St. Louis - A Blog City 1:10 PM

On Thursday, June 3, City Affair will be discussing citizen activism and blogging in St. Louis. They've entitled the event "Blog City" and have invited me to speak! I can't wait. To my own surprise, I'll be in there in person to take questions. Event details are here and below:

Thursday, June 3rd 2010
7:00-9:00 PM
Urban Eats Café
3301 Meramec Street
St. Louis, Mo. 63118

Not to spoil the fun by tackling this topic early, but there seems to be a dissonant chord among some St. Louis bloggers and observers that I wanted to talk about first. Some people feel that bloggers, and their blogs, are merely creating noise and that feet aren't hitting the pavement. In other words, St. Louis's urban blogs might be inspiring discussion, but there's not enough action resulting from this dialog.

I can go along with this statement easily, but only because we should never be satisfied with the level of citizen involvement we currently have. We can pat ourselves on the back for progress, sure, but we can also always do better.

But there are some commentators on the Blog City notion that suggest something further than the above--that bloggers are talking about the wrong things and may be even harming any efforts to create meaningful change in urban St. Louis. After all, blogging about your favorite streetscape in Dutchtown or the outcome of the Preservation Board hearing doesn't do anything for St. Louis's quality of life issues that hold it back: crime, education, poverty, etc.

Sure it doesn't. What urban blogging does do, however, is get people excited about their city and interested in parts of it they had perhaps never seen or never felt connected to. The next criticism to level against this statement is, well, are we only strengthening the singing voices of the choir, preaching to the converted? Maybe so. But an engaged and informed core of people willing to do anything to advance their city is not a bad thing, no matter if it appears to be a small percentage of the overall city's population or not. We need these people and their passion.

Besides, most blogs and their bloggers never set about blogging with the expectation of creating a paradigm shift in the city of St. Louis. Most people just love their city and want to share it with those who'll listen. Most of us bloggers have been surprised at the positive reception of the general public towards our posts. Dotage St. Louis, for one, was never begun with the intention of launching a political campaign, creating better schools, or ending poverty in the city. If my blog could do these things, I'd never quit clicking the keys. As I've put it in the past, Dotage is my love letter to the city that gave me so much. I owe to St. Louis the person I am today, whom I generally like.

If I've convinced one person to go out and proselytize about Carondelet's limestone cottages to a wider audience, then, in my mind, Dotage has been successful. If we bloggers happen to be helping cobble together a coalition of people seeking urban change along the way, then I am beyond thrilled, and am honored to be a part of it.

A note to would-be bloggers out there: don't start with a lofty goal of solving the problem of crime and violence in the city. Just let your passion flow forth and see if anyone gets caught in the stream.

Disrupting a National Historic Landmark 9:38 AM

I don't usually dedicate an entire blog post to someone else's blog post, but the occasion calls for it.

Rob Powers of Built St. Louis has posted a provocative piece on the Archgrounds Redevelopment--AKA Framing a Modern Masterpiece international design competition.

Powers argues that the landscaping, while a nice photo-op, is not part of the city. He calls for the landscape surrounding the Arch to be built upon, restoring a street grid and "bringing the city back to the Arch".

It is important to note that both the Arch and its surrounding landscape architecture are listed as a single National Historic Landmark.

How would you feel seeing the reflecting ponds and other green space disappear in favor of an urban street grid?

In my own opinion, the grounds make for a masterful design of deferring to the Arch in every way. The sleek, modernist monument is almost elemental, rising out of passive green space just as sinuously as its curving pathways and reflective lakes.

That said, if an urban streetscape restoration were gradual and were highly invested, I don't know if I would much miss this reflective landscaping. I simply worry about the execution of any construction projects in our time. Craftsmanship and creativity are too often lacking, most markedly when juxtaposed next to our city's cache of historic buildings. Especially if such a project were to have too low a budget or be conceived and built by one developer/builder, I don't think the result would honor our modern masterpiece. I do believe in good, sound contemporary construction--but we would need something especially smart to defer to the silent grandeur of the Arch.

Besides that caveat, I simply doubt the National Park Service would ever go for it. What do you think?

Ghost Signs / Exploring St. Louis 11:28 PM

St. Louis's urban blogosphere is getting so large it's hard to keep track of everyone's musings on the built environment of our fair city!

That's why I'm lucky to have discovered "Exploring St. Louis", one of the latest entries into the foray.

