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Taylor-Lindell corner deserves special security
To the editor:
The Archdiocese of St. Louis plans to demolish the now empty San Luis Apartments building on its property at the corner of Taylor Avenue and Lindell Boulevard. To many concerned citizens and urbanists the demolition of this building is of somewhat less concern than the proposal to create a surface parking lot at this prominent corner.
The land on which the San Luis Apartments currently sits will undoubtedly be retained by the archdiocese, regardless of the fate of the vacant building, as this piece of land is part of its legacy.
Most urbanists will argue that the archdiocese’s parking lot proposal is a land-use issue much more than a debate about the preservation of a specific building. This ultimately means the San Luis Apartments — or another building appropriate to this site — should occupy the space. Regardless of its owner, the urban property and its condition should be subject to elevated scrutiny from the public because of the important role the property plays.
There are at least a handful of adaptive reuse options that should be entertained: it could revert to its original purpose as a motor hotel; other possibilities include a modern traveler’s hostel, market-rate apartments or even student housing. At minimal cost there could be very inviting café-style seating spilling out of commercial space on the first floor and this would certainly help soften the current pedestrian-unfriendly way it faces the street.
For those who attended the March 29 meeting hosted by the Central West End Association, it should be clear that the ultimate purpose of this proposal by the archdiocese is not to gain parking, but rather to remove a liability and preserve the acreage for church legacy. If parking alone were the motive for the plan, then the existing spaces of the San Luis Apartments would be currently used as needed.
It’s not entirely clear whether the archdiocese has any interest in a profit-generating entity occupying the building, but what is clear is that its removal, only to be replaced with suburban-style surface parking, will show that the archdiocese is not acting in the best interests of the urban neighborhood. There are simply too many alternative solutions for parking to believe there is no better way to treat this important urban street corner. The preservation of the San Luis Apartments presents the best chance the Central West End may have to prevent more suburban creep from entering our grand old city.
John Wimmer,
St. Louis
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