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All posts written by St. Louis City Talk contributors unless otherwise noted.
It takes its name from the main street in the 1877 Cabanne Subdivision laid out by Dr. John S. Cabanne, owner of a long, narrow strip of land running westward from Union Boulevard. The doctor's home was located on this street (source). This part of the city was claimed by settler Jean Pierre Cabanne.
This is the second of two sports related favorites from 2016. The first was the Cardinal/Cordish proposal for a mixed-use development at Ballpark Village.
The next is the potential for MLS soccer in our fair city. The league is expanding and they indicated that St. Louis is one of the top cities under consideration for a team.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced Thursday that Teams 25 and 26 will be announced during the second or third quarter of 2017, at an expansion fee of $150 million each, and begin MLS play by 2020. Teams 27 and 28 will be announced at a later date, at a price delivered in conjunction with the timeline.
The league acknowledged ownership groups from 10 markets have publicly expressed interest in securing an MLS expansion team: Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville, Raleigh/Durham, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa/St. Petersburg.
Interested expansion owners must submit applications by Jan. 31, 2017. After review, a series of in-person meetings will take place during the first and second quarters of 2017.
2017 is going to be a critical year for St. Louis when it comes to this burgeoning sport.
Let me first say, I love sports. Really all sports, but I'm not an MLS soccer fan to date. That would change if we got a team. My kids love soccer. They are into it, they understand it, they play it in the CYC and SLPS. They would beg to go to games just as they do to Blues games.
Secondly, I have had the pleasure of working with people from all around the world. Argentinians, Colombians, Mexicans, Chileans, Belgians, Spaniards and Brazilians, they all have hard core fans. I've never seen such devotion to a team or a sport. It is infectious to be around. It is exhilarating just to be around them and hear them talk about their teams. The chanting, the songs, the colors, the pride...it is like nothing we have here...maybe college football, but Illinois and Missouri aren't those kind of teams.
I think soccer is one of the growth sports for the next century in the U.S. MLS in the most international sport and could help retain and grow our Latino, African and Eastern European populations. I think it could help to attract and retain the next generation of people who will consider living and working in St. Louis.
If any of these owners actually live in St. Louis, I apologize, but my guess is they are County residents who are not being asked for public $ at the city/county level and not expected to own the stadium if the team decides to pull a Arizona Cardinals/Los Angeles Rams move.
Now remember, some of these same well-meaning folks were behind building a second NFL stadium for the Rams. No offense, but they don't understand what people who live in St. Louis need. It is not stadiums, it is $ for schools, neighborhood stabilization, potholes, and cameras, cops, investigators and prosecutors to combat the out of control crime we have to deal with. It's always easier to spend someone else's money.
The group includes St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III, World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh, prominent hotelier Bob O’Loughlin, UniGroup President Jim Powers, St. Louis Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman and former NFL task force co-chairman Dave Peacock.
Jim Woodcock, global sports co-lead and senior vice president at FleishmanHillard, said the group — which is dubbing itself MLS2STL — came together naturally as several of its members, including Woodcock, began asking about MLS ownership following the departure of the St. Louis Rams. (source)
But the pretty pictures and potential for the city were a bit tarnished by the need for massive adjacent and on-site surface parking lots that are not needed 348 days out of the year, and financial support of public tax money from St. Louis only. No St. Charles, St. Clair, Madison, Jefferson or St. Louis County support has been asked for to date, just good old money bags St. Louis. Yeah right. We are broke and need the money more than any city in the region. But we're supposed to bankroll this thing for 17 professional sports games a year (more if you make the playoffs). The Blues bring 41 games and the Cards bring 81.
Oh, and they want the city to own the stadium. Remember how this works Rams fans? It is not smart investment.
I want MLS soccer here, but we should not be the only city paying for it.
However, I expect in any negotiation the first offer is the one that most benefits the party making the offer. This is how most negotiations work. It is now up to the leaders in the city to pass the napkin back across the table with a better offer.
And hopefully the voters can decide if the public money from St. Louis should go to another sports stadium that we own.
Remember how this played out with the Rams? It is happening again.
As a citizen and voter in St. Louis, I am willing to pitch in some for this team. The terms have to be reasonable and the ratio of public funds should match the wealth of the region. If it does, this could be a great regional effort to bring a popular and growing sport to St. Louis.
The region can play together nicely and bring a team here. St. Louis would be a great location, we just need to not get completely screwed over financially.
It can work, but will it? Look no further than Great Rivers Greenway or the Zoo Museum District to see the amazing things we can do when we pool our resources.
It will be fun to watch it all play out in 2017.
Viva St. Louis.
The branch is unique in that it was the first library to be named in honor of a living person. Julia Davis was an educator and researcher of African-American history. Davis lived to 102 and dedicated her life to teaching and awareness of African-American cultural contributions. She taught for 48 years in the St. Louis Public Schools, 35 of those years at Simmons Elementary in the Ville Neighborhood...one of her students was Chuck Berry. Then, on the day she retired in 1961 she established the Julia Davis Fund at the St Louis Public Library, designed for the purchase of books, manuscripts, etc. related to the African-American contribution to world culture.
The branch closed and underwent a full renovation in early 2000 and reopened on May 5, 2001. The most unique characteristic of this branch is likely its distinctive round structure complimented by the large picture windows facing Kingshighway and Southwest Avenue that allow for an abundance of natural light. It is a nice design that utilizes the atypical property lines to it's advantage.
Starting in 1922, the library was in the Susan Buder School at 5318 Lansdowne Avenue in the Southampton Neighborhood. The Buder family donated funds for the furniture and equipment as a memorial to Ms. Buder, a well-known philanthropist, for whom the school was named.
The Central West End was formerly served by the Lashly Branch which opened in July, 1968 at 4537 West Pine Boulevard. The building was designed by the William B. Ittner, Inc. architectural firm and Talisman, Inc. served as the chief contractor. The building was named in memory of Jacob Mark Lashly, a St. Louis lawyer and library leader who served 26 years on the St. Louis Public Library Board of Directors (source).
We have a wonderful library system in St. Louis. The St. Louis Public Library has a total of seventeen branches throughout the city. The locations are strategically located throughout the city to provide optimal access to all residents.
It's been fun watching the Lafayette Square Neighborhoodgoing through a monumental upgrade of their infrastructure along Lafayette Avenue from Jefferson Avenue to Truman Parkway and Park Avenue from Mississippi Avenue to Truman Parkway as well as in the park.
Per the Lafayette Square Restoration Committee (the non-profit neighborhood association) several improvements to the streets and sidewalks were planned:
Starting mid-2015 SWT Design developed plans for five areas:
Lafayette at Jefferson
Park Avenue at Truman Parkway
Park Avenue at Vail / Plaza Area
Dolman at Lafayette
18th Street at Lafayette
Design focused on slowing traffic, pedestrian safety, and beautification.
As noted above, the plan is from SWT Design, a firm located in the suburbs west of St. Louis.
I'll share the images of the original plans as well as some of my photos of the progress along the way. As of publishing, the new columns being installed do not have the globes on top, I assume they will eventually be installed to match the original columns around the park:
Park Avenue at Truman Parkway:
Decorative pavers and concrete work at the intersection of Park and Doleman including ADA accessible corners:
It's hard to believe the beautiful brick building, a former mop factory circa 1910 has remained undeveloped. Back in July, 2012 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that a developer had proposed a renovation to apartments and offices.
Opposition to this project was loud and clear from the neighborhood, as the proposal included 42 income-restricted apartments. This aspect of the story was reported by NextSTL in August, 2013.
Now, one of the city's marquee neighborhoods is set to vote up or down a proposal for a complete historic renovation of the long vacant Zittlosen building. If approved, the 1910 Zittlosen Manufacturing Company building fronting Park Avenue at Dolman (1322 Dolman address) would be renovated to the stringent specifications of the Lafayette Square Local Historic District Code. So what's not to like? The project would produce 42 income-restricted apartments. If chatter from the Lafayette Square neighborhood listserve is a true reflection of neighborhood sentiment, the project doesn't stand a chance. Neighborhood support is helpful and public notice is requred for the project to receive the full package of tax credits being sought. In practice, this means the proposal likely needs support from the mayor, local alderperson and neighborhood to bolster chances of success.
Then, per meeting minutes from the Lafayette Square Restoration Committee's November, 2014 meeting, demolition was considered:
Richard Stockmann presented a resolution which stated that the LSRC would entertain the proposal of demolition of 1322-32 Dolman so long as there would be new construction to replace the existing building on the site. A discussion about the resolution included understanding that the LSRC would entertain a proposal to demolish and construct as opposed to just “demolish.” Mr. Stockmann proposed that the resolution be adopted with the omission of a partial sentence. The motion was seconded. A comment was made to table the motion to allow time to review and consider all options - President Negri allowed a motion to table the resolution until the December membership meeting (source).
Presumably, there will be decorative fencing connecting the columns at the corners of Park and Truman. As of publishing, these sections appear incomplete.
columns on the southwest corner of Park and Truman
columns on the northwest corner of Park and Truman
Park Avenue at Vail Plaza:
Impressive rain gardens, easement plantings including perennials and trees and new crosswalks and pavers were part of this section:
Lafayette Avenue at Doleman Street:
The plantings on the easement by Lafayette appear to be bald cypress trees and the cul-de-sac will have perennials.
bump outs provide protected parking spaces along Lafayette
new trees
no sign of fencing at date of publishing
I can't figure out what these are, but I'm curious.
Lafayette Avenue at 18th Street:
Pedestrian bump outs to ease with crossing traffic lanes and allowing for trees and perennial plantings.
clump river birch and perennial grasses in the median
planted bump-out near the I-44 exit from Lafayette
columns being installed
upgraded cross-walks
bump-outs providing protected parking lane
cul-de-sac near Clementine's Creamery
bike lanes and crossing made much safer at Lafayette and I-44 exit
Lafayette Avenue at Jefferson Avenue:
medians have grass sod vs. mulch at publishing
grass at time of publishing
massive bump-outs widened the sidewalks
protected parking lanes now exist
As you can see the execution is a bit different from the SWT plans posted on the LSRC website. There appears to be no addition of a column south of Lafayette at Jefferson, and no plantings nearest Jefferson. The design at publishing simply has a large concrete and composite bump out and widened sidewalk with no tree or perennial plantings.
You have to give credit to the successful, organized neighborhoods driven to improve their neighborhood. The designs are welcoming and add some much needed sidewalk improvements and curb appeal to passers by and neighbors alike. The pedestrian experience is improved and the green elements of porous concrete and native plants will likely abate runoff and provide interest to the street.
