View from the top
This past weekend, we took the kids to St. Louis, a trip that included a trip to the top of the Gateway Arch. I had to put on a brave face for the kids because my heart was about to beat out of my chest going up in that tiny tram.
Sunday’s beautiful weather also included a bit of a breeze, which was strong enough to make the top of the arch sway a bit. Eep.
While St. Louis doesn’t boast the impressive skylines of Chicago or New York, it does have a few architectural highlights. Visible front and center, of course, is the Old Courthouse, the site of the infamous Dred Scott Decision.
The red-brick building just off the northwest corner of Kiener Plaza is the Wainwright Building, considered one of the first modern skyscrapers. Because it was built in 1892, it actually wasn’t named for the Cardinals’ 2006 World Series hero.
St. Louis, like every other city, also has its share of lowlights. At lower right is the Adam’s Mark Hotel, which used to be called the Pierce Building. In the 1980s, the building was ruined by fitted with a ghastly, Watterson Towers-style facade.
[rant] I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time, but an example of such retrofitting in our town further shows that re-skinning an older building almost never is a good decision. The metal cladding on the tower at Sixth and Monroe streets is an eyesore and merely provides roosts for hundreds of birds that the alleged Bird Whisperer is whack-a-moling around downtown. [/rant]
And finally, at the left edge of the photo, we have what is affectionately called Lake DeWitt. Named for the de facto owner of the Cardinals, Lake DeWitt is the footprint of the previous Busch Stadium. More than two years after the Concrete Doughnut was knocked down, the area still remains barren despite the millions of taxpayer dollars handed to DeWitt and Co. for development of the so-called Ballpark Village.
Besides the Arch, we also hit the Science Center, as well as the unspeakably awesome City Museum, pictures of which I hope to have up soon.
