Doesn't anyone care about St. Louis?

[anduarto]

Ballpark Village? Isn't that supposed to be the new development near the new stadium? I'd give it some time. The stadium's only been up a couple years. Love to see the area rehabbed in a great way.

I read recently that St. Louis Centre was bought and is scheduled for massive rehab/overhaul. Sounded pretty definite and with all the excitement about downtown right now it sounds like the real deal.

Sunday nights are notoriously dead everywhere, but you must have been on the very edge of Soulard. There's almost always something going on there. (But remember, part of Soulard's charm is that it's bars, cafes, restaurants, are tucked into a laidback, largely residential neighborhood. Almost a village unto itself).

I know what you mean about the strip malls in So. St. Louis. I hate those, too. They totally disrupt the urban environment. I remember Kingshighway and So. Grand back when I was a kid ('60's) and they were much more urban and inviting. Even the northern stretch of Hampton felt more urban. Any chance some of these malls will be dismantled and replaced with something more condusive to city living?

Ironically, maybe the years of neglect on the city's northside will ultimately help it regroup as an urban place of the future.

I also know what your mean about the isolated pockets of development. There have been vibrant, reclaimed areas for decades but they have traditionally seemed to be separate and cut-off from one and other. One of the exciting things I witnessed on a recent trip is that some of these islands seem to be connecting. Delmar has lept across Skinker and seems to be heading East. The CWE has jumped Forest Park Blvd and seems to be growing both south and northward. I'm hopeful the Ballpark Village (or whatever they call it) will connect downtown with Soulard.

Let's all stay tuned. Things are still looking good. And isn't downtown bucking the real estate trend? Aren't people moving in pretty freely?

[anduarto]

Always had mixed feelings about the center Mall running through downtown. It's cool in a lot of ways and I like a lot of it, but it seems like it might have inadvertently sucked some of the vitality out of the area.

When a district has been so abandoned, maybe knocking a lot of stuff down and creating more green space is counter productive. Seems like you'd want to build/keep stuff to attract people back to the area.

Don't get me wrong, I really do like a lot of it. Just maybe not quite so much of it.

Hopefully, as the areas on its north and south comeback to life, it will truly be the oasis of green the planners envisioned and not an abandoned prairie in the heart of town.

[anduarto]

As for Laclede's Landing, it's a good start, but I agree, it's never really fulfilled it's potential. There was always something a little "cut-off" feeling about it. Maybe the downtown revitalization will help that too. (Does Kennedy's still exist?)

Unfortunately, St. Louis did what a lot of american cities seem to have done - turned it's back on it's riverfront. What should probably be the jewel of the city is largely ignored. Even the statue in the fountain by the Old Courthouse is running AWAY from the river. Hopefully, STL will figure out how to exploit this treasure.

Put 55 underground as it runs through downtown?

More activity on the waterfront than there was 20 years ago, but still a long way to go.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by anduarto

Ballpark Village? Isn't that supposed to be the new development near the new stadium? I'd give it some time. The stadium's only been up a couple years. Love to see the area rehabbed in a great way.

Yeah that's the one. I think people were really hoping the first phase would be done by the All-Star game, but it sadly looks like that won't happen. They haven't even broken ground yet, so i think people are getting cynical that it won't ever happen. I think it will, but I guess we'll see.

[SiddharthaGautama]

I lived in downtown stl for a few years off and on. To say its a beautiful city would be a bit of an overstatement. Have you driven or walked extensively throughout downtown st louis at night? Its pretty much full of old abandoned buildings and drug dealers. Its got potential for the future. But we're talking 10 - 15 years. The fact is its not a walkable and safe city and probably won't ever be.

[aragx6]

I have walked though the downtown area at night and while no city is ever perfectly safe, I never felt in danger. It has come a long way in a few short years. There are plenty of unsafe neighborhoods in St. Louis, but I no longer feel downtown is one of them.

I think some people also have different tolerances for urban environments.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

California, have you lived in STL recently? A lot of those old abandoned buildings are being reused and converted into hotels/condos/lofts. And St. Louis is plenty beautiful. The arch, historic architecture, the new ballpark. But if you refuse to see beauty, you're not going to see it.

I've walked through downtown St. Louis at night with my family before and never felt unsafe. To be fair, it was just after Cardinals/Blues games, so there were a lot of people around, but I felt fine.

I guess some people just can't handle a city the size of St. Louis. Although I guess that same person couldn't handle NYC, LA, or Chicago.

[Brickmama]

There are very few vacant buildings Downtown these days!!!!! You obviously havent been here recently!!!