Undeniably, these upgrades are a major step change for the curb appeal and pedestrian experience in several high profile parts of the neighborhood; yet, it misses on one critical and probably highly controversial element: permanent street closures and removal of the rectilinear street grid at Doleman and Lafayette and 18th Street and Lafayette.
Doleman has not been closed for long, there is still evidence of when it was a through street, but as time marches on, it is easy to forget this part of the neighborhood was accessible and not a dead end cul-de-sac.
former entry from Lafayette, now a cul-de-sac
We pay for streets as a city to help get from one place to another, to connect different places, not too isolate them. But, it is a common occurrence here in St. Louis, even in the wealthiest, most stable places to develop cordoned off spaces vs contiguous, flowing spaces. See St. Louis University's recent attempt to close Laclede Avenue between Grand and Spring.
Reopening the streets is a tough nut to crack. Neighbors think it will bring increased crime, auto traffic and higher speeds on residential streets. There are enough old timers here to remember the days when drug dealing was still big in this part of town and the street closures were meant to curtail the drive thru dealer situations. Lafayette Square is by no means the only neighborhood investing in permanent street closures.
The Shaw Neighborhood has doubled down on their street closures to isolate them from the neighborhood to the north, Botanical Heights (formerly McRee Town). See the Slay balls recently installed at Thurman Avenue and DeTonty Street as an example (a slight upgrade from the Schoemehl pots that previously existed).
Slay balls: no passage
Schoemehl Pots: image from Google Streetview
The neighbors who have lived in these areas remember when this part of the city hit rock bottom with McRee Town and Peabody Darst Webbe bringing some real problems to a part of the city they were investing in. So, their voices continue to be loud and the streets remain closed in an era where those problems of the past have largely subsided.
An interesting question: who owns the road, who paid for it and who gets to decide how it is used? I think in my utopian city, streets would be meant to get you from one place to another providing flow. Not dead ends and cul-de-sac's creating a maze of dead ends and one ways making navigation frustrating and confusing, nowhere is this more evident than in the Skinker-Devaliviere Neighborhood.
Alas, so it goes.
All that aside, the investment in Lafayette Square is appearing in other parts of the neighborhood as well. There is plenty to be optimistic about.
The park itself, which I documented back in February, 2014
is seeing some major upgrades. Largely through grants and fund raising, the Lafayette Park Conservancy has proposed the following projects:
Historic 1869 Fence Restoration
The 4,100 foot long iron fence with its large stone gate posts and massive iron gates is the most distinguishing feature of the park. Its spear point was chosen as the symbol of the neighborhood and the Lafayette Square Restoration Committee. The list of its problems with the fence is very long. There are many broken, wobbly and missing fence posts, parts of the 15 foot long fence sections are broken or missing, fourteen gates are missing and weather has damaged the stone gate posts. Missing and broken fence posts must be replaced and the anchoring system has failed. “Saving the Fence” will be the Conservancy’s major project for the next few years.
UPDATE: The Conservancy has selected Robinson Iron of Alexander City, Alabama to undertake the test phase of the fence restoration project. Robinson Iron will take six sections of the fence from the southeast corner of the park to their workshops where they will be taken apart so patterns can be made to replace broken and missing parts.
The "mending fences" project is underway with a section nearest Lafayette and Mississippi removed now and posts and fences being reproduced to match the Victorian era fencing.
You can donate to this project by clicking HERE.
Revolutionary War Guns
The second of the three guns from the British warship HMS Actaeon, sunk in the Charleston, SC harbor in 1776, is set to be restored in 2015-16.
Grotto Bridge Handrail
The grotto bridge was built around 1900 by the Koken Iron Works. It replaced a rustic wooden bridge built over the Grotto in 1865. That bridge was blown away in the Great Cyclone of 1896 which devastated the park. In time, the Koken bridge became unstable. The bridge would shake to such an extent that some of us feared a large wedding party posing for photographs might collapse into the lake below. Delahanty Construction Services LLC stabilized the bridge in 2012 and Steve Coffey, AIA, was the architect for the project. The project entirely consumed a generous $75,000 grant awarded to the LPC by the Whitaker Foundation intended for pathway renewal. The original handrail would be too low and open to meet the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The LPC consulted Classic Metal Craft and they have designed a handrail which would satisfy the requirements of the Act and be elegant and appropriate for this bridge.
Pathways Renovation
About one quarter of the pathways in the park were resurfaced in 2012 thanks to a grant from the Darden Foundation. The year before the Grotto Bridge was reconnected to the pathway system for the first time in decades thanks to a grant from Alderman Phyllis Young. The gravel surface had become worn and uneven. The smooth asphalt surface was instantly popular with the persons who use it most frequently: walkers, children on bicycles, parents pushing strollers and dog walkers. Just hours after the Grotto Bridge was connected to the pathway system a wheelchair was seen on the bridge. This would have been nearly impossible before then. The LPC asked Steve Coffey, AIA, to prepare a set of detailed drawings on ways to upgrade the rest of the pathway system and his plans have been delivered to the Parks Department. The Board of Public Service will select a contractor and construction should begin in mid-2015.
Music Stand
Preliminary drawings are complete and a bid of $500,000 has been received to recreate the 1876 Music Stand in the spot where the original base now stands near the center of the park. When completed, this music venue will support larger music groups than the Elizabeth Cook Pavilion. currently used for summer concerts, in addition to providing a distinctively Victorian centerpiece that can be easily seen by motorists passing the park on Lafayette Avenue. The Conservancy is currently seeking grant providers or other lead donors as it begins raising funds for this high-impact project.
Today, all that's left of the music stand is the crumbling foundation.
Here's a picture of what it looked like in its heyday:
Also of note are the re-striped dedicated parking lanes, bike lanes and angled parking along Lafayette.
parking spaces, bike lanes both east and westbound and a single traffic lane on Lafayette Avenue
dedicated bike parking station off of Park Avenue
Angled parking in front of the 1928 German cultural center called Das Deutsche Haus
As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2010, this vacant building where the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra recorded in the 1950s was slated for renovation by the Church of Scientology, but that fell through. So dreams of Beck and Juliette Lewis coming to town for the silver shovel photo opp were all for not.
New construction is underway at Lafayette and Mississippi with the addition of a new home on a former vacant lot:
The stringent new construction guidelines make for some high-end, nicely matching buildings, as evidenced by a recent new home near Park and Mississippi:
New left...old right
And at the southeast corner of Mississippi and Lafayette, a new location for a charter school is in the works. In March, 2015 NextSTL reported on the ~$2.1M project to convert the former Lafayette Baptist Church to a 20,000 square foot school for Lafayette Preparatory Academy, a public charter school currently operating in the Downtown West Neighborhood. The school conversion is managed by impressive local firm UIC and is slated to open in 2016, accommodating ~270 students in grades K through 5.
UIC image of planned renovation
Progress at publishing
These are good times for the Lafayette Square Neighborhood. Go check it out!
In part one of my posts related to curb appeal and environmental sustainability, I discussed a "Milkweed for Monarchs" project undertaken by the Fox Park Neighborhood Association in 2015.
In this post, I will share my personal connection to a street tree project recently completed in the same neighborhood. I joined the Fox Park Neighborhood Association for a one year term through 2015. The board was looking for projects to bring to the general membership that would benefit the neighborhood in a meaningful way. Several proposals were weighed including the median project mentioned previously, a sidewalk replacement project and finally a street tree replacement project.
The neighborhood had been seeking upgrades to the medians for years, so that was a no-brainer. The other two options took some research.
It started with some simple observations of the neighborhood. Walking the streets and auditing the sidewalk situation and the largest contiguous stretches of streets without trees. The sidewalks were ruled out after receiving a couple cost prohibitive bids, so we focused on street trees.
Why are trees an asset to the neighborhood? Well, the benefits to the public, property owner and pedestrian along the sidewalk are indisputable and well documented. One of my favorite reads on the subject is from Dan Burden's "22 Benefits of Urban Street Trees" published in 2006. Burden is a Senior Urban Designer at Glatting-Jackson Architectural and Design Firm in collaboration with Walkable Coummunities, Inc.
In short, here's the list of 22 reasons urban street are a benefit to any city:
Pretty impressive, eh...there is something on that list for everyone from the environmentalist to the staunch libertarian. As I said, these benefits are pretty universal and many are backed by empirical data vs. subjective or academic reasoning, which adds to the rock solid line of evidence that street trees are a benefit to all.
Take for instance #6:
"Trees absorb the first 30% of most precipitation through their leaf system, allowing evaporation back into the atmosphere. This moisture never hits the ground. Another percentage (up to 30%) of precipitation is absorbed back into the ground and taken in and held onto by the root structure, then absorbed and then transpired back to the air. Some of this water also naturally percolates into the ground water and aquifer. Storm water runoff and flooding potential to urban properties is therefore reduced."
You can read up on all 22 reasons HERE.
Anyhow, here is how we went about our project. Each year the various wards throughout the city are allotted funds that can be spent largely at the discretion of the elected alderperson. In our case, we have a great working relationship with the alderperson, Christine Ingrassia, and she helped fund a street tree audit of the city's sixth ward. This will go a long way in understanding where to invest in trees in the future. We asked Ingrassia to help us navigate the system and make contact with the correct departments in the city.
For this particular project, the neighborhood association had some funds saved up from various fund raising campaigns and we wanted to show our commitment to getting Fox Park back in the tree game by making a purchase of trees directly from our organization's treasury.
Next we had to do some homework to bring a plan to the Board and then to the general membership for a vote.
We started by investigating available species. We went to the Missouri Botanical Garden's wonderful website to select species that are low maintenance, drought resistant and have low pedestrian trip-causing debris (e.g., acorns, gumballs)
The city also has a list of trees that they recommend:
We narrowed it down to three species including the ginko, Freeman maple and blackgum. Ginko's were voted down on the off chance that female trees (you only order males) could find their way into the supply chain and females produce the
butyric acid-laden fruits which are quite foul smelling (that doesn't stop my dog from eating them like Skittles).
So we set a meeting with the city's Forestry Department to share our intentions and develop a game-plan to help us identify the species, associated cost, locations within the neighborhood and the logistics of ordering the trees and getting them planted. So, our alderperson, the head of Forestry, the Urban Forester and two other certified arborists on staff were kind enough to sit down with us in April and talk trees and help plot out our path. We had the following questions:
1. species availability
2. height and trunk diameter available
3. planting instructions/location suggestions within Fox Park
4 what is needed from us?
5. next steps and other feedback from forestry
Turns out the arborists liked our choices for species and said either would work. We decided upon the blackgum as it is a hearty native that does well in clay soils and has colorful fall foliage and has very little debris.
