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Per the Business Journal, SwipeSum is moving from Laclede's Landing to Clayton.
The new office, nearly 6,000 square feet in size, is being subleased from Love Funding Corp. SwipeSum previously occupied 3,200 square feet at its former office at 714 N. Second St., owned by an entity, Cast Iron LLC, tied to Victor Mattison.
Seaman said the new office can comfortably fit at least 30 employees. SwipeSum currently has 20 employees, up from seven a year ago. It is actively hiring to ultimately reach 61 employees, Seaman said.
SwipeSum’s relocation to Clayton marks the first time it has operated locally outside the city of St. Louis. After relocating to St. Louis in 2018 from Los Angeles, SwipeSum initially operated in a two-person office at a downtown co-working facility before establishing its headquarters at Laclede’s Landing. As its lease at Laclede’s Landing wound down, Seaman said SwipeSum had discussions with its employees about where they wanted the company’s new office to be located.
“We have several employees who moved to St. Louis to work for SwipeSum, along with native St. Louisans, and value where they want to live and work,” Seaman said. “We pinpointed a few areas around Forest Park and chose Clayton.”
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6000 SF for 30 people? geez, in my world a standard space for an employee is 36 SF , 65 SF for supervisor and up to 160 SF for an O-5 rank (Lt. Col and above)
Since they evicted the homeless encampment six months ago, it doesn't seem like anything has been done at Interco Plaza. It's fenced off with a pile of dirt or two.
Is there a plan to reopen this at some point?
There had been some type of hexagonal material peeking through the dirt and grass for years. Is more dirt needed to cover that, or what?
Is there a plan to reopen this at some point?
There had been some type of hexagonal material peeking through the dirt and grass for years. Is more dirt needed to cover that, or what?
Are there any plans to revamp/remove the Serra sculpture downtown? I like his work in general, like the one at Pulitzer, but this one is awful. It's rusting, there's graffiti on it, and the lawn maintenance is practically nonexistent compared to Citygarden. The Civil Courts building deserves a better entrance.
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^ Civil Courts will get a better entrance, its under construction right now actually.
https://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com/Fre ... ureCCB.htm
https://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com/Fre ... ureCCB.htm
^ That’s pretty cool.
I think someone else here suggested cladding the Twain sculpture in whatever material the Bean in Chicago is made out of. I think that’s a fantastic idea. Then clean up the landscaping, add some pavers so folks can walk around the slabs and call it day. It would be immensely popular from Day 1 and a neat extension to Citygarden.
I think someone else here suggested cladding the Twain sculpture in whatever material the Bean in Chicago is made out of. I think that’s a fantastic idea. Then clean up the landscaping, add some pavers so folks can walk around the slabs and call it day. It would be immensely popular from Day 1 and a neat extension to Citygarden.
That's an interesting idea. Would definitely improve it. Right now it looks a glorified storage space for construction materials.sc4mayor wrote:^ That’s pretty cool.
I think someone else here suggested cladding the Twain sculpture in whatever material the Bean in Chicago is made out of. I think that’s a fantastic idea. Then clean up the landscaping, add some pavers so folks can walk around the slabs and call it day. It would be immensely popular from Day 1 and a neat extension to Citygarden.
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It was a huge mistake. Own it. Remove it. And build a food truck park to support and add activity to the area.
Hard to believe that it's been 40 years since "Twain" was dedicated. Doesn't seem to have grown on people in that time.
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Any of these ideas for Twains would be great. Basically just expand CityGarden another block to the west with something cool. And knock down the Peabody too while we’re at it.
I think the Gateway Mall should exist east of the courts building but west of the courts building the mall should be mostly developed save for aloe plaza and the soldiers memorial.
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I think the Gateway Mall should exist east of the courts building but west of the courts building the mall should be mostly developed save for aloe plaza and the soldiers memorial.
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Yeah the way that sculpture is built the first time I saw it I really didn't know if it was staging for construction or what.
Fully in favor of recladding with material that makes it not look like discarded rebar, or redoing the plaza entirely as a public space with a few basketball courts. There are currently a grand total of 0 places downtown / downtown west for public athletic activities outdoors. With the growth in apartment buildings / housing downtown, would be nice to see a public amenity like this spring up.
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Fully in favor of recladding with material that makes it not look like discarded rebar, or redoing the plaza entirely as a public space with a few basketball courts. There are currently a grand total of 0 places downtown / downtown west for public athletic activities outdoors. With the growth in apartment buildings / housing downtown, would be nice to see a public amenity like this spring up.
