urbanSTL

I think best case is a solid local brewer comes to the table wanting to put some sort of landmark location at least in a portion of the campus.  I would like to imagine Schlafly is one of the few with clout and the pockets to do so (though it was incredible to see what a small brewery like Earthbound was able to do with some sweat equity).  They'd get to brand the smokestack and have visibility from 55 (honestly don't care about the ISCO legacy here that much).  Really from a lot of places on the south side.  Same could be said for Falstaff.  A signature brewery is the first key to getting the ball rolling.  Lots of history in the walls and location.  Who knows, maybe even fix up the caves and open it up for a sip and stroll.  That'd be a big draw, I'd think.  Tons of people are curious about the caves.

Should that happen, I'd like to think piecemeal rehab into residential and small commercial would be a no-brainer.  There's already tons of space for parking and it's nearby a lot of great restaurants, shops, architecture.  Think a plant store, coffee shop, independent clothing, carve out a corner of that lot into live music opportunities, food trucks, etc.

Good luck, Chris.

Getting off topic but a renovated Lemp campus done right would instantly become the closest thing we have to a European town center. Nice narrow and winding corridors leading to areas perfect for beautiful plazas filled with diners, drinkers, and people just hanging out.

I'm hoping this can be a hub for not just one brewery but potentially three or four. Maybe a collaboration with the SLU Brewers program can be arranged with some classroom space and opportunities for students to work with said breweries on site.

I would also love to see a high quality and interactive beer museum. Showcase the history of the complex, brewing in St. Louis, and prohibition. Then go into showcasing different beer styles and methods of brewing with samples along the way. Maybe drop people into a section of Cherokee cave for a bit.

Otherwise in addition to breweries it would make sense to include a distillery (we have a number of local rising stars that will be searching for a showcase space in the next couple years.) 

Some kind of coffee experience from one of our bigger local roasters would also be fantastic. Blueprint or Kaldis would have the bandwidth to pull something off like this but I'm not picky. 

Rockwell opening 2nd location in Francis Park. (No really, on park grounds)




https://www.stlmag.com/dining/rockwell- ... _XzEtp1mOU

Ummmm this is VERY cool


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^^^I love your vision, GoHarv. A place where you could tour prominent locals and up-and-comers that also showcases local beer history would be fantastic. The St. Louis Brewer's Guild collective answer to the ABInBev tour. (Maybe with a display iron-horse to compete with the fleshier kind up the street? It'd be an imposter, of course, but something made to look like this, maybe:

 

Continental Fabricators over in Dogtown just made a boiler for a reproduction Pensy T-1. Maybe they could do a little tank engine.

Or, hey, maybe a brewing/distilling co-op/startup space and beer/food hall from fledgling breweries/distilleries with super affordable rents.  Something a bit more grassroots and authentic than Foundry.  I do think the tie-in to SLU education would be a win-win.

Anyways, I'm stop pie-in-the-sky-ing.  The Rockwell expansion sounds cool!

bwcrow1s wrote: ↑

May 16, 2021

Or, hey, maybe a brewing/distilling co-op/startup space and beer/food hall from fledgling breweries/distilleries with super affordable rents.  Something a bit more grassroots and authentic than Foundry.  I do think the tie-in to SLU education would be a win-win.

Anyways, I'm stop pie-in-the-sky-ing.  The Rockwell expansion sounds cool!

Yeah but...a pie in the sky? People would come from all over the world! How awesome would that be?! 

moorlander wrote: ↑

May 15, 2021

Rockwell opening 2nd location in Francis Park. (No really, on park grounds)




https://www.stlmag.com/dining/rockwell- ... _XzEtp1mOU

Love it, I've always wondered why more parks that have the space / buildings didn't have a little biergarten or patio areas where you could snag a bite to eat and a drink and enjoy the weather and scenery.  Parks don't need commercialized, but a little restaurant that draws more people / gives you another reason to stay within your neighborhood park is awesome. 

npav wrote: ↑

May 17, 2021

moorlander wrote: ↑

May 15, 2021

Rockwell opening 2nd location in Francis Park. (No really, on park grounds)




https://www.stlmag.com/dining/rockwell- ... _XzEtp1mOU

Love it, I've always wondered why more parks that have the space / buildings didn't have a little biergarten or patio areas where you could snag a bite to eat and a drink and enjoy the weather and scenery.  Parks don't need commercialized, but a little restaurant that draws more people / gives you another reason to stay within your neighborhood park is awesome. 

Milwaukee has been incredibly successful doing something similar with a few of their parks. https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/E ... er-Gardens

They also have a traveling biergarten which goes to parks without permanent biergartens

I've said this here before, but I would love to see this exact concept copy and pasted on the west side of Soulard Park. Right now it's just grass and completely inactive outside of a few annual festivals.

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑

May 17, 2021

I've said this here before, but I would love to see this exact concept copy and pasted on the west side of Soulard Park. Right now it's just grass and completely inactive outside of a few annual festivals.

Agree, I think about it every time I walk by, what a waste of park in what is probably one of the busiest city blocks on a Saturday morning!

^I could see this being a good concept in half the parks in town. Something like that at Carondelet Park would be fantastic for me.

Would love to see more than just beer gardens too. Seasonal park retail gives these parks flavor, texture, and identity. I grew up next to Kirkwood park, and the Tropical Moose (snow cones) that opened there is always a centerpiece for park life.

