experience celebrating the often underestimated diversity of St. Louis. Delicious food, perfect weather, wonderful music and fascinating exhibitions fill the southeast corner of the Park.
We attended yesterday. We ate from the different booths and enjoyed the various costumes and dance. We kept seeing people walking with the scary looking walking sticks.
One side of the event has mostly food booths, the other offers booths selling merchandise from around the world. And in between are various performance areas with musicians and dancers.
One booth representing Russia sold those wood carved, colorfully painted dolls which open and reveal many layers of smaller and smaller dolls on the inside. A booth offering Chinese themed goods was beautiful just to walk by. The festive bright colors were stunning. A man and woman dancing in costume to flamenco music were followed by a Japanese troupe dancing to music which sounded like Japanese nursery rhymes. I'm thinking this music would be great as either a conversation starter at our next house party or for setting the rhythm for cleaning house, maybe both.
And then the mystery of the shrunken-head-mounted-walking-sticks was solved. The most popular of all the booths represented Indonesia. Their items were made of molded plastic to look like carved wood. They sold rustic looking plaques with the words "Margaritaville" carved into them and mini surf boards with a bite out of them and the logo for LandShark beer, and what turned out to biggest seller in the park this day, walking sticks adorned with little shrunken heads. I don't know what any of these items have to do with Indonesia, but the operators of this booth sure seemed to know the kinds of things St. Louisans would like to take back home!
With a beautiful Sunday on tap, another trip to the International Festival may work out for a lunch visit today. It would be good to see you there.
For a weekend in late sumer, Tower Grove Park hosts and the International Institute presents the Festival of Nations, a multicultural experience celebrating the often underestimated diversity of St. Louis. Delicious food, perfect weather, wonderful music and fascinating exhibitions fill the southeast corner of the Park.
We attended yesterday. We ate from the different booths and enjoyed the various costumes and dance. We kept seeing people walking with the scary looking walking sticks.
One side of the event has mostly food booths, the other offers booths selling merchandise from around the world. And in between are various performance areas with musicians and dancers.
One booth representing Russia sold those wood carved, colorfully painted dolls which open and reveal many layers of smaller and smaller dolls on the inside. A booth offering Chinese themed goods was beautiful just to walk by. The festive bright colors were stunning. A man and woman dancing in costume to flamenco music were followed by a Japanese troupe dancing to music which sounded like Japanese nursery rhymes. I'm thinking this music would be great as either a conversation starter at our next house party or for setting the rhythm for cleaning house, maybe both.
And then the mystery of the shrunken-head-mounted-walking-sticks was solved. The most popular of all the booths represented Indonesia. Their items were made of molded plastic to look like carved wood. They sold rustic looking plaques with the words "Margaritaville" carved into them and mini surf boards with a bite out of them and the logo for LandShark beer, and what turned out to biggest seller in the park this day, walking sticks adorned with little shrunken heads. I don't know what any of these items have to do with Indonesia, but the operators of this booth sure seemed to know the kinds of things St. Louisans would like to take back home!
With a beautiful Sunday on tap, another trip to the International Festival may work out for a lunch visit today. It would be good to see you there.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Upgrade Opportunity?
With the abundance of park land in the city of St. Louis, it's hard to believe there would be shortages of playing fields. But in the area of quality baseball fields for adult/varsity games, it's true.
High school teams have few options. Across Cass Avenue from the new Vashon High School, at the Senator Jet Banks city park, there is a new full size diamond, built in part through support of the Cardinal Care organization.
In South City, I am wracking my brain to think of any varsity fields available for public school use. The only one I can think of is at "The Greens" on River Des Peres. The Green's field is a nice one, with dugouts, and outfield fencing and a grass infield.
Unfortunately, The Greens is located in a low lying area and as a result often suffers from flooding and can be unplayable in good weather. With the amount of rain St. Louis gets in spring in summer, it's important for baseball fields to have good drainage. The other downside with the Greens is that the field lacks lighting for night games. Since there are lots of nearby homes, installing new night lighting can raise concerns from neighbors.
It appears there may be an opportunity to upgrade an existing facility. Sandwiched between the city compost pile, Interstate 55 and the railroad tracks which cut through Carondelet Park on the east side of Grand Avenue, is the location for the new South City Recreation and swim center. The facility is nearly complete and makes for an excellent entrance into the city. Adjacent to the new recreation center is a large field which for years has housed two little league sized ball fields. With the construction of the new community center, these diamonds have been unused this entire season.
The area is large enough to build a quality, full-sized, varsity/adult baseball field. It features a natural hillside between the community center and the athletic field for spectators. It has a beautiful stone restroom building and quality lighting for night play.
What if this field were upgraded to complement the new community center with a first class baseball field? There would be no neighbors to complain about night games. It would bring more traffic to the area. Local high schools could have one more field for home games. And it could become a regional draw serving as home field to host St. Louis area amateur baseball tournaments.
An upgraded baseball field at Carondelet Park would expand the positive impact of the new community center, make a perfect compliment to historic Heine Meine field in Lemay, The Greens, and the baseball field being constructed at St. Mary's High School. Together, the four fields would position the City of St. Louis to compete in hosting high school tournaments from across the midwest.
Championship games could be held at the improved Carondelet Park field, with banquet and award ceremonies held inside the new Rec Center. Both facilities would be owned by the City of St. Louis and serve as an added source of pride and recreational opportunities for city and regional residents.
Stay tuned. Follow up conversations to explore the feasibility of this concept with local leaders, the operators of the new community center, and the city parks department will be sought to update this post.
High school teams have few options. Across Cass Avenue from the new Vashon High School, at the Senator Jet Banks city park, there is a new full size diamond, built in part through support of the Cardinal Care organization.
In South City, I am wracking my brain to think of any varsity fields available for public school use. The only one I can think of is at "The Greens" on River Des Peres. The Green's field is a nice one, with dugouts, and outfield fencing and a grass infield.
Unfortunately, The Greens is located in a low lying area and as a result often suffers from flooding and can be unplayable in good weather. With the amount of rain St. Louis gets in spring in summer, it's important for baseball fields to have good drainage. The other downside with the Greens is that the field lacks lighting for night games. Since there are lots of nearby homes, installing new night lighting can raise concerns from neighbors.
It appears there may be an opportunity to upgrade an existing facility. Sandwiched between the city compost pile, Interstate 55 and the railroad tracks which cut through Carondelet Park on the east side of Grand Avenue, is the location for the new South City Recreation and swim center. The facility is nearly complete and makes for an excellent entrance into the city. Adjacent to the new recreation center is a large field which for years has housed two little league sized ball fields. With the construction of the new community center, these diamonds have been unused this entire season.
The area is large enough to build a quality, full-sized, varsity/adult baseball field. It features a natural hillside between the community center and the athletic field for spectators. It has a beautiful stone restroom building and quality lighting for night play.
What if this field were upgraded to complement the new community center with a first class baseball field? There would be no neighbors to complain about night games. It would bring more traffic to the area. Local high schools could have one more field for home games. And it could become a regional draw serving as home field to host St. Louis area amateur baseball tournaments.
An upgraded baseball field at Carondelet Park would expand the positive impact of the new community center, make a perfect compliment to historic Heine Meine field in Lemay, The Greens, and the baseball field being constructed at St. Mary's High School. Together, the four fields would position the City of St. Louis to compete in hosting high school tournaments from across the midwest.
Championship games could be held at the improved Carondelet Park field, with banquet and award ceremonies held inside the new Rec Center. Both facilities would be owned by the City of St. Louis and serve as an added source of pride and recreational opportunities for city and regional residents.
Stay tuned. Follow up conversations to explore the feasibility of this concept with local leaders, the operators of the new community center, and the city parks department will be sought to update this post.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
St. Louis: Good For Your Career
According to the "Sales HQ" website, St. Louis is ranked # 20 in the US for career opportunities and in the top 100 worldwide for quality of life.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Low voter turnout, election fraud, led to Great Divorce?
Sunday's Post ran a fascinating article by Tim O'Neill about the history surrounding the election and subsequent lawsuit leading up to the "Great Divorce", where the city of St. Louis separated itself from St. Louis County. At the time, voters in the city wanted out of St. Louis County, and voters in St. Louis County wanted to stay united with the City. But if the issue was of signficant interest, you sure couldn't tell by the vote count.
According to the Post article, in 1870, St. Louis city had a population of 310,864 persons and St. Louis county had 31,000. The vote was nearly split in St. Louis city, 11,878 for the divorce and 11,525 against. In St. Louis County, the vote was 848 for the split, 2,617 against. Overall, the measure lost by a 12,726 for and 14,142 against count.
However, pro-separation forces filed a lawsuit, and a pro-city judge, Thomas Gantt, tossed 5,069 ballots, mostly no votes, leading to eventual approval of the measure by 1,253 votes.
The thing that amazes me is that only 26,868 people voted out of the total 341,864 plus people living in St. Louis City and County at the time. Were only property owners allowed to vote? Thinking back, by this time, women were not yet allowed to vote, so that would have lowered the total.
I wonder if women would have had the vote, if the measure would have passed or failed?
According to the Post article, in 1870, St. Louis city had a population of 310,864 persons and St. Louis county had 31,000. The vote was nearly split in St. Louis city, 11,878 for the divorce and 11,525 against. In St. Louis County, the vote was 848 for the split, 2,617 against. Overall, the measure lost by a 12,726 for and 14,142 against count.
However, pro-separation forces filed a lawsuit, and a pro-city judge, Thomas Gantt, tossed 5,069 ballots, mostly no votes, leading to eventual approval of the measure by 1,253 votes.
The thing that amazes me is that only 26,868 people voted out of the total 341,864 plus people living in St. Louis City and County at the time. Were only property owners allowed to vote? Thinking back, by this time, women were not yet allowed to vote, so that would have lowered the total.
I wonder if women would have had the vote, if the measure would have passed or failed?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Lambert Rising with "Windows on St. Louis"
This being vacation season, I made a trip to Lambert St. Louis International Airport this week and was amazed at the airport's new tourist friendly exhibit "Windows on St. Louis" located in the luggage area of the main terminal. The display is worth a visit to the airport.
There are four or five huge displays, situated behind huge panes of glass, highlighting St. Louis area destinations including the New Cathedral, the U City Loop, and the Arch. It's a must see. Kudos to the organizers behind this effort. For all the criticisms of Lambert, I personally am a big fan of the place. It's easy to get in and out, parking is ridiculously close and cheap, and it's within ten minutes of downtown.
The Visitors and Convention Bureau has a booth there as well, stocked with info about good things to see and do around St. Louis. We picked up a flier for a historic St. Louis themed baseball exhibition now showing at the Arch grounds. Did you know it was there? It runs through the end of the year.
There are four or five huge displays, situated behind huge panes of glass, highlighting St. Louis area destinations including the New Cathedral, the U City Loop, and the Arch. It's a must see. Kudos to the organizers behind this effort. For all the criticisms of Lambert, I personally am a big fan of the place. It's easy to get in and out, parking is ridiculously close and cheap, and it's within ten minutes of downtown.
The Visitors and Convention Bureau has a booth there as well, stocked with info about good things to see and do around St. Louis. We picked up a flier for a historic St. Louis themed baseball exhibition now showing at the Arch grounds. Did you know it was there? It runs through the end of the year.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Fountain Park Back to School Celebration
This Saturday, August 22nd, from 11:00 AM till 3:00 PM, neighbors will meet again in Fountain Park for a Back to School Celebration.
Centennial Christian Church with other community partners are sponsoring a fun day at Fountain Park open to all school-aged city kids to help them get off to a good start for the new school year. There will be raffles for free bicycles, free music, and backpacks filled with school supplies. Supplies are limited.
Last year the effort provided five free bicycles and over 200 backpacks. The tradition is continuing this year and donations of time, funds, and bikes or school supplies are welcomed. If you would like to help out with a donation, the contact person for this event is Mr. Clint Potts, telephone number (314) 443-4081.
Centennial Christian Church with other community partners are sponsoring a fun day at Fountain Park open to all school-aged city kids to help them get off to a good start for the new school year. There will be raffles for free bicycles, free music, and backpacks filled with school supplies. Supplies are limited.
