urbanSTL

I would love for a local chef like Gerard Craft to open a restaurant in the old Mosaic space. This provides a perfect opportunity to enter the downtown restaurant scene. I would be courting the hell out of him if I were the Downtown Partnership.

I have heard that once Craft saw An American Place not make it he has vowed not to be in DTSTL.....

sirshankalot wrote:I have heard that once Craft saw An American Place not make it he has vowed not to be in DTSTL.....

Seems a little shortsighted on Crafts part if true. One restaurant is hardly a barometer for an entire area. In addition, there are numerous high profile restaurants that didn't make it in Clayton where he opened his new place.

And wasn't American Place ownership only partly committed to STL with more focus towards Vegas.

Why doesn't the city keep up the sidewalks, lighting and especially the lighted zipper along wash ave? I remember people posting about this years ago. Was anything ever done? I noticed a few angled lights totally out of whack the other day. Who's in charge here?
What happened to places like Lo?! Anyone remember that bar in the monkey building?

LO was the best. I saw my first true dance off there.

jcity wrote:Why doesn't the city keep up the sidewalks, lighting and especially the lighted zipper along wash ave? I remember people posting about this years ago. Was anything ever done? I noticed a few angled lights totally out of whack the other day. Who's in charge here?
What happened to places like Lo?! Anyone remember that bar in the monkey building?

I am working on getting the runway lights fixed. LO has been closed for years. It's a photography business now.

I recall when states started allowing the building of casinos 20 years ago, everyone predicted Las Vegas was dead. But LV upped the anti to become an even bigger spectacle to distinguish themselves and keep the crowds coming. Wash Ave needs to double down on BPV and offer spectacles you can't find anywhere else in the region. City Museum is that sort of thing, but not for the grownup dining crowd. Zip lines? Water feature? Streetcar? I think more LED bright lights done dramatically would be cool light up dark corners and make people more secure at night. The runway lights feature did that initially and needs to be expanded. I was in Times Square this summer and all the streets were torn up and fenced off, because they were adding tons of LED up lights in the pavement around Times Square. Does the region want Wash Ave to be our Times Square? Or not?

^I think the new Blues Museum will help contribute to what you are describing.

Should Wash. Ave. aspire to be Times Square? With all its signage and excess BPV feels like it's more on the Times Square path. Wash. Ave. seems better poised for shopping in the tradition of Michigan Ave., Madison Ave., or Fifth Ave. Kind of like it was back in the day:

(from VanishingSTL) Although, that's obviously a far cry from the current reality.

If Wash. Ave. is hurting from BPV, which it sounds like it is, Laclede's Landing and some Soulard locations must really be getting hit. Soulard probably has more longterm/neighborhood support, but perhaps it's no coincidence that Morgan Street Brewery in LL was put on the market in August.

For me its about the same the last few years, with the slightest tick downward. Macys wasnt a personal loss, more of a visible/mental loss. The MX is the best addition for me. But its still lacking many big city upscale amenities. Like nice clothing stores, unique bakeries, and hell even walkable fast food places, etc. The job situations and questionable Washington ave is what keeps downtown from being better than a few years ago. I say the job situation, because as i mentioned somewhere else, im looking for a new job next summer and my options are increasingly limited. Living and working downtown is the biggest draw. If you take away the working part then, for me i would rather live elsewhere because i don't see downtown changing much in the next 10 years. I personally think there are many other better livable areas than downtown, at this current moment. That could change with some really big projects. But i think downtown needs like 10 really big projects to really make a difference. Downtown isn't bad at all but i still feel we look the other way too much on its problems. I think a good word to describe it is stale. And one last thing. For some reason i dont feel quite as safe as i used to. This started about two+ years ago. I know crime is down but maybe its because there are less people on the streets to balance out the questionable people. Thats my assessment from the last 10 years. Its just good enough to keep me around.

Downtown has lost quite a bit and gained almost little. Theres really not been no new construction other than the OPOT Lumiere Place Phase 1 of BPV and more parking garages. We've got to do better than that if we are going to compete with other cities sitting and waiting on business's to come to us isn't an option. The City needs a strong aggressive leader just yesterday confirmed to me Slay isn't that guy. You literally are letting Rice get his way. I wouldn't be surprised if downtown starts losing many residents to Clayton as its much safer cleaner and aggressive. I want downtown to succeed but with the rash of high profile crimes the lack of retail options job lose's and nothing new is being built its going to suffer.

I fully agree with the last 2 comments. They hit the nail on the head. I live, work, and own property downtown and I'm even ready to move out. I'm all for an uphill battle to make something great, but without political leaders wanting to see change, it just won't happen. After yesterday I'm finally at a point where I'm ready to cut my losses and move to Clayton or CWE-- where at least I'll see an occasional crane go up and don't get harassed for change or use of my cell phone every time I walk my dog.