Blackgum:
Nyssa sylvatica
Per the Missouri Botanical Garden, blackgum are a "plant of merit" and categorized as low maintenance and "tried and trouble-free". The species selection was a go.
Forestry explained the process. They would be responsible for:
The cost for each 2-2.5 inch diameter tree was $140.00, all above labor included.
Forestry agreed to send out a staff arborist to help us identify ideal planting locations.
Now that we had an understanding of the process and associated costs, we took the details back to the board who agreed to propose the purchase of 20 trees to the neighborhood's general membership for a vote.
We then took the plan to a neighborhood meeting for a vote. The general membership voted unanimously in support of the project.
We were on our way.
In July, on what must have been one of the hottest days of the year, we met with one of the city's arborists to walk the neighborhood and select some good sites.
There was some heavy construction throughout some parts of the neighborhood, including Oregon Street and Magnolia Avenue, so we avoided those areas. We also had to avoid some obvious obstacles such as utility lines.
We expresses an interest in having this first planting be in a high profile, high traffic zone. We wanted a large contiguous stretch that currently had NO trees to help make the biggest impact of a planting. The 2700 block of Russell Boulevard immediately came to mind as this is likely one of the most traveled east-west corridors in Fox Park.
Dan the arborist made his recommendations, a small group of board members concurred and we marked twenty planting sites with orange spray paint for the next step in the process: box cuts.
Depending on the width of ground between the street and the sidewalk, cutting the sidewalk could be necessary to give the trees enough space to grow.
This work was carried out by the city:
Then, we just had to wait for the weather to cool off, typically around October or November.
Well I was lucky enough to be on Russell and Ohio the day the Forestry Dept. workers delivered our trees to get some photos and thank the guys that did the truly hard work...the digging.
Here's the result of their hard work and the dedication and support of our local alderperson and neighborhood association.
Hopefully the neighborhood has shown that we are committed to reaping the benefits that urban street trees provide and we'll see the next generation of neighborhood leadership continue this worthy pursuit.
And if you were one of the lucky neighbors to have a tree planted in front of your abode, please consider helping establish these beauties by providing plenty of water.
Cheers, Fox Park! You are better looking and healthier today than you were a year ago.
With a pending vote by the Board of Alderman on whether to fund the construction of a second NFL stadium in the city, I wanted to cobble together my thoughts here at the last minute as to why I think this is a bum deal for residents of St. Louis. I usually keep my mouth shut as it is endlessly frustrating to constantly disagree with decisions that local leadership make. I find myself in the minority when it comes to what we need and what is considered progress. Why even bother? Maybe a Hail Mary pass is in order; whatever, this time it feels like the vote could be close enough to reject this public money going to billionaires. Maybe people need to speak up more...who knows. I don't think the state has much appetite to fund this stadium either, so who knows what could happen.
Either way, it'll be interesting to watch these next few days play out.
Before I share my thoughts I want to make some things perfectly clear:
I'm not anti-football. I love all sports from the Olympics to the NFL. Just like the arts, sports are a spectacle of human accomplishment, and I don't discount its beauty, history or place in society. I am not sitting on a high horse on this one.
Secondly, I respect people who work for the Rams and those who think St. Louis needs a team. I disagree with them on the stadium issue as you'll see below, but I will listen and I feel no malice toward anyone on the opposite side of the argument...but, we've been down this path before with the Dome. And you can see where that got us.
Thirdly, I do not seek to point out differences between St. Louis and the many cities in the suburbs to perpetuate the divisiveness that exists in this region. In fact, if I were voting on it, I'd go for a full merge of the county and the city a la Kansas City, Louisville or Indianapolis so we can all act like one big region and voting/taxing block as opposed to 100 different cities all building walls and tiny empires and acting selfishly. But, I know that won't happen anytime soon and therefore when I speak about our region, I am using facts based on tax bases, electorates and boundary lines that do indeed divide us up into cities which are distinctly separate from each other by all measures. At times these boundaries must be considered if you are to realistically break down the situation. Think Ferguson after the Michael Brown events; the world became very clear that St. Louis and Ferguson are different if every conceivable measure other than proximity: different voters, different police departments, different set of problems, different way of raising tax money. I don't mean to come across like I hate the suburbs because I don't; I'm fully aware of the charm and pressures of suburban living. My hometown is one of those suburbs albeit on the Illinois side.
Finally, I'm not anti-tax subsidy where it makes sense for the majority of residents. If the return is there and it helps create a more functioning city that attracts decent jobs and more people and solid funding for schools and everything else a city has to offer, then it's worth it.
So that said, here's why I think spending public money on
a second
NFL stadium is bad for St. Louis:
1. We already have a perfectly good stadium that was built in 1995. It is only 20 years old and functions perfectly as a football stadium. Trust me, people LOVED the Dome when Warner, Faulk, Pace, Zahir-Hakim, Holt and Bruce made magic there. It was insanely hard for the opposing team to hear and the place was electric...and I'm saying that as a baseball fan...it was the hottest ticket in town. NFL football was insanely entertaining and people came to the Dome in droves. Furthermore, the Dome provides multiple stadium configurations that can seat up to 70,000 people. Seating levels include: a private luxury suite level with 120 suites, a private club seat and luxury suite level with 6,400 club seats, a concourse level (lower bowl) and terrace level (upper bowl). The city leaders in the 1990s negotiated a bum deal that put the city on the hook for upgrades that couldn't realistically be met. The Rams ownership used this stipulation in the contract to demand crazy terms and unrealistic upgrades. We don't have that money. So a group of suburbanites chose to draw up plans for a second NFL stadium, not in their city of residence, rather within walking distance from the current one. The Dome is perfectly fine and will hold more fans than the proposed stadium. Instead of realizing the city is under true pressure financially, the Rams chose to gouge us on the Dome vs. work with us.
2. I don't know for sure but I don't think Dave Peacock, the leader behind the new stadium plan, is a resident of St. Louis. Per wikipedia, he was born in the small town of Webster Groves, just outside the city limits of St. Louis, I presume he doesn't live here now. I know there are eyes rolling after reading this. But when the chips fall and tax dollars and electorates come into play, city boundaries become crystal clear and accuracy and facts must trump "feelgood regionalism". This will become important in point #8 below. Peacock is however an investor in local startup LockerDome which does have a St. Louis office, so props are given there. But yet again, we have outsiders who can't vote here and don't care about our schools, streets, alleys, parks, street lights, sidewalks, police/fire pensions, etc. Those things are paid by taxes and voted on by residents. Some will cite Peacock as a leader and a savior of St. Louis. It's hard to canonize someone with that title when they aren't a true resident with skin in the game. You want to spend our tax dollars? Come live hear and send your kids to our schools and drive down our alleys and visit our firehouses to see what we really need. I imagine those things look very different in Webster. I think leadership needs to come from within. It's always easier to spend someone else's money.
3. The Rams are not a good franchise. Their owner's net worth is $7.6 billion per
. That means he is the 62nd richest person in the richest country in the world. If anyone can afford a football stadium it is this guy. He is a horrible leader, non-existent to the fans and frankly people can't stand this guy. He is so shrewd and driven by $ that he has no face or personality that you can latch onto and support. If we are going to pony up tax dollars to help a billionaire make more money, we should have it be a lovable leader. Isn't that one of the pluses of sports? Communal love for a team? The Rams are not that team. They are horrible and people have not gotten behind them in recent years for this reason as much as the deplorable level of play/coaching. I went to the Pittsburgh game this year and walked past the hard core tailgaters just north of the Dome and saw this effigy of Kroenke:
4. Some will say that St. Louis needs to be relevant and being an NFL city is part of that relevency. Well, you have to take a look at the numbers to understand that being an "NFL city" hasn't translated into much success for St. Louis. A vibrant city means lots of people and lots of jobs...wealth. St. Louis has neither and it continues to drop precipitously; I'll elaborate on this point in reason #5. Now remember, when I say St. Louis I mean it literally as in, the City of St. Louis. There is no doubt in my mind the County benefits more from the Rams than St. Louis does. Why? Because the Rams chose to locate their corporate HQ in the suburbs in Earth City, MO avoiding property taxes and job creation in the city. So the Rams leaving St. Louis for Maryland Heights or Earth City or Carson or Inglewood have the same impact on our tax base...I suggest moving the team to the suburbs so you don't eradicate our architecture further and build another deadzone on the door step of our city. I realize the Rams do pay gameday earnings taxes, so that would go away if the Rams played their game in the burbs or California.
5. Speaking of people leaving St. Louis, let's see how we've done since we became an "NFL City", first from 1960-1987 with my childhood team the Big Red and then again with the Rams starting in 1995. So, when the Cardinals first started playing in St. Louis in 1960 the Census counted 750,026 residents. Since becoming an "NFL City" in 1960 and the Cards eventual move to Arizona in 1987, we lost 353,341 people and by 1990 we were down to 396,685 tax payers, citizens, voters...you know St. Louisans. Sure this brutal loss was not the direct result of the Cardiac Cards or NFL or pro sports in general. But the point I'm trying to make is that NFL football and the 2nd Busch Stadium (that is now bulldozed) did nothing to "save St. Louis" and it was active ~100 days per year since the baseball and football Cardinals played there. People vote with their feet and they continue to do that to this day in St. Louis...I wish it weren't that way, but it is. In fact, since the Rams moved from Southern California to St. Louis in 1995, we lost another 58,000 residents. We are down to a paltry 317,419 people in a once powerful, dense city of >800,000. NFL football has done nothing for the city of St. Louis. No one who moves to Kirkwood, MO or Maplewood, MO or O'Fallon, IL citing average game-day experience at the Dome as their reason for leaving St. Louis for suburban pastures.
6. St. Louis, as a result of devastating population loss, has become poor. Per our comptroller, our credit rating is at risk of being downgraded and our tax dollars continue to disappear as the region's largest corporations double down in the suburbs and former great employers/tax payers like AB send high paying jobs to cities with direct flights and better global access (read NYC and Chicago). The median income in the suburban county immediately west of St. Louis, called St. Louis County has ~90 cities and vast swaths of unincorporated land has a pleasant median household income of $53,482. Break that down to a city that most, if not all people know, say Kirkwood and you get a median household income of $77,420. St. Charles County, one of the fastest growing cities in the next county to the west is at $56,622. The U.S. median household income is $53,891. Where does St. Louis stand? $34,800 (
). Friends, we are poor and the last thing we need to be using our dwindling tax dollars on is a second NFL stadium and a team with a horrible owner.
7. The new stadium will not generate property taxes. Do you know why people continue to leave St. Louis? The answers I hear are crime or schools. Do you know how those are funded? Racism is the third reason, but it tends to get buried in the crime or schools reasons, so you won't hear many people say that out loud. But it is there. This is a bad financial deal for the city, generating little to no money to go back to our schools, infrastructure and bills that we have to pay.
