I cant count the number of times and looked at that space, and said to myself" is it possible to build something here?" Always conclude "no" (except maybe next to the Hampton in, witha nice reataining wall instead of the grass slope...) and shake my head at the gigantic hole in the skyline.
I think MoDOT is planning to redo that since the plan for the parkway has been scrapped. From what I read, they want to realign the ramps so the wasted land can be sold for development.
Good call on a soccer stadium. St. Louis used to be known as the Soccer Capital of America but we've let that slide even though we are still very soccer "rich" and probably very near if not on top of the epicenter of American soccer. SLU has won 10 NCAA Championships!
GenAmerica Building into an Aquarium: really the building seems like a perfect fit. Maybe a little less black glass and a bit more clear glass, but all in all a good idea for the area.
Information Square: A fun idea that may never take off because not enough people work downtown, but I can say the perfect place for it: 7th and Pine. There are parking garages on three of the 4 corners. What better way to improve the use of these blank slates. Really a good spot for it.
Commuter Line: Metro should take the lead on this one, because it might be one of the fastest and cheapest ways to improve rail transit throughout the region even if it is only used during rush hours.
Replication of the Louisiana Purchase Monument: A great looking piece of sculpture that could look great somewhere.
Now a few additions of my own:
1. I have made the argument elsewhere but, Olive between 10th and 7th needs to be the focus of a downtown shopping district. Famous as the anchor at one end. The Paul Brown and Arcade buildings as shopping arcades to offer interior shopping. New developments all along the street providing the foot traffic to service the shops. A narrow street with tall buildings most of the way and no vacant lots, so it has a great urban structure.
2. The 3 lots between the Gateway One Center and Civil Courts Building.
The sculpture is ugly. Even if you like it, you know that no one visits it, so it might as well be moved a few blocks farther west between Market and Chestnut. The spot was ruined for the whole Gateway Mall idea when the Gateway One building was built. Accept the facts and build some nice buildings here that will add people to the area but not so tall as to obscure the Arch from farther out.
3. Fix Up Tucker:
The streets too wide. The buildings along it are either ugly tiny or non-existent. The vacant lot behind the Missouri Pacific Building and the US Bank are such a waste; turn these into new office or residential construction. The lot bounded by Tucker, Locust, St. Charles, and 11th is a great lot that is a great spot for an outdoor market concept. Either way, the city must find a better way to link the areas east and west of Tucker. The solution: small bridges, to link the sidewalks. Place them at the intersections of Tucker and Pine, Olive, Locust and Washington. Do something creative like use ivy that won?t eat away at the concrete. Art-deco these bridges up and use the ivy as hanging greenery on the sides and over the edges. Imagine driving down Tucker under a series of these bridges during the summer: the ?Hanging gardens of St. Louis?. This idea can also be applied to Market St. or to Memorial Drive.
4.Another Major Museum downtown, outside of the obligatory aquarium.
Sure, the Museum of Westward Expansion is nice, but not really what I am thinking of. Not too many years ago people talked about the Smithsonian?s plan for setting up satellite museums around the country to show the vast quantities of material that never goes on display. I say bring the idea back. Find a good spot (it should have been in the Old Post Office Building) and a good concept, like architecture or manufacturing, and it could add a lot to downtown.
5. Did you know, St. Louis is home to the Bowling Hall of Fame?
How can St. Louis be home to the Bowling Hall of Fame and do so little to capitalize on this fact? I know, I know, this might not seem like much of an attraction, but St. Louis could do so much to make something of this attraction. Why not try to make St. Louis a destination for a major or THE MAJOR annual PBA or international tournament: think of a tournament with the prestige of The Masters held yearly downtown in a beautiful bowling alley designed to accommodate spectators.
The Gateway Mall was conceived as St. Louis's version of the City Beautiful movement where large civic centers were built at exorbant prices to showcase a city. While the idea of looking straight west from the Arch and seeing the Courthouse, Civil Courts, and Union Station is a great idea the Gateway Mall can better be divided up into smaller focus centers. Between Keiner Plaza and Civil Couts could be a Smithonian Institution, between Tucker and Union could be two focus areas one, for festivals like the hispanic, german, and polish festivals, and the other for whatever is conjured up. Market needs to be condensed and given a nice streetscape. Many civic buildings are along the mall, but they are unfunctional with the current set up. Each could be a focus area in its own.
