Steve Patterson, Man of Urban Influence - Part 2

Steve didn’t have any engagements immediately after this, so he agreed to show us around St. Louis. Naturally, he showed us the Arch and the Old St. Louis Courthouse. Apparently, a park used to extend 20 blocks west from the arch, but some of the land had been converted into office buildings, which Steve described as “hideous”.


To the south, we saw the outline of Busch Stadium. We asked if it was more convenient to have the stadium close to downtown, he told us it was actually kind of a nuisance since the stadium put in as much parking as it would in the ‘burbs, and it created congestion without contributing much to the neighborhood. We turned northward, passing a group of back to back parking lots. Steve was concerned about how bland the exteriors of the parking lots were, and talked about how St. Louis’s zoning was stuck in the 1940s.


One block to the north was 1920s era building with an elegant façade, which Steve praised. We passed an abandoned shopping mall, which Steve told us was St. Louis’s great hope of downtown revival in the 1980s. It was only partially new at the time; abandoned skyscrapers nearby had been built in an older style, and were converted into department stores and linked to the newer mall building with glass-encased overhead walkways. The whole complex was closed now, except for a Macy’s in one of the older buildings and the parking structure across the street. Apparently, there had been a Rite-Aid in the ground floor of the structure, but that had closed and had since been converted into more parking.

We turned left onto Washington St., and Steve told us a bit about the history of each of the buildings we passed. There was an office complex which had demolished and old theater to build an open plaza which eventually became more parking, and a newly built entry to St. Louis’s convention center. He then took us by the American Institute of Architects, whose headquarters were in a hotel nearby. He knew everyone who worked there, and introduced us. When they heard we were going to the inauguration, they were excited for us, and also worried for our safety. We assured them we’d be okay. The lobby was filled with books about the St. Louis area, and since Anheuser-Busch was headquartered in St. Louis (prior to its acquisition by InBev), there were pictures of the Budweiser Clydesdales in one of the books I was browsing through. The woman behind the desk assured me that they were enormous, and scary to stand next to.

We left and continued west with Steve; he showed us a building with gargoyles that sprayed steam, which we all found fascinating. We walked into the former garment district, although there wasn’t as much in the way of garment production happening nearby anymore. Instead, many of the old factories had been converted into lofts, and there were stores and restaurants on the ground floors. The street had actually been made narrower; a lane was subtracted in each direction and the sidewalk was widened. Since this was the garment district, the double-yellow divider in the street was replaced by tiles placed to resemble a closed zipper. Steve was generally happy with these changes, but he was unhappy that some of the side streets had also been closed. Most of the lofts appeared to be doing well, but some of the loft conversions had unceremoniously been scrapped. One of the loft companies had gone out of business right before a conversion was scheduled to happen, and signs advertising loft living had been left up in a still abandoned building.


Steve took us past the St. Louis City Museum, which he said was a must see. It was certainly unique; it looked as if Rube Goldberg was left to make a machine using only materials he found in a junkyard. Slides connected the heads of life size dinosaurs, and school buses teetered from the top of a nearby building. We didn’t really have time to go in, but it was certainly interesting to look at.


Steve was kind enough to take us to the rooftop of his own loft building. The clouds had lifted somewhat, and the view was great in both directions. We took a few pictures of the skyline, as well as a few with him in the foreground (see previous post). He had to get going at that point, so we parted ways. He said he would be looking to our blog for more on the inauguration. We'll do our best to keep you posted, Steve.

We walked back, stopping by the St. Louis Library on the way. St. Louis ain't half bad, and we'll do our best to go back soon.

Steve Patterson, Man of Urban Influence - Part 1

Steven Patterson is a realtor in central St. Louis. He is also an influential blogger, writing at Urban Review STL. He agreed to meet with us at a Panera in Downtown St. Louis. We were a bit late, but Steve was understanding. My associate and I both ordered bacon sandwiches, which were tasty.

Obamathon Man: Thanks for agreeing to meet. First, tell us about real estate in St. Louis. Do you have clients in both Missouri and Illinois, or do you need a separate license for that?

Steve Patterson: I only handle clients in Missouri. There are a few agents who handle both states, but in my case getting the extra license wouldn’t have been worth it. St. Louis is divided into St. Louis City and St. Louis County, which is actually a separate county. Most of my work is within the city of St. Louis, but I do leave the city sometimes.

OM: Do you handle mostly condos, or other properties as well?

SP: Yeah, mostly condos. The city of St. Louis used to have a lot more people than it does now; in 1950, the population was around 800,000. It shrunk to 300,000 by 2000, but there are indications now that it’s leveled off.