Last year the effort provided five free bicycles and over 200 backpacks. The tradition is continuing this year and donations of time, funds, and bikes or school supplies are welcomed. If you would like to help out with a donation, the contact person for this event is Mr. Clint Potts, telephone number (314) 443-4081.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Book Review: Historic Photos of the Gateway Arch
A new book completed through a collaboration between the National Park Service and local author and historian Nini Harris documents the construction of the Gateway Arch and the history of the site through photographs, drawings, and detailed captions. "Historic Photos of the Gateway Arch" is a photographic time capsule of the thirty-plus year time span of the design and construction of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
The site of one our nation's most iconic landmarks was once the original riverboat docking warehouse district of old St. Louis. "Historic Photos of the Gateway Arch" provides readers a detailed retrospective on the city's original industrial warehouse and riverfront area.
Author Nini Harris is a lifelong St. Louis resident and author of many books on St. Louis history. The writer was active in early rehab efforts of the Lafayette Square neigborhood and is a resident of South City. In addition to her writing, Ms. Harris is involved in historic preservation consulting, including the preparation of National Register historic district nominations for St. Louis neighborhoods.
Through a wide variety of images, Harris leads readers through the planning, design competition, and construction of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Images range from hand drawings to historic and modern photographs. From the expressions on the faces of city leaders, construction workers, and citizens at the time, you can see the sense of pride and accomplishment the Arch brought to St. Louis.
The book opens with a panoramic aerial photograph of downtown St. Louis taken before massive clearance was carried out to make way for the Arch grounds. For those interested in early St. Louis history, the book provides reproductions of many posters and drawings from mid-19th century St. Louis. Photographs then lead readers through many blocks of the historic street grid once located where the Arch now stands. Cobblestone streets, cast iron storefront, warehouse, and apartment buildings are shown.
Following the documentation of the original buildings, the book transitions readers into the design competition for the Memorial. There are many photographs of the unselected proposals. It is interesting to ponder how different St. Louis would be today had any of the alternative proposals been selected. A proposal by St. Louis architect Harris Armstrong called for the construction of a futuristic observation tower and navigable slough for small watercraft on the St. Louis riverfront, with a new airport to be built on the East St. Louis side offering prime views of downtown's growing skyline.
The approximate 30 year timeline from the original clearance to construction of the monument can be tracked based on the vintage of automobiles in the photographs. A significant percentage of the work covers the actual construction of the Arch. Many of the photos of Arch construction must have been taken by the workers themselves, since they are shot from vantage points high in the rigging.
As the National Park Service is currently updating its General Management Plan for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a process and plan that will govern uses of the Arch grounds for the next 15 - 30 years, including a new design competition and possible expansion into Illinois, this book provides an important context in the overall review of the Memorial as future uses and designs of the Memorial are considered.
Historic Photos the Gateway Arch is available at local St. Louis retailers like Hammonds and Left Bank Books or online at www.turnerpublishing.com or www.Amazon.com for $39.95.
Monday, August 10, 2009
1st, 2nd or 3rd?
Late in the summer of another year in St. Louis we just completed a week-long tour of two midwestern destination cities - Cleveland and Pittsburgh. St. Louis has made a local out of me, but with nearly twenty years of time here, it was time to clear my head and think about the motivations that keep us here in this place.
This was a father-son trip (recommended for those with teen sons that have outgrown the junior amateur athletics and scout aged things). Now we share interests in music, architecture, historic neighborhoods and local/ethnic food. Both Cleveland and Pittsburgh offer much to choose from in those categories.
Our trip started in Cleveland. We made the drive from St. Louis to Cleveland in about ten hours. Not one highway patrolman in sight, so traffic moved at 70+ mph the whole way. Midway through Ohio you enter the Great Lakes watershed and beautiful Amish farm country. Arriving in Cleveland you immediately get the impression that it is much more a smaller version of Chicago than St. Louis ever is. Note to self: We St. Louisans would be well served to stop the STL-Chicago comparisons.
Without a reservation, we got a great deal on the lakefront at the Crown Plaza hotel. Cleveland folks are super friendly and helpful. Our primary destination was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but we arrived early enough to explore some of Cleveland and was directed by locals to the historic Tremont neighborhood. Tremont is a 19th century neighborhood, undergoing significant rehab and gentrification.
Tremont is beautiful, about five minutes from downtown, and full of hip restaurants and galleries. One interesting feature of the neighborhood is the way architects of infill new construction seem to have a lot of freedom of design expression. The new construction has urban scale but modern form. I liked it and recommend a visit to this neighborhood if you're ever in Cleveland.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was worth the visit. But after having made the trip once, I doubt we'd return to Cleveland for another trip the R and R HOF. After you've seen it once, it would probably be kind of boring. Maybe after another ten years or a major remake of the place. We would return sooner to attend a sporting event or tour more of the city's neighborhoods.
Pittsburgh and Cleveland are only about 140 miles apart, so the rivalry between cities is strong. After attending a baseball game at Cleveland's Progressive Field (a new downtown ballpark built in a decidely non-faux historic style), at about 9:00 pm we left Cleveland heading to Pittsburgh. Enter the land of the toll roads. What a strange life it must be for the workers collecting those tolls. I'm wondering, are those patronage positions?
For miles there was nothing but darkness. No street lights, no highway intersections with four corners of fast food and filling stations. Eastern Ohio and western PA are heavy rural. Where were the suburbs and sprawl? Maybe we were on the rural route? We'll have to make the trip again in daylight to see what we were missing, but I'm betting it was all forest and farms.
The lack of familiar settlement patterns continued until we were very near Pittsburgh. Highway signs for the Pittsburgh International Airport appeared before any gas stations or subdivisions. Where were the suburbs? We felt like we were riding in the twilight zone. Good thing we had spare change for the toll plazas and enough gas in the tank!
We finally found an offramp with services (restaurants, hotels, filling stations), about ten miles from downtown Pittsburgh. There was an inn with a room, so we checked in and got a good rest before our visit to Pittsburgh. Having heard lots of good things about Pittsburgh, this would be the main destination of our journey.
The next morning on our drive in to Pittsburgh we were impressed with the geography. What a hilly place. Mountains really. Steep ones. We kept getting closer to Pittsburgh, now there were offramps for the city and stadiums, but still no major developments along the road. Very open mostly. Then we came upon the "Fort Pitt Tunnel". We drove through the tunnel and on the other side the whole skyline of Pittsburgh appeared right in front of us. What a view and how dramatic! It was beautiful. And bridges and water everywhere. Pittsburgh claims over 400 bridges. Our plan was to drive around for an hour or two to get our bearings.
The place reminded me very much of eastern cities. Much older and smaller scale of buildings than St. Louis, and a very dense and impressive big city downtown. Regional attractions in Pittsburgh abound. Other than a quick game of catch at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers and a ballgame at spectacular PNC stadium, we didn't even make a dent in the downtown area. Neighborhood destinations filled our schedule.
We toured the Andy Warhol museum, a closed Catholic parish church which had been coverted to a micro brewery, the Carnegie natural history museum with one of the world's largest collection of dinosaur fossils, took a ride up one of their incline trains (awesome views of downtown from the top), checked out the "Strip" neighborhood (ate a Primanti's sandwich there), the northside and southside neighborhoods, and Heinz Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
The rivers, steep hills and historic neighborhoods, along with a strong eastern European influence in churches dotting the hillsides, make for very scenic landscapes, defined neighborhoods, and beautiful views. I expected to see more vacant steel mills but there really weren't very many, even though we did hear from the locals how the local economy still feels the sting from the loss of jobs in steel industry.
In both Cleveland and Pittsburgh we asked for recommendations about neighborhoods with nightlife and music, sort of like our Soulard or Loop areas. Recommendations were few and we didn't find much. Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially for Pittsburgh, since we definitely plan a return there.
There was a noticeable lack of cemetaries around Pittsburgh. We only passed one the whole time we were there. Maybe with the scarcity of buildable land, they're all along the periphery? Or maybe they've been relocated outward through the years?
Whetherwise, Pittsburgh was best. The news reported they were getting ready to have their first 90 degree day - in over a YEAR! With the reduction in industrial activities, the years of dust and soot are over and the skies were clear and blue.
It's easy to see how people would love living in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. We heard from a person at the ballgame at PNC how many Pittsburgh families have over 100 years of local residency.
Given the competition among midwestern regions, there are lessons we can take from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. All three regions, St. Louis, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, are about the same size (just under 3,000,000). All three suffered from white flight, struggling public school systems, and declines in their industrial jobs base. Yet all three are making turnarounds and getting national attention.
Cities of the midwest enjoy lots of advantages. They are drawing more attention from young people seeking creative, affordable environments. They have history and destination attractions of national significance. They are supported by educational institutions and interesting neighborhoods. Weather is seasonal and with A/C, summers are manageable.
St. Louis has better baseball than Pittsburgh or Cleveland, but I'd submit Cleveland and Pittsburgh have better stadiums. Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I'd say St. Louis has a far better music scene. Cleveland and Pittsburgh have more the big city feel, but St. Louis's small town atmosphere makes it easy for people to get connected and gain a meaningful role in their communities.
Making lists makes news. But it's easy to find holes in the lists. So does it really matter whether you're first second, or third? I learned on this trip that we can learn a lot from our neighbors, and we need to always be doing more.
This was a father-son trip (recommended for those with teen sons that have outgrown the junior amateur athletics and scout aged things). Now we share interests in music, architecture, historic neighborhoods and local/ethnic food. Both Cleveland and Pittsburgh offer much to choose from in those categories.
Our trip started in Cleveland. We made the drive from St. Louis to Cleveland in about ten hours. Not one highway patrolman in sight, so traffic moved at 70+ mph the whole way. Midway through Ohio you enter the Great Lakes watershed and beautiful Amish farm country. Arriving in Cleveland you immediately get the impression that it is much more a smaller version of Chicago than St. Louis ever is. Note to self: We St. Louisans would be well served to stop the STL-Chicago comparisons.
Without a reservation, we got a great deal on the lakefront at the Crown Plaza hotel. Cleveland folks are super friendly and helpful. Our primary destination was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but we arrived early enough to explore some of Cleveland and was directed by locals to the historic Tremont neighborhood. Tremont is a 19th century neighborhood, undergoing significant rehab and gentrification.
Tremont is beautiful, about five minutes from downtown, and full of hip restaurants and galleries. One interesting feature of the neighborhood is the way architects of infill new construction seem to have a lot of freedom of design expression. The new construction has urban scale but modern form. I liked it and recommend a visit to this neighborhood if you're ever in Cleveland.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was worth the visit. But after having made the trip once, I doubt we'd return to Cleveland for another trip the R and R HOF. After you've seen it once, it would probably be kind of boring. Maybe after another ten years or a major remake of the place. We would return sooner to attend a sporting event or tour more of the city's neighborhoods.
Pittsburgh and Cleveland are only about 140 miles apart, so the rivalry between cities is strong. After attending a baseball game at Cleveland's Progressive Field (a new downtown ballpark built in a decidely non-faux historic style), at about 9:00 pm we left Cleveland heading to Pittsburgh. Enter the land of the toll roads. What a strange life it must be for the workers collecting those tolls. I'm wondering, are those patronage positions?
For miles there was nothing but darkness. No street lights, no highway intersections with four corners of fast food and filling stations. Eastern Ohio and western PA are heavy rural. Where were the suburbs and sprawl? Maybe we were on the rural route? We'll have to make the trip again in daylight to see what we were missing, but I'm betting it was all forest and farms.
The lack of familiar settlement patterns continued until we were very near Pittsburgh. Highway signs for the Pittsburgh International Airport appeared before any gas stations or subdivisions. Where were the suburbs? We felt like we were riding in the twilight zone. Good thing we had spare change for the toll plazas and enough gas in the tank!
We finally found an offramp with services (restaurants, hotels, filling stations), about ten miles from downtown Pittsburgh. There was an inn with a room, so we checked in and got a good rest before our visit to Pittsburgh. Having heard lots of good things about Pittsburgh, this would be the main destination of our journey.
The next morning on our drive in to Pittsburgh we were impressed with the geography. What a hilly place. Mountains really. Steep ones. We kept getting closer to Pittsburgh, now there were offramps for the city and stadiums, but still no major developments along the road. Very open mostly. Then we came upon the "Fort Pitt Tunnel". We drove through the tunnel and on the other side the whole skyline of Pittsburgh appeared right in front of us. What a view and how dramatic! It was beautiful. And bridges and water everywhere. Pittsburgh claims over 400 bridges. Our plan was to drive around for an hour or two to get our bearings.
The place reminded me very much of eastern cities. Much older and smaller scale of buildings than St. Louis, and a very dense and impressive big city downtown. Regional attractions in Pittsburgh abound. Other than a quick game of catch at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers and a ballgame at spectacular PNC stadium, we didn't even make a dent in the downtown area. Neighborhood destinations filled our schedule.
