urbanSTL

From the Preservation Board preliminary agenda for the 26th

ADDRESS: 1900R Market Street ITEM: Construct amusement park around existing Ferris Wheel 
JURISDICTION:  Union Station Landmark District NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown West 
WARD:   8 
OWNER:  Oscar Woesterman et al/USH LLC ARCHITECT:  PGAV Destinations/Andrew Schumacher 
CRO STAFF:  Jan Cameron 

 it’s basically extension of what you have in the area where mini golf is on the right of the wheel (if you’re facing west) and now there will be similar type of thing on the left side of the wheel to complete the wheel park area. 

Add a roller coaster to the mix!

BJ reporting that the addition would be a wave swing.

If they are going to add a swing, add several rides and make it a mini-amusement park. As mentioned, add a roller coaster and other rides. That would bring more people. I think they need to expand the aquarium if possible. I do not believe it is big enough or offers enough for the price. Would have been nice to keep Hardrock as well. Union Station has great potential with all of the visitors from City Park so close. 

^ Also add a well attend MLB stadium down the street.   Agree, Think bigger.

Still holding out on the idea of a theme hotel/indoor water park for St Louis as either part of Forest Park Hospital site/Zoo development and or on the landing w an outdoor mini beach.   But Union Station could probably make that work as well - Maybe a wave pool abutting the aquarium w some glass enclosures/glass wall w sharks on the other side of the glass (not sure how that would work considering you need something to create the waves.   

Of course, still advocating that LHM/Union Station has a golden opportunity to put some mixed use development on there parking lot next to the City practice fields..  

^A Great Wolf Lodge-type indoor waterpark would be cool. That would attract people to STL in the dead of winter (and beyond), when things are slower downtown. 

dredger wrote: ↑

Feb 21, 2024

Of course, still advocating that LHM/Union Station has a golden opportunity to put some mixed use development on there parking lot next to the City practice fields..  

I’ve had these discussions with them and they’re open to it. I think they’ll see how their Westport residential goes first.

Their giant parking lot is full of possibility. Can be a great pedestrian experience regardless of what they put in. If they go amusement park, should be Coney Island vibes. There is plenty of space under the train shed for shorter rides (IE bumper cars or go-carts) and games of chance. Outside I would love to see a modest wooden coaster, would really add authenticity to the vibes of the park. Call it The Comet.

Replace the parking with a large garage between the Drury and Maggie O's. Ground level of the garage bring back Hard Rock Cafe + similar touristy chains. Yard House or Old Chicago would be sick.

Not on the final agenda of the Feb 26 Preservation Board meeting.

There is no hurry really, goal is opening summer 2025 but they're fine with 2026 too 

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Feb 21, 2024

dredger wrote: ↑

Feb 21, 2024

Of course, still advocating that LHM/Union Station has a golden opportunity to put some mixed use development on there parking lot next to the City practice fields..  

I’ve had these discussions with them and they’re open to it. I think they’ll see how their Westport residential goes first.

In two completely opposite areas and demos of the region, how does measuring that success work in relation to Union Station?

Sounds more like they just wanted a safer move to create more of a corporate play-island than something that takes more nuanced approach and development approach.  And obviously, balls.

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑

Feb 22, 2024

Their giant parking lot is full of possibility. Can be a great pedestrian experience regardless of what they put in. If they go amusement park, should be Coney Island vibes. There is plenty of space under the train shed for shorter rides (IE bumper cars or go-carts) and games of chance. Outside I would love to see a modest wooden coaster, would really add authenticity to the vibes of the park. Call it The Comet.

Replace the parking with a large garage between the Drury and Maggie O's. Ground level of the garage bring back Hard Rock Cafe + similar touristy chains. Yard House or Old Chicago would be sick.

You could probably do all the above considering that any mixed use, residential would incorporate a parking deck.  Simply do street level retail as you noted, parking deck and top off the deck with a wooden residential high rise.   The parking deck might have some higher cost to support a tower but the engineering wood design/build offers some cost savings.   The structure would literally have three revenue sources between the commercial, a couple levels of public parking and the residential component.

Agree with bwcrow1s about LHM needing to be a little gutsy.   I think LHM between Westport and Union Station has the financial resources, talent and sophistication to pull off what I just describe.    

I'm excited to see renderings. 

I'd love to see most of the underside of shed turned into an amusement park of sorts. 

The MetroLink station there feels kind of random where it is. I hope they better integrate the station into their plans with either this phase or the next.  

RockChalkSTL wrote:I'm excited to see renderings. 

I'd love to see most of the underside of shed turned into an amusement park of sorts. 

The MetroLink station there feels kind of random where it is. I hope they better integrate the station into their plans with either this phase or the next.  

I’ve been taking Metro to and from the soccer games. I will say it gets a lot of usage for those events, but it is a bit out of place. For example a large crowd of people always exits the station and just cuts across the parking lot under the shed to get to 20th and then on to CityPark. People walk through the landscaping and everything. This could be an opportunity to make that all connected.

Thanks, and didn't realize we could see that potentially a year or so from now.  And yeah, there's room for all kinds of building and walkability - here's hoping. 

Between the available space under the shed and large parking lots that are next to it, Union Station seems to have the space for quite a few more expansions. 

It sounds like this expansion will mostly be under the shed, hopefully to replace surface parking. 

I think the aesthetic feel of Union Station will be that much better when half of what you see under the shed is not just asphalt.  

My dream for Union Station is that it turns into a Tivoli Gardens-style attraction: https://www.tivoli.dk/en/. I don't think they really have the space for it, but it's a fun vision.

RockChalkSTL wrote: ↑

May 15, 2024

I'm excited to see renderings. 

I'd love to see most of the underside of shed turned into an amusement park of sorts. 

The MetroLink station there feels kind of random where it is. I hope they better integrate the station into their plans with either this phase or the next.  

Probably a legit argument to be had if the metrolink station was shifted to the West side of Union station prior to going into the tunnel as your coming into downtown, instead of the current East side location followed immediately by another metrolink station.  Gives a little more space between station & better fit for soccer crowd & as well as future development(s).  

I’m told some big news regarding US coming in September.

well, it's September now and no news so far. I think it's dead.

Time to go vertical!

addxb2 wrote: ↑

Sep 01, 2024

Time to go vertical!

What am I missing?