I think you'll really enjoy the author's post on St. Louis's numerous and storied "ghost signs". Don't forget to check out the accompanying Flickr photo set. And don't forget to bookmark!

The Battle of St. Louis: Fighting Our City's Inferiority Complex 4:44 PM

St. Louis has an infamous inferiority complex. Most date it to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, an object of local fixation and a perfect demonstration of the great heights that the city fell from. We were once an international destination--all eyes on us--and now we're a plaintive Midwestern backwater.

Most of today's renewed crop of St. Louis boosters recognize that the nature of the inferiority complex is, by definition, internal. Its our own residents, city and suburbs alike, pounding St. Louis into the ground, not people from other cities. (Well, Chicago is jealous of our Cardinals, and Austin, Texas seems to have a superiority complex, but it's really just those two).

Many St. Louisans grow up with an internalized indifference, dislike, or even hatred of their own city. Some of them move far outside the city and don't look back (or their parents did so a generation ago).

Like...this guy, a student of St. Louis University (in 2003) who penned a petty piece on his hatred of St. Louis, aptly titled "St. Louis: how I hate thee".

Here are some lowlights from that editorial. It's worth noting that it is one of the University News' most commented articles, even today, and most of those comments are either lukewarm or brutally negative themselves.

I'm no anthropologist, but, as a high school history teacher of mine noted, every society has culture--even Affton. Culture like cruising Lindbergh Boulevard with neon license plate holders; culture like the monstrosity of a movie house called Ronnie's and its sea of waist high pre-pubescents wearing clothing and make-up that would make a hooker blush (my friend dubbed these youngsters "prosti-tots"); culture like having every major road and highway within a 50-mile radius of St. Louis clogged with bumper to bumper traffic that makes the opening scene of Office Space look like a documentary. Forgive me if I'm unimpressed.

Hyperbole, much?

I suppose I post this because I've grown tired of fighting people that can't see the positive and the potential of St. Louis. Yet it's difficult to exist in St. Louis without some pre-existing database of words, phrases, and neighborhoods in your head to counter the next "why do you stay here?" commentaries.

To that effect, I knew there would be someone in St. Louis's vast online journalism community that could sum up their love for the city better than I can. Or at least do so less wordily.

That's why I wanted to post these three uplifting St. Louis articles/commentaries that really fly in the face of the critics. Read them and weep--with tears of joy for our much-maligned, but, I feel, kickass city that I feel is truly becoming a great place to live.

The first is a well-put blog post from St. Louis Magazine. The second is a lengthy article in that same publication discussing the movement of "Creatives" to St. Louis and includes more boosterism than I think I have ever read in something written about St. Louis. And the last is a particularly snarky, yet no less inspiring (and early--written in 2002!) defense of St. Louis from haterism by our own Riverfront Times.

Kicking Against the Myth of "St. Louis, Misery
St. Louis Magazine - Look/Listen Blog
Stefene Russell

Quote:

We have a great contingent of place-sensitive, brilliant, creative people who are doing that work here locally, too. When seen through this filter, St. Louis is anything but miserable. Tiny ripples are starting to reach shore; PSFK, "a trends an innovation company" that runs a daily news site, has been doing a "Report from Middle America," series, and today's post focuses on Black Bear Bakery. This weekend, scores of those young bloggy creative types will be gathering in the West End to protest the possible demolition of the San Luis Apartments with a "Valentine's Day Love-In." They may just save that building, and more: the astrological alignment that the Broadway hippies saing about in "Age of Aquarius," will actually occur tomorrow! Now, that's having some major mojo on your side, at least if you're organizing a love-in. Change, I think, is continuing to blow through the air, but I think it will be a while before the list-makers figure that out.

The Rise of the Creative Class
St. Louis Magazine
Lynnda Greene

Quote:

Educated, imaginative, enterprising people of all ages and persuasions have migrated to St. Louis over the last decade to join an already vibrant, if largely subterranean, creative ecosystem. Here—amid the historic architecture, patchwork street life, distinct neighborhoods, diverse ethnic populations, city parks and grungy warehouses—they find a creative freedom that they’ve experienced nowhere else. Fueled by a jury-rigged spirit of optimism and ingenuity, they love this city shamelessly. They’re determined to restore its glory—and, if we’re careful, they just might succeed.

