Denis Beganovic doesn’t shy away from sharing what he thinks about St. Louis and what will drive it forward.
A military planner by day, Beganovic is known by locals as the chronically-online guy posting across social media platforms, punctuating his views with publicly available data he’s analyzed to tease out trends on crime, spending activity, apartment leases, income, and other economic indicators.
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But the most defining aspect of his reputation is his status as the St. Louisan who knows downtown better than just about anyone, having traversed it on foot day after day. In the near decade that he’s lived in Downtown West, Beganovic estimates he’s logged tens of thousands of miles in the city’s central core.
This fall, he started welcoming anyone who wished to join him on a walk every other Saturday. It’s one of the many events that the nonprofit Department of Futuremaking has been supporting since its inception in March. It’s operated by the public relations firm founded by Beganovic’s wife, Lindsay Pattan, as well the TechArtista Foundation to promote downtown’s revitalization through programming, local organizing, advocacy and support for community-led activity.
Dozens of people have turned out for each walk Beganovic has led, with 20 showing up this past weekend. While last weekend was the last scheduled walk for this year, he says he may offer another one in November if the weather permits.
At the beginning of the walk, Beganovic tells attendees that the loosely guided tours materialized as a way for people to gather and do something together. “Walking is apparently one of those activities,” he says.
After everyone has had a chance to pick up a caffeine hit from The Cobblestone STL, the walk launches from Laclede’s Landing, leisurely weaving through the Arch Grounds to the former Millennium Hotel site, across Kiener Plaza, up 7th Street, and down Olive Street to Tucker Boulevard before returning back to the Landing along Washington Avenue.
Along the way Beganovic makes brief stops to note progress or new developments, such as the Mansion House redevelopment, the status of the Chemical Building, and the ongoing demolition of the Millennium Hotel site. He also shares his diagnoses for downtown’s challenges, like the lack of active retail space in the ground floors of many parking garages in its core, and other factoids, like how its population has grown dramatically in the recent past.
Beganovic also points out favorite downtown establishments, such as The Moniker, Sen Thai Asian Bistro, and Buddy’s Wine Bar, as well as soon-to-open places, including Maya Kitchen & Indian Bar and the Wash Ave Food Hall, which had its door open and construction workers putting finishing touches together as the group walked past.
For some who turned out, like Connor Higano, the chance to connect with Beganovic was the main draw.
“I think he’s a really active voice for the city, countering the common narrative,” he says. “When I saw he was doing this walk, I was just like, ‘I have to meet him.’”
The 21-year-old WashU student was joined by his mom, Karen Higano, 61, who treated the walk as an opportunity to see how downtown has changed since she worked there years earlier.
“It’s a memory trip,” she says. “But I’m happy it’s coming back to [some of] what it used to be.” She adds that she was surprised to learn that downtown’s population has recently grown.
For others, the event was just something that caught their attention when scrolling on Instagram or Facebook.
“I love community and coming [together] with others,” says Tina Huynh, 27, who recently moved back to the St. Louis region from Dallas. She is interested in getting better acquainted with downtown and thought the Saturday morning walk offered a good starting point.
Like many attendees, Huynh speaks positively about St. Louis. “STL ain’t bad,” quips Mason Jordan, 32, at one point. “If some people would give up the mentality of negativity surrounding the city, they’d realize it’s pretty cool.”
Jordan’s fiancee, Holly King, 31, agrees, bemoaning “the grass is greener” ideology St. Louisans often hold about other places.
“We are an impressive city,” she insists, noting St. Louis’ unique architecture and its significant role in Westward expansion.
Many of the attendees aren’t from the city. Some are from Belleville and Columbia, Illinois, as well as portions of St. Louis County. For Grace Crossley, 21, the walk offered her a chance to get a more intimate understanding of this part of St. Louis. As a real estate agent who mostly works with people relocating to the area, she feels a responsibility to be a conduit to help her clients get to know the region.
“You want it to feel like they know the area,” Crossley says. “People don’t know where the hip stops where locals go.” (Beganovic had one of those stops on the agenda, highlighting the Thaxton Speakeasy on Olive Street and explaining to get the password to get in each week.)
As the walk wraps up, Beganovic stops the group to tackle two of the negative narratives that plague downtown. He asks, “Did you see people [walking around]?” The group of 20 nods in agreement. Beganovic then poses, “Did you feel unsafe?” Everyone shakes their heads.
The two-hour walk appeared to leave a positive impression.
“It was so fun, just seeing all the things,” Huynh says afterward, describing her experience as “colorful, vibrant and energetic.”
“It was great. Met some new people,” adds Donovon Moore, 26. “It’s a leisurely walk, with pretty things to look at and you’ll learn something new.”
