In celebration of the city of St. Louis's 250th birthday this year (2014), there was a special cake. Times that by 250, that is!
Called 'Cakeway to the West', 250+ cakes have been placed all over the St. Louis area, including the Metro East. Places that have cakes include historical landmarks, parks, museums, popular restaurants, as well as government places. These are just a few examples as the places represented St. Louis in a memorable way.
Ferguson, an inner-ring suburb in North County, was incorporated in 1894. It was founded as a railway station for the Wabash Railroad. The city is well-known for being the corporate headquarters for Emerson Electric, which has over 100,000 employees worldwide. It was also the place where singer Michael McDonald (The Doobie Brothers, solo) grew up and attended McCleur High School.
The Ferguson Citywalk is a 10-block, pedestrian-friendly area which consists of many restaurants and shops. According to its official website, it has been that way for more than a century now. There's 'something for everyone' at the Citywalk. From April to October, the third Monday of the month brings 'Food Truck Monday'. Several events also take place such as races (running, bicycling), concerts/live music and farmers markets.
Unfortunately, the city of Ferguson (as well as St. Louis as a whole) recently has gotten negative publicity due to the riots and looting that occurred in the city (August 2014). Sparked by the shooting of teenager Michael Brown, who was killed by a police officer, it had become a national news headline. The murder is currently being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Another iconic place in St. Louis, even though parts of it are on life support at the moment. This was a thriving place for 50+ years, but up until recent years, it has been on a period of decline. I am probably part of the last generation who has good memories of the place, but not when it served as a train station. I'm talking about the days back when it was the place to go for shopping, among other things. Every year after Christmas, my family would go to St. Louis Centre and Union Station and spend our money and gift certificates. It was always a cool time of the year, and I didn't mind the crowd. After all, I was a little kid and I had every reason to be cheery!
Sometime in the mid-90s, we quit going, and our traditions changed. St. Louis Centre had already been on the decline, and the final nail in the coffin occurred sometime in the early 21st century. On the other hand, Union Station wasn't what it always was. In 2002, I did my internship at Emmis Communications (right behind Union Station) and I would make trips back and forth to eat lunch there. At that time, they still had a decent amount of stores and restaurants, along with a few attractions. Every other year after that, in the mid to late 2000s up until now, I have watched things disappear just like that. I can recall the upstairs part of the food court being fully occupied by Hooter's, which is long gone. On the last day of my internship at Emmis, me and my supervisor ate lunch at an Asian buffet place which no longer exists. A huge portion of the mall is now occupied by the hotel. It always makes me wonder why and how so many parts are vacant in this once-thriving place. I went in for lunch in May 2014 after I snapped the cake, and there are a lot of restaurants in the food court still.
It goes without saying, times have changed. Shopping malls have become a thing of the past, despite of the still-thriving St. Louis Galleria, St. Louis Outlet (formerly the Mills), and St. Clair Square. Union Station is just one of those whose status as a shopping center crumbled. There have been talks of revitalizing, but not many people are paying attention...yet.
A view of Union Station from Emmis Communications
Here's a quick look at the history of Union Station:
Opened in 1894, consisting of three main areas: the Headhouse (which had a hotel), a Trainshed and a Midway.
Rail travel was very popular in the first half of the 20th century. At one time, Union Station would serve 100,000 passengers a day!
During the years following and up to the 1904 World's Fair, St. Louis Union Station was the busiest and largest rail station in the world.
By 1971, Union Station was serving only three trains a day.
The famous photo of Harry S. Truman holding the newspaper that read 'Dewey Defeats Truman' was shot at Union Station. He was returning home to Independence, Mo.
In 1985, Union Station re-opened as a shopping mall and a hotel, which included a food court. It also featured many historical markers in remembrance of what the building served.
Right side of the cake
Top of the cake
An episode of KETC Channel 9's 'Living St. Louis' devoted to Union Station. This focuses on the days of WWII when soldiers left St. Louis and their families
For this cake, I decided to include the bottom platform, since I thought it was noteworthy :)
In 1853, Kirkwood became the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi, mainly because of the newly-built railroad. In fact, the city got its name from the railroad’s chief engineer, James Pugh Kirkwood. A frame depot was built in 1863, and 30 years later, a station made of stone was constructed. Trains ran at the station until 1961. Amtrak wanted to close the station in 2002, but thanks to the help of many volunteers and the city, the station was saved. It is one of three Amtrak stations in the St. Louis area, and it is currently run by volunteers, whose main goal is to keep the station open.