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Would be a perfect spot for some basketball, pickleball, and sand volleyball. Keep it lit up and open into the evening too. They just produce such good vibes and activity.
I think a court like this would be cool downtown, but it should be over near the Globe building. It wouldn't fit in with the Civil Courts building and the rest of the mall here. I like the food truck idea.npav wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Yeah the way that sculpture is built the first time I saw it I really didn't know if it was staging for construction or what.
Fully in favor of recladding with material that makes it not look like discarded rebar, or redoing the plaza entirely as a public space with a few basketball courts. There are currently a grand total of 0 places downtown / downtown west for public athletic activities outdoors. With the growth in apartment buildings / housing downtown, would be nice to see a public amenity like this spring up.
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Nice to see such a big crowd at the Cardinals game - hope the full season of baseball is a nice shot in the arm for downtown retail.
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Why not both? I don't see why this wouldn't fit in with the Civil Courts building and the rest of the mall. The goal should be to maximize the best use of the space and provide recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to the mall. A basketball court would definitely be utilized more than another sculpture park or food truck lot that just sits empty the majority of the time.Suds wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022I think a court like this would be cool downtown, but it should be over near the Globe building. It wouldn't fit in with the Civil Courts building and the rest of the mall here. I like the food truck idea.npav wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Yeah the way that sculpture is built the first time I saw it I really didn't know if it was staging for construction or what.
Fully in favor of recladding with material that makes it not look like discarded rebar, or redoing the plaza entirely as a public space with a few basketball courts. There are currently a grand total of 0 places downtown / downtown west for public athletic activities outdoors. With the growth in apartment buildings / housing downtown, would be nice to see a public amenity like this spring up.
I would be shocked, in a good way, if St. Louis had basketball courts along Market. This might sound funny but from the outside looking in it would be a progressive step in the right direction. I seriously doubt it happens though.
I mean I'm open to anything if it means getting rid of Twain, so if that means a basketball court here I'm all for it. I just personally think it would fit in more over near the Globe building where there's more residential and it could replace a surface lot.Laife Fulk wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Why not both? I don't see why this wouldn't fit in with the Civil Courts building and the rest of the mall. The goal should be to maximize the best use of the space and provide recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to the mall. A basketball court would definitely be utilized more than another sculpture park or food truck lot that just sits empty the majority of the time.Suds wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022I think a court like this would be cool downtown, but it should be over near the Globe building. It wouldn't fit in with the Civil Courts building and the rest of the mall here. I like the food truck idea.npav wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Yeah the way that sculpture is built the first time I saw it I really didn't know if it was staging for construction or what.
Fully in favor of recladding with material that makes it not look like discarded rebar, or redoing the plaza entirely as a public space with a few basketball courts. There are currently a grand total of 0 places downtown / downtown west for public athletic activities outdoors. With the growth in apartment buildings / housing downtown, would be nice to see a public amenity like this spring up.
Exactly, sculpture parks are nice, but we have plenty of them in City Garden, the Arch Grounds are down the street, Keiner Plaza is a few blocks away, the whole gateway mall... Let's convert this space into something that activates the area and encourages people to be in the area for more than a stroll.Laife Fulk wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Why not both? I don't see why this wouldn't fit in with the Civil Courts building and the rest of the mall. The goal should be to maximize the best use of the space and provide recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to the mall. A basketball court would definitely be utilized more than another sculpture park or food truck lot that just sits empty the majority of the time.Suds wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022I think a court like this would be cool downtown, but it should be over near the Globe building. It wouldn't fit in with the Civil Courts building and the rest of the mall here. I like the food truck idea.npav wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Yeah the way that sculpture is built the first time I saw it I really didn't know if it was staging for construction or what.
Fully in favor of recladding with material that makes it not look like discarded rebar, or redoing the plaza entirely as a public space with a few basketball courts. There are currently a grand total of 0 places downtown / downtown west for public athletic activities outdoors. With the growth in apartment buildings / housing downtown, would be nice to see a public amenity like this spring up.
Put in a basketball court, tennis/pickleball, and an outdoor roller hockey rink. Light it all up at night and collaborate with local artists for a cool design for the basketball court and you've got a winner.
Probably being overly optimistic, but what would be the process to push for some type of change here? Is it something that can be done collecting signatures or anything?