Ideas:

• Coffee shops
• Ice Cream
• Flowers
• Bike Rental and Repair
• Gift shop/visitor center
• Permanent food truck hookups and seating
• Chess club
• Sports equipment rental

Really though, I would recommend just building the space and seeing who wants it. Easy revenue for the park too.

^Totally agree. Tower Grove has that ugly 70’s looking concession stand to the west of the Roman Pavilion. I don’t think that’s been used in years. Could be a be a great asset if they fix it up.

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

Would love to see more than just beer gardens too. Seasonal park retail gives these parks flavor, texture, and identity. I grew up next to Kirkwood park, and the Tropical Moose (snow cones) that opened there is always a centerpiece for park life.

Ideas:

• Coffee shops
• Ice Cream
• Flowers
• Bike Rental and Repair
• Gift shop/visitor center
• Permanent food truck hookups and seating
• Chess club
• Sports equipment rental

Really though, I would recommend just building the space and seeing who wants it. Easy revenue for the park too.

All great ideas, would love to see more of these added to our parks.  I've always thought the Great Rivers Greenway trails could benefit from amenities as well, like a bike pump station or maybe a small concessions stand/gift shop at one of their most active trails with proceeds going to help fund the foundation.

I think the success of the Boathouse restaurant in FP is a perfect example of how much demand there is for experiences like this. Personally, I've never had a great meal at any iteration of the boathouse but it's kind of difficult to find a better place to sit for meal (although the Flora Pl building at the mobot comes to mind). Some might be opposed to the commercialization or privatization of park space but such concerns seem absurd to me. FP and TGP are incredibly busy spaces (a recent KC public radio story comparing KC and STL park further proves that) and other than parking concerns, I see no down side of adding more dining and retail to STL parks. 

I've frequently noted that Forest Park is a great substitution for the busier streets of our peer cities' downtowns. We can bring the businesses to where the people are. 

aprice wrote:I think the success of the Boathouse restaurant in FP is a perfect example of how much demand there is for experiences like this. Personally, I've never had a great meal at any iteration of the boathouse but it's kind of difficult to find a better place to sit for meal (although the Flora Pl building at the mobot comes to mind). Some might be opposed to the commercialization or privatization of park space but such concerns seem absurd to me. FP and TGP are incredibly busy spaces (a recent KC public radio story comparing KC and STL park further proves that) and other than parking concerns, I see no down side of adding more dining and retail to STL parks. 

I've frequently noted that Forest Park is a great substitution for the busier streets of our peer cities' downtowns. We can bring the businesses to where the people are. 

Even something akin to the riverfront RFP put out for this summer would be great. Vendors around the Grand Basin, at the base of Pavilion Hill, etc. would be great.


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dweebe wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

SouthCityJR wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

^Totally agree.  Tower Grove has that ugly 70’s looking concession stand to the west of the Roman Pavilion.  I don’t think that’s been used in years.  Could be a be a great asset if they fix it up.

You can't put a beergarden in TGP. If anything I like the permanent food truck hookup idea

Why is that? Alcohol rules? I've seen "beer trucks" selling alcoholic beverages in TGP.

dweebe wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

kipfilet wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

dweebe wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

You can't put a beergarden in TGP. If anything I like the permanent food truck hookup idea

Why is that? Alcohol rules? I've seen "beer trucks" selling alcoholic beverages in TGP.

Sorry as I phrased that incorrectly and shouldn't have said "can't". The issue is parking and vehicles.

That Rockwell Brewing in Francis park works because there is plenty of street parking around there. The Boathouse in Forest park has the small lot, street parking and the Muny lot as options. I just don't see that in TGP: especially if they implement the no-cars rule that worked so well during the pandemic,

The Palm House seems to do just fine with their brunches and wedding receptions with the parking that's presently available. The Farmers' Market too. 

As others have said, I bet the Farmer's Market brings in more people (at a time) than a beer garden would. Besides, there is a *lot* of street parking in the adjacent neighborhoods. I really don't see parking as an issue.

Not to be Debbie Downer, but I see a conflict with nearby restaurants and bars.  "Beer in the park" establishments would be in direct competition for the disposable $ folks would spend.  I'd much rather see solid programming (like we were promised at the Arch) to bring people into the parks.  Let the adjacent businesses benefit off the increased traffic flow.  I'd be fine with food trucks as they are not a permanent establishment.  I just wonder how the businesses along S. Grand, Arsenal, Lafayette and other park-adjacent streets would feel about this.  If I owned an adjacent F&B business I'd be ticked.  

STLinCHI wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

Not to be Debbie Downer, but I see a conflict with nearby restaurants and bars.  "Beer in the park" establishments would be in direct competition for the disposable $ folks would spend.  I'd much rather see solid programming (like we were promised at the Arch) to bring people into the parks.  Let the adjacent businesses benefit off the increased traffic flow.  I'd be fine with food trucks as they are not a permanent establishment.  I just wonder how the businesses along S. Grand, Arsenal, Lafayette and other park-adjacent streets would feel about this.  If I owned an adjacent F&B business I'd be ticked.  

Same argument can be made (in the limit) against any new establishment opening up in the area. Those other local establishments can even benefit if the beer garden attracts sufficient people from outside the neighborhood. I doubt it would compete for local/regular traffic. I certainly wouldn't stop going to Tick Tock, CBGBs or Riley's, my go-to neighborhood bars.