8. St. Louis was asked to go it alone, without the financial help of the wealthier suburbs chipping in. Only St. Louis was asked to pony up at the local level for this $1 billion stadium. Again, I don't make these distinctions about our region to pull us apart and point fingers. But the fact of the matter is the County Executive (kind of like the Mayor of the suburbs) did not want to fund the stadium, so the wealthier suburbs are out. Dave Peacock (wealthy suburbanite) and his stadium team do not live here (my assumption, sorry if he does live here), yet lobbied a judge to deny St. Louis citizens a right to vote on this use of taxes to fund billionaires. Then in a blow to the residents of the city, a small group of alderman chose to vote against a bill (albeit a sacrificial lamb) to bring stadium funding to a vote of the people. This has made folks in my small circles increasing disenfranchised with the process and the pitch for a second stadium. Shut up and pay we are told; we know what you need and we don't even live there!
9. We have a perfectly good stadium within walking distance from the proposed new one. The last thing we need is to further demolish the history of this city with a horrible use of land. A deadzone is what NFL stadiums are. This plan is a so-so stadium surrounded by a sea of surface parking that will get used ~10 times a year. People come here, tailgate for a couple hours, go to the game, and drive back home. This NFL fanbase has done little for St. Louis. We need businesses that operate all year, jobs and residents. This stadium will do nothing to keep Schnucks Culinaria open or get us a Walgreens/CVS or City Target that we so desperately need Downtown. AT&T is not going to reverse course and fill up the tower with employees all of a sudden. That ship has sailed. Trust me, the Bissinger's rehab of a former warehouse/factory on the North Riverfront is what we need 10 more of, not stadiums. Deadzones...it'd be so much better in the suburbs and office parks which are already soul-less deadzones.
10. I'm going to keep my commentary on the Rams and Kroenke to a minimum. But, they are horrible on every level. Nothing is fun, no one is lovable, they hate the city and treat us like we're lucky to have them here. You chose the suburbs to set up your HQ and you come down here only on game day. Lease some office space here for your corporate operations. Be part of St. Louis not Earth City, MO. But they don't do that. And people will say it is a blow to our self esteem if we lose our football team. It'll sting a bit at first, but we got through the Big Red leaving and nothing changed. The Rams coming here in 1995 changed nothing. Personally, I think ugly wake-up calls like Ferguson have the potential to slap the region in the face and merge and start making meaningful changes that will grow our region and reverse our trend of poor leadership and less investment than any football team winning or losing could ever do.
We don't need another NFL stadium in St. Louis. We can't do it, we can't afford it. We need our money for our bills and our schools and our infrastructure, which no one else will pay for but us. If Kroenke and Peacock want to build a new stadium, I suggest the wealthier suburbs as a location. They are in a better spot to afford it. The corporate HQ is already there, build a stadium in Maryland Heights or Earth City and let us off the financial hook and abandon St. Louis in full. Don't worry, we can work out a deal to license the naming rights of the "
St. Louis
" Rams back to the team for a small fee. We can use the money.
The Shaw Neighborhood caught my attention recently with some noticeable infrastructure upgrades along Shaw Boulevard. I'll start with the decorative cross walks at the intersections between Grand Boulevard and Tower Grove Avenue; but there is more.
The crosswalks welcome you to the historic Shaw Neighborhood:
The crosswalk below gives tribute to the beautiful Mullanphy Investigative Learning Center that has served the neighborhood at Klemm and Shaw since 1915.
The intersection at Lawrence Street recognizes the presence of St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic grade school:
St. Margaret's recently completed a new middle school building to accommodate their growing enrollment. The building has an urban form and was built atop a former surface parking lot.
The good news doesn't stop with handsome crosswalks. There were also some much welcomed pedestrian infrastructure and traffic calming improvements as well. Bump-outs were installed at several intersections. Why are these important? I looked to the invaluable Urban Landscapes blog to find out:
Bump-outs (also known as “curb extensions“) have become commonplace in many subdivisions across the country. They are also common in the existing neighborhoods as a means of traffic-calming. The purpose is to provide an additional element in protecting the vehicles parked on the street and enabling shorter, safer crossing for the pedestrian at the intersection. (source)
Bump-outs also provide additional permeable ground between the sidewalks and the street that can serve to reduce storm runoff lightening the burden on the sewer system, all the while affording an opportunity for native landscaping vs. asphalt. Notice the young tree planted in this bump-out and the added protection the row of parked cars get:
Trash receptacles were strategically placed at high volume pedestrian intersections:
The crossings are ADA compliant:
Shaw Avenue was also repaved from Grand to 39th Street. Hopefully we will see painted bike lanes and protected parking lanes.
So where did the money come from? Who came up with the design and executed the work? Why Shaw Avenue and not another street in the neighborhood?
To help me answer some of these questions, I reached out to the Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation's executive director Sean Spencer. Who gave me some great background information and a taste of what is ahead for his organization.
First a little background on the Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (TGNCDC) history and mission:
Established in 2013, the TGNCDC is a consolidation of the former Grand Oak Hill Community Corporation, Southwest Garden Housing Corporation, and Shaw Neighborhood Housing Corporation. The three organizations served the Tower Grove South, Southwest Garden, and Shaw neighborhoods, respectively, for over 30 years. Recent changes in community development funding allocations from the City of St. Louis and a renewed focus on outcome-based community development initiatives necessitated that these three organizations combine resources and service areas to more effectively serve the community and leverage existing resources.
To view the full service area for the TGNCDC, click here.
The work I've highlighted above is part of a goal within the 2015-2019 Strategic Plan set forth by TGNCDC through comprehensive community input. This goal is to 'Revitalize and Strengthen the Long-term Stability and Growth of the TGNCDC Service Area (Area-Wide Improvements)'.
Specifically, what I've described above falls into the Infrastructure Improvements bucket, set up to:
Improve public spaces, infrastructure, signage and landscaping
Work with Neighborhood Association and Alderperson on infrastructure improvements
Promote commercial facade, 50/50 sidewalk, LED lighting and ADA improvement programs
How about the actual crosswalk pattern and design? Per Spencer, the scalloped mosaic design and fonts for the crosswalks were selected by the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association's beautification committee. These are not just the temporary decorative painted crosswalks you see across the city, these are the longer lasting (~8-10 year lifespan), reflective types. The technology is called DuraTherm®:
DuraTherm® is a specially-designed preformed thermoplastic material that is inlaid into an imprinted asphalt surface and thermally bonded using specialized infrared heaters. Engineered to lie slightly below the asphalt surface, DuraTherm® is protected from wear, ensuring effective service life while maintaining its attractive contemporary look for years. A specialized pavement heater softens the existing asphalt. Templates are pressed into the surface to create the imprinted pattern. Pre-cut sections of DuraTherm® are set into these impressions. The specialized heater is used again to bond the material to the asphalt surface. (source)
Why was Shaw Boulevard the focus for this project? Spencer explained that through neighborhood charrettes and surveys, the participants wanted to focus energy on Shaw Boulevard and DeTonty Street as target areas for reinvestment. This makes perfect sense, because if you've lived here for more than 20 years, you are well aware that many properties on these streets had seen better days as time wore on. With the high visibility of DeTonty Street from I-44 as well as Shaw being a major east-west street connecting Grand to Kingshighway, it is easy to understand why these two streets would be target areas to uplift and invest with new brain power, volunteer/grant writing efforts and city investment.
The crosswalks and infrastructure upgrades described above were largely paid through Ward 8 funds allocated annually across the city with spending typically through the discretion of the publicly elected alderman.
I'm told that other upgrades are in the works providing more fodder for continued excitement including replacement of the dim cobra head street lights with high efficiency LED lights through a community development block grant as well as a group working hard to consider landscaping options for the streetscape through a grant from a large bank.
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for DeTonty Street as well, with the recent plans proposed for a $4M 8,000sf education center focused on urban food production, nutrition, and science education for elementary school students at Lawrence and DeTonty.
This educational effort will be led by local private, charter and public school leadership and faculty at St. Louis University and will serve thousands of students at Mullanphy Investigative Learning Center, St. Louis Language Immersion School, Tower Grove Christian Academy and St. Margaret of Scotland School. It is great to see such collaborative efforts among the various schools in the area. NextSTL reported on this proposal in October, read the full story HERE.
NextSTL also reported earlier this month on a proposed $10M 84,000 square foot development that will bring apartment and town homes to a long vacant stretch of land along DeTonty Street between Thurman and Klemm. Read the full story HERE.
So keep your eyes on Shaw, Southwest Garden and Tower Grove South for future improvements and excitement.
Cheers to all those working hard to make St. Louis the great place it can and should be.
I was lucky to be part of two recent beautification and sustainability projects in the Fox Park Neighborhood and I wanted to share them here for your consideration.
While the aim of both projects was to improve the curb appeal of one of the interior neighborhood's most traveled east-west streets, Russell Boulevard, there is also the bonus of promoting environmental biodiversity and sustainability in an urban setting.
One project was the return of street trees to the 2700 and 2800 blocks of Russell Boulevard and the ~2100 block of Ohio Avenue (just south of Russell) which have become alarmingly de-forested over the years. I will describe this project in full when the tree plantings are completed. Stay tuned.
The second project, which was completed on October 25th, 2015, is a series of Milkweed for Monarchs gardens that will grace the end caps of the medians along Russell Boulevard between Ohio and Oregon Avenues.
Per my sources (a longtime Fox Park resident and a former police officer in this district), the medians were part of an effort to calm traffic and put an end to drag racing during the Schoemehl administration. It worked for the most part, but the medians were installed in a haphazard manner. They were built right on top of the street without breaking up the asphalt beneath, providing only ~8 inches of soil for anything to grow. They were filled with Missouri clay which is literally hard as a rock and not amenable to water absorption nor proper drainage without amendments of organic materials (compost) to enrich the soil.
Over the years, neighbors have attempted plantings in the medians with mixed results. The 2600 and 2900 blocks are fully planted and well cared for. Yet, the 2700 and 2800 blocks remained rather barren with several dying trees and sparse, non contiguous plantings on display.
I've heard neighbors complaining about the appearance of the medians for the ~5 years I've lived here. The time seemed right to do something about it.
Enter an acquaintance of mine Cody Hayo, owner of Pretty City Landscaping, LLC.
