I think this begs some questions for SLU's partner in all this, Baron Salazar. Who were going to move their corporate location to this development. They are also the ones who have secured $60 million in Federal Tax credits that will be used somewhere, somehow. Couple of my questions, Does Salazar start scouting a new corporate location or hunker down for a wait (Brown Shoe comes to mind)? It would be nice to them fill a downtown spot with a midsize LEED builing (Washington & Tucker comes to mind) or even committ to Ball Park Village if it adds a some height to the officer tower. But, I'm curious on what is their take on all this at the moment.
re-bump
No news, but it sure is fun to watch all the dogs playing in this de-facto dog park while we wait for the economy to recover. Gotta be one of the busiest in the City.
No news, but it sure is fun to watch all the dogs playing in this de-facto dog park while we wait for the economy to recover. Gotta be one of the busiest in the City.
- 1,864
SLU has changed the signage at the corner of Lindell and Grand to "Ellen Clark Sculpture Park, Saint Louis University". It previously just stated "Saint Louis University".
If you've driven by in the past month, you should have seen a decent sized modern metal sculpture near the Lindell side of the park. I can only assume it's a matter of time before we see more large modern pieces being placed in the area.
Interesting idea for a vacant lot, too bad they're focused more on making it look presentable instead of focusing that money towards building more student housing.
If you've driven by in the past month, you should have seen a decent sized modern metal sculpture near the Lindell side of the park. I can only assume it's a matter of time before we see more large modern pieces being placed in the area.
Interesting idea for a vacant lot, too bad they're focused more on making it look presentable instead of focusing that money towards building more student housing.
- 712
True story, I travel a lot and have developed a simple orientation policy for visiting new cities. Rather than planning a lot in advance, I just figure out where the highest observation point is in the city, go there, and sit down for a few hours with a free tourist map from the train station. Sitting there for a few hours, the general layout of the city sinks in, I see a pretty sunset, and the skyline at night. Later, I walk around orienting myself by the tall tower on the horizon whose lofty interior I know so well.
Grand and Lindell are the ordinate and abscissa of our city. Their intersection is therefore our origin. Of course it should be a major gathering place. Of course there should be a tall tower. The top of whatever building is there should offer sight lines down the boulevards in all four directions. The terrible rendering shown earlier on this thread offered a blank wall facing south and nothing on top.
The green roof on the earlier rendering would offer a bit of a view, but it's nothing like a green roof on a 40 storey building.
I'm flexible on what goes in the lower floors, but the top level and the roof should be for tourists and people like me. Political fundraisers, weddings, and other events like that too.
Grand and Lindell are the ordinate and abscissa of our city. Their intersection is therefore our origin. Of course it should be a major gathering place. Of course there should be a tall tower. The top of whatever building is there should offer sight lines down the boulevards in all four directions. The terrible rendering shown earlier on this thread offered a blank wall facing south and nothing on top.
The green roof on the earlier rendering would offer a bit of a view, but it's nothing like a green roof on a 40 storey building.
I'm flexible on what goes in the lower floors, but the top level and the roof should be for tourists and people like me. Political fundraisers, weddings, and other events like that too.
I don't think that plot of land will be developed anytime soon.
If developed it will likely be private and likely small and not tall. The Jesuits aren't going to want anything competing with their Jesuits Hall, or St. Francis Xavier College Church. If developed it will probably have a 2 "pedestrian streets" intersecting to form a cross shape that will have coffee shops, restaurants, and other retail stores. If done right, they wouldn't try to develop it for the target of college students. It would likely be a small development project targeted to young professionals (25-35) and act as an effort to try to stimulate more of this crowd to move into Grand Center (Continental, Metropoliton, PW Shoe, University Plaza, etc.)
It would probably look a lot like Maryland and Euclid in CWE except the streets would be pedestrian only. I was thinking a bike shop, coffee shop like Coffee Cartel, ice cream place, and maybe a trendy restaurant like Drunken Fish. It would appeal to some SLU students but it wouldn't have a college atmosphere feel. A lot of outdoor seating like you see on Euclid and a lot of brick and aesthetically pleasing trees, landscapes.
If developed it will likely be private and likely small and not tall. The Jesuits aren't going to want anything competing with their Jesuits Hall, or St. Francis Xavier College Church. If developed it will probably have a 2 "pedestrian streets" intersecting to form a cross shape that will have coffee shops, restaurants, and other retail stores. If done right, they wouldn't try to develop it for the target of college students. It would likely be a small development project targeted to young professionals (25-35) and act as an effort to try to stimulate more of this crowd to move into Grand Center (Continental, Metropoliton, PW Shoe, University Plaza, etc.)
