Delmar streetscape: update

I was down at Vintage Vinyl yesterday and after making a purchase of vinyl (Electric Six, Cheap Trick, Black Diamond Heavies & Aerosmith) I decided to take a walk east through the Loop. The streetscape project seems to be moving along at a nice pace. The old-timey streetlights going up look very nice and add a bit more character to an already colorful area. They're placed about every 50 feet or so, and are rather nice looking.

After doing a little more exhaustive research, I found a few blogs and a Fox 2 news article on the project. The project started in May and is scheduled to run through November, but it appears as if it might be done sooner. The trees that were cut down (mostly on the north side of Delmar) were almost all either sick, dying, dead or damaged in some fashion. Some trees, like the ones in front of Blueberry Hill are coming down because they produce an unpleasant odor. I'm assuming that more will eventually be planted, but they will be ones that won't get out of hand as they grow.

The Loop is now almost shadeless, save for the umbrellas of various cafes that dot the sidewalk from Kingsland to Eastgate, but in all actuality, its also let the beauty of the buildings come through. For so many years, these interesting buildings have been shrouded behind the canopy of leaves. Now, even though a majority of the trees are gone, The Loop still maintains an element of beauty that I'm slowly getting used to. The biggest difference is in front of Fitz's. The old bank building's facade is a beautiful piece of architecture, and is now completely exposed for everyone to see.

Additionally, some sidewalks are being replaced and wheelchair cuts in the corners are also getting a makeover. Once this project is completed, and additional redevelopment is done east of Skinker, The Loop will start to really come together as a whole, aesthetically. This is a far cry from what the place looked like 20 years ago, and with any luck, it will continue to grow and thrive.

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Interestingly, the Riverfront Times ran a piece this last week about the recent violent attacks that occurred at Metrolink Station in The Loop. Its an interesting story, and one that I'm sure is going to generate a lot of controversy. There's no doubt that a bad element has used the transit system as a way of getting from one locale to another, but I think what is failed to be addresses is the reasons behind the violent behavior and what can be done by local officials, parents and the schools to stem the tide of delinquency. The Loop has always been a magnate for teens and young people, but its only recently that an uptick in violence has become a problem. Address the reasons behind that, rather than put questionable laws in to place, and maybe we might get somewhere. At least that's my take on it.

The Loop Tree Massacre

This morning I went to Blueberry Hill for a job interview, and as I was walking from the parking lot behind Fitz's to Delmar, something seemed different. Upon further inspection, I realized that the trees in front of the root beer bottler were no longer there, thus revealing the old bank building facade that Fitz's now inhabits. At first, i was kind taken aback by the missing foliage, and as I looked up and down the street, I realized that several other trees that once lined the Loop are no longer standing, either. The only evidence of their prior existence were the presence of many tree stumps sticking about four inches or less out of the ground.

Even though I live in University City, I haven't been down Delmar in broad daylight in about two weeks. Usually when I make the trip through the Loop, its dark, and I have an agenda, not bothering to really look around. I had noticed several spots on the sidewalks this spring and early summer that looked like the genesis of new street lights, but that was about it.

Well, today, I put two and two together and realized that the Loop is undergoing a somewhat major face-lift. The trees are being cut down (presumably) to make way for the new street lights and to give better visibility to the businesses that line the street. When coming home from work this afternoon I took Delmar to Midland instead of traveling down Vernon- my usual route- I noticed that crews had installed nearly all of the light standards. They were still swaddled in cardboard and duct tape, and the tops weren't yet attached, but its pretty darn obvious that we're going to be getting better lighted sidewalks here pretty soon. The lights stand about 15 feet or so tall, but I can't yet determine what style they are.

While I think its cool that U City is investing some money in its storied section, I also think that the length of Delmar between Skinker and Kingsland now looks a little bare. I don't know why the city felt the need to completely eliminate nearly 90% of the trees that adorned the street. Most were healthy and robust, and most didn't really interfere with street or foot traffic. The canopies of most of the trees were over 15 feet anyway, so a majority of these new lights would still have been underneath the clusters of leaves. Couldn't they have simply trimmed them instead of felling them? The trees created a nice, symbiotic feel in The Loop. On one hand, you had a bustling urban center that attracts many consumers and businesses alike, but then you also had the greenery that gave it a nice soothing feel to the street-scape, not to mention a little shade.

I'm looking all over the internet for some mention of this, but have yet to see any. If you happen to know why the city made this decision, please share.