Saint Louis
CitySide
St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
 City of St. Louis to Host Licensing and Business Resource Fairs
Transitional Administrative School Board Takes Charge of St. Louis Public School System
Unique Public Sculpture Garden Planned For Gateway Mall in Downtown St. Louis
Great River Ring Celebrates Five Years in Efforts to Connect the Region Through Parks & Trails
BJC Proposes New Deal for Forest Park Area
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Honored in St. Louis at 37th Holiday Observance
St. Louis Recognized for Urban Renewal Success
McKinley Bridge
Bikeway and Branch Street Trestle Add Vital New Connection for St. Louis Region
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Rendering of 30,000 square foot multipurpose Old Post Office Plaza featuring extensive landscaping and water features with a sculpture "Torso di Ikaro" by artist Igor Mitoraj as its focal point.
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Barry Sampson, chief architect of the Old Post Office Plaza
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Old Post Office Plaza to Feature Signature Sculpture
by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), August 8, 2007 - An award-winning design for the Old Post Office Plaza was unveiled in a special presentation at 9th and Locust Streets in downtown St. Louis, August 8th.
City officials and representatives from Downtown Now!, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, Gateway Foundation and the Danforth Foundation, along with the plaza designer were on hand to view renderings for the former parking lot north of the Old Post Office.
Following the unveiling, Barry Sampson, chief architect, Baird Sampson Neuert of Toronto, explained the purpose of the square across from the historic Old Post Office.
He said that the public art purchased by Gateway Foundation, a sculpture "Torso di Ikaro", inspired the design for the area. "We became quite interested in the name which is a reference to Icarus, son of Daedalus.
"In renewing our knowledge of the classical myth, we discovered that Daedalus was associated with public squares in ancient Greece," said Sampson. "We thought it would be appropriate to use this urban figure, who was also the designer of the Labyrinth."
"We were interested in this idea of flight from which you could get different views." He noted that there was a central square opposite the porticol of the Old Post Office, where there could be stage events.
On the east side of the plaza there will be a glade of trees with a series of benches which form a Labyrinth. The southwest corner will also feature a shaded area that connects to a raised plateau which terraces down into the water basin. People will be able to sit on the terraces and enjoy the water, or events on the square.
Pointing to the rendering, Sampson explained how the back of the square features an undulating wall which has a sloped walkway leading to a central balcony with another view of the building. "Adjacent to the balcony is a cascading waterfall that falls over three stories in height. At the base of the casade is the sculpture. So in a sense, the cascade reenacts the fall from the sky into the water," said Sampson.
Sampson stated that from the undulating wall, there will be a permanent screen wall next to the Orpheum Theater acting as a shade devise for seating all along the rise. "This will create a big urban porch that can also be used for projections, as seen in the rendering," stated Sampson.
Funding for the $8.16 million, 30,000 square foot multipurpose plaza included support from the Danforth Foundation, the US Bancorp Community Development Corporation and the St. Louis Brownsfields Cleanup Fund (via SLDC).
Programs at the plaza will lunchtime and evening music, theater, street performers, weekend markets, film series and special events. Construction is to begin immediately with completion of the project slated for Spring 2008.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay joined city officials and representatives from Downtown Now!, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, Gateway Foundation and the Danforth Foundation, along with the plaza designer, for the unveiling of the rendering for Old Post Office Plaza.
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