OM: But did the St. Louis metro area gain population during that time?

SP: Yeah, many of the people in St. Louis just moved out of the city and into the county.

OM: Are people moving back in now?

SP: Well, more than they have in the past. I’ve been seeing better sales in recent years.

OM: Have you seen less business because of the bad economy?

SP: I actually couldn’t do much work this fall, on account of my stroke. From what I heard, sales did go down. But sales are generally less during the holidays anyway, since no one wants to have to deal with moving in the middle of Christmas. But, actually, sales do seem to be rebounding.

OM: Oh really? That’s good news.

SP: Yeah, I hope the trend continues.

OM: So tell us about politics in St. Louis.

SP: Well, of course it’s very different than the rest of the state. If you go down to places like Springfield, it’s very Republican. But in the last election, we were almost able to push this state into the Obama column. And we actually did elect a Democratic governor, which I was very happy about. Of course that was partly because the incumbent Republican was involved in an email scandal. But it was pretty satisfying, since in previous elections the former governor was dismissive of people from St. Louis.

OM: Did you go to Obama’s big speech under the arch?

SP: I couldn’t make it, but may of my friends did. Obama didn’t really have to give that speech, since it only really reached the people of St. Louis who were going to vote for him anyway. But the symbolic value of him standing under the arch was priceless. I think Obama will be good for the country, because for the first time in many years we’ll have an urban president who understands issues that affect cities.

OM: Is there anything you’re hoping Obama will do for St. Louis?

SP: Well, there’s something I’m really hoping will happen in downtown St. Louis, and perhaps Obama’s proposed stimulus might help get it done. The roadway between the arch and the rest of St. Louis carries both a surface level access road and a below ground freeway, and it’s a drain on life in downtown. Some people have proposed covering the open areas with parks, but that would require all kinds of ventilation retrofitting without yielding much park space. What I’m really hoping will happen is for the interstate to be rerouted over the Mississippi, and the road to be narrowed and converted to a street similar to Market St. in San Francisco, with trolleys and buses.

OM: Would that be part of the current train system in St. Louis?

SP: The MetroLink actually provides good service to the outlying areas, but in the city it’s problematic because the train runs entirely underground. No one sees trains underground, and many people won’t ever consider taking the train if they don’t see them at street level and know that they exist.

OM: Are there currently any plans to expand the MetroLink?

SP: Unfortunately, no. There was a ballot measure in November which would have extended the MetroLink, but it didn’t pass since it needed votes from St. Louis County, and people out there didn’t feel they would get their money’s worth from the measure. Since it failed, now train service will have to be cut off at 8 PM. Some people are hoping to create a special transit district, so that people farther out in the county don’t have to pay taxes on something that isn’t useful to them.

OM: Do you ride the train often?

SP: I was actually car free, until I had a stroke and not having a car became a bit too difficult.

OM: Yeah, I actually have a book about being car free, written by someone from St. Louis.

SP: You’re talking about Living Well without a Car? I know the author. He actually moved out to LA recently for some kind of film deal.

OM: Tell us a bit about your blog.

SP: I started blogging in October 2004, and I mostly cover urban planning issues. Of course, I couldn’t write immediately after my stroke. But the blog’s been pretty successful. Recently, St. Louis Magazine named me the 50th most powerful person in the city.

OM: Impressive. What did you do to earn such a rating?

SP: Well, for instance, I reported on a curbside ramp that had been poorly designed. It was intended to help people in wheelchairs or in carts. But the area in front of the ramp had been marked to allow parking directly in front of the ramp. I did a write up on it, and the city actually fixed it in a matter of days.

OM: Do they always respond that fast?

SP: No, but it’s nice when they do.

OM: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.

Continued, click here.

American Brandenburg

At the end of a bustling thoroughfare near a city park in Berlin lies the Brandenburg Gate. Completed in 1791, it stands as a stylistic testament to its own era, and originally functioned as a gate to the center of town. But through the course of history, the gate assumed a greater significance. As the cold war enveloped Berlin, the gate came to symbolize the boundary between the East and the West, in Europe and the rest of the world. At that time, the gate became the site of some of the most memorable speeches of American presidents, including Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, and Reagan's "Tear down this wall" speech. Last year, Obama notably and somewhat controversially gave a campaign speech in the nearby Tiergarten park, in which he echoed the call to tear down walls, this time metaphorical ones.