We toured the Andy Warhol museum, a closed Catholic parish church which had been coverted to a micro brewery, the Carnegie natural history museum with one of the world's largest collection of dinosaur fossils, took a ride up one of their incline trains (awesome views of downtown from the top), checked out the "Strip" neighborhood (ate a Primanti's sandwich there), the northside and southside neighborhoods, and Heinz Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
The rivers, steep hills and historic neighborhoods, along with a strong eastern European influence in churches dotting the hillsides, make for very scenic landscapes, defined neighborhoods, and beautiful views. I expected to see more vacant steel mills but there really weren't very many, even though we did hear from the locals how the local economy still feels the sting from the loss of jobs in steel industry.
In both Cleveland and Pittsburgh we asked for recommendations about neighborhoods with nightlife and music, sort of like our Soulard or Loop areas. Recommendations were few and we didn't find much. Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially for Pittsburgh, since we definitely plan a return there.
There was a noticeable lack of cemetaries around Pittsburgh. We only passed one the whole time we were there. Maybe with the scarcity of buildable land, they're all along the periphery? Or maybe they've been relocated outward through the years?
Whetherwise, Pittsburgh was best. The news reported they were getting ready to have their first 90 degree day - in over a YEAR! With the reduction in industrial activities, the years of dust and soot are over and the skies were clear and blue.
It's easy to see how people would love living in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. We heard from a person at the ballgame at PNC how many Pittsburgh families have over 100 years of local residency.
Given the competition among midwestern regions, there are lessons we can take from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. All three regions, St. Louis, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, are about the same size (just under 3,000,000). All three suffered from white flight, struggling public school systems, and declines in their industrial jobs base. Yet all three are making turnarounds and getting national attention.
Cities of the midwest enjoy lots of advantages. They are drawing more attention from young people seeking creative, affordable environments. They have history and destination attractions of national significance. They are supported by educational institutions and interesting neighborhoods. Weather is seasonal and with A/C, summers are manageable.
St. Louis has better baseball than Pittsburgh or Cleveland, but I'd submit Cleveland and Pittsburgh have better stadiums. Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I'd say St. Louis has a far better music scene. Cleveland and Pittsburgh have more the big city feel, but St. Louis's small town atmosphere makes it easy for people to get connected and gain a meaningful role in their communities.
Making lists makes news. But it's easy to find holes in the lists. So does it really matter whether you're first second, or third? I learned on this trip that we can learn a lot from our neighbors, and we need to always be doing more.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Fountain Park Partnership
Those interested in historic city neighborhoods have treasures awaiting them in Lewis Place, Fountain Park, and Academy/Sherman Park on the city's north side. The three neighborhoods are a short distance from the Central West End and Forest Park, straddling Kingshighway between Delmar and Dr. Martin Luther King and Union and Newstead. The neighborhoods retain much of their original building stock and have many unique structures.
Among them are the old street car rights of way including the Hodiamont Track and another to the north near Newberry Terrace and Kensington Avenue whose name I am still researching to learn. Some of the neighborhood's historic buildings were designed to hug the curving rights of way for the old street cars. Seeing the relationship between the buildings and the old rail lines conjures images of what St. Louis life was like during the street car days.
While these neighborhoods offer much to appreciate for their architecture, there are also opportunities for people across St. Louis to get involved to help strengthen these communities, and that is what this post is about.
First is National Night Out on August 4th, next Tuesday, beginning at 5:00 PM. From the neighborhood association's press release:
Neighbors of Fountain Park Association Will Celebrate National Night Out 2009 In Fountain Park
National Night Out (NNO) is a unique community event, celebrated in the United States and Canada, that focuses on prevention of crime and drug activity, and is held the first Tuesday of August every year. This year, NNO falls on August 4th.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT is designed to:
Heighten community awareness of crime and drug prevention.
Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs.
Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.
Send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
Promote emergency preparedness awareness.
This year Neighbors of Fountain Park Association has partnered with other neighborhood associations and faith based groups to join in a peace walk through the community. The participants will assemble at the Fountain at 5:00 PM and return to the park for refreshment and an evening of fun and socializing.
For more information, contact Clint Potts, Neighbors of Fountain Park Association at (314)443-4081
The second opportunity is a back to school event. There are a lot of school-aged young people living in these neighborhoods.
Back to School Celebration
On Saturday, August 22nd, from 11:00 AM till 3:00 PM, neighbors will meet again in Fountain Park for a Back to School Celebration.
Centennial Christian Church with other community partners are sponsoring a fun day at Fountain Park open to all school-aged city kids to help them get off to a good start to the upcoming school year. There will be raffles for free bicycles, music, and backpacks filled with school supplies.
Last year the effort provided five free bicycles and over 200 backpacks. The tradition is continuing this year and donations of time, funds, and bikes or school supplies are welcomed. Contact person for this event is also Mr. Clint Potts, telephone number (314) 443-4081.
I have attended two of the organizing meetings for these events and can attest that this project is a community-driven effort. The first meeting had roughly ten attendees and last night's meeting had more than that. If you are interested in helping out, please phone Clint Potts at the number above or contact me directly on (314) 605-5811 and I will provide you with further details. Thanks.
Among them are the old street car rights of way including the Hodiamont Track and another to the north near Newberry Terrace and Kensington Avenue whose name I am still researching to learn. Some of the neighborhood's historic buildings were designed to hug the curving rights of way for the old street cars. Seeing the relationship between the buildings and the old rail lines conjures images of what St. Louis life was like during the street car days.
While these neighborhoods offer much to appreciate for their architecture, there are also opportunities for people across St. Louis to get involved to help strengthen these communities, and that is what this post is about.
First is National Night Out on August 4th, next Tuesday, beginning at 5:00 PM. From the neighborhood association's press release:
Neighbors of Fountain Park Association Will Celebrate National Night Out 2009 In Fountain Park
National Night Out (NNO) is a unique community event, celebrated in the United States and Canada, that focuses on prevention of crime and drug activity, and is held the first Tuesday of August every year. This year, NNO falls on August 4th.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT is designed to:
Heighten community awareness of crime and drug prevention.
Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs.
Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.
Send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
Promote emergency preparedness awareness.
This year Neighbors of Fountain Park Association has partnered with other neighborhood associations and faith based groups to join in a peace walk through the community. The participants will assemble at the Fountain at 5:00 PM and return to the park for refreshment and an evening of fun and socializing.
For more information, contact Clint Potts, Neighbors of Fountain Park Association at (314)443-4081
The second opportunity is a back to school event. There are a lot of school-aged young people living in these neighborhoods.
Back to School Celebration
On Saturday, August 22nd, from 11:00 AM till 3:00 PM, neighbors will meet again in Fountain Park for a Back to School Celebration.
Centennial Christian Church with other community partners are sponsoring a fun day at Fountain Park open to all school-aged city kids to help them get off to a good start to the upcoming school year. There will be raffles for free bicycles, music, and backpacks filled with school supplies.
Last year the effort provided five free bicycles and over 200 backpacks. The tradition is continuing this year and donations of time, funds, and bikes or school supplies are welcomed. Contact person for this event is also Mr. Clint Potts, telephone number (314) 443-4081.
I have attended two of the organizing meetings for these events and can attest that this project is a community-driven effort. The first meeting had roughly ten attendees and last night's meeting had more than that. If you are interested in helping out, please phone Clint Potts at the number above or contact me directly on (314) 605-5811 and I will provide you with further details. Thanks.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
South Kingshighway Community Development Ideas
With yesterday's news that the Avalon Theater is being offered for sale, the Southampton listserve has been abuzz with ideas about how to redevelop the vacant theater property.
Today, there is discussion on the list of forming a nonprofit organization to further target the revitalization of the Kingshighway corridor. The area being considered runs from the closed Don Brown Dodge dealership at Fyler all the way south to the Burlington Coat factory shopping center at Kingshighway and Christy Boulevards.
Perhaps interest in the fate of the Avalon Theater will be the catalyst to advance a renewed development effort in the area?
Today, there is discussion on the list of forming a nonprofit organization to further target the revitalization of the Kingshighway corridor. The area being considered runs from the closed Don Brown Dodge dealership at Fyler all the way south to the Burlington Coat factory shopping center at Kingshighway and Christy Boulevards.
Perhaps interest in the fate of the Avalon Theater will be the catalyst to advance a renewed development effort in the area?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Avalon Theater For Sale: Asking Price $1,000,000
News of the long-vacant Avalon Theater on South Kingshighway being offered for sale is appearing in people's electronic in-boxes today. However, at an asking price of $1,000,000, some are wondering if the property will draw much interest, especially during this economic slowdown.
The effort to market the building does provide the opportunity to think about the challenges faced by the owners of vacant buildings, and what should be done to ensure their long term viability and reuse potential.
Too often, preservationists and urbanists learn of a building's fate after a permit for demolition has been issued. By that time, it is often years' past any serious thought went into how to reuse a building.
One reason for the significant amount of demolition in St. Louis has been the decline in population. A city of 350,000 does not need the built housing stock of a city that once housed over 800,000 residents. The vacant land we see today is evidence of this transition.
It is not unusual to see a neighborhood's vacant commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings last longer than the vacant residential ones, if only because they are perceived to have higher values by their owners than smaller residential properties. Still, without a viable use and operating income, they are caught in a cycle of decline.
If a goal of urbanists and preservationists is to see fewer buildings of architectural and historic significance demolished, what steps should we pursue to make that happen?
The effort to market the building does provide the opportunity to think about the challenges faced by the owners of vacant buildings, and what should be done to ensure their long term viability and reuse potential.
Too often, preservationists and urbanists learn of a building's fate after a permit for demolition has been issued. By that time, it is often years' past any serious thought went into how to reuse a building.
One reason for the significant amount of demolition in St. Louis has been the decline in population. A city of 350,000 does not need the built housing stock of a city that once housed over 800,000 residents. The vacant land we see today is evidence of this transition.
It is not unusual to see a neighborhood's vacant commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings last longer than the vacant residential ones, if only because they are perceived to have higher values by their owners than smaller residential properties. Still, without a viable use and operating income, they are caught in a cycle of decline.
If a goal of urbanists and preservationists is to see fewer buildings of architectural and historic significance demolished, what steps should we pursue to make that happen?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
"Sustainable Cities Collective" features St. Louis blogger
The author of the St. Louis Urban Workshop site, Alex Ihnen, is highlighted in a nice "blogger of the week" national community development website feature.
South of Gravois, between Jefferson and Grand
Those boundaries describe a huge geography in the City of St. Louis. Included in the area down to Meramec is the largest national register historic district in the state of Missouri, the "Gravois-Jefferson Streetcar Suburb Historic District", containing over 5,000 historic buildings.
Beyond historic rehab, neighbors are working together on other community projects to build up the area. Here's a link to one important effort: Seeds of Change
Beyond historic rehab, neighbors are working together on other community projects to build up the area. Here's a link to one important effort: Seeds of Change
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
St. Louis Arts and Crafts Society Open House
(Click on the image for a full size view of the invitation)
When: July 26, from 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Where: 700 Bellerive, St. Louis, Missouri, 63111. (located in beautiful Carondelet, off of South Grand, near Carondelet Park).
For more information, please call Patrice Petrich on 314-412-1382
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Block party season
Summer and fall are the peak times for block parties. If you've never organized a block party, here are some helpful hints to get started.
You'll need barricades to close the streets, but don't plan to rent out a "porta-potty". With all the neighbors participating, they have bathrooms in their homes.
The earlier you start planning, the better your block party will be. Allow at least 60 days.
Work with your alderman to secure a block party permit. The permits are applied for at the city Street Department off of Hampton Avenue on the north side of I-44. Invite your alderman to attend.
Form a committee to help with closing the street and cleanup. A good block party takes alot of work. The more people helping out, the lighter the workload. Plus, this years volunteers make for a better committee and block party next year.
Take advantage of the event to get to know your neighbors better (obviously), but go further and start a neighbor/block directory. Ideally, a block captain would be involved. If your block doesn’t have one, consider volunteering.
Organize the block directory so it’s voluntary, encouraging participation by providing everyone who participates with a copy. Sort it by name, address, email, and phone number. Then use the email addresses to update neighbors when things come up. Update the directory every year.
The fire department usually will send a crew and a truck for an hour or so. (Having food on hand keeps them around longer). The police canine unit is usually available as well. The dogs are beautiful and great with kids.
The best part of having a block party is closing the street to traffic and “owning” the block for kids to play, without fear of traffic, etc.
