RSS Feed
- TGE
- Breathe & Let Go
- N. Grand & 20th
- New for '08
- Family Values
- Makin' Dough?
- Stop
- Walk Of Shame
- Ballpark Village
- The Future
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- July 2007
- August 2007
- September 2007
- October 2007
- October 2007
- December 2007
- January 2008
- February 2008
- March 2008
- April 2008
- Current Posts
This isn't suburbia...
...it's downtown St. Louis. How can we prevent this kind of destruction in the future?
...it's downtown St. Louis. How can we prevent this kind of destruction in the future?
This morning on my drive to work through beautiful southwest city I noticed something troubling. The homes in my corner of the city are littered with metal awnings of all colors, shapes and styles.
The awnings that hang off the post-war homes around Sublette and Macklind don't bother me so much, but when attached to the "gingerbread" homes in the area the awnings become trocious. Most of the awnings make no attempt to respect the architecture of the homes they adorn; they are simply bolted to the building and left to hang. Arched doorways and windows, beautifully detailed in stone, have been cut in half by white (or rusting), slated metal. There are a sprinkling of fabric awnings, usually black or green in color, but they really aren't much better.
If I'm ever lucky enough to live in one of south city's most charming homes, the first thing I'd do is remove any and all awnings from the facade of my house.
Let the sun shine in, set your architecture free.
The awnings that hang off the post-war homes around Sublette and Macklind don't bother me so much, but when attached to the "gingerbread" homes in the area the awnings become trocious. Most of the awnings make no attempt to respect the architecture of the homes they adorn; they are simply bolted to the building and left to hang. Arched doorways and windows, beautifully detailed in stone, have been cut in half by white (or rusting), slated metal. There are a sprinkling of fabric awnings, usually black or green in color, but they really aren't much better.
If I'm ever lucky enough to live in one of south city's most charming homes, the first thing I'd do is remove any and all awnings from the facade of my house.
Let the sun shine in, set your architecture free.
Reading through Mayor Slay's musings on the current Macy's debacle, I couldn't help but think "Downtown flagship store, huh???"
If the downtown location is considered a "flagship" store then it's clear why Macy's sales are in the basement. I find the downtown store woefully lacking in men's wear that I'd actually wear. Went once, it was my first time, never went back...so the downtown store doesn't appear to be trying to win over new customers. The men's department was bare. Aside from urban wear and Cardinals gear, there was just nothing to get excited about. I believe it's only a matter of time before Macy's shutters the downtown store.
Needless to say, I never really shopped at Macy's, any Macy's, before yesterday's announcement. Since the store no longer supports St. Louis, I don't think I'll be making any effort to shop there in the future.
If the downtown location is considered a "flagship" store then it's clear why Macy's sales are in the basement. I find the downtown store woefully lacking in men's wear that I'd actually wear. Went once, it was my first time, never went back...so the downtown store doesn't appear to be trying to win over new customers. The men's department was bare. Aside from urban wear and Cardinals gear, there was just nothing to get excited about. I believe it's only a matter of time before Macy's shutters the downtown store.
Needless to say, I never really shopped at Macy's, any Macy's, before yesterday's announcement. Since the store no longer supports St. Louis, I don't think I'll be making any effort to shop there in the future.
It looks like Macy's is moving to Atlanta. Can't say I'm surprised...I think everybody could see the writing on the wall when Macy's bought The May Company. This is a blow to downtown St. Louis for sure. There will be 850 less people shopping, buying lunch, just plain walking the streets.
I pray the Railway Exchange Building doesn't sit vacant, it's too beautiful a building to be left to languish. Maybe the whole Mercantile Exchange district will be able to take advantage of this and put a better quality of retailers in there than the current Macy's store? Dreams...
I miss Famous Barr.
I pray the Railway Exchange Building doesn't sit vacant, it's too beautiful a building to be left to languish. Maybe the whole Mercantile Exchange district will be able to take advantage of this and put a better quality of retailers in there than the current Macy's store? Dreams...
I miss Famous Barr.
The place? Broadway and Olive around noon. The sun, the sky, the fog and the clouds had conspired to make a wonderfully soft focused urban scene. Met Square, surrounded by a canyon of buildings old and new, positively radiated in the sun, while those of us on the street were carassed by soft, white wisps of smoky fog. Not to be outdone by what was happening on the ground, the sky made its presence know through color...a soft, pale blue that commanded attention.
Mother Nature and our old City...teaming up to create an inspiring urban environment. Good stuff for a Monday.
Mother Nature and our old City...teaming up to create an inspiring urban environment. Good stuff for a Monday.