Here in St. Louis, we rode to the center of town to look at the famous Gateway Arch. Aesthetically, the arch bears little similarity to the Brandenburg; it's simplistic rather than ornate. And in true American style, it's larger than life, and bears a striking resemblance to a recognizable corporate logo. It's loud in a quiet way, while Brandenburg is quiet in a loud way, a fitting summation of the contrast between our two continents. But the two gates, the Brandenburg Gate and the Gateway Arch, both compel their visitors to reflect on the differences between life on either sides of them. The Brandenburg represents more of a cultural divide; the continent spans dozens of languages and disparate traditions. The arch represents the vast geographical disparity between eastern and western North America, an acknowledgment that even though English is spoken from the Pacific to the Atlantic, people's lives are dramatically different from city to city or state to state. Yet, with the demise of the Berlin wall, and numerous bridges spanning the Mississippi, the two gates serve the opposite function of traditional gates. They don't divide, they unite.

As my associate and I cross over from West to East, we reflected on this. And we both are hopeful that our next president will make good on the pledge made hypocritically by our last president; that he will be a uniter, not a divider.

A Chat With Some Friendly Columbians

I made contact with a few people at the Ragtag Cinema in Columbia, MO by email earlier in the week, and they were gracious enough to invite me over for a chat. At the ticket booth Sunday afternoon were Michael Lefevbre and Amanda Shea, both of whom were willing to talk a bit about Ragtag, Columbia, and Missouri between selling movie tickets to actual customers. While we were talking, a guy with messy hair walked in and asked if I wanted to attend a "Bye Bye Bush" bash. I told him I couldn't since I was from California, and he thought I meant California, Missouri.

Obamathon Man: Hi, are you Amanda?

Amanda Shea: Yeah, and this is Michael.

Michael Lefevbre: Good to meet you. Would you like to see Milk or Slumdog Millionaire?

AS: No, these guys are just here to ask some questions. Hey, I'll be right back, I haven't eaten lunch and I was just about to snag some food. Why don't you guys have a chat while I'm gone?

OM: Sounds good to me.

ML: So you're a reporter?

OM: Actually I'm a blogger. It's like being a reporter except you make less money. So, this is the premiere independent movie theater in Columbia?

ML: We're the only independent movie theater in Columbia.

OM: So that would make you the premiere independent movie theater by default.

ML: I guess so.

OM: Does Ragtag attract students from the University's film Department?

ML: The University of Missouri doesn't really have a film program, although there are classes. Stephens College is also in town, and they offer a degree in film. It's an all girls school up the street. But in general our audiences tend to be people who are just interested in watching movies and maybe having dessert or a drink afterward, not hardcore film buffs.

OM: Driving into town, Columbia looks very historic. Do you like it here?

ML: Yes I do. I like it because there's more to it than just the typical college stuff. It's got a different vibe than many college towns. But UM does put on some good events sometimes.

OM: Tell me a bit about Missouri in general.

ML: Well, it depends where you are. The cities will obviously be different than the rural areas. Missouri is basically a southern state, but there are also holdouts like Columbia that have a completely different feel.

OM: We talked with someone from Kansas City, and she told us that Missouri has strong ties to Thomas Jefferson. Is this true?

ML: Well, sort of. As far as day to day life here, we're not exactly thing about Thomas Jefferson all the time. But, actually, the UM campus a few blocks away has the original tombstone of Jefferson. And our capital city is named after Jefferson as well. Ironically, the people of Jefferson City wouldn't like Jefferson if he was still around.

OM: Pretty conservative town?

ML: Yeah. It wasn't always the capital though. The capital used to be in St. Charles, just west of St. Louis.

OM: Really? When'd they move it over?

ML: Dunno, but I'll look it up here.

OM: Nice to live in an age when cash registers have access to Wikipedia.

ML: Yeah, pretty astounding. Ah, here it is. The capital moved to Jefferson City in 1826. Fun fact.

OM: I'm looking at your calendar here, and it says that ragtag is hosting an inaugural party.

ML: Well, we're a nonprofit organization, so in order to keep our tax status we need to be non-partisan. We are hosting a get together of sorts where we screen the inauguration and the festivities that follow on the big screen of our theaters, but this is purely in the interest of informing the populace in national affairs. Drinks may or may not be served afterward.

OM: What was it like in Columbia on election day?

ML: Even though this theater is non-partisan, the crowd we attract aren't regulated in their political beliefs, and we do attract a generally pro-Obama crowd. For election day, we got cable for the theater just so we could screen the election results. It was pretty festive, and of course when the results were announced the crowd went wild. Hey look! Amanda's back. Why don't you talk with her for a bit? I have some cleaning up to do at the bar.

OM: Do what you gotta do. But first, do you mind if I take a picture of you and your box office? This has to be one of the most unique box offices I've ever seen, by the way.