Cody reached out to me to discuss his interest in collaborating with neighborhoods on gardening initiatives. He wanted to offer his time, expertise and skills in landscape design and implementation to assist neighborhoods trying to plant sustainable gardens in urban settings. We met over a beer at the Royale in Tower Grove South and discussed our intentions and common goals of improving the city. I am optimistic that this next generation of St. Louisans, devoted to the city, are the ones with a chance to really make a positive impact on our future, and Cody is one of those small business owners who falls into that bucket. We hit it off and parted ways with the goal of future collaborations.
The Russell medians immediately came to mind as a perfect candidate for some professional assessment and much needed TLC.
I went back to the Fox Park Neighborhood Association with a plan to engage a landscaping professional to help us design something interesting, affordable and sustainable for our medians.
The board approved of the plan first and then the general members of the neighborhood association voted in favor of the project...we were off running.
Cody donated his time and expertise (pro bono) and helped us research grant options, plant species, site selection and an overall design for our medians.
We met with Cody and longtime Fox Park resident, and all around great guy Chris Barton, to assess the current landscape.
Chris (left) and Cody
Cody went back to the drawing board and designed a plan that would transform the four end caps of the medians. The first 20 foot of each end cap were chosen as a reasonable amount of work for a volunteer group to plant and maintain as well as to fit within the confines of a "Neighbor's Naturescaping" grant program offered by invaluable local entity Brightside St. Louis headquartered in the Southwest Garden Neighborhood.
One of the unique aspects of this program is a collaboration with the "Milkweed for Monarchs" program within the City of St. Louis:
"In partnership with Mayor Francis Slay’s Milkweeds for Monarchs, Brightside is encouraging Neighbors Naturescaping applicants to consider planting a butterfly garden. Many plants on the STL Monarch Mix plant list will be available on Brightside’s recommended plant list."
This is the route Cody recommended and the path we chose. The design was set, the local alderwoman signed on in support, the neighborhood association voted again in favor and the plan was in motion.
So we filled out the grant application, including the well-researched plans from Pretty City, made a couple modifications on species based on reviewer feedback, attended a community workshop and a couple months later were deemed the proud yet humbled recipients of a $1,500 grant including the donation of 280 Missouri native plants:
Compost and mulch were provided by the city.
Now comes the fun part...the planting.
Over the course of three weeks, we loaded up personal vehicles with plants and planned three separate plantings. My lovely wife and kids provided much of the free labor, moral support and back rubs necessary to pull this off.
We loaded compost and mulch in the beds of my kindest of neighbors' trucks. The multi-talented and creative Chris Barton rigged up two 55-gallon rain barrels with a sump-pump, hose and watering wand in the back of his personal truck to feed the Missouri native plants with much needed water to establish themselves before the onset of winter.
With pick axes, post hole diggers, shovels and pitchforks in hand (and no shortage of strong will) we hacked through the densely packed clay soil to overcome the conditions to get our gardens established.
I can't tell you how thankful I am to know such hard working people willing to donate their precious weekends to something like this. Residents along Russell and Oregon saw us working and joined in to help. But it was the core group that showed up week after week to complete the process. The work was not easy but we overcame.
Thanks friends and neighbors for sharing the desire to uplift the long-neglected corners of our great city.
Yes, thirteen year olds do work hard...
Two of my dearest friends and the best St. Louisans you will ever meet
Ain't no labor like retired guy labor...
The usual suspects, always there to lend a hand under the toughest of conditions
One down, three to go...
Alright, now the hard work was completed so let's share a couple before and after pics:
before
after at California Avenue
after at Oregon Avenue
before
after
Now the easy part. We registered our garden with the City's 'Milkweed for Monarchs' program and became the 188th garden toward the city's goal of 250 total. There are many gardens north to south and east to west.
Not too shabby, eh St. Louis?
Now what does this all mean, and why should we care? Well, monarch butterflies are one of the most easily recognizable (read: loved by humans) beneficial insect species on the planet. They are gorgeous, serve an important role as pollinators and millions of them migrate throughout North America, from Canada to Mexico. Entomologists and climate change scientists concur that declines in milkweed, habitat loss and climate change are contributing to lowered numbers of monarchs.
The Mayor's office advocated for St. Louis to be included as a city on the cutting edge of monarch education and habitat reclamation:
On Earth Day 2014, Mayor Slay launched Milkweeds for Monarchs: The St. Louis Butterfly Project to foster the connection between people and urban natural resources where they live, work, learn and play. Milkweeds for Monarchs (overview document here) aligns with the City of St. Louis Urban Vitality & Ecology Initiative, is an effort that advances objectives in the City of St. Louis Sustainability Plan, and carries out a priority in the Mayor's Sustainability Action Agenda. The Mayor led the effort by having the City create 50 monarch gardens in 2014; most of these gardens are located at fire houses and City parks across the City. The Mayor challenged the community to plant an additional 200 monarch gardens to celebrate the City's 250th birthday. The program was expanded in 2015 to reach further into the community and to schools. (source)
This is not just talk, as St. Louis was awarded several substantial grants through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish the city as the "St. Louis Riverfront Butterfly Byway". (source and source).
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced a first round of grants totaling $3.3 million from its recently launched Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund (MBCF). The 22 grants, which will be matched by more than $6.7 million in grantee contributions, will support the restoration of up to 33,000 acres of habitat in areas identified by experts as key to monarch recovery. “NFWF and our partners acted very quickly to launch this new competitive grant program, and we were delighted to have drawn such a large number of excellent proposals,” said Lila Helms, NFWF’s executive vice president of external affairs. “The grants we announce today will fund on-the-ground projects that will quickly contribute to a healthier, more sustainable monarch population.” Monarch butterflies are found throughout most of the United States, and a majority of the population migrates up to 3,000 miles to overwinter in Mexico. Over the past 20 years, the North American monarch population has plunged from 1 billion to fewer than 60 million, due to many factors, including loss of critical habitat. These beautiful, black-and-orange insects depend not only on nectar-producing plants throughout their range, but also milkweed — the primary food source for monarch caterpillars. (source)
Others in the area are taking note of this movement including a consortium of Universities and other concerned institutions who are dedicated to researching the latest issues that affect the monarch.
Monsanto Company (headquartered in nearby Creve Coeur, MO) jumped in providing much needed funding to the cause (source):
"The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Monsanto Company announced today a commitment to partner in support of NFWF’s Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund. As the first company to contribute to NFWF’s Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund, Monsanto will provide $3.6 million over three years to match funds provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies that will support habitat restoration, education, outreach and milkweed seed production to benefit monarch butterflies."
Here's the respectable list of research institutions within the consortium working hard to understand some very complex issues facing the monarch:
Now the Fox Park Neighborhood of St. Louis is a tiny part of this monumental effort. We are on the list to get an official sign marking our gardens:
So a sincere thank you goes out to Cody Hayo at Pretty City Landscaping and Mary Lou Green, et al. at Brightside St. Louis for sharing their expertise and resources and for the support of the Fox Park Neighborhood Association and the Alderwoman of the 6th Ward. But most of all, thanks to the small group of volunteers who are willing to heave a pick axe, lug wheel barrows filled with compost and mulch and spend multiple hours during their precious weekends to support improving a long neglected corner of our fair city.
It is you guys that make living in Fox Park fun.
Cheers to Chris Barton, Beth Conroy, Beth Stelmach, Dale Thuet, Rob Moreland (and wife), Shannon Groth and the kids and the new neighbors I met for the first time who came out to help.
In the spirit of transparency, I am a current member of the Fox Park Neighborhood Association and a 21 year employee of Monsanto Company.
Continuing my posts on St. Louis Movie Theaters, I've looked at the four fully operational theaters as well as the many we've lost. This time I'll consider the long list of what were exclusively or became African American (AA) theaters.
How many? Hard to tell as the subject has not been fully researched to date. But per my best source of published information on the subject is Eric Ledell Smith's "African American Theater Buildings - An Illustrated Historical Directory, 1900-1955". Per Smith's assertion, there were 31 AA theaters in St. Louis.
Eric Ledell Smith, a Detroit, MI native, was a historian at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. He died June 15, 2008 at the age of 58. He published this book in 2003.
This book is hard to find; I got it on Ebay and I hope to donate it to the St. Louis Public Library as I feel it is the best place to start if you are interested in the subject and the citations are complete and thorough if you want to dig into the microfiche and digital archives of newspaper ads and movie trade journals which are becoming more and more available in digital format.
I'm assured by several librarians, who've been cherished resources, that the Central Library will be interested in the book. So hopefully you'll be able to check it out soon.
Per Smith, it was extremely hard to find information on the AA theaters. Very little visual and written documentation was available in his research. But you have to start somewhere and Smith's book is valuable in that it identifies theaters by state and city and where possible, the years of operation. He claims that his book is the first to feature photographs of black theater buildings. Admittedly, the author was honest in stating that it is going to be very hard to document the history of black theaters due to the lack of reliable info. But he intended the book to serve as a touchpoint for local historians to take it over from here. In my assessment this book does just that, but not much more. It provides the most comprehensive list of AA theaters in St. Louis that I could find. But, if you are looking for more than addresses, Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour offer more photos and first hand/local knowledge, but it's a good scholarly start. No photos of St. Louis theaters were published in this book and the only two discussed greater than a simple address and # of seats is the Booker T. Washington Theater that was at 2248 Market Street.
Josephine Baker performed her vaudeville act here as a young girl. Drake Walker's Bombay Girls vaudeville act came here in 1926 and included, among others, Bessie Smith. The Count Basie Orchestra played here many times in the 1930s and 40s.
So here's the comprehensive list that Smith accumulated; but note it is a clunky, non-reliable list.
Per Smith, there were 31 AA theaters in St. Louis; but if you do a simple review of his list, you'll find some duplications based on "renaming" the same theater over the years. I've color coded the duplications for your consideration:
Theater Address
Amytis 4300 Ferdinand Streek
Assembly* Jefferson Street
Aubert 4949 Easton Avenue
Booker T. Washington 2248 Market Street
Carver 1310 Franklin Avenue
Casino 1620 Market Street**
Circle 4470 Easton Street
Comet 4106 Finney Avenue
Criterion 2644 Franklin Avenue
Douglas 4201 Finney Street
Globe Franklin Street
Jest-A-Mere 4201 Finney Street
Joy* No Address Available
Laclede 3116 Laclede Avenue
Lincoln* 3045 Olive Street
Marquette 1806 Franklin Avenue
Movie 2620 Market Street
New Movie 2620 Market Street
Olympia* No Address Available
Palace* No Address Available
Pendleton 4264 Finney Avenue
Queens 4704 Maffit Street
Regal 3142 Easton Street
Retina 2008 Market Street**
Roosevelt 317 N. Leffingwell Street
Star 16 S. Jefferson Avenue
Strand 2000 Market Street
Sun No Address Available
Uptown 4938 Delmar Avenue
Vendome* 2313 Market Street***
Venus 4264 Finney Avenue**
* = Not listed on Cinema Treasures
** = sourced from Cinema Treasures
*** = address found in the Freeman Illustrated Colored Newspaper
Upon further inspection and based on subjective evidence on Cinema Treasures, the Carver and the Globe were one in the same, just the product of a name change over the years, so really the count is probably more likely to be 26.
