I spotted a survey crew out on Washington yesterday, checking out the Laurel and St. Louis Centre, looking through one of those thingies and doing whatever surveyors do. Hopefully this is a good sign.
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DeBaliviere wrote:I spotted a survey crew out on Washington yesterday, checking out the Laurel and St. Louis Centre, looking through one of those thingies and doing whatever surveyors do. Hopefully this is a good sign.
I think the surveyors are probably just pretending. It's a racket. But this is good news!
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St. Louis sued over One City Centre development deal
In her suit, Sklarov claims there was “illegal and improper use of public funds and expenditures of public money” used for the redevelopment of One City Centre. By attracting 500 N. Broadway’s largest tenant, the building will be bankrupt, the suit contends.
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/ ... a=e_du_pub
In her suit, Sklarov claims there was “illegal and improper use of public funds and expenditures of public money” used for the redevelopment of One City Centre. By attracting 500 N. Broadway’s largest tenant, the building will be bankrupt, the suit contends.
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/ ... a=e_du_pub
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They should also be sued for putting 750 parking spaces in the Centre.
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Downtown2007 wrote:They should also be sued for putting 750 parking spaces in the Centre.
True.
Of course the silver lining (how desperately I want there to be one) is that with so much parking downtown perhaps development opportunities are freed up elsewhere. Meaning, for example, the Kiener garages will never come down unless there is ample parking to replace them - I know, I know, St. Louis Center isn't going offer parking that would replace Kiener, but do you get the idea? The surface parking lots become more and more open for development when there are numerous garages nearby and older parking garages may be on the chopping block sooner than they otherwise would be..... just hoping.
^It's certainly possible. Not likely in the near term, but definitely so longer term. I generally look at the longer term at this point in my life, anyway.
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This isn't my blog, all credit for this goes to Paul Hohmann at Vanishing STL, but this particular post about pre-St. Louis Centre downtown retail deserves a read and a closer look.
Just as a teaser, I posted a couple of pictures below of the glorious days when downtown retail was still hanging in there, as recently as the 1970s. Perhaps this will make it clear why some of us have mixed feelings about St. Louis Centre as a parking garage.
The buildings that were sacrificed for St. Louis Centre may have been relatively nondescript when compared to other downtown structures that were lost, but they were part of a cohesive street wall. And sadly, their demise was for a building that was supposed to keep downtown retail intact, and it only drove retailers away.
Post-Thanksgiving shopping, late 1960s, in front of Stix Baer & Fuller (now The Laurel):
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Mid-1970s picture of the Washington/Sixth intersection near SB&F:
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Thanks, Paul!
Just as a teaser, I posted a couple of pictures below of the glorious days when downtown retail was still hanging in there, as recently as the 1970s. Perhaps this will make it clear why some of us have mixed feelings about St. Louis Centre as a parking garage.
The buildings that were sacrificed for St. Louis Centre may have been relatively nondescript when compared to other downtown structures that were lost, but they were part of a cohesive street wall. And sadly, their demise was for a building that was supposed to keep downtown retail intact, and it only drove retailers away.
Post-Thanksgiving shopping, late 1960s, in front of Stix Baer & Fuller (now The Laurel):
Mid-1970s picture of the Washington/Sixth intersection near SB&F:
Thanks, Paul!
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I agree with Doug’s contentions, in that I’d prefer to see the development being that of a pedestrian-friendly building rather than another craptastic garage. That said, I’m really just glad something is going there besides a blighted 1980s shopping mall, and especially as we’re not done with the Great Recession. That they have faith to build ANYTHING in the City right now is a good thing.
Most pertinent: None of us are the owners of the property. It is not public property. The building owners can do whatever they want to do with it. As taxpayers, we have interest in it, but mostly out of hope that the building will generate enough tax revenues to fund necessary services for the populace at large. Our being peeved at the design is nothing compared to the anger of so many professional firms and companies that had to vacate the building when Pyramid originally planned MX. We should be grateful that our only grievance is aesthetic.
Now, let’s build that thing, get that stupid Skybridge down, and be done with it.
Most pertinent: None of us are the owners of the property. It is not public property. The building owners can do whatever they want to do with it. As taxpayers, we have interest in it, but mostly out of hope that the building will generate enough tax revenues to fund necessary services for the populace at large. Our being peeved at the design is nothing compared to the anger of so many professional firms and companies that had to vacate the building when Pyramid originally planned MX. We should be grateful that our only grievance is aesthetic.
Now, let’s build that thing, get that stupid Skybridge down, and be done with it.
Most pertinent: None of us are the owners of the property. It is not public property. The building owners can do whatever they want to do with it.
Most pertinent: Land use and zoning controls exist for the downtown area and therefore the property owner cannot "do whatever they want with it." Moreover, if a developer or owner seeks subsidy from the City for the proposal, then the City has every ability to comment on and influence the use of the building.