ML: Yeah, it's actually a model of a Soviet sculpture, "The Rise of the Third Reich". No wait, "The Rise of the Third Estate". The Soviets hated the Third Reich. Nice talking with you. Amanda, would you mind talking over the box office now?

AS: Sure.

OM: Hey there Amanda, how were the sandwiches?

AS: Not too bad.

OM: Unfortunately, I don't have time to see a movie here. But I heard both Milk and Slumdog Millionaire are really good.

AS: Yeah, you should watch them both. We also screened The Times of Harvey Milk a few weeks ago as a double feature with Milk.

OM: I'll have to rent them both, I probably won't have time to see them for a few weeks though. But that brings up an interesting question. We were in California during the lead-up to Prop. 8, and unfortunately our votes couldn't help overturn it. But there was definitely a feeling in California that everyone in the country was watching the results of that proposition. Were people here in Missouri generally opinionated on the issue?

AS: Well I certainly had some strong opinions on Prop. 8, and so did many of the people here. I really was hoping the election would go the other way, since California seems to set the trend on issues like this. I kind of felt helpless since I couldn't vote, but I wrote all kinds of letters to people in California hoping to change their minds.

OM: Yeah, that's how we in California feel during presidential elections, when people in Ohio get to choose who our president will be. I hope that what comes out of this election is tighter restrictions on out-of-state money spent on state-specific elections, it was just horrifying to see our elections shaped by money coming from Utah. But we all have our fingers crossed that the supreme court will rule it as unconstitutional in March.

AS: Yeah, me too. I'm getting updates about it through the Facebook group, but nothing seems to be happening until then.

OM: It just goes to show that there really aren't red or blue states, just red and blue regions. I mean, here we are in a supposedly red state, but as you're telling me, most of the people here in Columbia support gay marriage. On the other hand, California is generally considered a very "blue" state, but if you go to San Bernadino it looks and feels exactly like the South. However, after spending an entire day in Kansas yesterday, I think it's pretty safe to call the whole state red.

AS: Yeah, Kansas is special. Did you stop to see the giant prairie dog?

OM: Nah, but I'll always cherish my memory of driving by.

AS: Well I hate to spoil things for you, but it's not real.

OM: Dammit! I was so hopping it was. Michael was telling me a bit about Columbia. Would you say there's more to it than just the college?

AS: Definitely. What happens is, many people from around the state come here for college and just stay. I went to a few different colleges before coming here, but I like it here.

OM: And you've got a pretty good job here too. Are you associated with the video rental place next door?

AS: Nah, we're just friendly neighbors. But check them out, they've got a great selection, and they're one of the few video rental places to have hand-drawn caricatures of great directors.

OM: Well thanks for taking time out to talk, and enjoy the inauguration party here on the 20th.

AS: You know it.

The Road to Change 1/11: Rollin' on the Roadway

We awoke in Warrensburg, Missouri, a bit later than I had hoped due to the time change (grrr). We had arrived at night, and I must say, Warrensburg is a bit prettier at night. At least there's nice college nearby. When I went to check out from the hotel, the clerk thought I was with a group of fraternity brothers. To her dismay, I wasn't.

Next stop was Sedalia, an otherwise unremarkable town except for its amazingly well-preserved main street, which in this case was named Ohio Street. Sedalia was the early home of ragtime legend Scott Joplin, before he moved to St. Louis and later New York. The Scott Joplin Foundation occupies the ground floor of the ornate Bothwell Hotel, reminding visitors of Sedalia's little slice of history in the midst of grain silos and Wal-Marts.


After driving for what felt like three hours, we realized we had been driving for an hour and were in Columbia, just in time to admire the historic buildings and the fact that every store's title bore some reference to University of Missouri's mascot, the Tigers. They're great!


We had a pleasant chat with employees at the city's premiere independent movie theater, then we ate a burger and left. On the way to St. Louis, we passed Fulton, the site of Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, as well as more empty space. The increasing frequency of Wal-Marts signaled the approach of St. Louis, and landing airplanes on the horizon indicated the location of our discount motel. Time to park the wheels and take to the heels, the Gateway Arch beckons.

A Quick Chat With Missouri's Blue Girl

Obamathon Man and his associate spent a few hours in the wonderful bi-state metropolitan area of Kansas City (both of em!). The skyscrapers downtown are mostly 30's era, giving the place a cool Gothamesque vibe. We had tentative plans to meet up with Missouri's prominent blogger Blue Girl, but unfortunately more pressing concerns arose at the last minute and couldn't meet up. Blue Girl, sorry we couldn't get together. We thought about getting barbecue and listening to blues without you, but it just wouldn't be the same. Fortunately, BG was kind enough to answer some questions via email. It's just as well, since we might have spoiled her alias.