So where does St. Louis fit in with the rest of the country? The following count represents the total number of AA theaters documented in each city in from 1900-1955.
The top 20 cities were listed:
City # of AA Theaters
New York, NY 60
Chicago, IL 49
Detroit, MI 48
Washington D.C. 34
Baltimore, MD 34
Philadelphia, PA 31
St. Louis, MO 31*
Indianapolis, IN 22
Houston, TX 21
Atlanta, GA 20
Cleveland, OH 20
Los Angeles, CA 18
Pittsburgh, PA 18
New Orleans, LA 17
Dallas, TX 15
Norfolk, VA 15
Cincinnati, OH 14
Newark, NJ 13
Jacksonville, FL 13
Kansas City, MO 12
* = by my count, 26 unique theaters; no change in Nat'l placement, but I did not research the other cities for accuracy.
This top ten national ranking in AA theaters is largely a reflection of the history of St. Louis (and old cities of America in general), with many mostly free blacks on the East Coast, and descendants of the slave trade in the South and of course, the substantial migration of black people arriving from the South looking for work in northern factories in the days of segregation which happened to coincide with the golden age of Hollywood and central HVAC when all-day theaters hit their stride. This customer base and social trend meant lots of theaters in St. Louis.
Researching the AA theaters is tough and finding printed material on the subject proved a challenge. But, our library system is local treasure and most of the books out there on the subject are available in the central stacks.
One of the books cited in Ledell was "The African American Theatre Directory 1910-1960" by Bernard L. Peterson, Jr. available in the Central Library's reference section.
There are only two AA St. Louis theaters mentioned in this book:
This book is a great resource for the non-local AA theater & vaudeville troops that passed through St. Louis, but really isn't much help in understanding the buildings themselves. So nothing else in book form that I could find.
But, in the digital era, newspaper and trade journal ads being scanned and uploaded to a server are our best bet for understanding more about these theaters.
Oh, and of course, documenting the stories of old timers who attended these and are willing to talk about em is the BEST method...but it takes time and connections and a strong bullshit meter calibrated toward fact vs. folklore.
Let's get into what I could drum up for each theater:
Amytis Theater, 2300 Ferdinand
Sourced from Cinema Tour, contribution from Darren Snow (source):
As is the case with most of the St. Louis theaters catering to African-Americans in the first half of the last century, the history of the Amytis is difficult to trace since these theaters generally did not advertise in the daily newspapers. City directories do, however, show a listing for the Amytis at this address from 1937 to 1958. This theater does bear at least a tangential relationship to a major figure in Black history, however: It was located in the Poro College/Hotel complex founded by Annie Malone, America's first Black female millionaire.
The theater is no longer there, here's an entry from Cinema Treasures:
The Amytis Theatre, which opened in 1934, was closed in 1960 and afterward demolished in preparation for a neighborhood redevelopment project that never materialized.
It is now an empty lot next to a church in the Ville Neighborhood.
Assembly Theater, Jefferson Street
This one was listed by Smith, but not Cinema Treasures or Cinema Tour. It was managed by AA, Richard Barrett in 1921. It is listed on Jefferson Street which is dubious, because Jefferson is an Avenue (nerdy nuance). Its existance is corroborated in the Julius-Cahn-Gus Hill Theatrical Guide, 1921 ed.
Aubert Theater was at 4949 Easton (now MLK):
This theater operated from 1923 to 1953. It's hard to believe these brick beauties could only stand for 30 years. The times didn't think these buildings mattered from a historical or architectural standpoint. There is a Family Dollar in its place today.
Booker T. Washington, 2323 Market Street.
Booker T. Washington is the theater with the most entries from Smith, 2003. It was originally a vaudeville house and eventual a picture house. When central AC came around, it was later named the Booker Washington Air Dome. It was at 2323 Market, not 2248 as listed in Smith, 2003 as corroborated by an advert in the August 20, 1910 edition of The Freeeman, An Illustrated Colored Newspaper out of Indianapolis, IN:
Smith, 2003 goes on to cite that it was originally managed by Charles H. Turpin, son of a free slave and brother of Tom Turpin, a famous ragtime pianist which is a whole other story worth exploration. The story on rapiano.com describes the theater as:
"a vaudeville theater in a partially tent-like structure at 2323 Market Street, just a block down from the former Rosebud on the other side of the street. Charles employed many ragtime greats during the theater's run through the mid-1910s, including composer/arranger Artie Matthews."
The Rosebud Cafe, at 2220-2222 Market Street, was a legendary club for black pianists.
Carver/Globe/Palace Theater, 1310 Franklin Avenue
I couldn't find much on the Carver/Globe, frequent poster "JAlex" on Cinema Treasures said:
"Originally known as the Palace Theatre, the first mention of the house I found was in February 1911 when (the) theatre became part of the O.T. Crawford circuit…an affiliation lasting one year. Theatre renamed Globe in 1932. Renamed Carver in 1944. Theatre operated until late 1955. Structure demolished in early 1956."
Here's a possible photo of the theater when it was the Globe:
Casino Theater, 1620 Market Street
Cinema Treasures has an entry that lists that address as 1618 Market. No photos. The property is now a parking lot for the U.S. Post Office facility. This was the part of St. Louis that had many of the ragtime clubs.
Circle Theater, 4470 Easton (Now MLK)
From Charles Van Bibber on Cinema Treasures:
"One of many theatres that lined Easton Avenue. The Circle Theatre had a varied life. It opened in 1910 as the Easton-Taylor Theatre, later shortened to the Easton Theatre, and later renamed the Circle Theatre. From 1943 until it closed in 1951, it was an African-American theater. For a neighborhood house it was elaborately decorated. It had a small balcony with colums along the staircase that led to the balcony. There were a lot of mirrors in the lobby with lush red draperies and trim." (source)
It is now and empty lot.
Comet Theater, 4106 Finney Street
Apparently the theater had a sign with a lit up shooting comet. It was demo'd in the 1980s. The site is now a group of urban scaled new homes called the North Sarah Apartments in the Vandeventer Neighborhood. Too bad the history was not recognized and preserved.
Criterion Theater, 2644 Franklin Street
Rumor has it a Greek family owned this one. It was operational until the mid-1960's, it was demo'd and is now an empty lot. Prior to it's demo there was talk of making this an AA history museum. Too bad.
Douglas Theater/Jest-A-Mere, 4201 Finney
An entry from Jerry Alexander on Cinema Treasures has this entry:
"The Douglass Theatre, at 4201 Finney Avenue, was opened in November 1918 by Charles Pitman as the Jest-A-Mere Theatre. One of the theatres for the Black population in a time of segregation, the theatre was purchased in 1927 by Thomas James and was renamed the Douglass Theatre, after the Abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
When the theatre opened, newspaper coverage said: “Entirely built by Colored labor, completion of big building is a triumph for the race; continuous fight made by unions to force Colored men off the job”.
Seating capacity listed as 850 at opening; reduced to 700 in 1934; reduced to 650 in 1950 (per Film Daily Year Book).
Located in St. Louis' Ville neighborhood, the Douglass Theatre apparently, per newspaper advertistments, was last open in April 1962." (source)
It is now an empty lot.
It's odd that a publication: "Richard E. Norman and Race Filmmaking" cited the Jest-A-Mere at 4300 Page Street, but corroborates Charles Pittman as the manager (he was AA) (source).
Joy (no address)
This one is a mystery. Nothing on Cinema Treasures or Cinema Tour.
Maybe it was mistaken in Smith's list as a St. Louis theater, when really it was in a small Missouri town, as there are three other Joy Theaters in MO:
Laclede Theater, 3116 Laclede
Here's an entry from Charles Van Bibber from Cinema Treasures:
"The Laclede was built and opened in 1940 as an independent theatre. It was located in the Mill Creek section of the city just blocks from the Grand White Way where all the movie palaces were located. The theatre had an African-American audience. No trace of the Laclede to be found at all. The Laclede closed in 1959."
Per JAlex, frequent contributor on Cinema Treasures added the following:
"Laclede Theatre built by Alex Pappas. Architect of record was O. W. Stiegemeyer. House approximately 500 seats. Opening date was March 23, 1940. Closing date was June 23, 1959. Theatre, from the beginning, was for the African-American trade."
This one was demo'd for what is now the Harris-Stowe University campus.
Lincoln Theater, 3045 Olive Street
Not much exists on the Laclede. Cinema Tour lists this as existing, but no address or other info.
Smith's reference cited the Film Daily Yearbook 1952-1955; which I was unable to track down. This one remains one of the bigger mysteries.
Marquette Theater, 1806 Franklin
According to Bibber on Cinema Treasures:
"The Marquette Theatre opened in 1913...(and) became an African-American theatre in 1943. The theatre went to weekends only in the mid-1950’s and closed in 1961 when the area was mainly demolished to make way for an industrial park." (source)
No photos; it is now an empty lot.
Movie Theater/New Movie Theater 2620 Market Street
This one was right at Jefferson, across from MSD's HQ. Cinema Tour lists the address as 2351 Market, not 2620 as published in Smith.
From Cinema Treasures:
"The Movie Theatre opened in 1921 seating 406. The Movie was just a small sub run house located a few blocks from the busy Union Station. It was remodeled in 1946 and renamed the New Movie Theatre. It stayed around until the travel by trains had dwindled to nothing and closed in 1957 when the area was set to be redeveloped."
Olympia Theater, 107 South Broadway
Smith said Olympia (like the beer), not Olympic. But I'm pretty sure it was Olympic...although this should not be confused with the Olympic Drive-In (nee Rock Road Drive-In) in North County.
From the "My View From The Balcony" website:
The Olympic Theater was located at 107 S. Broadway St. Louis Missouri and opened in 1866.
The above picture is from 1870, The Olympic first entertained with vaudeville acts and minstrel shows. After 1869 it turned to legitimate drama. A new theater building replaced the 1866 building in 1882. Theater greats of the nineteenth century, Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson, Edwin Forrest, Helena Modjeska and Charlotte Cushman performed on its stage. (source)
There is a book published on the subject: "A history of the first Olympic Theatre of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1866-1879" by Theodore Clark Johnson. It is in the stacks collection of the Missouri History Museum.
I'd be surprised if this was an AA theater.