It would probably look a lot like Maryland and Euclid in CWE except the streets would be pedestrian only. I was thinking a bike shop, coffee shop like Coffee Cartel, ice cream place, and maybe a trendy restaurant like Drunken Fish. It would appeal to some SLU students but it wouldn't have a college atmosphere feel. A lot of outdoor seating like you see on Euclid and a lot of brick and aesthetically pleasing trees, landscapes.
- 712
bk18 wrote: If done right, they wouldn't try to develop it for the target of college students. ... small development project targeted to young professionals (25-35) and act as an effort to try to stimulate more of this crowd to move [to] Grand.
Be Urban. Be a Billiken.
That would be nice.
Doesn't SLU suffer from an exclusive contract with their food provider (chartwells?)? Could they allow independent shops?
If the property is owned and operated by SLU, it can't have any non-Chartwells restaurants.DaronDierkes wrote: Doesn't SLU suffer from an exclusive contract with their food provider (chartwells?)? Could they allow independent shops?
But SLU would basically take the loop-hole approach. They could develop the land then sell it, or create a development plan with a developer with a contract that says it must look like this and have this and do this.... etc. Then just sell the land to the developer and make them keep that contract.
I think SLU took one of these 2 avenues with the west locust lofts and probably a lot of near-campus developments.
- 712
So for any structure to work, SLU would need to be a tenant. They can't own a building outright if any independent retailers are going to sell food there.
Even the 'loop-hole approach' has this problem, right? The residence hall Wash U is putting in the loop is supposed to have some kind of ground floor retail, but if it is a coffee shop or something with food, then the exclusive contract would come up. (Wash U has one of those contracts too, right?)
I think any attempt UMSL makes in their Great Steets initiative for Natural Bridge would suffer the same constraint.
Related to Grand and Lindell, the Beacon has a nice infographic today on parking around Grand Center.
Even the 'loop-hole approach' has this problem, right? The residence hall Wash U is putting in the loop is supposed to have some kind of ground floor retail, but if it is a coffee shop or something with food, then the exclusive contract would come up. (Wash U has one of those contracts too, right?)
I think any attempt UMSL makes in their Great Steets initiative for Natural Bridge would suffer the same constraint.
Related to Grand and Lindell, the Beacon has a nice infographic today on parking around Grand Center.
They've installed several new sculptures in the "sculpture park". It's starting to look more permanent.
- 2,386
Another perfect example of SLU living their "Be Urban" campaign. They should change it to:
"SLU, because nothing says urban like a self-indulgent Jesuit sculpture garden."
"SLU, because nothing says urban like a self-indulgent Jesuit sculpture garden."
Hyphenation matters. "self-indulgent-Jesuit sculpture garden."newstl2020 wrote:"SLU, because nothing says urban like a self-indulgent Jesuit sculpture garden."
Article about how the "temporary" dog park is welcomed by Biondi. Not exactly what we all want to see here, but fun article never the less:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... 4a829.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... 4a829.html
- 1,864
UrbanreviewSTL blog covered the sculpture park in its post today (ADA requirements and such). I don't want to start a discussion about that...but it still boggles my mind that this site is still just a sculpture park. If only SLU could do a fraction of what WU is doing in the loop, this area would be fantastic. Unfortunately I'm not longer at SLU so I have no idea what the current rumors are; anyone have any updates on long term plans for this corner?
- 11K
Big proposal from 2006-7 is long dead, but shows that SLU has as least imagined something there in the past. Someday.
- 933
How tall would this have been? If this is built, where do you think its timeline will fall in relation to MO theater, garages, and streetcar?
Does anyone know if there is any progress here? This prominent corner in the heart of the city needs to be fully built. Not only on the NE corner but the SE as well. Has anyone heard if SLU has ever had an intention of putting a building up on the SE corner? The current state of those two lots is disgusting. SLU has managed to even make a fountain and the gates located there look cheap and plastic.
Doubtful anything gets built there as long as SLU owns the lots. They used to have buildings which SLU tore down for grass lawns.
^ Yeah, that's my fear. They have destroyed so much both there and at the medical center/campus. Hopefully they will build on these lots eventually. It seems they need a change of leadership.
They're getting it, but we haven't had time to see the results yet. Perhaps when a new leader is chosen, a group of concerned urbanists can sit down with him/her and have a heart to heart...
- 1,864
Time re-bump this thread. With the new direction of SLU and their desire to actually develop on the land they own, anyone think that this corner might be on the short list for future use?
^I don't think so. I think between the two large dorms that just went up along the southern border of campus, the new focus on the med school campus and the redevelopment area to the south of campus, and the Foundry investments going on in that same direction, that the NE corner of Grand and Lindell will stay on the back burner for now.
All I know is that the "sculpture park" is no longer being used as a de facto dog park.
- 1,864
^Did they post signage barring dogs or have they altered it at all?