OM: What is unique about Missouri politics, and Missouri life in general?

BG: We are where east meets west so far as US geography is concerned. We have a history that goes back almost as far as the country itself. The first white settlement in the state was in 1735, and my political party, the Missouri Democratic Party, is the oldest continually-operating political organization west of the Mississippi River. There were Democrats here before we were a state. We consider Thomas Jefferson our founding father, and named our capital city after him. It is often observed that St. Louis is the westernmost eastern city in the country, and KC is the easternmost western city. It's true. We are also two states. We have social conservatives in the south and the rural areas, and we have a liberal urban corridor that pretty much tracks I-70, from KC to StL and takes in Columbia, which splits the state in half.

OM: What problems does Missouri face, and will the new administration be able to help?

BG: Our economy is in the toilet. I am hopeful that we will see some turnaround with good Democratic leadership, tho. Healthcare is going to be a huge millstone around the neck of both the state and national economies for the near term. Doing something there will make a huge difference all the way through the economy.

OM: What's the best part about living in Kansas City?

BG: Barbecue! No, wait, Blues! No, wait...Aw Hell...B.B.'s Lawnside Barbecue! And Winslows! Two of KCs finest traditions meet in these smoky environs!

OM: And, do you have a message for Obama at the inauguration?

BG: "Sir, you have your work cut out for you, and I wish you all the luck in the world. I may not always agree with your decisions, but I didn't even run, let alone get elected, so I am not going to start second guessing like some people already have. You need to keep that in mind, too, and not let us ungrateful whelps beat you down. Should you need me to serve this nation, in any capacity, I will report, and I will serve. No questions ask. It's a nice little republic we have here, and it's a pity something went and happened to it. If you need me to help you fix it, I'm all yours."

Topeka's Brown Legacy

We had been driving for 500 miles and seen signs advertising everything from fertilizer to giant prairie dogs, to winning woman's basketball teams. But in Topeka, one sign stood out; it was the sign for the Brown v. Board of Education Historic Site. The case of Oliver Brown and a series of other plaintiffs versus the Topeka Board of Education is probably the second best known Supreme Court case, after Roe v. Wade. Having been relieved of our time commitment, my associate and I decided to have a look.

The neighborhood near the former Monroe Elementary school was quiet and poorly lit. An empty Topeka Bus passed us as we walked from where we parked to the school. The Capitol dome loomed behind us, lit red in the cold Kansas night. The school, turned monument, was closed by the time we arrived, but the lights were still on inside, and we could see the well preserved signs reading "white" and "colored". Upon seeing this, my first thoughts were not of the images and footage of the civil rights struggle of the US, but of Soviet Russia. Such an intervention into human affairs seemed so foreign to me that a connection to authoritarian regimes was inevitable. Somewhere beyond the conscious workings of my mind, I thought to myself, "That's not America."

Of course, that was America. We have all seen the images, the black and white photographs and the grainy footage of the segregation era. But seeing it recreated gives an immediacy that pictures or films can convey. Fortunately times have changed, and I can't imagine anyone today reacting differently than I did to the Brown Site. In 1954, the year of the supreme court's ruling on the Brown case, we took a step forward. With the election of Obama, we took another step forward, not simply because he's black but because we proved that we won't let race prevent us from electing the best candidate. But I have to say, stopping at the Brown Site made the election of Obama seem all the more significant.

The Road to Change 1/10: Yes We Kansas

We spent all day yesterday driving, without too much to report. Kansas is long, not entirely flat, but flat enough to be dull. Denver to Kansas City is about 600 miles, and we lost an hour on the way, so it took us until nightfall to cross the state. Leaving Colorado, the mountains were visible in the rear view mirror for nearly 100 miles, and before we left the state we crossed through Deer Trail, which boasted that it was the home of the world's first rodeo. Entering Kansas, we passed through the the border town of Kanorado (clever), Colby, Hays, Salina, and Abeliene, and found them not to be noticeably different from each other. Good thing we had an interesting audio book to listen to.



The roadside is the Kansan's message board to the rest of the country. Hastily built signs trumpet the World's largest prairie dog, advertise fertilizer, and assure us Jesus is real. And in Kansas, he is; the only structure as prominent on the vacant horizon as grain silos are church steeples. We passed a field of wind turbines in central Kansas, and later, a truck delivering a blade to one of the broken ones. While Kansas may not have the most attractive topography, it is also the home state of Stanley Ann Dunham, mother of Barack Obama.