17 July 2014

Saint Louis projects


Saint Louis keeps getting better. Here are some of the ways --

Riverfront: Progress continues on the CityArchRiver rejuvenation project. The grounds are being revamped and the museums updated around the Gateway Arch, the city's famous icon designed by Eero Saarinen. The project was mounted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Arch in 2015. Here's an article I wrote about it last July that includes an interview with Bill Haley of Haley Sharpe Design. DJ Willrich Ltd. is providing AV services on this project. Here's a story from June 2014 about the Park over the Highway.


https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/14117165496_ea69d59360_c.jpg
Midtown: The former Sun Theater has been fully restored to become the performing arts center for the Grand Center Arts Academy. Architect on the project was The Lawrence Group, which has its corporate headquarters in Saint Louis. This feature in NextSTL.com has excellent before & after photos by Michael Kelly.






Downtown
The new Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum opened April 7, 2014 at Ballpark Village. The museum was designed by Saint Louis based PGAV Destinations. The $100 million first phase of Ballpark Village opened in late March. The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is holding a behind the scenes industry event at the new Cardinals HOF on July 24.


Union Station's new owner, Saint Louis based Lodging Hospitality Management is renovating the 120-year-old facility, and the Grand Hall has been transformed with an immersive, projection mapping experience provided by Jack Rouse Associates and Mood Media. Here's the story released July 17, 2014.

Transit: Saint Louis has a reasonably good public transit system that includes a light rail system (connecting to the airport among other places). Recently they added several newly acquired articulated buses to help alleviate crowding on the busiest bus line, the #70. Metro Arts in Transit jumped into the act and had a public bus painting event for the occasion. This is my neighborhood bus, and I am an artist, so I joined my neighbors in the volunteer, paint-by-numbers exercise and was included in coverage by the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch:
Saint Louis Post Dispatch
"Judy snaps a selfie" Saint Louis Post-Dispatch