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I am totally ignorant to how this process actually works, but if there is anything I can actually do to help it such as contacting an alderman or putting it in front of the right person I'd do it.Suds wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Probably being overly optimistic, but what would be the process to push for some type of change here? Is it something that can be done collecting signatures or anything?
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I assume funding is the largest hurdle, either by a donation / crowdfunding / allocating funds from the appropriate city resource.
If someone with more knowledge about the process could weigh in I'd love to simply learn more.
My experience is in commercial construction but when it comes to getting a City public space project out of the idea phase and into the real world that is where I do not know the process.
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Contact your local alderperson, persistently but politely, and request your neighbors do the same. Funding will be a speedbump that has to be addressed at some point, but the first step is raising awareness through consistent, community wide input.
Aldermen and Alderwomen will listen and help, residents just have to make it less of a "wouldn't it be cool if..." and more of a "we want this specific thing".
Aldermen and Alderwomen will listen and help, residents just have to make it less of a "wouldn't it be cool if..." and more of a "we want this specific thing".
Works of art aren't typically just thrown away, but they can certainly be sold/relocated. Serra's 'To Encircle Base Plate Hexagram, Right Angles Inverted' which is currently embedded in the pavement in front of SLAM was first located in a NYC slum, for example.
However, that's complicated in this case because Serra's Twain - love it or hate it - is context specific. The east vertex of the triangle points to the river, and the two sides spreading out to the west represent westward expansion. From RAC STL:
-RBB
However, that's complicated in this case because Serra's Twain - love it or hate it - is context specific. The east vertex of the triangle points to the river, and the two sides spreading out to the west represent westward expansion. From RAC STL:
That works less well in, say, New York. I'm all for moving it off of the Gateway Mall, but for art's sake you'd have to find a new home that keeps the intent behind the artist's placement. Maybe that's on (or adjacent to) the Arch grounds? Maybe that's somewhere else in the region that has a view of the Mississippi? Maybe you could put it in Laumeier Sculpture Park and the 'pointing at the Mississippi River like the prow of a boat' can be more symbolic? But it's not just going to get plowed over (or even reskinned) just because some of us don't care for it sitting where it does.Serra designed the piece with the narrow eastern end pointing to the Mississippi River like the prow of a boat; the other end widens out in recognition of Western Expansion. Between the plates are gaps that are two feet wide, through which people can pass. Viewing the piece from the inside provides glimpses of the surrounding architecture and street activity.
-RBB
Is there a template for this that you or others have used?Laife Fulk wrote:Contact your local alderperson, persistently but politely, and request your neighbors do the same. Funding will be a speedbump that has to be addressed at some point, but the first step is raising awareness through consistent, community wide input.
Aldermen and Alderwomen will listen and help, residents just have to make it less of a "wouldn't it be cool if..." and more of a "we want this specific thing".
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I'm happy you pointed out the necessity of context for this piece. In an argument for moving it I think the architectural part of the context has changed enough from when it was built that we could move it without losing that part, the glimpse of street activity part can be achieved anywhere there is street activityrbb wrote: ↑Apr 08, 2022Works of art aren't typically just thrown away, but they can certainly be sold/relocated. Serra's 'To Encircle Base Plate Hexagram, Right Angles Inverted' which is currently embedded in the pavement in front of SLAM was first located in a NYC slum, for example.
However, that's complicated in this case because Serra's Twain - love it or hate it - is context specific. The east vertex of the triangle points to the river, and the two sides spreading out to the west represent westward expansion. From RAC STL:
That works less well in, say, New York. I'm all for moving it off of the Gateway Mall, but for art's sake you'd have to find a new home that keeps the intent behind the artist's placement. Maybe that's on (or adjacent to) the Arch grounds? Maybe that's somewhere else in the region that has a view of the Mississippi? Maybe you could put it in Laumeier Sculpture Park and the 'pointing at the Mississippi River like the prow of a boat' can be more symbolic? But it's not just going to get plowed over (or even reskinned) just because some of us don't care for it sitting where it does.Serra designed the piece with the narrow eastern end pointing to the Mississippi River like the prow of a boat; the other end widens out in recognition of Western Expansion. Between the plates are gaps that are two feet wide, through which people can pass. Viewing the piece from the inside provides glimpses of the surrounding architecture and street activity.
-RBB
I think moving it to the Wash U campus or Forest Park would be interesting, I also like the Arch grounds idea. While I'm not the biggest fan of his work, I do recognize that Serra is a fairly renowned artist and I'd like to keep the sculpture relatively (within a few miles) of its original installation.