Best of 2002 - St. Louis
Riverfront Times
Randall Roberts

Quote:

Losers, crybabies and unsettled souls love to blame St. Louis for their frustrations, as though something as nebulous as a city could be held responsible for a human being’s unhappiness. “Everything would be better if I were in (enter name of hipper city here). There’s so much more action there. I’ve got my choice of two dozen vegetarian restaurants, hundreds of international markets. Amazing shows every night! A rock scene. An art scene. House and techno scenes. An amazing theater scene. Hotter boys. Sexier girls. Get this: (insert hip city here) has a store devoted only to Asian incense! Weird!”

And yet these same unsatisfied souls have never been to a production by the Black Rep, have never been to Lo when Astroboy’s spinning house, never grooved to the Hot House Sessions at the Delmar, never rocked with the Fantasy Four at Lemmons. They haven’t experienced the sublime joy of In Soo’s shrimp moo shu. They’ve never listened to the amazing DJ Needles on Q95.5, don’t even know what the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is, let alone that Tadao Ando’s creation has been touted as one of the most important new American buildings of the decade. No, they’ve never cruised on a Saturday afternoon down Martin Luther King Boulevard, as revealing a St. Louis history lesson as there is, have never sneaked onto a downtown roof -- which isn’t that hard to do if you pay attention -- at 5 a.m. with your honey and watched the sun rise between the legs of the Arch.

Feeling uplifted? Don't let it stop here. Link me your own inspiring write-up in defense of St. Louis, and I'll post it here. You don't necessarily have to be the author, but make sure to give credit where it's due!

Dotage Turns One! Happy Birthday! 1:01 AM

It was a year ago today that I began Dotage to document my advanced stage of home-sickness (and sickness of my home's planning and preservation blunders).

Read my first post here.

Thank you to all my readers and to all of the people who have encouraged me to continue blogging! Thanks go to St. Louis for being so bloggable!

Oh, and, please, leave your birthday wishes in the comments below! Each comment truly is a gift to me.

About this Blog 2:41 PM

The Blog, Generally


Dotage St. Louis discusses a range of topics, but its primary purpose is to document St. Louis's one-of-a-kind built environment and offer commentary on how St. Louis could be improved. As an urban planner and historic preservationist by trade, I believe our unique built environment is the key to reviving the city; it's our asset over other cities and even our own suburbs. If I had to select a genre, Dotage is a historic preservation blog, but I also delve into politics, development, transportation, local businesses, and more.




About Me, Generally

Matthew Mourning, 24

I'm an urban planner interested in all things "urban"--especially St. Louis.

I was born in St. Louis and lived there until I left for graduate school in New Orleans in August 2007. For those interested in neighborhoods, I grew up in Bevo practically in the shadow of the landmark Bevo Mill. I later lived briefly in Tower Grove East and Lafayette Square, before getting a "real" apartment (as in, my name was on the lease!) in Forest Park Southeast above Sweetie Pies. I went to St. Louis University for a bachelor's degree in urban affairs. Being in Midtown nearly everyday really makes one reflect on the state of St. Louis's built environment.

I attend--soon to be attended--the University of New Orleans for urban and regional planning. My focus within the program is historic preservation, though I think my "community development" coursework is nearly on par with it. My professional goal is the same as my personal goal: to see to it that America's great older cities with their important, though fractured infrastructure are not pushed aside entirely for something newer, less sustainable, and less beautiful.

My boyfriend, Michael, is a sort of ghost writer on this blog, having inspired many posts. He got a job in Washington D.C., and by some strange and circuitous circumstances, we were forced to essentially abandon New Orleans on a couple weeks' notice and somehow ended up living in Baltimore. I miss New Orleans now, in addition to St. Louis, but am loving Baltimore. I especially love the incredibly easy access to D.C., New York, Philadelphia, and so many other American cities of note.

When Did You Fall in Love with St. Louis and Why Did You Start this Blog?


I have a very specific reason for being so enamored with my hometown.

I attended St. Louis University High School, where I was in a severe minority having grown up inside city limits. My fellow classmates regarded the surrounding neighborhood, Kings Oak, with an irrational degree of fear. While I had had suburban relatives that mocked the city and deemed it off limits to those who sought to excel in life, anti-city bias really hit home when I saw that my family was no anomaly.

