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.

Meet the New St. Louis Centre, Same as the Old Centre

What the heck? The new parking garage that replaced the failed St. Louis Centre looks like the old mall, except that it's black instead of white. See my old pictures of the mall here and here before redevelopment.I like the black entryway for the red granite building; I guess it makes sense.I like this sculpture as well; it looks like it is studio surplus from an old Star Trek episode.So we're left with yet another dead block in downtown. Terrific!See some very old commentary I wrote on the mall here.

Centene Project Moves Forward--in Clayton

Did we ever really get a good answer on why Centene didn't end up building in Ballpark Village? Read the article here about the anti-urban design that will go up in Clayton. A parking garage facing Forsyth? What a great idea! What better way to kill foot traffic on what was once the main shopping street of Clayton!

Ambassador Building Memorial Parking Garage

In addition to the Marquette Annex Memorial Parking Garage and the Century Building Memorial Parking Garage, St. Louis will soon be adding to its rogues' gallery of parking garages a new member: the Ambassador Building Memorial Parking Garage. While over a decade separates the demolition of my favorite childhood building in downtown, it is pitiful that this is the best use of the land that the city of St. Louis can come up with. There is already enough parking downtown! Read the article here about the latest local company to shake down the city of St. Louis.

Special thanks to Doug D for alerting me to this development.

Famous Barr Parking Garage Cylinder

See some other perspectives of the infamous garage at St. Louis Brick.

Don't Get Me Started...

It would have been so easy to build the Ninth Street Garage north of the Old Post Office and save the Century Building. Heck, what is most annoying is that people would probably be moving into the Century right now--its attached neighbor, the Syndicate Trust is just about renovated. Don't tell me that the developer wouldn't have loved to renovate the Century simultaneously with the Syndicate Trust.

But instead, they're building a stupid plaza that no one will use. The Roberts Brothers still could have had their tower, and a parking garage.

Kiener Parking Garages

I absolutely hate the two behemoth parking garages that sit north of the Gateway Mall in the heart of downtown. They're big, ugly, and they are a pathetic excuse for architecture on what is supposedly St. Louis's main street.But rather ironically, the two garages actually have street level retail that is 100% rented, even if it is just Hooters, TGI Friday's and Lion's Choice.I ran across a downtown booster site one time that showed office towers protruding from the roofs of these beasts, but that can be little more than optimism. Perhaps downtown will one day realize that there's already way too much parking, and not enough places for people to go.