Send notices to neighbors at least 30 days in advance, listing activities, soliciting volunteers, etc, and asking them to park their cars off the street for the day. Remind them again a couple days before the actual date.
If you have questions or comments about organizing good block parties, post them in the comments section.
You'll need barricades to close the streets, but don't plan to rent out a "porta-potty". With all the neighbors participating, they have bathrooms in their homes.
The earlier you start planning, the better your block party will be. Allow at least 60 days.
Work with your alderman to secure a block party permit. The permits are applied for at the city Street Department off of Hampton Avenue on the north side of I-44. Invite your alderman to attend.
Form a committee to help with closing the street and cleanup. A good block party takes alot of work. The more people helping out, the lighter the workload. Plus, this years volunteers make for a better committee and block party next year.
Take advantage of the event to get to know your neighbors better (obviously), but go further and start a neighbor/block directory. Ideally, a block captain would be involved. If your block doesn’t have one, consider volunteering.
Organize the block directory so it’s voluntary, encouraging participation by providing everyone who participates with a copy. Sort it by name, address, email, and phone number. Then use the email addresses to update neighbors when things come up. Update the directory every year.
The fire department usually will send a crew and a truck for an hour or so. (Having food on hand keeps them around longer). The police canine unit is usually available as well. The dogs are beautiful and great with kids.
The best part of having a block party is closing the street to traffic and “owning” the block for kids to play, without fear of traffic, etc.
Send notices to neighbors at least 30 days in advance, listing activities, soliciting volunteers, etc, and asking them to park their cars off the street for the day. Remind them again a couple days before the actual date.
If you have questions or comments about organizing good block parties, post them in the comments section.
Monday, July 13, 2009
If you can green a highway embankment, why not the banks of the River Des Peres?
Drivers heading north and south on Interestate 55 through Soulard and Benton Park see grass covered embankments. Every spring the embankments bloom with thousands of bright yellow daffodils. Volunteers plant the flowers. City crews (or are they from MoDOT?) mow the embankments.
The steepness of the slopes on the I-55 embankments look close to the same as those lining the River Des Peres. Unfortunately, the banks of River Des Peres don't look anywhere near as nice as the embankments along I-55 from Arsenal to Gravois.
The ones along the River Des Peres are covered mostly by broken up shards of rock, not trees, green grass, and flowers. Is there anything from a landscape design or soils and erosion control standpoint that would prevent the banks of the River Des Peres from achieving a similar green appearance?
The steepness of the slopes on the I-55 embankments look close to the same as those lining the River Des Peres. Unfortunately, the banks of River Des Peres don't look anywhere near as nice as the embankments along I-55 from Arsenal to Gravois.
The ones along the River Des Peres are covered mostly by broken up shards of rock, not trees, green grass, and flowers. Is there anything from a landscape design or soils and erosion control standpoint that would prevent the banks of the River Des Peres from achieving a similar green appearance?
City of Webster Groves, Historical Society Sponsor Excellence Awards
In a celebration of one of our region's most beautiful areas, the City of Webster Groves and the Webster Groves Historical Society are sponsoring their 5th annual "Awards of Excellence".
Awards will recognize outstanding work in the areas of architecture, historic preservation, craftsmanship, and landscape design.
Applications are due September 4. For more information, call Jennifer Conrad on 314-963-5319 or visit the website.
Awards will recognize outstanding work in the areas of architecture, historic preservation, craftsmanship, and landscape design.
Applications are due September 4. For more information, call Jennifer Conrad on 314-963-5319 or visit the website.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Rock Show Tonight!
Adding to the atmosphere in downtown St. Louis, tonight is the July Rockfest at the Fubar club, 3108 Locust.
Doors open at 5:00 PM, there is an $8 cover charge, and STL Rising has a rooting interest in one of the bands - that's the young Matt B. on the right side of the photo, performing alongside his co-lead guitarist Ron, in their band "Headfirst" (click to enlarge the image).
Check them out tonight starting after 5:00 PM and help support our local music scene!
Greening the River Des Peres?
The River Des Peres is an unattractive drainage ditch forming the southern edge and entrance to our city.
It's upland areas are being improved with nice bike trails, bridges, and landscaping. But the banks down the side are bare dirt with no visual interest.
Long stretches of time pass when the river is nearly empty. During periods of heavy rain, it fills up and looks like a real river. Most of the year, however, it's somewhere in between with a fairly low waterline.
What is the possibilty of planting vegetation along these banks to make the area greener and more pleasing to the eye?
It's upland areas are being improved with nice bike trails, bridges, and landscaping. But the banks down the side are bare dirt with no visual interest.
Long stretches of time pass when the river is nearly empty. During periods of heavy rain, it fills up and looks like a real river. Most of the year, however, it's somewhere in between with a fairly low waterline.
What is the possibilty of planting vegetation along these banks to make the area greener and more pleasing to the eye?
MLB descends on downtown STL
This morning there was a man pulling a suitcase down Olive, wearing an "MLB" logo emblazoned golf shirt. Yesterday, tiny front loaders were removing the hunks of broken sidewalk away from the edges of Ballpark Village.
The temporary Cordish signage surrounding the Ballpark Village site has been removed and an enormous temporary building has been installed. It's probably the hospitality area for media reps, team people, etc. Giant Allstar game posters adorn downtown buildings including the moribund St. Louis Centre Skybridge. There are banners everywhere and Allstar game themed arches for photo ops. It's a very festive atmosphere.
Even Papa Fabarres is getting into the act. Yesterday, they were moving furniture onto the sidewalk, so I asked them if they were closing down. Quite the contrary. The longtime downtown restaurant is opening an outdoor cafe area on the Olive side of the Railway Exchange Building (600 block of Olive) to sell lunches and cold beverages to Allstar visitors.
For the next few days, St. Louis is the center of the baseball world. Getting an Allstar game only happens once every fifty years or so, so St. Louis is working to put on a great event, and leverage this effort into marketing the community for future visits, corporate investment, etc. Mayor Slay is predicting that the overall St. Louis Allstar game experience will top last year's effort in New York City. Altogether, it's a $60-70 million dollar economic boost for our region.
What are your impressions? Will you come downtown to be part of the atmosphere? Anyone fortunate enough to be going to the actual game?
The temporary Cordish signage surrounding the Ballpark Village site has been removed and an enormous temporary building has been installed. It's probably the hospitality area for media reps, team people, etc. Giant Allstar game posters adorn downtown buildings including the moribund St. Louis Centre Skybridge. There are banners everywhere and Allstar game themed arches for photo ops. It's a very festive atmosphere.
Even Papa Fabarres is getting into the act. Yesterday, they were moving furniture onto the sidewalk, so I asked them if they were closing down. Quite the contrary. The longtime downtown restaurant is opening an outdoor cafe area on the Olive side of the Railway Exchange Building (600 block of Olive) to sell lunches and cold beverages to Allstar visitors.
For the next few days, St. Louis is the center of the baseball world. Getting an Allstar game only happens once every fifty years or so, so St. Louis is working to put on a great event, and leverage this effort into marketing the community for future visits, corporate investment, etc. Mayor Slay is predicting that the overall St. Louis Allstar game experience will top last year's effort in New York City. Altogether, it's a $60-70 million dollar economic boost for our region.
What are your impressions? Will you come downtown to be part of the atmosphere? Anyone fortunate enough to be going to the actual game?
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
New link added to blog roll
For in depth articles with an arts focus, please visit 2 Buildings 1 Blog, now linked on the right side of the page. The site is a project of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.
Follow the site for future discussions about the role of community and the arts in neighborhood revitalization.
Follow the site for future discussions about the role of community and the arts in neighborhood revitalization.
Impressive West County Stats
STL Rising doesn't write alot about the St. Louis suburbs, but something arrived in my in-box today that is pretty impressive.
A postcard advertising a shopping center for sale along Manchester Road included demographic information. People love comparing St. Louis to other regions, and these numbers make St. Louis look pretty good.
The stats below refer to population and income information for a radius centered on Manchester Road between Clarkson and 141. (According to the flier, the source of the following is the US Census.)
1 mile radius
Population - 9,114
Households - 3,374
Average household income - $76,871
3 mile radius
Population - 76,242
Households - 26,870
Average household income - $101,462
5 mile radius
Population - 150,397
Households - 55,013
Average household income - $109,612
With the low cost of living in the St. Louis metro, a lot of people are living a good lifestyle.
A postcard advertising a shopping center for sale along Manchester Road included demographic information. People love comparing St. Louis to other regions, and these numbers make St. Louis look pretty good.
The stats below refer to population and income information for a radius centered on Manchester Road between Clarkson and 141. (According to the flier, the source of the following is the US Census.)
1 mile radius
Population - 9,114
Households - 3,374
Average household income - $76,871
3 mile radius
Population - 76,242
Households - 26,870
Average household income - $101,462
5 mile radius
Population - 150,397
Households - 55,013
Average household income - $109,612
With the low cost of living in the St. Louis metro, a lot of people are living a good lifestyle.
Friday, July 03, 2009
A book sale worth exploring
A Book Sale worth exploring at the Missouri History Museum Shop.
July 11, 2009 11am - 5pm
You’ll discover 43 titles about St Louis history, 1904 World’s Fair, ghosts, sports, architecture and more. Originally $14.95 to $35.00, they will be offered at $5.00 for hard bound copies and $3.00 for soft bound copies.
$5.00 SALE TITLES INCLUDE
A Century of Sports
Ghost Town: While St. Louis Sleeps
The St Louis Hawks
Parkview: A St. Louis Urban Oasis
$3.00 SALE TITLES INCLUDE
City of Gabriels: The Jazz History of St. Louis
St Louis Baseball Fan Sudoku & Word Search
St. Louis Watercolor: The Architecture of a City
Bringing Science to Life
1001 Things to Do In & Around St. Charles
Tales from the Coral Courts
Days & Nights of the Central West End
Hermann Haunts
So, Where Did You Go To High School?
Under Three Flags: Exploring Early St. Louis History
Johnny Rabbits Amazing St. Louis Trivia Game
The Queen of Lace: The Story of the Continental Life Building
Still Shining: Lost Treasures from the 1904 World’s Fair
Booklovers are sure to uncover a great summer read!
Arrive early for the best selection.
See you there!
July 11, 2009 11am - 5pm
You’ll discover 43 titles about St Louis history, 1904 World’s Fair, ghosts, sports, architecture and more. Originally $14.95 to $35.00, they will be offered at $5.00 for hard bound copies and $3.00 for soft bound copies.
$5.00 SALE TITLES INCLUDE
A Century of Sports
Ghost Town: While St. Louis Sleeps
The St Louis Hawks
Parkview: A St. Louis Urban Oasis
$3.00 SALE TITLES INCLUDE
City of Gabriels: The Jazz History of St. Louis
St Louis Baseball Fan Sudoku & Word Search
St. Louis Watercolor: The Architecture of a City
Bringing Science to Life
1001 Things to Do In & Around St. Charles
Tales from the Coral Courts
Days & Nights of the Central West End
Hermann Haunts
So, Where Did You Go To High School?
Under Three Flags: Exploring Early St. Louis History
Johnny Rabbits Amazing St. Louis Trivia Game
The Queen of Lace: The Story of the Continental Life Building
Still Shining: Lost Treasures from the 1904 World’s Fair
Booklovers are sure to uncover a great summer read!
Arrive early for the best selection.
See you there!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Building on Citygarden's success
So far, Citygarden has been a huge success. I make a point to go by the garden as much as possible. Today around noon it was more packed than ever.
Today's Post Dispatch had a photo of two smiling children playing in one of the fountains. It was a cute photo, and the kids were obviously having a good time, but I wondered if playing in the fountains is permitted? Are there limits?
The same question came up the other day in Forest Park. There were families of kids playing in the new fountain at the bottom of Government Hill (across from the Boat House Lake). Is that permitted too?
What happens if homeless people start bathing in the fountains of Citygarden? That would no doubt be a problem. Maybe there's an age limit for people going into the fountains, say around age twelve? If anyone knows the story on this, please reply in the comments section. Thanks.
Back to the good stuff. Seeing the throngs of people flock to the wonderful environment of Citygarden makes me think, there has got to be a way to have similar success in remaking the connection between downtown, the riverfront, and the Arch grounds.
Imagine if we could create the buzz of excitement for our downtown/Arch/riverfront connections area that has happened at Citygarden. The recipe at Citygarden includes public art, water features, and an inviting public space ready to explore.
Is such an outcome possible for our riverfront/downtown/Arch connection area?