This morning I saw a public notice posted near the Convention Metro re: installation of an illuminated sign at 600 Washington. Think it's office tower/garage or Metro related?
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Hopefully this project is still moving forward as we speak. As much as I absolutely hate the idea of the developer dropping the Pyramid plan for condos in favor of more garage parking, I'm not sure the area around St. Louis Centre could be any more depressing than it is now.
I've been to Macy's a couple of times in the past week, and the hit the store has taken without the corporate jobs upstairs is painfully evident. And since the lobby for the Railway Exchange Building on the Locust Street side has closed, that side of the store looks like Bruce Wayne's parents could have been murdered there. I just hope the developer can line up at least one or two respectable retailers that can occupy the ground floor space once the building is complete. Downtown is rife with Fields of Dreams. If you build it, they will come, albeit not nearly as soon as many of us would like. As Macy's prepares to renovate and shrink its store, it could use some neighbors to generate more street traffic around it, and the sooner the better IMHO.
I've been to Macy's a couple of times in the past week, and the hit the store has taken without the corporate jobs upstairs is painfully evident. And since the lobby for the Railway Exchange Building on the Locust Street side has closed, that side of the store looks like Bruce Wayne's parents could have been murdered there. I just hope the developer can line up at least one or two respectable retailers that can occupy the ground floor space once the building is complete. Downtown is rife with Fields of Dreams. If you build it, they will come, albeit not nearly as soon as many of us would like. As Macy's prepares to renovate and shrink its store, it could use some neighbors to generate more street traffic around it, and the sooner the better IMHO.
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^ Are we still planning an UrbanSTL watch party for that momentous occasion? 
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I think that's a given!ThreeOneFour wrote:^ Are we still planning an UrbanSTL watch party for that momentous occasion?
I believe the One Center parking garage was on the Missouri Finance Development Boards agenda for yesterday's meeting. Haven't seen any reports out of St. Louis Business Journal or Building Blocks on the PD's website. Curious if anybody has any information?
In my mind, getting ground level retail going and some occupancy of the office tower is a good move. Especially if skybridge comes down, Embassy Suites with some more housing units, rental or condo, gets started on this spring, and a main entrance off Washington Ave. If above space above ground level retainl can be converted one way it can always be converted to a different use in the future.
In my mind, getting ground level retail going and some occupancy of the office tower is a good move. Especially if skybridge comes down, Embassy Suites with some more housing units, rental or condo, gets started on this spring, and a main entrance off Washington Ave. If above space above ground level retainl can be converted one way it can always be converted to a different use in the future.
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Noticed the Lewis Rice Sign on the Tower tonight... First time I had seen it.janit0r wrote:This morning I saw a public notice posted near the Convention Metro re: installation of an illuminated sign at 600 Washington. Think it's office tower/garage or Metro related?
^Yep. They're starting to move in next week. Their space looks fantastic. They've got the big barrel vault at the top, too.
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I still hate the parking garage portion of this plan, but I look forward to seeing the transformation of St. Louis Centre into 600 Washington take place. This rather moribund section of downtown, which used to be teeming with retail establishments, needs a makeover ASAP.
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With the mall itself being converted to parking, I'd really like to see the first floor of the ORIGINAL St. Louis Centre garage (the former Woolworth's) restored to retail space again. It would restore a little balance to the area.
I agree. Walking along Washington there and looking through the windows into what should be a retail space and seeing a parking garage is just weird.
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That should have never been approved in my opinion. I'd rather look at another vacant retail space than the ground floor parking. In its present state it really limits the potential of the area surrounding Macy's, although it's far from the only parcel in the area that needs help. Also, I remember shopping at that Woolworth's, and the one across the street that was leveled for St. Louis Centre. I miss the days of having more than one place to go in that area, so a makeover can't happen fast enough, and I hope Macy's makeover is a good one as well.DeBaliviere wrote:With the mall itself being converted to parking, I'd really like to see the first floor of the ORIGINAL St. Louis Centre garage (the former Woolworth's) restored to retail space again. It would restore a little balance to the area.
Not that I think this will happen, but it would be nice for the original STL Centre garage demolished, and then on the site a new residential mid-rise with ground floor retail, that would certainly help to offset the loss of the concord project.
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I really wish that could happen. Pyramid going bust is perhaps the greatest disappointment in downtown over the last decade with the exception of Ballpark Village. So many gains were made in so many areas, but the unfulfilled promises of a renovated Arcade Building and Mercantile Exchange were major setbacks in what was otherwise a pretty good decade for downtown overall.PeterXCV wrote:Not that I think this will happen, but it would be nice for the original STL Centre garage demolished, and then on the site a new residential mid-rise with ground floor retail, that would certainly help to offset the loss of the concord project.
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There were HVAC crews parked in front of STL Centre at 7th and Washington when I walked by. Hopefully this is an early sign that work is underway on the mall, although they could have been doing work in One City Centre.