Photograph courtesy of courtesy of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
For more than a thousand years, civilizations have developed along the Mississippi. The city of Cahokia was the largest settlement of the ancient Mississippians, a thriving home to at least 10,000 people. And though the river was crucial to such settlements, present-day St. Louis has lost much of its connection to the mighty Mississippi. In an effort to restore that relationship, plans are in the works for development from Chouteau Avenue to Alton, Ill.
Foremost in most minds are plans for development around the Arch. Last September, New York architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates’ plan for the Arch grounds and the land parallel to it in Illinois was chosen in the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation competition to reform the riverfront. In January, that plan was finalized and tweaked to include an elevated gondola, a raised levee, and a “lid” of land covering Interstate 70—with a hefty $578 million price tag.
“Up until the competition, the river was just an edge,” explains Donald Stastny, the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation’s competition manager. “What we attempted to do with these plans was to embrace the river and move it to being a central focus with the national park… The design teams couldn’t just sell a concept on umbrellas and tables along the river—they had to provide a transition from the Arch grounds to the river and across to Illinois.”
Among the development challenges: barge traffic, fluctuating water levels, and the river’s rough nature. The current plans hope to carry people aerially over the river into Illinois, raise Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard a few feet along the riverfront to keep Arch grounds flooding at bay, and create a 100-acre park on the Metro East side.
“We don’t value our river like other cities, and now with the MVVA plan, we’re trying to make up for a missed opportunity,” says Tom Bradley, superintendent of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. “On the funding side, we know times are tough, but we’ve come up with funding strategies that break the plan up into pieces—so far, so good.”
While MVVA plans to redevelop the most iconic part of St. Louis’ waterfront, other plans are under way for much of the 200 square miles from Chouteau Avenue to the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri, as well as farther north to St. Charles and Godfrey, Ill. Driving that process is The Confluence, a partnership of nonprofits. In the past 10 years, the group has created 13,000-plus acres of public space, three interpretive centers, public art projects, and miles of trails surrounding the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. For the next decade, The Confluence has secured more than $150 million to further transform the riverfront with trail connections, visitor’s centers, historical sites, events, and habitat restoration.
“As we grow in appreciation of our river, we understand that we have 10 to 15 miles of river—not just the Arch front,” says Trailnet executive director Ann Mack. “We hope to build bridges, both literally and figuratively, between the two states’ agencies with their limitations and continue to bring both locals and visitors to The Confluence—the key element is connectivity.”
While these efforts are enhancing public spaces, retail along the riverfront remains largely absent—with industrial sites inhabiting much of the area. The only truly developed district is along Laclede’s Landing, a spot that’s largely become an entertainment destination, with bars, restaurants, Lumière Place casino, and the Four Seasons Hotel.
As growth along the riverfront continues to tie the Mississippi River back into our identity as a city, developers’ hope is that one day, the perfect blend of green space, entertainment, and retail will once again make the river a part of St. Louis, not just a murky border.