Today's Post Dispatch had a photo of two smiling children playing in one of the fountains. It was a cute photo, and the kids were obviously having a good time, but I wondered if playing in the fountains is permitted? Are there limits?
The same question came up the other day in Forest Park. There were families of kids playing in the new fountain at the bottom of Government Hill (across from the Boat House Lake). Is that permitted too?
What happens if homeless people start bathing in the fountains of Citygarden? That would no doubt be a problem. Maybe there's an age limit for people going into the fountains, say around age twelve? If anyone knows the story on this, please reply in the comments section. Thanks.
Back to the good stuff. Seeing the throngs of people flock to the wonderful environment of Citygarden makes me think, there has got to be a way to have similar success in remaking the connection between downtown, the riverfront, and the Arch grounds.
Imagine if we could create the buzz of excitement for our downtown/Arch/riverfront connections area that has happened at Citygarden. The recipe at Citygarden includes public art, water features, and an inviting public space ready to explore.
Is such an outcome possible for our riverfront/downtown/Arch connection area?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
"Pulitzer's Ghost"
An interesting comment was made in the "Ever saw a brick street" thread by a new commenter for the STL Rising blog, "Pulitzer's Ghost".
"Re: "How is it possible for someone to live in the same community for forty-something years, and never traveled around enough to see some of our most interesting sights?"
That's one of the things that, to me at least, is so interesting and maddening about St. Louis: The term St. Louis means radically different things to different people, based on where they were raised.
I grew up in Florissant and we went to a trivia night at the Letter Carriers Union Hall on Broadway a couple years back. One of the categories was "St. Louis" and we didn't get a single one because to the people writing the questions, St. Louis = South St. Louis."
What a great observation! "Pulitzer's Ghost" is on to something. St. Louis does mean different things to different people. Thanks, Pulitzer's Ghost, for the comment! (Great pseudonym name too...)
"Re: "How is it possible for someone to live in the same community for forty-something years, and never traveled around enough to see some of our most interesting sights?"
That's one of the things that, to me at least, is so interesting and maddening about St. Louis: The term St. Louis means radically different things to different people, based on where they were raised.
I grew up in Florissant and we went to a trivia night at the Letter Carriers Union Hall on Broadway a couple years back. One of the categories was "St. Louis" and we didn't get a single one because to the people writing the questions, St. Louis = South St. Louis."
What a great observation! "Pulitzer's Ghost" is on to something. St. Louis does mean different things to different people. Thanks, Pulitzer's Ghost, for the comment! (Great pseudonym name too...)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Citygarden debut
Tuesday, June 30, Citygarden makes its debut as the newest amenity in downtown St. Louis. The project, funded by the Gateway Foundation, has enjoyed stellar early reviews.
Coupled with the newly opened Old Post Office Plaza, downtown St. Louis is providing more reasons to linger after 5 PM.
The new Citygarden, a sculpture park, will offer dining and views along Market and into the attractive landscape.
UPDATE
Mayor Slay dedicated Citygarden today. A few highlights and interesting facts about the project:
The general contractor completed the project on time and on budget.
Citygarden is the only place of its kind in the United States, a completely free and open to the public downtown sculpture garden. Other cities have downtown sculpture gardens, but they are behind walls. Ours is a true front yard to downtown.
The garden has numerous water features, a gourmet restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, and multiple lighted video displays.
The design of the garden is based on St. Louis and Missouri. Limestone walls give reference to the natural limestone bluffs above Missouri rivers, and a low-slung, gray-stone serpentine wall reflects the rivers as seen from the air.
Walkways are located at the sites of historic downtown alleys, and a mound feature is a reference to St. Louis's history as the location for a major Native American community.
Citygarden is a jewel for our city and region, and complements our existing wide array of arts and cultural institutions.
Coupled with the newly opened Old Post Office Plaza, downtown St. Louis is providing more reasons to linger after 5 PM.
The new Citygarden, a sculpture park, will offer dining and views along Market and into the attractive landscape.
UPDATE
Mayor Slay dedicated Citygarden today. A few highlights and interesting facts about the project:
The general contractor completed the project on time and on budget.
Citygarden is the only place of its kind in the United States, a completely free and open to the public downtown sculpture garden. Other cities have downtown sculpture gardens, but they are behind walls. Ours is a true front yard to downtown.
The garden has numerous water features, a gourmet restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, and multiple lighted video displays.
The design of the garden is based on St. Louis and Missouri. Limestone walls give reference to the natural limestone bluffs above Missouri rivers, and a low-slung, gray-stone serpentine wall reflects the rivers as seen from the air.
Walkways are located at the sites of historic downtown alleys, and a mound feature is a reference to St. Louis's history as the location for a major Native American community.
Citygarden is a jewel for our city and region, and complements our existing wide array of arts and cultural institutions.
Ever saw a brick street?
I was at a party over the weekend with lots of lifelong St. Louisans. We got on the topic of neighborhoods and I mentioned how I loved the brick streets in some parts of the city.
A person in our group thought I was talking about cobblestones. "No", I said, "actual brick, the whole street is made of brick." There are many, many blocks like this, if not miles of brick streets running through St. Louis neighhborhoods.
The person was amazed. He had lived in St. Louis his entire life and had never seen a brick street. I was amazed too. How is it possible for someone to live in the same community for forty-something years, and never traveled around enough to see some of our most interesting sights?
A person in our group thought I was talking about cobblestones. "No", I said, "actual brick, the whole street is made of brick." There are many, many blocks like this, if not miles of brick streets running through St. Louis neighhborhoods.
The person was amazed. He had lived in St. Louis his entire life and had never seen a brick street. I was amazed too. How is it possible for someone to live in the same community for forty-something years, and never traveled around enough to see some of our most interesting sights?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Street wise
Last night the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis held a planning open house at the Old Post Office. The Partnership organization is updating the plan for downtown to position the area for continued growth and improvement.
Scanning the various display boards, I saw that the idea of "Arch camp" made the list of possibilities. I didn't see anything relative to improving the connections between downtown and the riverfront/Arch grounds other than a general reference. If you made the meeting and noticed anything along those lines, please comment.
One of the tables offered a place for particiants to suggest new ideas/comments. I suggested adding more water features downtown. In hot St. Louis summers, just the sound of running water is refreshing.
Standing at one of the boards, I bumped into an old friend and downtown building owner/business man. He's combination investor, artist, and creative tour de force. I asked him if he'd thought about the idea of making more streets in the core of downtown two-way. He said he had and that he liked the idea.
I've always thought about the idea of two-way streets from a traffic flow/pedestrian friendly amenity standpoint. Two-way streets slow down cars and spread out traffic patterns. But my friend had a completely different take. Over the years, he has noticed how the direction of downtown traffic, especially on the east/west running streets, helps or hurts retail trade.
Looking at the area between Market and Washington, he's observed that the shops and restaurants located on inbound/eastbound streets (Chestnut and Olive) outperform the storefront uses on outbound/westbound streets (Pine and Locust). Washington Avenue is two way, as is Market.
I never thought about it before, but my friend might right. Maybe businesses along the outbound streets suffer since they are located on the "getaway" streets, while business located on the inbound streets do better since they are located on the "arrival" streets? Having more two way streets might help balance out that differential.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
City proposing a vacant building registry
A four-hour long committee meeting of the Board of Aldermen ended yesterday tabling action on a proposed vacant building registry.
The registry will require owners of vacant buildings to register their properties with the city of St. Louis. A fee schedule for owning vacant buildings is under consideration.
Apparently there is some resistence to the bill, although it has a large number of co-sponsors. The main sponsor is Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett, 6th ward.
Knowing how to contact owners of vacant buildings is vital. Getting those owners to either maintain or sell them is the next step.
The registry will require owners of vacant buildings to register their properties with the city of St. Louis. A fee schedule for owning vacant buildings is under consideration.
Apparently there is some resistence to the bill, although it has a large number of co-sponsors. The main sponsor is Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett, 6th ward.
Knowing how to contact owners of vacant buildings is vital. Getting those owners to either maintain or sell them is the next step.
Vacant building watch: NE Corner of Arkansas and Wyoming
Last night we ate out at one of the fine dining establishments on South Grand near Tower Grove Park.
After dinner, we took a circuitous route home through side streets and alleys. Along the way, we passed an impressive building, vacant, located at the NE corner of Wyoming and Arkansas in the Tower Grove East neighborhood.
Most (if not all) of the windows were out of the building. Some of the openings appeared to be boarded. It was after 5 PM and there weren't any workers on the site.
Does anyone know if this is a building under rehab or an abandoned property?
After dinner, we took a circuitous route home through side streets and alleys. Along the way, we passed an impressive building, vacant, located at the NE corner of Wyoming and Arkansas in the Tower Grove East neighborhood.
Most (if not all) of the windows were out of the building. Some of the openings appeared to be boarded. It was after 5 PM and there weren't any workers on the site.
Does anyone know if this is a building under rehab or an abandoned property?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
What good is vacant and deteriorating?
The fate of the San Luis boiled down to two choices: preserve a vacant, deterioriating building or demolish it for a new parking lot.
From a city wide standpoint, our approach to dealing with empty deteriorating buildings is an ongoing challenge. Neighbors do not like deteriorating buildings in their neighborhoods. Preservationists do not like demolition after neglect.
The challenge is how to get unmotivated property owners to dispose of or maintain properties that they do not want to operate or maintain? There are plenty of examples of buildings in this state. The NorthSide area has lots of them. The San Luis is one. The Avalon in South City is another.
Our choices should not be limited to vacant and deteriorating or demolition. Urbanists and preservationists should work with the community at large to develop stronger tools to ensure good building maintenance and operations.
From a city wide standpoint, our approach to dealing with empty deteriorating buildings is an ongoing challenge. Neighbors do not like deteriorating buildings in their neighborhoods. Preservationists do not like demolition after neglect.
The challenge is how to get unmotivated property owners to dispose of or maintain properties that they do not want to operate or maintain? There are plenty of examples of buildings in this state. The NorthSide area has lots of them. The San Luis is one. The Avalon in South City is another.
Our choices should not be limited to vacant and deteriorating or demolition. Urbanists and preservationists should work with the community at large to develop stronger tools to ensure good building maintenance and operations.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Add some shrubbery?
Nearly every work day my entrance into downtown St. Louis is on Memorial Drive above the depressed lanes, in front of the Arch grounds.
It's a very routine trip. Almost all the cars do the same thing, day in and day out. They merge to the left, then turn left onto Market or Pine. It would be the perfect situation for the magnetized, computer-operated cars of the future.
The pattern is constant. As is the landscape: hard concrete, metal rails, chipped and worn curbs and faded paint. It's a dreary vision as you enter downtown.
The area is devoid of living color or life in general. The occasional jogger or dog walker looks out of place. Even if we never see a new Memorial Drive or removal of the depressed lanes, what a difference it would make for there to be vegetation in the area.
Granted, there's no place now to plant anything. But picture the area with trees, flowers, sprinklers, fresh pavement, attractive signage, and an overall landscape plan that remade the area into an inviting place.
Maybe that's something we could do with a manageable cost and immediate benefits.
It's a very routine trip. Almost all the cars do the same thing, day in and day out. They merge to the left, then turn left onto Market or Pine. It would be the perfect situation for the magnetized, computer-operated cars of the future.
The pattern is constant. As is the landscape: hard concrete, metal rails, chipped and worn curbs and faded paint. It's a dreary vision as you enter downtown.
The area is devoid of living color or life in general. The occasional jogger or dog walker looks out of place. Even if we never see a new Memorial Drive or removal of the depressed lanes, what a difference it would make for there to be vegetation in the area.
Granted, there's no place now to plant anything. But picture the area with trees, flowers, sprinklers, fresh pavement, attractive signage, and an overall landscape plan that remade the area into an inviting place.
Maybe that's something we could do with a manageable cost and immediate benefits.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Enterprise Leasing's "We Car" program
My office is on the 16th floor of a downtown office building, close to two different Metro stations. Down on the street, there's a Toyota Prius parked in a specially reserved space. Both the car and the parking space are marked with the decal "We Car". Around the corner, there's another one.
Apparently they're part of some sort of car sharing program. Yet I've never seen anyone ever driving the cars. Does anybody know about the program? How do you get in on it? Could I ditch my car, ride Metro downtown, and then have the We Car avaiable for trips during the day out of the office?
