St. Louis Centre, Eviscerated

Alerted by posts at Vanishing St. Louis and the Preservation Research Office, I decided to use the new St. Louis Centre Memorial Parking Garage last Friday. That was a big mistake.

I had already seen the new exterior, but I wanted the opportunity to see the new parking garage built in the floors of the old mall. I must say, it is the most open, light-filled parking garage I have ever parked my car in, but when I tried to exit by a staircase, I was greeted by signs saying that the exit was for emergencies only. I had to go back up the stairs, checked to verify that there was in fact no sign saying that I couldn't use that staircase, and eventually just took an elevator down to 7th Street. What a bizarre place.

Steel

There's not a lot to say about these pictures, other than how I was fascinated how the approaches to the MacArthur Bridge create hundreds of irregularly shaped picture frames, framing the city in hundreds of unique ways.

Century Building SLAPP Concluded?

Many years ago, there was a beautiful building in downtown St. Louis, sheathed entirely of marble, and featuring a large open floor plan on the first floor easily adaptable for reuse, as it was once a department store and theater back in St. Louis's heyday. Two citizens, Roger Plackemeier and Marcia Behrendt, believed it was outright ridiculous to tear down such a beautiful building, and they sued to stop it, as is their right as Americans. They were counter-sued by the developers, initiating a SLAPP suit, who tore down the building to build a parking garage with the same shape, with a grocery store on the first floor. The developer refused, for six years, to give the two concerned citizens their day in court. Apparently, last year, the case was finally heard, and the jurors called to the trial. But at the last moment, the parties settled, and the judgment on the one charge the defendants plead guilty to was sealed. What really happened? We'll never know, perhaps, since the two parties are barred from talking about it. Does anyone else know anything about what happened that day in court?

Veterans' Memorial

Urban Review STL recently covered the proposed additions to the Veterans's Memorial in downtown St. Louis, and expressed deep concern that the additions, while justified, are not in keeping with the overall aesthetic setting of the memorial.

It should be noted, that two additions were already completed for the memorial that fit in very well, respecting the original design and not detracting from it. Let's hope the redesign will reflect their previous, considerate additions.

I particularly like the style of of the low-relief sculpture; it's monumental, but has a unique personality befitting the years when it was originally created.

Ironically, the day I was there was the Iraq Veterans' Parade, and very few people were really looking at the memorial. Could it be that it people don't realize what it is?

Globe Democrat Building

Chouteau Mansion

The house of Auguste Chouteau, in decrepit beauty before its demolition.

Missouri Pacific Building

Slightly outside of the heart of downtown and not really near any major attraction, the Missoui Pacific Building recently underwent a massive renovation. I'm not happy that what was originally intended to be another condo tower was downgraded into a hideous parking garage, fronting the major north-south axis of downtown; but nonetheless, I am glad that the building was renovated, and if it took the parking garage being built to get it done, then so be it. The parking garage can be replaced with a more elegant structure in the future.

Interestingly, it seems the Missouri Pacific Railroad was once headquartered in one of the buildings demolished for the Gateway Mall.

Note that the builders didn't sheath the inside wall of the skyscraper; it seems that in the optimistic days of the turn of the century, people were certain that wall would one day be obscured by a skyscraper of similar height.

If only their optimism had come to fruition, we would have possessed a wonderful block of Art-Deco buildings fronting the civic plaza.

I have to admit that the new windows really make the building look great, even if they're not 100% historically accurate.

The Art-Deco detailing, above on the rampart of the building, and below, in the stunning entrance lobby, are what make this building stand out.

I particularly enjoy how the stone switches to gray on the first floor, highlighting the entrance.

The giant C-scrolls, rife with careful detailing, are a stark contrast to the clean lines of the terracotta white building rising above them.

Christ Church Cathedral, Morning

I feel like Christ Church Cathedral sometimes is overlooked compared to the other cathedrals in town, but it is really a great English Gothic church.

On a recent morning, I was able to photograph it in the morning light, which is rare because I am seldom downtown this early in the day.

Not surprisingly for St. Louis, the church utilizes finely cut stone on the front and tower, and lesser grade stone on the side elevations.

I wanted to get in and photograph the famous altar wall, but unfortunately the church was closed.

In particular, I love how the light reflects off the Shell Building at this hour onto the rough stone of the cathedral.

Shots Around St. Louis by Jeff Phillips

I gave my friend in from China a tour around the city and parts of Illinois, and these are some of the shots he took.

Above, Armour Meat Packing Plant, and below a corner store in North City.

Below, I think this house is in Old North St. Louis.

Taking a shot of some houses while we were driving creates an interesting visual effect in the foreground.

The lines of the McKinley Bridge never cease to amaze me as well.

And finally, the view of downtown from the old National Stockyards. The day we were there the prostitutes out along Route 3 were wearing Santa Claus hats.

All photos by Jeff Phillips

Old Federal Courthouse

Now the criminal court building for St. Louis, it was originally the Federal Courthouse and Customs House.

Cupples Warehouses and the Future

There has been all sorts of beautiful renovations downtown south of Market Street, but the area continues to lack something that will make it a truly vibrant neighborhood. Here are some of my suggestions.

First of all, while they should not necessarily be eliminated, the entrance and exit ramps onto the elevated lanes of Highway 40 are intrusive, ugly, rapidly deteriorating and most importantly, they waste space. When the rebuilding of these structures occur, they should be reconfigured to fit in more hospitably with the street grid.

Likewise, there are huge swaths of "greenspace" that waste valuable real estate, often times for the sake of safety. I've been told that the government didn't want buildings across the street from the federal courthouse for safety reasons, but that is totally illogical since you can drive right by the courthouse anyway. After living in Washington, DC in the post-9-11 world, I watched as security barriers went up all around that city, despite many of the measures merely ruining public space as opposed to protecting anyone. For example, the federal courthouse in St. Louis has Jersey barriers up around the courthouse; they make the place look secure, but in reality would only stop a truck bomb from getting a grand total of another ten or so feet closer to the building. Certainly they make the area look bad, at minimal benefit to safety.

Also, work to make Walnut Street and actually appealing street to walk down; as can be seen below, the builders of City Hall clearly intended Walnut to be the grand vista upon which to approach City Hall. It is marred by a bridge from the jail to the courthouse. While I know it would cost large amounts of money, perhaps the bridge could be turned into a tunnel under the street.

Finally, embrace the juxtaposition between new and old; the area south of Market has lost much of its original character, but that does not mean that a neighborhood with its own character can't rise in its place.

Let's be honest, the whole area is dominated by courthouses, which in general are places people don't want to be unless they work inside. My experience is that many courthouse areas tend to take on a similar pallor as the courthouses around them. Likewise, government office buildings seem to have the same effect on creating drab neighborhoods. Consequently, the area should have a strong mix of all different types of businesses and housing to create a strong community in the Cupples Warehouse District.