In 2000, I volunteered for a service "trip" to south St. Louis to deliver donated food to newly arrived Eastern European immigrants. I partially volunteered, I must admit, because I was so excited to show some of my friends--all from the suburbs--my urban neighborhood. I thought that they would be fascinated, intrigued, inquisitive--not disgusted, fearful, and ignorant, as they turned out to be. They played "count the crackhouse" and were ducking for cover upon seeing pedestrians, who they assumed wielded guns. Why did they have this reaction?

Their presumptions about my neighborhood, and the city in general, led me on a lifelong journey to defend my city. In historical research, and, later, countless hours of driving and walking the city, I found an undeniable American urban gem who shouldn't have to try so hard to win affection.

I started this blog to document my thoughts on the city from afar; to keep in touch with goings-on; to hopefully insert ideas from New Orleans and now Baltimore onto the St. Louis scene; and to monitor our important, fragile built environment.

What's "Dotage" and What Does it Have to Do with St. Louis?

The word "dotage" (that's DOHT-ij) has two primary meanings. The most common meaning is essentially senility, or a fading of the mind with age. I see this as an analogy for an aging Rustbelt city, slowly losing its built environment, its links to its past. But dotage also is the noun for the verb "to dote [upon]". Doting upon something means that you have a sort of unshakable affection for it, as from a parent to a child. Again, this hits the spot for my purposes: I view the city, somehow, as so ingrained in my own identity that its sufferings are mine. Does that sound over the top? Read this blog and you'll know it's no exaggeration.

Can I Submit Something for Publishing?


Yes. I am always open to submissions. I do reserve the right to edit them for clarity or grammatical issues. Please send me an email at matthewmourning@gmail.com for more details.

Can I Advertise on Your Site?


Yes, but, as you can see from my layout, you may not get the most visible spot. Send me your information and a small advertisement and I will place it in my sidebar above my tag cloud. Currently, this service is free, though with increased interest I may charge a nominal fee.

Can I Use Photographs and Other Media on Your Site?

Of course. Make sure to properly attribute the source. Often I borrow from other web sites. In that case, you  might want to source the item as "Courtesy of [Blank], via Dotage St. Louis" with a link to the particular post.

I Have a Question Not Addressed Here...


Please send me an email at matthewmourning@gmail.com. I am a Gmail addict and will likely respond within 24 hours.

The requisite introductory words... 4:58 PM

I am hoping that this blog will actually be regularly updated; will feature essays on St. Louis architecture and urbanity. I am hoping to decry the demolitions, mourn what's missing, praise what's presently left, and fight against a fulsome future. If it sounds negative, rather than uplifting, you're probably reading correctly.

Unlike many cities, praise for St. Louis--a parochial, slow growth city--must come in a form that challenges its (that is, its leaders and its residents) very reality and daily functioning as a city. The present reality is one of a city that cannot ever recover from its former World's Fair era glory, its short run as the nation's fourth largest city. So then why try?

Well, because the same great city that 850,000 once called home is still, in physical form, there before our eyes. That is, what has survived the ravages of urban renewal and years of flight to the suburbs is anyway. And we, as lovers of this city, should be fighting to preserve that heritage.

Ironically, this is the future of St. Louis, in looking at its past. Supporting a city that cherishes small scale neighborhood retail and restaurants, beautiful (even when it's plain and unindulged) historic red brick architecture, and the ability to walk, bike, skip, or whathaveyou to your destination. And that's just the tip.

The decay of St. Louis, ever present in some areas and more and more quickly disappearing in others, has held a mirror to St. Louisans for quite some time now. The refracted image is ghastly but beautiful in its abandon; for all its spookiness, it appears a saner alternative than miles of strip malls and disjointed post-modern manses with their backs turned to history, culture, and a heritage in which to take pride.

With this blog, I hope to supply images and essays that convey the potential of this overlooked river town not to realize an idealized version of the Victorian period, but a sensible and attainable way of delivering a preserved St. Louis into a post-post-modern future and all of its present realities.

I call the blog "Dotage" because, at times, there is little else to my favor for St. Louis than fond affection. I often boast of my hometown with the disclaimer, "I can't explain it but..." There's a magnetism there for some of us urbanists that transcends our roles as the uniformed observer or even the planner who's read tract after tract on urban design and urban history. It should be noted that "dotage" is also the loss of one's memory over time, through old age, so please note the double entendre.

It's a unique, if suffering, place finally poised for a rebirth. So let's explore.