Apparently they're part of some sort of car sharing program. Yet I've never seen anyone ever driving the cars. Does anybody know about the program? How do you get in on it? Could I ditch my car, ride Metro downtown, and then have the We Car avaiable for trips during the day out of the office?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
St. Louis area leads way in "Keep Kids Alive - Drive 25" program
(From Tom Everson, Founder of "Keep Kids Alive - Drive 25")
Dear Friend in Safety,
This note is about being “Motivated in Missouri.” The story of the growth of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 in Missouri is a result of many motivated residents, law enforcement agencies, public works departments, neighborhood/homeowners associations, and businesses that have lead the way over the past 10 years.
Your efforts have made, and continue to make, a difference in keeping us all safer on neighborhood streets, and beyond.
Following are examples of those who are “Motivated in Missouri!”
The City of Hazelwood (Police Dept.) is the first community in the U.S. to enact a “KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25” ordinance making residential streets “double fine” zones for speeding. The City of Wildwood is the 2nd to enact such an ordinance in conjunction with their campaign.
The City of Florissant (Police Dept.) was the 1st in the State to enact a citywide KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® campaign.
Vicki and Gordie Faust of Lees Summit have been leading advocates for the campaign in memory of their 9 year-old son, Justin, who died as a result of being hit in November, 2004. Learn more on our "Run to Remember" page.
Our 1st “Memory Marathon” to remember all children who have died in traffic incidents was the 2007 St. Louis Marathon. Ford Motor Company Fund came on board as our 1st Corporate Sponsor to assist us in our mission.
The City of Raytown was the 1st to invite the local Hy-Vee Grocery Store to serve as a corporate partner with their campaign. The City of Belton invited their local Hy-Vee to participate as well.
The Southampton Neighborhood was the 1st in St. Louis to enact the campaign. They were followed by the St. Louis Hills and the Princeton Heights Neighborhoods.
St. Peters (City), O’Fallon (City), St. Charles (Neighborhoods), Fenton (Neighborhood), Kirkwood (Neighborhood), and Lake St. Louis (Neighborhood/City) have all initiated the campaign over the past several years.
For more information about bringing the Keep Kids Alive - Drive 25 program to your community, visit the organization's website here:
Keep Kids Alive - Drive 25
Dear Friend in Safety,
This note is about being “Motivated in Missouri.” The story of the growth of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 in Missouri is a result of many motivated residents, law enforcement agencies, public works departments, neighborhood/homeowners associations, and businesses that have lead the way over the past 10 years.
Your efforts have made, and continue to make, a difference in keeping us all safer on neighborhood streets, and beyond.
Following are examples of those who are “Motivated in Missouri!”
The City of Hazelwood (Police Dept.) is the first community in the U.S. to enact a “KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25” ordinance making residential streets “double fine” zones for speeding. The City of Wildwood is the 2nd to enact such an ordinance in conjunction with their campaign.
The City of Florissant (Police Dept.) was the 1st in the State to enact a citywide KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® campaign.
Vicki and Gordie Faust of Lees Summit have been leading advocates for the campaign in memory of their 9 year-old son, Justin, who died as a result of being hit in November, 2004. Learn more on our "Run to Remember" page.
Our 1st “Memory Marathon” to remember all children who have died in traffic incidents was the 2007 St. Louis Marathon. Ford Motor Company Fund came on board as our 1st Corporate Sponsor to assist us in our mission.
The City of Raytown was the 1st to invite the local Hy-Vee Grocery Store to serve as a corporate partner with their campaign. The City of Belton invited their local Hy-Vee to participate as well.
The Southampton Neighborhood was the 1st in St. Louis to enact the campaign. They were followed by the St. Louis Hills and the Princeton Heights Neighborhoods.
St. Peters (City), O’Fallon (City), St. Charles (Neighborhoods), Fenton (Neighborhood), Kirkwood (Neighborhood), and Lake St. Louis (Neighborhood/City) have all initiated the campaign over the past several years.
For more information about bringing the Keep Kids Alive - Drive 25 program to your community, visit the organization's website here:
Keep Kids Alive - Drive 25
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
St. Louis and urbanism
Is St. Louis ready for urbanism? Does the answer vary by neighborhood? Do people even agree on what "urbanism" means?
We are an old, brick city, with high density in lots of old city neighborhoods. Yet we are also fiercely independent and generally not comfortable with a centralized planning system. We like neighborhood control. It's part of our tradition.
Being central city makes us urban. Some say being racially diverse makes us urban. Should we expect more? If you think so, how would you make it so?
We are an old, brick city, with high density in lots of old city neighborhoods. Yet we are also fiercely independent and generally not comfortable with a centralized planning system. We like neighborhood control. It's part of our tradition.
Being central city makes us urban. Some say being racially diverse makes us urban. Should we expect more? If you think so, how would you make it so?
St. Louis Post Dispatch: start the Arch design competition
Post Dispatch to St. Louis urbanist and design community: Let's get going on the design competition!
(...while we're young already!)
Is it fair to describe the Arch design competition as an urbanism project? Or is it much bigger than that? What are the competing interests?
Based on varying points of view, what does a winning design look like?
(...while we're young already!)
Is it fair to describe the Arch design competition as an urbanism project? Or is it much bigger than that? What are the competing interests?
Based on varying points of view, what does a winning design look like?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Maryland Plaza revisited
The Central West End is a beautiful place, and I think Maryland Plaza is one of the nicest spots in the entire region, if not country.
Months ago, we did a post that touched on the use of cobblestones in city neighborhoods. There was a suggestion to remove them from Laclede's Landing.
In Maryland Plaza, cobblestones have been replaced by smooth stone. I like the new street, but someone commented in defense of the old cobblestone streets. Read their comments here:
Commenter from NYC makes the case in defense of the old Maryland Plaza cobblestones...
Months ago, we did a post that touched on the use of cobblestones in city neighborhoods. There was a suggestion to remove them from Laclede's Landing.
In Maryland Plaza, cobblestones have been replaced by smooth stone. I like the new street, but someone commented in defense of the old cobblestone streets. Read their comments here:
Commenter from NYC makes the case in defense of the old Maryland Plaza cobblestones...
S. Kingshighway Planning Lab
The downturn in the US auto industry has created an opportunity for new development along S. Kingshighway, putting closed auto dealerships up for sale. What would you like to see happen?
Let's use this post as a virtual auction and planning exercise. Name your price and then describe what you would do with the property. We'll start off with some basic assumptions. Let's say the property consists of the following:
3.5 acre site on a heavily traveled commercial corridor in vibrant South St. Louis City, ample surface parking available in front, side and rear.
20,000 square foot showroom building, includes 6,000 square feet of executive/sales offices.
40,000 square foot, high ceiling, concrete floor, shop area.
Buildings recently renovated, all in good to excellent condition.
Some would start the bidding at $1.00. They wouldn't plan to actually build anything though.
They would simply tie up the property and seek another developer to buy it. Call it development in a sort of speculator, ebay sort of way.
Many investors would be willing to pay up to $100,000 for such a bottom fishing, speculative opportunity. So let's say the real planning and development ideas must start with a minimum bid of $100,000.
Name your price, but remember, you must also state your plans for the property.
Let's see how high the bidding gets, and what creative ideas emerge for the property's reuse.
Let's use this post as a virtual auction and planning exercise. Name your price and then describe what you would do with the property. We'll start off with some basic assumptions. Let's say the property consists of the following:
3.5 acre site on a heavily traveled commercial corridor in vibrant South St. Louis City, ample surface parking available in front, side and rear.
20,000 square foot showroom building, includes 6,000 square feet of executive/sales offices.
40,000 square foot, high ceiling, concrete floor, shop area.
Buildings recently renovated, all in good to excellent condition.
Some would start the bidding at $1.00. They wouldn't plan to actually build anything though.
They would simply tie up the property and seek another developer to buy it. Call it development in a sort of speculator, ebay sort of way.
Many investors would be willing to pay up to $100,000 for such a bottom fishing, speculative opportunity. So let's say the real planning and development ideas must start with a minimum bid of $100,000.
Name your price, but remember, you must also state your plans for the property.
Let's see how high the bidding gets, and what creative ideas emerge for the property's reuse.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Tornadic dreams
Living in a place prone to wild weather can yield some wild dreams. Yesterday's storms wreaked havoc on my dreams last night.
Driving to a mid day meeting, I was caught in the powerful storms that blew through town. From the conference room, we could see the darkening sky, and fingers of the thunderstorm reaching down out of the clouds. News reports described heavy damage to some buildings around town.
Dreams last night brought those storms back to life. I dreamt that our neighborhood was hit, and that I was caught in the path of another tornado while walking near the intersection of Jefferson and Chouteau.
In the dream, I found a big drainage inlet to climb into for protection. The best protection was when instead I woke up at about 3:00 AM and the weather outside was just fine.
It has been about fifty years since the city of St. Louis has been struck by a serious tornado. Given the time between recorded serious tornados strikes in St. Louis, we are overdue for another touchdown.
Tornados are strange events in the way they come so quickly, wreak major devastation, and can be followed within minutes by tranquil weather and bright sunshine. They're surreal and powerful, sort of like dreams.
Driving to a mid day meeting, I was caught in the powerful storms that blew through town. From the conference room, we could see the darkening sky, and fingers of the thunderstorm reaching down out of the clouds. News reports described heavy damage to some buildings around town.
Dreams last night brought those storms back to life. I dreamt that our neighborhood was hit, and that I was caught in the path of another tornado while walking near the intersection of Jefferson and Chouteau.
In the dream, I found a big drainage inlet to climb into for protection. The best protection was when instead I woke up at about 3:00 AM and the weather outside was just fine.
It has been about fifty years since the city of St. Louis has been struck by a serious tornado. Given the time between recorded serious tornados strikes in St. Louis, we are overdue for another touchdown.
Tornados are strange events in the way they come so quickly, wreak major devastation, and can be followed within minutes by tranquil weather and bright sunshine. They're surreal and powerful, sort of like dreams.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Cobblestones Rising
One of the cool things about living in an old city like St. Louis is digging stuff up. There are lots of interesting things below the surface, and you never know what you might find.
This month the city is doing lots of street work in downtown. They are using those big pavement grinders to lower the surface of the street to prepare for new pavement. They have to do this, because othewrise, if they just added new pavement over the old, eventually, the surface of the street would be up over the top of the curbs. So they have to grind down the street. And when they do this, they expose the old street surface of downtown from 150 years ago. Here and there, like poltergeists, the old cobblestones are popping through.
This week, you can see cobblestones near the Old Post Office and the new Busch Stadium. I wonder how much of the city originally had cobblestone streets? The labor involved in building a street one stone, or, as in other parts of town, one brick, at a time, put lots of people to work. It must have been an interesting, busy scene. I've also heard that in some places, oiled blocks of wood were used to build alleys. Apparently, there's one near the intersection of 11th and Locust.
You never know what you'll find when you start digging below the surface. A few months ago, I was on hand for a soils exploration on a vacant lot planned for new construction. Under the ground was the debris from a demolition carried out decades ago. A back hoe was digging trenches. They needed to go deep enough to get beneath the debris of the old demolition.
The tractor dug down to virgin soil. The trenches ended up about 8 feet deep. By the way, for the urban agriculture enthusiasts, the soils were excellent. Eight or so feet of dark, rich, top soil; we never found the bottom of it. There is something wonderful about the smell of good quality soil. It's a beautiful thing. It can make you feel good inside.
The tractor operator was skillfull and carefully pulled out huge stone parts of the old building and mass amounts of brick from the ground. There were also lots of unbroken bottles, even through the swishing around of tons of earth at the end of the tractor boom. The bottles glided smoothly with the earth behind the force of the tractor, like they were floating in water. A small bottle appeared, still with a glass stopper in the top. We climbed down into the trench and pulled out the little bottle. The contents were still inside.
The bottle had been buried with the debris of the old house for some thirty years. We opened it up. It was a spice bottle. When the top came off, the fragrant aroma of cloves was strong. I thought after such a long time, the contents would have dried out or turned to dust. Nope. The cloves were preserved and their scent was fresh. It seemed like you could have taken the bottle home and cooked with those cloves the same night.
Then I thought about what it must have been like the day they buried the house underground, kitchen spices and all, and covering it over with a foot or two of earth. They probably didn't think much about it. Strange.
This month the city is doing lots of street work in downtown. They are using those big pavement grinders to lower the surface of the street to prepare for new pavement. They have to do this, because othewrise, if they just added new pavement over the old, eventually, the surface of the street would be up over the top of the curbs. So they have to grind down the street. And when they do this, they expose the old street surface of downtown from 150 years ago. Here and there, like poltergeists, the old cobblestones are popping through.
