Nicki's Central West End Guide

Classic Car Show at the Racquet Club

 
Last Saturday afternoon members of the CWE's Racquet Club held a classic car show on the Club's  parking lot on McPherson just east of Kingshighway. This is something I would have told you about in advance, as it was open to the public, but it was an "on again-off again" event due to the prospect of inclement weather. About 11 a.m. my brother-in-law called to say that the show was on, as rain had been taken out of the forecast. What a difference ten hours makes, see * below.

My father loved to tinker with cars. When I was close to driving age, he would point out what gizmo was what under the hood of the family car as my eyes would instantly glaze over. Years later, I married a man who loves classic cars. When we were first married we lived in an apartment at 4618 McPherson. It turned out that it was an even better location than we realized, as Jim's finicky --it didn't like cold weather--1955 Jaguar XK 140 Drophead Coupe required frequent attention from the expert mechanics at Gruet Motor Car Works, a Rolls Royce and Jaguar dealership that was just down the block where Shearburn Gallery and Halbert Rug Gallery are now located.....close enough for us to push the car to their front door. It's amazing how heavy those old cars were.

Because Saturday's car show was a last minute affair, there weren't as many people "kicking the tires" (heaven forbid!) as there would normally be at one of these events. So, Racquet Club members are planning a Fall car show, and I'll definitely let you know about it in advance.

*Ten hours or so later all hell broke loose when 6 inches of rain fell in the neighborhood. Water reportedly reached the top of the tires on cars parked at Euclid and Maryland when the storm water collection system couldn't handle the volume. Basements were flooded in restaurants and businesses along the Maryland/Euclid corridor, and in the case of Bar Italia, staff stuffed towels under the entry doors to keep the water out. And I guess you heard that the Schnucks on Lindell was flooded when water filled the parking lot to a level that topped the cars parked there. As the saying goes, "never underestimate the power of Mother Nature."

Water's on at Kennedy Park!

The life of an amateur photographer and occasional blogger can get really dicey when she loses her camera. For about a day, which seemed like several, I scoured the house and office in search of my missing pink Nikon Cool-Pix. When I finally found it, "misfiled" in a storage bag full of plastic bags to be recycled, there was a huge sigh of relief as there are so many photos stored in the camera waiting to be shared. Thus, my blogging life has returned, with this report that the water's on at Kennedy Park!

For those of you who have visited Kennedy Park or pass by it on your way to Bowood Farms, you may have forgotten that it was ever anything but a children's playground. Years ago an abandoned, derelict gas station occupied the triangle where Olive and Washington intersect. After the site was acquired and properly cleaned up (there are strict EPA guidelines for remediating the ground under gas station properties), it was turned into a grass covered baseball-themed art park with a batter's box at the apex of the triangle, and a bleacher section painted by artists Bill Kreplin and Charlie Blood on the wall at the east end. This initial round of improvements was spearheaded by the Central West End Association under the able direction of Jack Byrne, with critical assistance from then Alderman Dan McGuire and funding provided by two local banks and a Federal grant.

In early 2006 a group of committed young parents new to the neighborhood approached my husband with the idea of converting the park into a full-fledged playground. This determined group, which eventually organized as CWE Families & Friends, succeeded in obtaining generous grants from Gateway Foundation and the City of St. Louis Parks Department through the Metro Park Tax Fund, and hired local landscape architect Anne Lewis to assist in turning the concept into reality. During the design process the original triangle was extended 60 feet to the west, which allowed room for the addition of an art component. With financial and administrative assistance from the Regional Arts Commission, a national competition was conducted, resulting in selection of a proposal by North Carolina artist David Tillinghast to install his dome shaped concrete sculpture in the expanded area (see mound below). The addition of a clever hardscape design, extensive landscaping (designed by Lewisites and installed by Bowood Farms), playground equipment, whimsical iron fencing and, in November of 2007, a water feature (see first photo above), have turned Kennedy Park into the "go to" spot for neighborhood parents and their young children.

Ten days ago the water feature was turned on for the summer season. That's when I found a young family who had just moved back to St. Louis from Cape Cod (which seems like the wrong direction at this time of year). The young mother told me her husband got a job here, and they are living with her parents while they look for a house, which they hope will be in the Central West End. In the meantime, they have discovered the park, and have met several other young families while playing there.

David Tillinghast's sculpture, which I will tell you about another time, is shown above just beyond the fountain.

 Only one sister at a time can fit on the concrete balls that are placed around the playground.

Barefoot in the park, which is just about perfect for a lazy summer afternoon in the CWE!

Sunday, June 26

Proposed 28th Ward Map

Every ten years, following the census, the Board of Aldermen is required to redraw the boundaries of the City's 28 Wards to reflect population movement.  Alderman Lyda Krewson unveiled the proposed map of the 28th Ward (first photo above) at last Thursday night's 28th Ward Democratic Committee meeting held at Dressel's Pub Above. Lyda emphasized that the new boundaries are still being considered by the Board of Alderman. The map is difficult to read, even in its larger view shown here. As indicated on Lyda's post-it in the middle of the 28th Ward Map, streets that are to be eliminated from the Ward are indicated as x'd out (the 4900 block of Laclede where the Majestic is for instance), and areas that are proposed to be picked up by the 28th Ward are shaded in yellow. The second map above, showing three neighboring Wards, has proposed boundaries outlined in black. If you are interested in seeing proposed boundary lines for all 28 Wards, look at this map Lyda sent this morning. You can click on it to see street names.

