tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111861929050830841.post8567269814476943345..comments2024-03-18T00:50:03.993-07:00Comments on St. Louis Energized: Congratulations to MVVA Team, Winner of The City + The Arch + The River 2015 Competition!Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585486397377256776noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111861929050830841.post-66812966935154893802010-09-27T16:00:14.939-07:002010-09-27T16:00:14.939-07:00Way to be positive about the Jury's choice. T...Way to be positive about the Jury's choice. The first reaction so many people have is to complain, but you are absolutely right when you say that we are lucky to have these improvements and are smart to pursue feasible changes.<br /><br />I also like Ray's positivity about the highway and think that his perspective on it is great. Although I completely agree with CitytoRiver that Highway 70 needs to go, several pedestrian bridges over the highway may be a better short term solution than a big expensive lid that could just get in the way when highway removal actually happens.<br /><br />It's nice to hear some different opinions sometimes! Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111861929050830841.post-73032645648657025862010-09-25T18:31:53.695-07:002010-09-25T18:31:53.695-07:00Thanks for the nice post. What follows is just my...Thanks for the nice post. What follows is just my opinion as a life-long St. Louisan who's stood by and watched some of the dumbest things go down when it comes to St. Louis and its architecture. I thought all of the designs missed the mark by a mile.<br /><br />No offense, but "yawn" terribly terribly boring design. I didn't see much in this design that should cost $350 million either.<br /><br />Museum entrance OK, work around the Old Cathedral, OK, but what can you do with it when it sticks out like a sore thumb and always has. They should have moved the church when they built the Arch, and they still should move it. Pavement by the river for public events, huh, that's already there. Tearing down the Arch parking garage, for what, less parking and more congestion, surely they could work around or over that. An open air ampitheater on the North part of the Arch grounds, it won't be used for long and will be a trash collector within a year AND there's already one of those in the Gateway Mall (with a fountain) about 6 blocks West. Putting an ampitheater on the East Side (along with other usable spaces) is a much better idea and until many St. Louisans start looking at the REGION including the East Side, the designs will always be half-baked. A bird sanctuary seems very 1990s and won't be used much at all if they market it as that. "The best views of downtown St. Louis is for the birds" HeeHaw This part of the design is a not so thinly veiled suggestion that the design team didn't seem to have a clue of what to do on the East side.<br /><br />And the piece of most resistance, the awful idea of putting a lid over the highway, that may not be a highway but may be a boulevard sometime etc. (No way it will EVER happen, fat chance I say) A "lid" to do what, channel the noise up and down the highway. Why don't they just give everyone a pair of earplugs at the Old Courthouse and save a few million on this tacky "lid" over the highway. One of the best things about visiting the Arch (especially for kids) is looking down on the highway, feeling the breeze of the passing cars and inhaling exhaust fumes. That's part of the experience and should always be part of it. This is a "city" last I checked. Besides, one could even say that Interstate 70 is more of a monument to "Westward Expansion" than the arch could ever be.<br /><br />I say, put a couple of pre-fabricated bridges over the streets and highway to make the passage across easier (like the bridge on the bike trail over the River des Peres in South St. Louis) and shut up about it already. It would look a thousand times better than the dumb "lid" I've seen a hundred designs for over the years, It still looks like a dumb "lid" And, those metal bridges would cost about $100 million less.<br /><br />Cheers.<br /><br /><br />ray at architecturastlouis.blogspot.comRAY DENISOHNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13018469040085141076noreply@blogger.com