This week, you can see cobblestones near the Old Post Office and the new Busch Stadium. I wonder how much of the city originally had cobblestone streets? The labor involved in building a street one stone, or, as in other parts of town, one brick, at a time, put lots of people to work. It must have been an interesting, busy scene. I've also heard that in some places, oiled blocks of wood were used to build alleys. Apparently, there's one near the intersection of 11th and Locust.
You never know what you'll find when you start digging below the surface. A few months ago, I was on hand for a soils exploration on a vacant lot planned for new construction. Under the ground was the debris from a demolition carried out decades ago. A back hoe was digging trenches. They needed to go deep enough to get beneath the debris of the old demolition.
The tractor dug down to virgin soil. The trenches ended up about 8 feet deep. By the way, for the urban agriculture enthusiasts, the soils were excellent. Eight or so feet of dark, rich, top soil; we never found the bottom of it. There is something wonderful about the smell of good quality soil. It's a beautiful thing. It can make you feel good inside.
The tractor operator was skillfull and carefully pulled out huge stone parts of the old building and mass amounts of brick from the ground. There were also lots of unbroken bottles, even through the swishing around of tons of earth at the end of the tractor boom. The bottles glided smoothly with the earth behind the force of the tractor, like they were floating in water. A small bottle appeared, still with a glass stopper in the top. We climbed down into the trench and pulled out the little bottle. The contents were still inside.
The bottle had been buried with the debris of the old house for some thirty years. We opened it up. It was a spice bottle. When the top came off, the fragrant aroma of cloves was strong. I thought after such a long time, the contents would have dried out or turned to dust. Nope. The cloves were preserved and their scent was fresh. It seemed like you could have taken the bottle home and cooked with those cloves the same night.
Then I thought about what it must have been like the day they buried the house underground, kitchen spices and all, and covering it over with a foot or two of earth. They probably didn't think much about it. Strange.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Information is power
Usually, I wouldn't post scanned images of our household mail to the STL Rising site, but the mail we received yesterday from AmerenUE is worth more attention.
Ameren is sending a report to all its ratepayers breaking down energy usage and charges by month for the past three years. It also contains practical recommendations for lowering energy use. I bet you didn't know that it costs four times as much to operate a 60-inch plasma television than it does a conventional 28-inch tube set?
Here's our personal household energy report for the period January 2007 through March of 2009:
And here is where Ameren offers some ideas for reducing energy costs:
Ameren has faced criticism in recent years for its handling of major power outages as well as its tree trimming practices. When they do a good job, they deserve credit. Kudos to the company for its work educating the public on important energy efficiency information.
Ameren is sending a report to all its ratepayers breaking down energy usage and charges by month for the past three years. It also contains practical recommendations for lowering energy use. I bet you didn't know that it costs four times as much to operate a 60-inch plasma television than it does a conventional 28-inch tube set?
Here's our personal household energy report for the period January 2007 through March of 2009:
And here is where Ameren offers some ideas for reducing energy costs:
Ameren has faced criticism in recent years for its handling of major power outages as well as its tree trimming practices. When they do a good job, they deserve credit. Kudos to the company for its work educating the public on important energy efficiency information.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Downtown scenes
With warmer weather, there are usually interesting sights to see downtown. Today, in no particular order, a few come to mind.
The windows are being installed in the Roberts Tower. They are in about a third of the way up the building. Looks good.
Shade trees along Washington Avenue have grown to the size where they are providing real shade. Walking back from a meeting, I took a turn down the sunny side of the street to enjoy the shade of the trees on the sidewalk.
A man was walking around the Ballpark Village site wearing a Depression-styled sandwich board sign. It said "No More Bars".
Lastly, a row of cars, motorcycles, and RVs were all parked on Memorial Drive in front of the Arch. Tourists probably. Traffic was moving around them with no problem, but there was a city police officer writing them all tickets.
Maybe its time to consider street parking on Memorial Drive during non-peak traffic hours. Given how seldom people park there, and the revenue potential from parking meters, it could be a good money maker. $1 for every 15 minutes?
The windows are being installed in the Roberts Tower. They are in about a third of the way up the building. Looks good.
Shade trees along Washington Avenue have grown to the size where they are providing real shade. Walking back from a meeting, I took a turn down the sunny side of the street to enjoy the shade of the trees on the sidewalk.
A man was walking around the Ballpark Village site wearing a Depression-styled sandwich board sign. It said "No More Bars".
Lastly, a row of cars, motorcycles, and RVs were all parked on Memorial Drive in front of the Arch. Tourists probably. Traffic was moving around them with no problem, but there was a city police officer writing them all tickets.
Maybe its time to consider street parking on Memorial Drive during non-peak traffic hours. Given how seldom people park there, and the revenue potential from parking meters, it could be a good money maker. $1 for every 15 minutes?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Doubling Downtown
What would it mean to St. Louis in the developable sites in the core of downtown doubled, if downtown formed a frame around the Arch grounds, and if connections throughout downtown and with the riverfront were substantially improved? What would change like that look like?
Friday, May 22, 2009
STL Rising launches new "NorthSide Blog"
The "NorthSide Blog" will be dedicated to discussions about the proposed "NorthSide" project, planned for the near northside of St. Louis, adjacent to downtown.
The first topic for discussion is: What do you think of the proposed name of the development, "NorthSide"?
Follow the project and join the discussion at northside-stl.
The first topic for discussion is: What do you think of the proposed name of the development, "NorthSide"?
Follow the project and join the discussion at northside-stl.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Targeting the hole in the donut
One of the negative descriptors for St. Louis over the years has been that it's like a donut: hollowed out in the middle. That description hurts, but there is some truth to it. Ground zero for the hole in the donut is where Paul McKee has set his sights for redevelopment.
There has been a lot of speculation for years about McKee's plans. The only thing known for certain is that his companies have bought up a lot of land inside the hole in the donut.
In that area, there remain some long time residents, a collection of historic buildings, the original city street grid, and lots of work to be done. Given the long time disinvestment in the area, it doesn't fit the traditional CDC driven model of community development.
There are community development corporations with capacity working in adjoining neighborhoods, such as Old North St. Louis Restoration Group. However, at the center of the "Blairmont" area, they are hard to find. There's not much left, especially in terms of "critical mass". Nonetheless, there are lots of organizations and other constituencies with an interest in what happens.
The hole in the donut creates an opportunity. The challenge is how we remake the area. Not just physcially, but by what means and through what community model.
There has been a lot of speculation for years about McKee's plans. The only thing known for certain is that his companies have bought up a lot of land inside the hole in the donut.
In that area, there remain some long time residents, a collection of historic buildings, the original city street grid, and lots of work to be done. Given the long time disinvestment in the area, it doesn't fit the traditional CDC driven model of community development.
There are community development corporations with capacity working in adjoining neighborhoods, such as Old North St. Louis Restoration Group. However, at the center of the "Blairmont" area, they are hard to find. There's not much left, especially in terms of "critical mass". Nonetheless, there are lots of organizations and other constituencies with an interest in what happens.
The hole in the donut creates an opportunity. The challenge is how we remake the area. Not just physcially, but by what means and through what community model.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Tin House
One of the best things about blogging is the comment section. You never know where someone might be reading and commenting.
This weekend, STL Rising received a comment from Australia on an old post we did about trivia nights. The reader was googling about organizing trivia nights, and found us here in St. Louis. Turns out trivia nights are popular in Australia too!
Based on her bio, the poster is a journalist, teacher, and broadcaster living in New South Wales, Australia. She blogs at the tin house, where she writes about simplifying life and sustainability, principles we can share here. You can read her comment about trivia nights here.
The Tin House looks like a pretty cool site, so we've added it to the links. The latest post there is about community work.
This weekend, STL Rising received a comment from Australia on an old post we did about trivia nights. The reader was googling about organizing trivia nights, and found us here in St. Louis. Turns out trivia nights are popular in Australia too!
Based on her bio, the poster is a journalist, teacher, and broadcaster living in New South Wales, Australia. She blogs at the tin house, where she writes about simplifying life and sustainability, principles we can share here. You can read her comment about trivia nights here.
The Tin House looks like a pretty cool site, so we've added it to the links. The latest post there is about community work.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Macklind Days
With a few hours of yard work done, and in between our next scheduled plans, we remembered that yesterday was "Macklind Days". We were thinking of going to get something to eat, so why not check out the options at the neighborhood event?
Organized by the Macklind Avenue Business District, Macklind Days brought together neighbors, local businesses, the curious, and by estimates well over 2,000 people to enjoy music, art, food, and friends all within the confines of a 1920s-30s vintage neighborhood commercial district.
Macklind Avenue starts near the Science Center and Forest Park, and runs south through the Hill, Tilles/Lindenwood, Southampton and Princeton Heights neighborhoods. Along the way you pass historic architecture, a neighborhod recycling center, the impressive Buder School (replete with upgraded playground), and in Southampton and Princeton Heights, you experience what is becoming one of the region's fastest rebounding pedestrian-scaled, neighborhood commercial districts. It's no wonder, within a couple of blocks on either side of the Macklind corridor, there are enough residents to make up a small town, with Macklind the local "main street".
Festival organizers could not have been happier with the weather. It felt more like fall than late spring. The air was clear and cool without a hint of humidity. EcoUrban, Manzo's, Onesto, Macklind Deli, along with a number of other southside businesses and organizations were represented. There was a large, professional sound stage with a full day's lineup of performers. Games, people walking dogs, visitors of all ages, were all around, affording many chance meetings for friends new and old.
Pete Manzo, owner of Manzo' Market (makers of arguably the finest salsiccia sausage in St. Louis) told me the event was many months in the planning and a substantial financial commitment on the part of organizers. To keep the project going, they will be looking for corporate sponsors for future years. Given the excellent PR for the neighborhood, I suggested they do it twice a year. With the amount of work for volunteers, Pete wasn't convinced about that idea. Yet, with the fun atmosphere and community building opportunity realized, building on the success of this first event would be a great goal for neighbors, local organizers, and the business association alike.
The Macklind Avenue Business District is a membership association. I will do some more research on the organization and update the post accordingly. If a 501.c.3 nonprofit, charitable contributions to fund future Macklind Days events would be tax deductible. In the meantime, congratulations to all the organizers for a great event!
One final note...the stretch of Macklind between Manzo's and Southampton Presbyterian Church is coming along nicely. Manzo's is a mainstay, along with EcoUrban, Big River Running Company, Macklind Deli, and the wonderfully rehabbed home office of Rainieri Construction (note to Landmarks Association that the Rainieri building at Macklind and Nottingham would make a great "most enhanced" candidate). However, in the middle of the block, south across the alley from Manzo's and across Macklind from EcoUrban and the Mack pub, there's one building left in need of TLC.
The building is solid, but over the years, it has suffered from inappropriate alterations, especially in the form of filling in sections of the original window and door openings with vinyl siding. The building appears to have 4-6 small bays, and, if historically rehabbed, would make a fine addition to the charm and walkable destinations within the Macklind Business District. Presently, the vacant bays all have little "for lease"signs in them.
Without an income, the owner has little incentive to improve the building. Southampton, not yet on the city's list of national register historic districts (but surely eligible) doesn't qualify for historic tax credits. So the pretty building with its terra cotta ornamentation, and strategic location in the heart of the Macklind Avenue Business District, sits looking quiet and tired. A challenge for neighbors is how to nudge the building owner to make progress with the building as part of the long range community efforts in Southampton. Maybe events like Macklind Days are part of that equation!
Oh, and as far as that bite to eat...for about a year now, Manzo's has been serving hot sandwiches. We had one of their signature Italian beef sandwiches: beef sliced very thin, piled high on a hoagie roll, adding aus jus and pepperoncini, then washed down with a sampling of Schlafy. We dined at one of the sidewalk cafe tables in front of Manzo's Market. Excellent!
Organized by the Macklind Avenue Business District, Macklind Days brought together neighbors, local businesses, the curious, and by estimates well over 2,000 people to enjoy music, art, food, and friends all within the confines of a 1920s-30s vintage neighborhood commercial district.
Macklind Avenue starts near the Science Center and Forest Park, and runs south through the Hill, Tilles/Lindenwood, Southampton and Princeton Heights neighborhoods. Along the way you pass historic architecture, a neighborhod recycling center, the impressive Buder School (replete with upgraded playground), and in Southampton and Princeton Heights, you experience what is becoming one of the region's fastest rebounding pedestrian-scaled, neighborhood commercial districts. It's no wonder, within a couple of blocks on either side of the Macklind corridor, there are enough residents to make up a small town, with Macklind the local "main street".