Just as rail transit like commuter and streetcars were most successful under private ownership back in the day, maybe we should consider the same.
For those who mentioned landing an MLS team, check this out:
St. Louis is in the mix for MLS expansion
By PETE GRATHOFF
The Kansas City Star
When the subject of expansion is raised in Major League Soccer, the same cities usually arise: Houston, Toronto, Seattle, Philadelphia and Rochester, N.Y.
But very quietly, St. Louis has been added to the mix.
During a news conference April 29 in San Antonio, commissioner Don Garber included St. Louis in a list of cities that have a shot of joining the league in 2007.
MLS already boasts several players from St. Louis, and they believe the city is a perfect destination for the league.
?You look at San Antonio, and their mayor is doing everything he can to get a team,? said FC Dallas forward Bobby Rhine, who was born in St. Louis and grew up in Fenton. ?I can't believe that they're not (in the league). What I think it comes down to is the city wanting and desiring a team.?
St. Louis has a long soccer history. St. Louis University has long been a college power, there was a North American Soccer League franchise (the Stars), and the city has been involved in the indoor game for years (Steamers, Storm, Ambush).
Most important, youth soccer has thrived in St. Louis.
?I wish that St. Louis had an MLS venue or stadium,? said New England Revolution forward Pat Noonan, who was born in Ballwin, Mo. ?It is a hotbed for soccer. ? St. Louis fans are pretty faithful. I don't know if that comes into play, but I think St. Louis is obviously a good spot in terms of soccer, so I'm hoping that it'll be thrown in the mix in the future.?
Wizards midfielder Chris Klein is from St. Louis, and he'd love for MLS to come to eastern Missouri.
?If a city shows it's willing to build a stadium and that there's a viable owner that's there, then the league is going to look at it,? Klein said. ?So far, St. Louis has shown neither of those two aspects.
?But maybe there's something we don't know about.?
We have gone through enough problems with securing funding for the last two. They should play at the Kiel since the Blues are fading away and so is hockey until those groups come to an agreement. The Kiel needs to be used and is sufficient for a soccer team since it was the home of the Ambush several years ago.
Major League Soccer is real soccer, World Cup style. There is no way they could play in Savvis Center. The fields they play on are natural turf, and are around the size of a football field. I think it would be cool to have a soccer stadium on the east riverfront, like was suggested earlier. And a soccer stadium should not cost nearly as much as Savvis, Ed Jones Dome, Or Busch III.
Columbus Ohio built the first ever all soccer stadium (in U.S.) a few years ago for the Columbus Crew (MLS). It holds 22,500, can be expanded to 30,000, and cost 28 million which was all private money. The new Busch Stadium is around 400 million!
You know I was wondering about that. Why does it cost so mch more to build a baseball stadium?
another idea ...
I know this has already been proposed by people looking to redevelope the eastern river front - but someone really should build an ampitheatre on the other side of the river with a view of the skyline. It would make a fantastic concert setting, a real, "signature St. Louis" concert setting.
I can't think of another setting that would be comparable......
A lot of the cost is sheer size. The footprint of Busch III is much larger than the Crew stadium in Columbus. Also, while the Crew Stadium is a nice facility, compared to the amenities that will built into Busch III, Crew stadium won't come close. I think the concert venue idea would be great. We already have Riverport (UMB Bank Pavilion) But it would be great to see that be replaced with a new Venue on the east river front. Now about that Cargill grain elevator....Boy is it in the way. I also wish the Gateway Grizzlies would have built their Stadium (GMC Park, which is a very nice minor league ballpark) on the riverfront as well.
But as it is, just with these ideas we've floated, here is what we could see on the east river front:
1. Casino Queen
2. New St Louis Ampitheater
3. St Louis Stikers or whatever soccer stadium
4. The Proposed Museum of American Architecture.
Those ideas coupled with the proposed housing developments could go a long way towards changing the perceptions surrounding ESTL. I'd love to see on St louis side a couple of restaurants near (or on top of) the arch parking garage, bring back the Mcdonalds and BurgerKing Boats (I know they are hokey, but when I was a kid I thought they were just about the coolest thing ever), And add a Riverboat Museum. Finally I'd love to see once all this is done, a Milenium style foot bridge connecting the East and West River Fronts.