Never been there, that's another one to add to my list.
***Update from November 2, 2015***
Reader Greg Johnson (twitter: @PresbyterianStl), tweeted a photo from the Missouri History Museum archives which indicate the theater was in the 1400 block of Market Street and was razed for the Kiel Auditorium. Here's a photo and link to the story:
Pendleton/Venus Theater, 4246 Finney
Per Charles Van Bibber on Cinema Treasures:
"One of the theatres for the black audience in the times of racial segregation, this opened in September 1915 as the Pendleton Theatre (the theatre just east of Pendleton). Opening publicity stated “the only house for colored west of Jefferson”. The name change to the Venus Theatre occurred in February 1924. The theatre was last noted as being open in 1933." (source)
This was another AA theater owned and managed by an AA, E.F. Austin (source).
Here's an entry published inThe Moving Picture World Volume XXVII from January-March, 2016:
Queens Theater, 4704 Maffitt
This one had an airdome on the east side of the street. There are some great personal stories from former employees at Cinema Treasures. Read them HERE.
This building is still standing in use as a church. The front has gone through some major alterations, so I showed the side of the building here:
Regal Theater, 3142 Easton (MLK):
Some photos capturing the demolition were taken by Ecology of Absence:
At one point it must have been called the Coliseum, as this building below, certainly looks the part:
From Charles Van Bibber on Cinema Treasures:
"The Regal Theatre opened in 1931 seating 846 as part of the Arthur Theatre chain. (Franchon & Marco at that time) Very impressive theatre from the outside but rather plain on the inside. A two story building with a small balcony seating just under 200 with the balance on the main floor. Odd thing about the theatre was that the rest rooms were located in the lobby of the balcony. No rest rooms on the main level. The front of the theatre was constructed with a pale blue marble up the front of the building and about twenty feet down each side."
Retina Theater, 2008 Market Street
No photos available, is now a parking lot for Maggie O'Brien's next to Union Station.
I was able to find this ad on Todd Franklin's Flikr page:
This one was managed by a white guy, J.H. Gentner. (source)
Roosevelt Theater, 317 N. Leffingwell
Entry from Charles Van Bibber on Cinema Treasures:
"The Roosevelt Theatre was one of about six neighborhood theatres built for African-American clientele. The theatre opened in 1927 seating 591. A single floor theatre, located in the middle of the block just a half block from busy Franklin Avenue and three blocks from the neighboring Criterion Theatre. The Roosevelt Theatre outlasted the Criterion Theatre by many years.The front of the theatre was a simple block front with a cream and orange mix in color with a large marquee lined with tons of neon. The theatre closed in 1966 when the neighborhood was slated for redevelopment. Remained a busy theatre until the day it was closed. Admission prices remained the mainstay until the theatre closed. When it closed adults were 75 cents and children were 25 cents." (source)
It was demo'd and is now a surface lot for an auto repair shop.
Star Theater, 16 South Jefferson
From Charles Van Bibber on Cinema Treasures:
"The Star Theatre opened in 1922 as part of the Komm Theatre chain and seated 866. A two story theatre on the outskirts of downtown St. Louis. 344 of the theatres seats were in the balcony with the balance on the main level. The Star had a black with burgandy streaked marble facade with a large marquee. The verticle sign had no lettering just a huge flashing gold neon star. The three sided marquee came all the way to the curb and the larger tractor trailers were always bashing into the front part of the marquee. The neon on the front side seldom worked because it was always getting torn off. The inside of the auditorium walls had two large star shaped light fixtures on the side walls that would dim when the features started. One of the few theatres that had curtains that raised up instead of opening from the middle to the sides. The theatre was closed in 1959 when the area was redeveloped for a large hotel. The Star theatre was a movie over house for both the Loew’s State and Loew’s Orpheum theatres downtown. When the features were done at the Loew’s they moved to the Star." (source)
It was managed by a white guy: Christ Efthim (source).
Strand Theater, 2000 Market Street
I can't find any evidence of a Strand on Market. I could find a Strand right next to the Columbia Theater on Sixth Street by St. Charles Street. But this was not the one at 2000 Market Street.
Here's a photo of the 6th Street Strand Theater from the Missouri History Museum collection:
Sun Theater (No address listed)
I cannot find anything to corroborate this theater ever existed as a AA theater. The Sun that was in Grand Center was never an AA theater, it had German roots, I have no idea where Ledell got this info.
Uptown Theater, 4938 Delmar Boulevard
Per Jerry Alexander on Cinema Treaures:
"The theatre opened in 1910 as the Delmar Theatre with a stock-musical company policy and within a few years became a motion picture house. The architect was E. W. Pipe.
The theatre was located at 4938 Delmar Avenue and seated 839. An airdome opened next door for the summer months and seated 1,380.
The theatre was renamed the Embassy Theatre in 1924 and in 1931 became the Uptown Theatre.
As a film house the theatre closed in 1953 and in 1954 the theatre was last used as the site of a jazz festival." (source)
It is a suburban styled strip mall today, just east of Kingshighway.
Vendome Theater, 2313 Market Street
The Ledell book was unable to find this address, but I was able to find it listed in a ad from the Freeman Illustrated Colored Newspaper from October 8, 1910:
There was a cluster of AA theaters around Jefferson and Market where MSD and Wells Fargo now stand.
So there's my best contribution to the AA theater history in St. Louis. Tracking down the Film Daily Yearbook, 1952-1955 as well as the book Blacks in Black and White by Henry Sampson will be key in filling in some of the blanks.
If you want to collaborate on research or have photos or stories to share, look me up.
Walk up Jefferson Avenue, just north of Gravois in the Fox Park Neighborhood, and you may notice something new and exciting at the corner of South Jefferson and Victor Street. Most recently, the building at 2501 Jefferson housed a music club/performance space called "the Warehouse" which closed not too long ago. Per city data, 2501 Jefferson was built in 1921.
Here's an idea of what the building looked like during its "Warehouse" years.
screen capture from Google Streetview
You may not recognize the building if you looked at it today. There is a major storefront and interior renovation taking place that hearkens back to the building's days as an auto dealership for the Riefling-Vigar Automotive Company who sold Fords and later Nash Ramblers.
Frank Joseph Riefling became the president of Riefling Auto Company. He was born in St. Louis in 1877 and died in 1946. He was laid to rest in the Mount Hope Cemetery in the small town of Lemay, MO just south of St. Louis.
photo sourced from: "Find A Grave"
Per an advertisement in "The St. Louis Lumberman" from September 15, 1917, The Riefling - Vigar Automobile Company once occupied the 2333-2341 buildings along Jefferson (now a car wash and gas station/junk food shop):
And here's a billboard advertising the dealership:
But, back to 2501 Jefferson...the folks behind the current restoration are the Larson Financial Foundation (LFF), a 501(c)3 non-profit philanthropic entity under the Larson Financial Group, a financial adviser focusing on the needs of physicians.
One of the ventures of LFF was to convert this former Ford/Rambler showroom to house LFF offices as well as a cleaning company called Wellspring Cleaning (currently in Creve Coeur, MO) and a startup furniture and woodworking shop called Narrative Furniture:
Their's is a very interesting story:
"Narrative Furniture Inc. is the expression of a vision to reclaim and realize the power of story through custom furniture design and economic development. Our legacy quality furniture company is built upon the forgotten manufacturing roots of St. Louis.
St. Louis was once a major manufacturing hub back in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Whether it was beer, carburetors, bricks, shoes, or Corvettes, St. Louis made it. Unfortunately, the Great Depression and the years to follow dealt a crushing blow to our budding town. While some industries were revitalized during the 1950’s, particularly the automobile industry, manufacturing in St. Louis had long since reached its peak.
But, we’ve got a legacy to uphold. We have planted our roots in a building that was once filled with Fords and Ramblers, in the historic Fox Park neighborhood, and we’re here to stay. We have seen the industrial spirit of our town thrive and die, and we could not be more thrilled to take part in remaking this spirit." (source)
As part of their vision, they are currently undergoing the expansive renovation of the building and a reclamation of the storefront to honor the Riefling - Vigar Auto Company history. Here's the full story from the LFF website:
"Located on the city’s south side, South Jefferson Avenue was home to a thriving automobile industry in the first half of the 20th century. Like many of the older industries upon which St. Louis was built that have either moved on or closed down, the industry has left a number of large warehouse buildings as monuments of a previous era. One such building is located at 2501 S. Jefferson, built between 1919 and 1921 for Riefling-Vigar Automobile Co as a Ford dealership. During the post depression decades, Ford distribution was dramatically reduced in St. Louis, and Riefling-Vigar began selling and offering maintenance for the Nash Rambler automobile from the site. The building has served a number of purposes since the dealership went out of business over half a century ago, and now will serve as home base for LFF domestic initiatives in St. Louis City.
The 2501 S. Jefferson building is located on the southeastern edge of Fox Park, a historic neighborhood on the city’s south side that has seen a massive industry exodus in the decades following the Riefling-Vigar closure. LFF desires to be a part of the revitalization that is already taking root in the neighborhood. In addition to moving its offices to the building, LFF will move its two social enterprise ventures, Wellspring Cleaning and Narrative Furniture, into the building immediately. With plans to set up a full-scale wood shop in the basement, we hope to facilitate training and employment that will impact the surrounding community for the long term. LFF also plans to work with the Facade Program, part of the St. Louis Development Corporation, to restore the building to its historic architecture and aesthetic. In addition, LFF’s work with the Facade Program will create shared work and an incubation space for social enterprise in Fox Park, which we anticipate will evoke community pride in both the history and the potential innovation that is represented.
LFF closed on the building on August 13, 2014, has begun renovation work, and plans to move into the space in the fall of this year." (source)
To learn a little more about my new neighbors, I contacted John Peters and Andy Kim, directors of LFF to get their perspectives on the building and the work they've undertaken. They were kind enough to invite me to their offices and show me around.
The main level was the automotive showroom where cars were once driven in from street level off of Victor Street:
They exposed the original stained glass on the storefront and are keeping the amazing tile floor.
The brick walls were exposed and the fold out windows are fully functional, and in use on my visit, providing a pleasant cross breeze.
The basement is where the woodworking action will occur, with several saws, planers, etc. that will be used to create some of the most beautiful modern designs of furniture, kitchen cutting boards, succulent pots, etc. I've seen. Much of their offerings are created from reclaimed wood. More details will emerge on the work and offerings of Narrative as they approach launch and scale up of the business...right here in Fox Park. Here are some examples of their work:
photo source:
photo source: Narrative Furniture
Speaking of wood, the original freight elevator still exists in the building. It's floor, walls and grates are all made of wood and are apparently still functional and will be maintained by the latest owners to keep the historical context alive.
