urbanSTL

Don't forget Landry's has been there a long time. Yes, it is easy to forget because it is such a forgettable restaurant, but the fact that it has done well there for so long means something. Doesn't it?

mattonarsenal wrote:Don't forget Landry's has been there a long time. Yes, it is easy to forget because it is such a forgettable restaurant, but the fact that it has done well there for so long means something. Doesn't it?

Exactly. Landry's is by no means the best seafood place around, but it's a popular one...and a large part of that is due to the environment in which it exists. The koi pond, the bridge, the trainshed in general -- it's a big draw and a point of interest (and significantly more so than the relatively bland and homegenized Union Station interior (Grand Hall excluded).

Now would Landry's lose business if the rest of the trainshed wasn't a sea of parking, or would it flourish if it became a part of a more active and attractive whole with other businesses, attractions, events, shops, etc.? My guess is that it (and whatever new developments were included) would flourish.

The long-coveted, ethereal St. Louis IKEA should go in Union Station.

I'm only half-way kidding.

Doubt it could work in the current space, but if anything can save Union Station it's true destination retail

Since it's on sale I hope whoever does pick it up will see the potential and bring in some quality retailers. How great would it be with the Union Station back to life with the Peabody up and running, gateway mall, and the arch grounds with a new museum entrance. Those are major if's especially with the economy still in flux.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/prin ... -sold.html

Hopefully the new owner focuses on it and puts forth an effort to make it viable again

I still like the vision of the shed as a paid attraction/wonderland, e.g. the ferris wheel or something. The passing of Cassily makes my think "what would Bob do?" with that space. Secret Gardens, skate park, ferris wheel, the ideas are endless and the space is so large it could accomodate a lot. The trick would be to find something that families would pay admission to. Of course, if it were a successful attraction that would also attract and stabilize business in the interior.

I've always thought Union Station should be converted into a world class youth sports facility. If you have ever been to Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, it could be something like that, but without the outdoor sports facilities. The sports complex would be built in the shed, in parts of the mall, and the surrounding vacant parking areas. With the right programming and booking, you could have hockey, basketball, volleyball, and other tournaments there every weekend (and during the week in the summer). We've shown that Union Station doesn't work very well as a mall, and it isn't much of a train station anymore. Maybe it could work as a massive magnet for youth athletic events on the weekends, drawing thousands of families and their disposable dollars to stl. It would also double as a great workout facility for the residents during the week.

No matter what your opinion of IKEA might be, it's one of the few things that could instantly turn Union Station into a legit "place to go".

Can you imagine the profound disappointment of someone showing up to Union Station under the impression that they were going to a "mall"? Ouch. I've seen the faces.

If IKEA were there other business would follow. There's plenty of parking, it's well set up for unloading/loading, etc. If I was in charge I'd approach IKEA and tell them 'here's the keys...put your store designers to work...have at it and enjoy your free rent for the first year'.

Like Alex noted, it is really going to take a rebuilt 22nd street interchange to get the space and direct freeway access that Ikea would desire. They are simply the ultimate box store or at least every one I have ever seen, literally a big box, sea of parking surronding it and always sited within access of a very busy busy freeway or the interchange of busy freeways.

However, will continue to dream that they change their minds. Pick an urban location under a historic train shed and even dare to suggest that the local metrolink tunnel under the parking under the shed be daylighted so the current station next door to the train shed can move a block to the east and under the shed.

In the meantime, love the soccer under the shed idea or a sports complex as realclear suggests. Get Blues practice out of Mills and under the Shed!! Talk about a great place to have some world class batting cages, etc. and these ideas won't take away or compete with other downtown paid attractions and fight right into Clark street with Scottrade and Busch Stadium.

dredger wrote: In the meantime, love the soccer under the shed.

I still contend that the soccer players may object to posts holding up the roof in he field of play.


Union Station in St. Louis by fallbrowneyes, on Flickr

Have to agree Gary, but would certainly add a twist to the game.

Unfortunately, technically you could engineer a solution but the costs of putting in a support structure, keeping the original shed roof intact and also maintaining a necessary height would be prohibitive relative to most of the MLS stadiums out there nor will any owner give up that kind of cash.

train/transportation museum?
was not that idea banded about some 20+ years ago?
refresh my memory for me

hebeter wrote:train/transportation museum?
was not that idea banded about some 20+ years ago?
refresh my memory for me

If nothing else, it make sense to at least bring in a couple of engines/passenger cars/cabooses from the system's hey-day and line them up under the shed. There are people today who have never ridden nor seen the inside of a train. Add in the unique look and feel (and novelty, really) of riding/dining and sleeping on a train and it's something that warrants a tour and a picture.

Interesting article about US in today's paper. The Opera House may help business there. However it would also help in more businesses and reissues were surrounding the station. It's not a very dense part of downtown.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ ... e092d.html

Too bad Union Station couldn't land the American Doll store...Chesterfield Mall did. Kids (and probably moreso, their parents) go crazy for these head-scratchingly expensive dolls. Having a guaranteed money maker which people will flock to on the weekends would be a big get for Union Station. [Note that I have no reason to believe Union Station was in the running nor was American Doll considering it.]

Post-Dispatch storyhttp://www.stltoday.com/business/column ... 0f31a.html

link: http://www.stlmag.com/St-Louis-Magazine ... /index.php

^ Lol big time at the STL mag article. If I had a dollar for every time someone said 'make that old building an aquarium', I'd be a billionaire. Nevermind the fact that we indeed have an aquarium (or two) - not that they're the size or scale of Shedd or Boston - but just cause we don't have one of that size doesn't mean we need one!

That someone can't buy the hotel separate from the rest is a real problem, but not insurmountable. An idea that may not have been thought of before - but what about a hospital or other large medical facility? Blue Cross is literally across the street, and with an aging population the demand for medical needs will only continue to rise. BJC and SLU are close but they're not immediately accessible to downtown. The parking lot and hotel can be leveraged for patients/family staying with loved ones, and such a use would bring a LOT of jobs and people into the area with little risk to amenity, other than the occasional siren, which downtown probably won't notice.

Thoughts?

What about a museum hub? Kind of like the museum satellite idea discussed in the article. There would be exhibit space designated for the History Museum, SLAM, the Botanical Garden, the Zoo and maybe even the Arch museum. With the different institutions rotating different exhibits through their space.

The hub would operate a shuttle that picked people up at the entrance to the existing retail space and then drop them off and pick them up at the entrance to the above-referenced attractions. The shuttle would run on a constant loop with scheduled drop off and pick up times at each destination. Families could come and park for a nominal fee (or better yet take the MetroLink) and then check out the different exhibits or grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants, or even browse the massive shared gift shop while they wait for the next shuttle.

I'm not sure there is enough space currently to allow this type of operation, or even a way that it would be financially feasible. However, it would be a fantastic way for the people staying at the attached Marriott (MetroLink would provide easy access for downtown convention goers as well) or even local to check out some of our best local institutions.

^ interesting idea. One way of thinking about it may be as a robust "tourist orientation center" that becomes the go-to place. I think it could have potential if the right plan were developed and there were a lot of coordination among "competing" attractions, which too often operate w/in their own silos.