The focus group is sponsored by the Downtown St. Louis Partnership and it will concentrate on marketing downtown as a neighborhood. You can bet I'll be brutally honest too. No sugar coating, no nonsense. Young people like us don't mind a little graffiti or noise. This is the city!
I completely agree about encouraging immigration to the St. Louis area (just look at what the Bosnian community has done for our south side). But more practically - how? How does a city encourage immigration from foriegn countries?
Number one priority - continue to increase residential. In all the great cities, you can wander from the business districts to tree-lined residential districts without effort. Besides the lofts and high-rise, start filling in with townhouses, etc. As if Lafayette Square or CWE were just across Tucker from the business district. The way it used to be when the Campbell House wasn't alone. The biggest problem is that downtown is disconnected from the great existing neighborhoods. You should be able take Lindell from Forest Park to the Arch without seeing anything that isn't urbane, busy, pedestrian friendly, and prosperous. It should be the street of dreams. All great cities have one. Also tie existing neighborhoods with downtown by streetcar/trolley. This residential build up will build demographics and retail will follow. Encourage all restaurants, coffee shops, etc. to have outdoor seating. Colorful banners everywhere that change with the season, events, districts within downtown. Open a St. Louis Culinary Institute and St. Louis Arts Institute downtown. St. Louis needs to be seen as a restaurant town and an arts town. I could go on because St. Louis has so much potential. It is already way ahead of the game when compared with other midwestern cities.
Here is an idea that I think would go over awesomely (is that a word?).
Along with the planning for the Choteau Lake Greenway, there should be a plan put in place for a white water attraction that spills into the lake complete with a lift to return your kayak/canoe/raft to the beginningn of the white water. They had something similar in Atlanta put in place for the summer games in 96, and having it in an urban setting would be awesome.
I've seen people talk about the oppurtunity to watch SLU or Wash U crew teams practicing on the lake, but I think this idea would take the cake. Imagine being able to get this sort of outdoor activity in downtown St. Louis!
There you could also build a Cabela's or a Bass Pro shop there that could rent out the necessary equipment as well as training and classes to learn how to stay safe. Personally, I think this idea would make the Greenway one of the best city attractions in the world, not just the US.
There are some great ideas on this thread. Some of my favs: GenAmerican as musuem. Anything to bring more arts downtown.
Using the Thames/Docklands in London as example and lining the Mississippi with cool new residential buildings. Flags/Banners. Love the St. Louis flag! Immigration - all the booming cities are booming because of immigration. JIVECITYSTL- I am eager to hear what comes out of the downtown focus group!
TUCKER BOULEVARD- It must be dealt with. It divides downtown and it divides the neighborhoods on the Near Southside. It should have streetcars running down the middle. But if that can't happen, I would like to see roundabouts with fountains/scupture at the major intersections. Plus lots of boulevard landscaping in between. Go overboard in front of City Hall. Not just downtown, when traveling south on Tucker I would like to see a large roundabout with large fountain at Choteau. Directional signs from their to Lafayette Square, Soulard Market, etc. Another roundabout at Tucker & Lafayette to continue the distribution to Soulard, etc. Turn Tucker from an open wasted space to a grand entrance to the wonderful neighborhoods on the Near SouthSide/Frenchtown.
I have always thought that an elevated metrolink line would be perfect down the middle of Tucker and all the way South down Gravois cutting through the south side. The elevated line would cut down the scale of Gravois/Tucker and make it a little more of a narrow(er) urban street. The line could continue north from downtown up to Old North St. Louis and beyond.....
I think Tucker was built to be so wide so it could accommodate streetcars, etc. So, I agree that light rail or whatever would be the best thing for Tucker. However, if it is never to be done, I would like to see it landscaped, etc.
I agree with just putting it right down the middle of Gravois. It would help with traffic, and make the street not feel like such a monstrocity tearing right through the city. It would be convenient for me to take downtown.
All the "farm to market roads" (that is what my mom calls them) like Gravois are extra wide and could handle a rail line. Most of them are probably extra wide to accommodate streetcars.