The second floor is the real charmer. It was designed to house John and Andy's offices as well as meeting space and practical uses like storage and restrooms.
The skylights were freed up and restored to provide a tremendous amount of natural light and the modern glass and sleek lines of the furniture and hardware chosen to accent the offices adds a tremendously good vibe to the space.
nautical cleats formed as door handles
natural light from the restored skylights
Several relics from the automotive days were shared, including a numbering system painted on the 2nd floor which was most likely used for a parts inventory system, a section where spray painting and body work went down and an advertisements and paper weight from the Riefling-Vigor days.
Upon completion, Larson has offered their space to host neighborhood meetings and community gatherings and look forward to being part of the community and part of the city's bright future.
Here's to another historic brick building seeing a new chapter in its life, and a very intriguing and ambitious new neighborhood business in Fox Park.
I regret never meeting local musician, artist and writer Bob Reuter who died tragically on August 3, 2013 in an elevator shaft accident in a downtown loft.
But in typical St. Louis fashion, happenstance brought a couple connections. As a teenager, I was in University City, MO at Vintage Vinyl and I made a flip purchase of one of Bob's records. When the clerk checking me out saw it, he gave me a weird, gruff stare and voiced toward the back of the store: "Hey Bob, this guy wants one of your records, should I sell it to him?" I turned around and saw the look on (who I presume was) Bob Reuter's face and he just kind of stared back at us like he was either slightly pissed or utterly disinterested. I felt like I had to justify why I was buying this record and it was memorable (albeit insignificant) and it stuck with me. As a young suburban kid from Illinois this deviance from buying music at a Camelot/Musicland mall situation proved a serious pull to the west across the Mississippi River.
The other brush with Bob was, of course, listening to his "Bob's Scratchy Records" show on KDHX. The music was typically solid off kilter stuff from Carl Perkins to Neil Young to Dick Hell. Really, it was his on-air personality that made the show standout. I've always liked the more off-centered, regionally grounded stuff that KDHX brings and Bob's show fell into that bucket...a real St. Louis original.
Fast forward to Bob's untimely death in August, 2013 when I started to read a lot of personal tributes, eulogies and kindest of words from friends/acquaintances on Facebook and other media sources saying beautifully nice things about Bob and his impact on their lives and the friendship he brought to many in the St. Louis arts and DIY/Lo-Fi community.
I wish I'd met this guy, more now than ever after having read his book "Tales of a Talking Dog" available at the Central Library at 1301 Olive Street.
The book is hard to find, but you can get one with some persistence. I'm hesitant to put the contact info on here so as not to inundate the kind soul who has helped me out with gaining copies in the past. I will offer to give it to you if you are so inclined, just send me a note.
Here's the story on the publishing of "Tales of a Talking Dog":
Reuter's memoir of his life in St. Louis (and small towns in North County) from the 1950's up until his death in 2013 tells a sometimes tear jerking, sometimes hilarious but always unflinchingly honest recount of what it was like to be a fringe white guy coming of age in the fading industrial north St. Louis post-Civil Rights Era. You trust his perspective and his accounts of racial stories because he always gravitated toward people who were not racist trash; he talks of befriending a black guy in his teenage years and how this had a calming effect on his life, they eventually became roommates in 1969. His stories are largely centered on his upbringing in North City, but pass through the then new suburbs in North County, west St. Louis near the DeBaliviere Neighborhood, a brief time in Syracuse, NY, and then finally settling into a bona-fide artists life in south St. Louis until his untimely death.
The book is a page-turner. A rapid, well written, zig-zag through his life...mostly with the tragically less-documented 1960-1980s St. Louis as the backdrop. If you share a deep interest and quest for understanding of how North City turned from a dense, fully operational healthy group of industrial working class/European-immigrant neighborhoods to the current state of decay and abandonment, then this book is an essential document to take in the stories and settings of the real working-class Northside. Some of Reuter's stories are foreshadowing for why white people disappeared in droves starting in the 1950s...and the bleeding of residents continues today.
He describes his upbringing in North City in great detail and usually accompanied with an occurrence either humorous or tragic enough to make a lasting impression, all the while keeping you glued to his story, always with St. Louis as the backdrop. It paints a familiar yet still distant time when white people still lived in North City is equal numbers to blacks and what it felt like to become a numerical minority as a kid in your neighborhood.
Bob's voice is one that you can't help but trust because he's so honestly portrayed himself in his youth and adult years as well. You want to hear his take on growing up in North City at 2909 Bailey Avenue in the Fairground Park Neighborhood in a violent, transitional, weird time in St. Louis' history.
You'll read first hand accounts and faded memories of a place with Arkansas 3-leg chicken and chop suey joints, hillbilly chanties "never meant to last", Southern Pentacostal Church girls in storefront churches who's dads moved north to work in paint factories by the river.
You'll hear of when North City was still integrated with whites and blacks and how one of the last remaining Catholic schools Bob attended had to chain the door from the inside during school hours and the schools with white students were forced to stagger the time they let school out so the kids would have a chance to get home before the black schools let out and the brutal beat downs would occur.
Bob describes a time in ~1966 when black people started marking their turf and how the mid-60's were becoming inhospitable for even open minded cool white people with roots in the neighborhood:
"Well, 'round about then, the black folk started moving in and marking out their new turf. Seemed like they'd move in during the winter, but you wouldn't really notice 'til it got warm out. Civil rights was heatin' up and the streets were a war zone. I kept spending more and more time at the band house down off Broadway near the river, and only touched down back home on occasion."
And then in 1969 walking home from school:
"My senior year in high school, I'd walk the two long blocks from the school to the bus stop to get home. It was the only Catholic high school on the Northside. This wasn't no place to be white, and the worst thing a teacher could do to you was keep you after school long enough to miss your bus and have to get home alone. They staggered our schedule to let us out twenty minutes before the all-Black public schools in the area, so as to limit confrontations. So this one night, there we were, a handful of white and black Catholic school guys, all just tryin' to get home. Too early for trouble...or so we thought.
I stood there with five or six others and noticed this one sad kid, some sophomore misfit leaning 'gainst the corner lamp post alone. Then, as if out of nowhere, a black kid gang surrounded him, moving in quickly. Piranhas come to mind.
I watched in slow motion. He was there and then not, lost in a sea of throwing black hands. Then just as suddenly, they pulled back and I saw him, now covered in blood, slide slowly down the pole to the ground. He had no facial features, just streams of blood. The boys who'd jumped him swung wildly as they fled. One hit me in the mouth as he passed. I spun, scared to death, out into the street with nowhere to run-no safe direction-just as the bus pulled up, just slowly with doors open."
Stories of when the city used to hose down the streets to wash all the trash into the sewers, and a recount of the established rules in place for swimming in Fairground Park post the horrible 1949 race riot that took place there. Stories of being strung out and living in a 17-room abandoned house just north and west of Forest Park in the hedonistic 1970s. Bob describes living among thieves and drug addicts and racists and tales of friends getting rid of old wrecked cars by driving them into the Mississippi River.
His tales of a musician and artist are equally fascinating with memories of working on the set of "White Palace" and describing the 1970s St. Louis underground rock scene when the "St. Louis Outlaw" paper was published and rocking out with the Dinosaurs, one of the first DIY bands of the time. How he was listening to Iggy Pop and the Stooges eating canned stew smeared on Wonder bread, practicing in basements in the industrial zones off Broadway by the river and "rockin' and rollin' on the lowest possible level". He describes when musicians would do popup shows on "Hippie Hill" in Forest Park by the World's Fair Pavilion.
photo sourced from Forest Park Forever
The book also provides insight on the juxtaposition of St. Louis and neighboring suburbs in North County. The entry on page two reads:
"When I was growing up in North City, we hated anybody who lived in the suburbs. They hardly knew we were even there (you mean people LIVE down there?)."
And how living in the working class city made him an alien in the "new suburban life" out by Lambert Airport where we recounts a tale where he was dropping a friend off at his house in a then wealthy suburb after a night of drinking and needing to drain his bladder in the worst of ways. He went in to a place where he wasn't welcomed during the day, where his friend's mom called him "Icky Boy". After a night of drinking, here's how he describes that drop off:
"So I'm in the bathroom trying to pee. I gotta go but it's hard to concentrate cause I'm blind drunk and can hear her (friends' mom) lecturing him. I'm standing there over the toilet, supporting myself with a hand on the wall, and I'm looking around at the bright red shag carpeting on the floor and the frosted glass shower doors with etched little fishes swimming 'cross wiggly waves....All of a sudden, I just get this wild hair and start pissing all over everything-the carpet, the fuzzy toilet seat cover, the frosted fishy shower doors (I never ever lived anywhere with a shower).
When I finished, I surveyed my work and saw that it was good. I slipped out the side door and on out to the car like I'd just knocked over a gas station. The whole way home to the city, I felt this warm glow of satisfaction: I'd done what I'd done for my people, for my class...and 'cause I just figured it was the kind of thing that a guy named "Icky Boy" would probably do."
Again, the soul of the book is Bob's heartrendingly honest accounts of growing up without a dad and being raised in a place where he wasn't always welcome and had a complicated relationship with his family. Admitting to being a broken man at times, but how redemption of art and plodding through kept him going. There is an uplifting recount of a time playing the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, MO and having a cherished interaction with a kid in the audience that'll bring a tear to the eye of any dad or childless guy alike.
Then, a memorable story about one of Bob's favorite guitar players, Gene Edlen, from North County. He describes Gene's showman-like, yet legit playing and songwriting that he admired from afar as Gene and he were from different parts of town (City v County) and those folks typically "didn't mix". He tells a story about one day Gene was called for his draft physical during the Vietnam war; he showed up and proceeded to go through the motions of the physicial when he found himself standing in a line and just decided to say 'fuck all' and took off running down Market Street in nothing but his underwear and shoes to escape the draft processes. Gene became a fugitive and was laying low playing in biker bars and hanging out in North County. Gene died and here's how Reuter recounts his passing:
"So when did Gene die? I don't know, late 80s, early 90s. Go on out to the Charlack Pub and ask, they'll tell ya.
I heard that shortly before the time of his death, he was playing 4 AM shows over on the East Side.
How'd he die? I suspect it was written up as "death by misadventure." I didn't really know Gene. I know he at least knew who I was...but goddamn it. You can't even believe how much you're missed, brother. You did leave you mark."
Bob Reuter, I didn't really know you either, but I miss you, brother. Thanks for telling your stories in book form. As a result, we have one of the best personal accounts of the 1960s/70s St. Louis rock scene and growing up in North City in its most transitional era.
Bluesky - @st-louis-city-talk.bsky.social
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