Kinger and RedOctober, have you contacted the Mayors office on the NLEC? Have you joined DNA and attend meetings for our neighborhood organization?

Moving doesn't solve anything. Just look at North County.

downtown2007 wrote:Kinger and RedOctober, have you contacted the Mayors office on the NLEC? Have you joined DNA and attend meetings for our neighborhood organization?

Moving doesn't solve anything. Just look at North County.

You could say I'm very involved with both Downtown and DNA... Which makes it that much more infuriating.

kinger wrote:

downtown2007 wrote:Kinger and RedOctober, have you contacted the Mayors office on the NLEC? Have you joined DNA and attend meetings for our neighborhood organization?

Moving doesn't solve anything. Just look at North County.

You could say I'm very involved with both Downtown and DNA... Which makes it that much more infuriating.

Ok I think I have made the connection.

So how do us residents force the Mayor to take action on the NLEC and development downtown in general?

kinger wrote:I fully agree with the last 2 comments. They hit the nail on the head. I live, work, and own property downtown and I'm even ready to move out. I'm all for an uphill battle to make something great, but without political leaders wanting to see change, it just won't happen. After yesterday I'm finally at a point where I'm ready to cut my losses and move to Clayton or CWE-- where at least I'll see an occasional crane go up and don't get harassed for change or use of my cell phone every time I walk my dog.

Where will you go? How much do you want for your property?

Anybody know how MX Movies is doing? I'm concerned that we're going to get bad news about it shutting down before too long...

downtown2007 wrote:

kinger wrote:

downtown2007 wrote:Kinger and RedOctober, have you contacted the Mayors office on the NLEC? Have you joined DNA and attend meetings for our neighborhood organization?

Moving doesn't solve anything. Just look at North County.

You could say I'm very involved with both Downtown and DNA... Which makes it that much more infuriating.

Ok I think I have made the connection.

So how do us residents force the Mayor to take action on the NLEC and development downtown in general?

Easy you and other can call or email him and say you would vote him out in the next election over NLEC

Easy you and other can call or email him and say you would vote him out in the next election over NLEC[/quote]

Agreed. Both Slay and Rainford need to hear about this from all of us. I won't walk away from this. I loved my time downtown and the community we formed. I still have a lot of skin in the game and I won't walk away from it without a fight. The crap that goes on at the NLEC wouldn't be tolerated anywhere else. There is so much unrealized potential down there and good people putting their hard work and money into making it better. It's time for the Mayor's office to take a stand for us.

To be fair many downtown's even place's like lower Manhattanare losing jobs still (especially compared before 9/11). As Urban area's revive many downtown's are still losing jobs even as they make huge strides. In other areas Downtown Dallas has a vacancy rate of 25% As America's core cities revive companies still rarely move to the downtown area. Moving a company from the suburbs to a downtown anywhere, is still the exception not the rule (that is why when a company moves to a downtown hundreds of miles always it is still major news) As long as area's like huge employment Cortex/ Clayton/CWE a a quick train ride way then Downtown residents could still live truly Urban in terms of commutes, And don't forget starts ups, No old timer company is going to save any downtown. Us millennial are going to half to recreate the corporate base almost form scratch. so before we get on our bi monthly downtown is dead mood its important to see that most downtown's reflect similarly to St Louis, in same ways.

^ Apostrophes, man. Learn about them. Egads.

I just took a walk down Washington Ave to see if everybody's fears of doom and gloom were true. No sporting event, or concerts, maybe a small convention. What I saw was a mildly active street where most of the restaurants and bars were greater than 50% full at 8pm. People out walking their dogs and a few panhandlers. Not exactly bustling but nowhere near "dead".

There are 3 storefronts that could inject some more life and get the ball rolling again. Those storefronts are the old Lola, 12th street diner, and Mosaic spaces. Would be awesome if something with pop and creative filled those spots. Would also like to see the corner Bogen spot filled. The addition of a coffee shop that stayed open until 11pm would also be welcome. It won't take much to jump start this street.

The street is still probably just as active as Euclid and Delmar are on a Wed night if not more. Clayton has zero activity compared to Wash Ave.

Let's get this ball rolling again.

roger wyoming II wrote:Big Mouth Mclarge

Hey hey wait. . .ok yeah your pretty dead on there. Yeah sorry for blabbing too much.

The thing is a lot of us are up and down Washington/Downtown everyday and every night so our sample set is much larger. Its clearly not the same as a few years ago. Judging by the quotes from the Dubliner owner, which lead to the music deal, and the article this week about Copia that statement is valid. Maybe it really isnt a worry. To me it is.