For more on Alderman Lyda Krewson, pick up the latest West End Word to read a wonderful feature about her, or you can read it online right here.

Progress (finally) on 17th Ward "Pond"

 

At the Central West End Association's Public Forum last Saturday morning, 17th Ward Alderman Joe Roddy apologized for not being more diligent in getting something done about the neighborhood eyesore at the corner of Euclid and West Pine. Last summer when I posted a picture of the "pool" there were many comments from readers sharing their frustration with the situation.

There have been several changes in plans for the site, and now after what seems like many years for financing to be arranged, the site has remained blighted with unattractive fencing, irrelevant signage, weeds, and stagnant water.

Thanks to the diligence of CWEA president John Berglund, and a persistent stream of emails he and others sent to Alderman Roddy, the hole is scheduled to be filled in and grass seed planted on top. Alderman Roddy said this will happen within the next ten days.

P. S. on Wednesday morning: Work is in progress!

Meet CWEnder Emma Hand

This is another in a series of posts about creative Central West Enders, this one to introduce you to the fabulous Emma Hand. Emma and her husband Carter (who's pictured on the wall above) live in the CWE with their two young daughters. A couple of years ago Emma created a business called Snap Stories, which this entrepreneur is quick to say "falls into the slightly no brainer category." Simple, yes, but thinking of that "no brainer" and actually getting it to market requires a whole different skill set.

A little background on the subject: Emma grew up in the Tower Grove neighborhood and attended the CWE's Rosati Kain where she fell in love with the neighborhood. She earned a biology degree from Boston University and, tired of the cold winters, moved to southern California to work in biotech sales. While in San Diego she met Carter, a California native.

The couple moved north to San Francisco where Emma took a job at Sunset Magazine doing online marketing and partnership building. Fed by the creative energy at the magazine, she moonlighted making stickers and took them to trade shows where she was asked if she had other products for sale. The contacts she made then came in handy when she was ready to produce Snap Stories. 

When Emma realized she missed home and her family, she persuaded Carter to move to St. Louis and give it a try. They bought a charming house on a CWE street that's populated by other young families. As we sat on the Hands' front porch the afternoon I visited, a neighbor and her three children walked to their house a few doors away.  As the young mothers exchanged greetings, it reminded me of the enduring friendships our family found on Lenox Place and the neighboring streets when our children were growing up.

For years Emma was complimented on her handwriting and handmade cards. When the Hands' friends had children, this clever mother would paste pictures of the new baby in old picture books and give them as gifts. Putting the two ideas together she created Snap Stories, shown above, an extremely easy way for children and adults to get favorite photos into a story.

As Emma and I arranged her products for the photograph above, I noticed that a "pro/con" notepad on her desk has nothing written on the negative side---entirely appropriate for her creation. Emma's catchy tagline for Snap Stories is "there is no mess...just peel and press." Watch a video of Emma showing just how easy Snap Stories are right here. For people like me who love looking at beautiful scrapbooking papers and embellishments but can't imagine taking the time to actually create one, these books are a quick way to get some of our photos out of storage boxes and into use.

I chose the "My Great Adventure" book and found it to be just about perfect for my short attention span. The most difficult part was choosing which photographs to feature---each book holds ten. "My Great Adventure" shows our children at a sand castle contest on Long Island sponsored by the late magazine, Child, and in the slot to the right, middle son Andrew casting his line into the Atlantic. There are three other titles, "My Baby Face," "Hip Hooray It's Your Birthday," and "Go Go Girlfriends," $12. 

Snap Stories are available locally at  Left Bank Books and Cassie's, or you can order them through Emma & Company here---free shipping if you use the magic words  "nickisdiscount."

 

Sunday, June 19

Friday afternoon photo shoot

Lunch Bunch at Llywelyn's

"Down to Earth" at Atrium Gallery

 

Photo courtesy of Atrium Gallery

Last Friday afternoon, just as I was about to click the "publish now" button on this blog post about artist Gregg Louis's exhibition at the Atrium Gallery, the power went out...for the second time in as many days. When the power came back on I realized that I had lost all that I had written. Completely frustrated, I gave up and put it aside until now. For me, cooler weather equals more energy and patience.

As I was writing Friday afternoon, one of the many rewards of living in an urban neighborhood like the CWE is the opportunity to attend art gallery openings, which occur almost every month in the McPherson Gallery District. Whether you know a lot, a little, or absolutely nothing about art, you are bound to learn something new and become part of the “art scene,” hopefully for more than one night.

I was not able to attend the June 3 opening of Gregg Louis's "Down to Earth" at Atrium Gallery, see photo above. I did, however, stop by the gallery last week to view the artist’s sculpture and photographs. Louis, who was born in St. Louis, attended the School of Visual Arts in NYC, and now lives and works in Brooklyn. (No, I don't know where he went to high school!)

Photo courtesy of Atrium Gallery

The artist works in a wide range of media including photography, text, video, and drawing. In his  playful "Down to Earth" exhibition, Louis created UFOs out of ordinary household objects and explained in an artist's statement, "I am using a UFO as a symbol of an unknowable thing and also as an object of imagination and fantasy." The photograph above is an archival inkjet print titled "Everyday UFO No. 15."

Throughout the summer, gallery owner Carolyn Miles is promoting "Hot Thursdays" at Atrium Gallery. From 5 to 7 p.m. you can visit over a glass of wine and discuss a piece of art, usually from the current exhibition.

Gregg Louis at Atrium Gallery until July 24, 10 to 6 Weds. - Sat., 12 to 4 Sun., 4728 McPherson, (314) 367-1076.