urbanSTL

Confluence is across the street but other than that, not many. Question is where would the school busses park? I'm there's space but it would nice if they could line up in front of the entrance (blocking all the 45 degree angle spaces.)

To RobbyD's point—maybe the Central Library could partner with other DT attractions to make a create a giant cross-curriculum/lesson plan.

Partnerships such as:
Library + Soldiers Memorial
Library + Federal Reserve (went there on a field trip while at Parkway)
Library + Museum of Westward Expansion
Library + Dental Health Theatre (went there on a field trip while at Parkway)
Library + Eugene Field House

The only thing is kids without library/partner library cards wouldn't be able to check out books.
I like the thought of making Central a 'Education Central.' There's something there.

^^School busses

^Busses could drop off and then park offsite somewhere nearby or busses could be rotated so one set drops off and another set picks up...I don't know how they do things here...

Would be a great time for eligible students to sign up for library cards...Could have forms preloaded by parents before showing up...

And I love the partnership ideas...All those are walkable, too...

Given the academic performance of City schools, I'm thinking every student in the City needs to see and experience the granduer of the very City they live in, a lot...With a focus on reading and learning...To be inspired, expected, to add to our/their story...(And when they get done laughing at the experience, they'll realize they got another day outta class! (insert South Park kid smile))...

I still vividly remember a grade school trip to the High Museum in Atlanta...Both the trip into Atlanta and the museum itself really stand out to me...The experience (and others like that) really helped me make a connection to the much larger and more fascinating world beyond my upper middle class cocoon of soccer practice, Atari and bike rides to the pool...

Idea: You know what would be a great compliment to the Central Library amidst all this? Recognition of StL's Great Writers. For as much as I really enjoy the timeless phrases along the building itself, it would be a great addition to have statues of our City's greatest writers set up proximate to the library itself.

They could be on the Library's block, or maybe across the street in the Gateway Mall extension park South of Olive & North of the War Memorial. That could give this park block some real, identifiable purpose.

I see a large statue of Mark Twain in the park, standing tall amidst the trees like a General's statue would in any other park. Putting up another statue of Tennessee Williams in, say, Lucas Park would only add to it.

Anyone working with the Library and reading this: Go find some more donors, there's more to be done.

gone corporate wrote:Idea: You know what would be a great compliment to the Central Library amidst all this? Recognition of StL's Great Writers. For as much as I really enjoy the timeless phrases along the building itself, it would be a great addition to have statues of our City's greatest writers set up proximate to the library itself.

They could be on the Library's block, or maybe across the street in the Gateway Mall extension park South of Olive & North of the War Memorial. That could give this park block some real, identifiable purpose.

I see a large statue of Mark Twain in the park, standing tall amidst the trees like a General's statue would in any other park. Putting up another statue of Tennessee Williams in, say, Lucas Park would only add to it.

Anyone working with the Library and reading this: Go find some more donors, there's more to be done.

Great idea, but Tennessee Williams would probably haunt you.

Twain's connection to St. Louis is tenous at best, but it would be hard not to include him.

the central scrutinizer wrote:Twain's connection to St. Louis is tenous at best

Now c'mon. St. Louis should claim Twain as its own. Hanibal's fine, but relatively few people are going to make the trip up there. Given his experiences on the Mississippi, and obviously his writings on the topic, St. Louis is the obvious place to celebrate Twain.

Alex Ihnen wrote:

the central scrutinizer wrote:Twain's connection to St. Louis is tenous at best

Now c'mon. St. Louis should claim Twain as its own. Hanibal's fine, but relatively few people are going to make the trip up there. Given his experiences on the Mississippi, and obviously his writings on the topic, St. Louis is the obvious place to celebrate Twain.

Should we include Dickens too? He took a riverboat cruise and visited St. Louis, after all.

^ Did he write his most notable works about the Mississippi River and base much of his work on his experience growing up in Missouri?

Alex Ihnen wrote:^ Did he write his most notable works about the Mississippi River and base much of his work on his experience growing up in Missouri?

Missouri <> St. Louis.

I beleive the proposal was to honor St. Louis authors. Putting up a statue of Twain is fine, I don't care. It's just that there are a million of them already. It would be more fun to limit it to truly St. Louis authors.

I posted a round-up of all developments surrounding the park fronting the Central Library that have been completed or are currently underway: Meet St. Louis' Future Oasis: Library Park

Already posted on my facebook thing...When I moved into Blu back in 08, I remember thinking, "Gosh, if they ever renovated the Library and Opera House..."

Union Station is just waiting to seriously join in the fun down here............

^ Awesome - thanks! I've been searching for a photo of this building for some time!

More good news for the Central Library...$500,000 from Monsanto. Full story here:
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/b ... 0f31a.html

Interesting stuff:

$500,000 is the same amount industrialist Andrew Carnegie gave in 1901 to build a new main library building at Olive and Locust streets. He gave another $500,000 to build library branches. The Monsanto Co. gift is earmarked for an Andrew Carnegie meeting room on the renovated library's third floor.

"The third floor Andrew Carnegie Meeting Room is particularly interesting because we uncovered a large Cass Gilbert-designed skylight above the room that had been covered for many years with a false ceiling. It needed minor repairs, but otherwise, was completely intact. We also found a beautiful original wooden floor that had been hidden away for decades. These are just two of the many ‘surprises' we've had during the restoration."

Update on Library Renovation

A photo tour of the newly lit up Central Library and its surrounding parks can be found here:
A Summer Night at The Central Library

^Great photos! Why no shots of the NLEC at night though?

^ NLEC was not the subject of this post but since you asked I posted a photo of NLEC in the approriate thread:
Larry Rice - New Life Evangelistic Center