Festival organizers could not have been happier with the weather. It felt more like fall than late spring. The air was clear and cool without a hint of humidity. EcoUrban, Manzo's, Onesto, Macklind Deli, along with a number of other southside businesses and organizations were represented. There was a large, professional sound stage with a full day's lineup of performers. Games, people walking dogs, visitors of all ages, were all around, affording many chance meetings for friends new and old.
Pete Manzo, owner of Manzo' Market (makers of arguably the finest salsiccia sausage in St. Louis) told me the event was many months in the planning and a substantial financial commitment on the part of organizers. To keep the project going, they will be looking for corporate sponsors for future years. Given the excellent PR for the neighborhood, I suggested they do it twice a year. With the amount of work for volunteers, Pete wasn't convinced about that idea. Yet, with the fun atmosphere and community building opportunity realized, building on the success of this first event would be a great goal for neighbors, local organizers, and the business association alike.
The Macklind Avenue Business District is a membership association. I will do some more research on the organization and update the post accordingly. If a 501.c.3 nonprofit, charitable contributions to fund future Macklind Days events would be tax deductible. In the meantime, congratulations to all the organizers for a great event!
One final note...the stretch of Macklind between Manzo's and Southampton Presbyterian Church is coming along nicely. Manzo's is a mainstay, along with EcoUrban, Big River Running Company, Macklind Deli, and the wonderfully rehabbed home office of Rainieri Construction (note to Landmarks Association that the Rainieri building at Macklind and Nottingham would make a great "most enhanced" candidate). However, in the middle of the block, south across the alley from Manzo's and across Macklind from EcoUrban and the Mack pub, there's one building left in need of TLC.
The building is solid, but over the years, it has suffered from inappropriate alterations, especially in the form of filling in sections of the original window and door openings with vinyl siding. The building appears to have 4-6 small bays, and, if historically rehabbed, would make a fine addition to the charm and walkable destinations within the Macklind Business District. Presently, the vacant bays all have little "for lease"signs in them.
Without an income, the owner has little incentive to improve the building. Southampton, not yet on the city's list of national register historic districts (but surely eligible) doesn't qualify for historic tax credits. So the pretty building with its terra cotta ornamentation, and strategic location in the heart of the Macklind Avenue Business District, sits looking quiet and tired. A challenge for neighbors is how to nudge the building owner to make progress with the building as part of the long range community efforts in Southampton. Maybe events like Macklind Days are part of that equation!
Oh, and as far as that bite to eat...for about a year now, Manzo's has been serving hot sandwiches. We had one of their signature Italian beef sandwiches: beef sliced very thin, piled high on a hoagie roll, adding aus jus and pepperoncini, then washed down with a sampling of Schlafy. We dined at one of the sidewalk cafe tables in front of Manzo's Market. Excellent!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Business Unusual
So far, the general public has not seen a rendering of Paul McKee's plan for the north side. However, from word that is coming out, the project sounds like it is a monumental undertaking.
During a time of a national economic slowdown, with very challending financing markets, Paul McKee is proposing a revolutionary community development project for the City of St. Louis. From what it sounds like, the project is a city of the future.
It is being called transformative in the way it takes an area that has been largely neglected for half a century, and replaces it with a highly green, mixed use community. If the project succeeds, the narrative of St. Louis changes.
A project of this scale builds on themes promoted by the Obama administration and the nation's economic stimulus effort. There will be jobs created, and they will be green jobs. The opportunity exists to develop new, green infrastructure, lowering utlity costs across the grid of the redevelopment area.
While the plans are grand, and if successful remake St. Louis, are they on a track to make the chances of success the highest? Is there a way to improve those chances?
Does it makes sense to consider the formation of a blue ribbon panel of community development experts and city residents, to serve in an ad hoc capacity strictly for this project? The committee could include people from the areas of green building, community development, economic development, historic preservation, community representation, and transportation.
The committee could be established with no official power, but rather to serve as an initial advisory group to help build broad based community support for the project. With the right group, such a committee might bring added value to the overall design of the community.
Here's an example of a similar effort in Dallas:
Trinity River Corridor Project
The Trinity Commons Foundation - created to fully realize the vision of the Trinity River Corridor Citizens Committee
During a time of a national economic slowdown, with very challending financing markets, Paul McKee is proposing a revolutionary community development project for the City of St. Louis. From what it sounds like, the project is a city of the future.
It is being called transformative in the way it takes an area that has been largely neglected for half a century, and replaces it with a highly green, mixed use community. If the project succeeds, the narrative of St. Louis changes.
A project of this scale builds on themes promoted by the Obama administration and the nation's economic stimulus effort. There will be jobs created, and they will be green jobs. The opportunity exists to develop new, green infrastructure, lowering utlity costs across the grid of the redevelopment area.
While the plans are grand, and if successful remake St. Louis, are they on a track to make the chances of success the highest? Is there a way to improve those chances?
Does it makes sense to consider the formation of a blue ribbon panel of community development experts and city residents, to serve in an ad hoc capacity strictly for this project? The committee could include people from the areas of green building, community development, economic development, historic preservation, community representation, and transportation.
The committee could be established with no official power, but rather to serve as an initial advisory group to help build broad based community support for the project. With the right group, such a committee might bring added value to the overall design of the community.
Here's an example of a similar effort in Dallas:
Trinity River Corridor Project
The Trinity Commons Foundation - created to fully realize the vision of the Trinity River Corridor Citizens Committee
Monday, May 11, 2009
If Blogs United
What would the top issues be? Here's a list of possible items...
The schism over the San Luis
Reconnecting the Arch/downtown - A lid or?
Form-based zoning
Empowering city planning efforts
Historic preservation, tax credits
Downtown development, public financing incentives
Public school reform
What does this list suggest? Urban blogs must be dominated by city planners and architecture enthusiasts, because most of the stuff on this list is built- environment related.
Outside of the built environment, what are the other top issues that might be addressed?
The schism over the San Luis
Reconnecting the Arch/downtown - A lid or?
Form-based zoning
Empowering city planning efforts
Historic preservation, tax credits
Downtown development, public financing incentives
Public school reform
What does this list suggest? Urban blogs must be dominated by city planners and architecture enthusiasts, because most of the stuff on this list is built- environment related.
Outside of the built environment, what are the other top issues that might be addressed?
Friday, May 08, 2009
Arch camp?
One way to enliven the Arch grounds would be to allow camping. In Europe, camping is a popular way to travel. It's fun and relaxing. Would you be interested in being able to camp at the Arch?
How much would you pay for an overnight campsite? What amenities would you want? Allowing camping on the Arch would be a low cost way to create a fun and unique downtown tourist attraction.
Imagine if camping were allowed at the Arch, and on Friday and Saturday nights, there were historic re-enactors who would come around, telling stories of life on the old riverfront of St. Louis.
Campers would sit near a campfire, the actors would tell a story, families and friends would listen, maybe sing some songs or roast some marshmallows, enjoy refreshments, and spend quality time downtown on the riverfront.
What do you think? What would it take to get something like this going?
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Overgrown, dead vegetation a major eyesore
At STL Rising, we like to highlight the positives. Seldom do we focus on negative aspects of neighborhood life. However, as we are in the height of spring, with the summer growing season right around the corner, the subject of neighborhood greenery comes to life.
Street trees are a wonderful asset. On the other hand, unmaintained, overgrown, or dead vegetation is the exact opposite. Nothing can make a block look more neglected than poorly cared for plant life. And when plants go unmaintained for years, the cumulative appearance of years of neglect magnifies the eyesore.
There are places where wild trees have grown up in fence lines, enveloping the wood or metal fencing, then growing to maturity, only then to be cut down, perhaps with blocks of dead tree trunks left suspended in the air, floating in the overgrown fence parts.
To beautify neighborhoods, we need to make an effort to clear neighborhoods, alleys, and public rights of ways of these forlorn trees and plants. Operation Brightside Blitz Days are happening now across the city. This is the time of year for clearing away unwanted vegetation and junk.
Street trees are a wonderful asset. On the other hand, unmaintained, overgrown, or dead vegetation is the exact opposite. Nothing can make a block look more neglected than poorly cared for plant life. And when plants go unmaintained for years, the cumulative appearance of years of neglect magnifies the eyesore.
There are places where wild trees have grown up in fence lines, enveloping the wood or metal fencing, then growing to maturity, only then to be cut down, perhaps with blocks of dead tree trunks left suspended in the air, floating in the overgrown fence parts.
To beautify neighborhoods, we need to make an effort to clear neighborhoods, alleys, and public rights of ways of these forlorn trees and plants. Operation Brightside Blitz Days are happening now across the city. This is the time of year for clearing away unwanted vegetation and junk.
New cases in urbanity
Even in this slow economy, development projects are still happening in the urban core of St. Louis City. I saw three under construction just yesterday.
The first one was the new shopping center being built across the street from the City Hospital condo development. Foundations are being framed, a sign with a rendering of the total project is erected, and the project has financing.
The second was at North Florissant and Cass. It's a nearly completed multi-tenant neighborhood shopping center serving the near northside. Guessing, it looks to be about a 30,000-40,000 square feet.
The third was the new CVS pharmacy going in at Gravois and Germania. The store is replacing an abandoned Amoco/car wash. It appears that it will also take down four houses, relocate utilties, and involve an alley vacation.
I titled this post, "New cases in urbanity" because all three of these projects involve building on previously developed city locations. They are all urban core developments, neighborhood serving, being carried out by private developers in established neighborhoods. They are getting it done!
Kudos to the investors, neighborhoods, and all involved for bringing these projects online!
The first one was the new shopping center being built across the street from the City Hospital condo development. Foundations are being framed, a sign with a rendering of the total project is erected, and the project has financing.
The second was at North Florissant and Cass. It's a nearly completed multi-tenant neighborhood shopping center serving the near northside. Guessing, it looks to be about a 30,000-40,000 square feet.
The third was the new CVS pharmacy going in at Gravois and Germania. The store is replacing an abandoned Amoco/car wash. It appears that it will also take down four houses, relocate utilties, and involve an alley vacation.
I titled this post, "New cases in urbanity" because all three of these projects involve building on previously developed city locations. They are all urban core developments, neighborhood serving, being carried out by private developers in established neighborhoods. They are getting it done!
Kudos to the investors, neighborhoods, and all involved for bringing these projects online!
Good dog!
Yesterday's wonderful news that the three year old lost boy had been found safe was great relief. As details of the story started coming out, apparently two dogs played a big part in the boy's rescue.
On what was probably the last day of hope for finding the boy alive, a construction worker, who was home for the day due to rain, decided to enter the search. He didn't spot the boy, but he saw two dogs standing in the forest. He approached the dogs and found the boy being protected by them. And according to the news, these dogs didn't even belong to the boy. They belonged to a neighbor.
If memory serves, wasn't there a similar story last year? A boy was lost for a couple of days, and when they found him, he was with a dog that had stayed by his side?
We have always been around dogs, but I don't think I've ever had the appreciation for dogs that I have now. We have one and her degree of loyalty and love of children amazes me. It seems the tinier the person, the more she gives her love to them. It's like she makes them her people.
Congratulations to everyone involved in rescuing this young boy, and thank you to the people who care for the two dogs that were there when this little boy needed them most!
On what was probably the last day of hope for finding the boy alive, a construction worker, who was home for the day due to rain, decided to enter the search. He didn't spot the boy, but he saw two dogs standing in the forest. He approached the dogs and found the boy being protected by them. And according to the news, these dogs didn't even belong to the boy. They belonged to a neighbor.
If memory serves, wasn't there a similar story last year? A boy was lost for a couple of days, and when they found him, he was with a dog that had stayed by his side?
We have always been around dogs, but I don't think I've ever had the appreciation for dogs that I have now. We have one and her degree of loyalty and love of children amazes me. It seems the tinier the person, the more she gives her love to them. It's like she makes them her people.
Congratulations to everyone involved in rescuing this young boy, and thank you to the people who care for the two dogs that were there when this little boy needed them most!
Best Spring in 20 years?
St. Louis is known for having some rough transitions from winter to summer. Sometmes it seems Spring only lasts around a week. We can go from the 50s to the 80s with nothing in between. Not this year.
The Groundhog was wrong. Spring came early and has lasted. No violent storms (yet). No heavy rain. Mild temperatures. Flowers came early and have lasted longer than usual. This Spring is one for the books!
The Groundhog was wrong. Spring came early and has lasted. No violent storms (yet). No heavy rain. Mild temperatures. Flowers came early and have lasted longer than usual. This Spring is one for the books!
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