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Urban Living

Can St. Louis be Soccer Heaven for More Than A Day?

Published on Friday, 24 May 2013 08:02

Written by Alex Ihnen

At least for a day, St. Louis was the center of soccer in the U.S. as 48,628 fans watched Manchester City reverse an 0-3 deficit to earn a 4-3 victory over Chelsea at Busch Stadium last night. It was the largest crowd to see a sporting event in the stadium's short history. The friendly drew praise locally and in Europe, where match reports cited "iconic" Busch Stadium and noted tickets for the match were gone in just 20 minutes.

European news reports placed the match in the "American Midwest" - that sounds like a label St. Louis could own. Chicago is itself, identifiable as a monolith. St. Louis however, can own the Midwest. Kansas City, Columbus, someplace else? Not so much. St. Louis is larger, has more history, and more soccer history.

As Downtown Macy's Closes, Where Will Retail Find a Home in the City?

Published on Monday, 20 May 2013 15:20

Written by Alex Ihnen

With the news that Macy’s is closing its downtown St. Louis store this summer, the era of downtown department stores comes to a close. The past decade has seen many positive trends in downtown development. From 2000-2010, the city experienced the largest percentage increase in college-educated 25-34-year-olds moving to with three miles of the central business district of any city in the nation. Nearly 2,700 people in St. Louis fit that description, an increase of 87% over the past decade. The Central Business District population increased by nearly 3,000 over that same period. The retail demographics are changing quickly.

It’s not just downtown where retail development struggles. The only Target within the city limits is at Hampton Village is south city (there's a JCPenny there as well). Walmart? There isn’t one? TJ Maxx? Nope. Best Buy (yeah, they’re dying everywhere, but…)? Nope. Old Navy? Uh, uh. If you want to buy a broom, some shorts, a light bulb, soap, a towel, contact solution and a coffee maker without five stops, there are very few choices in the city.

{Macy's=pink circle, BPV=red, Bottle District=blue, 21st Street=green, Federal Mogul=purple, CORTEX=orange, Pruitt-Igoe=yellow}

2013 Tour de Grove in 15 Photos

Published on Saturday, 11 May 2013 23:00

Written by Alex Ihnen

St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Intends To Build $20 Million Facility, Looking at Union Station

Published on Thursday, 09 May 2013 11:19

Written by Geoff Whittington

According to WhoLou sources the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame intends to build a 33,000 sq. ft. facility in the city. The ownership group which includes founder and president of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Greg Marecek has hired local planning, architecture, and interiors firm JEMA as manager for the $20 million project. Marecek is also owner of three sports radio stations in St. Louis including 590 AM KFNS.

JEMA partner John Mueller confirmed WhoLou source information today stating, “We have been meeting with Lodging Hospital Management (LHM) regarding the Union Station location but this deal is in no way complete and there are other potential locations in the area that we also have interest in.” Mueller declined to elaborate on those other locations but said a press conference is scheduled for later today where design renderings for the project will be released. LHM bought Union Station in 2012 for $20 million and recently announced a $25 million plan to renovate the historic complex.

St. Louis University President Father Lawrence Biondi Announces Plan to Step Down

Published on Saturday, 04 May 2013 22:01

Written by Alex Ihnen

"I know it is now time for the next transformation to begin," St. Louis University President Fr. Lawrence Biondi has said, according to a university press release. According to the Post-Dispatch, St. Louis University President Fr. Lawrence Biondi announced tonight his intention to step down from the post he's held for 25 years. The announcement came at a gala celebrating his quarter century of service. Biondi has recently come under accelerating criticism for his handling of academic affairs at the university. This past August, nextSTL was first report the resignation of SLU Law School Dean Annette Clark. She didn't go quietly, making public her grievences in a letter that pulled no punches. Faculty and students have held no-confidence votes in Biondi's leadership in recent months. According to St. Louis Public Radio, a recent campus survey found near 70 percent of faculty wanted Biondi to step down.

Biondi has also drawn the ire of an increasing number of preservationists in St. Louis with his push to demolish numerous buildings without plans to replace them. The most public example has been the Pevely Dairy complex. This site first reported that SLU would pass on the Pevely site for its claimed ambulatory care center. In order to receive city approval for demolition, Biondi had testified that the school was ready to break ground and financing was in place. Seventeenth Ward Alderman later stated that he was led to believe that development was imminent more than a year ago.