Diamond Jubilee: Soulard Market, St. Louis

July 2021.

Before leaving I wanted to see at least one neighborhood in St. Louis. Just outside of downtown lies Soulard with its old market - highly recommended.

Prior to any buildings, local farmers set up in a ring with horses and wagons, from which they would sell their goods. Some farmers would set up as early as 3 a.m., customers would arrive around 6 a.m., and by 10 a.m. the market would be full of people. In the late 1830s–1840s, a main market building was built and other various buildings were erected as well. During the Civil War, it served as a Union Army encampment. These structures were severely damaged by the 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado. The roof of the market was blown off and a large part of the building was flattened. Nine people were found dead in the rubble. In 1929, a Renaissance-style building replaced the original, and was modeled after the Foundling Hospital designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1419 in Florence, Italy. This Grand Hall is shaped like the letter ‘H’, having four wings. This building, the design of Albert Osberg, contains Grand Hall shops on the first floor and gymnasium/theater on the second floor. The four wings consist of vendor stalls.

(Wikipedia)

The route there from the downtown area required walking under a highway and railway interchange - a "wasteland" where I was followed menacingly. That was the scariest moment of the trip and made me realize I had to take more care - even in the daytime. Luckily, I made it to the market. That experience highlighted that St. Louis is not a "safe" place to be exploring on foot - even during the day.

The Soulard Market and neighborhood were pleasant - but even though I was enraptured by monumental St. Louis, I was in shock over its decay as a city. No matter how great a place looked, if it did not feel safe, how could it be enjoyed? I walked around Soulard thinking that it might be nice to live there (and the market was great), but even so close to downtown, a person would need a car. What is the point of urban living then? The neighborhood is actually considered the best in the city yet it is plagued by crime.

I returned downtown via another more visible route and passed the massive Anheuser-Busch stadium for the Cardinals. During the visit I had forgotten that America's most famous brewery is located not in Milwaukee, but in St. Louis. The stadium complex was massive and very close to the Gateway Arch and Mall. No games were going on, but I could imagine on a game day it must look like a totally different place.

Soulard Market and my walk past the stadium were the last places I visited in the city. On the way back to the hotel, a saw a man defecating on the street - it served to cement my sadness about the decay of the place.

Note: In my original plan, I was going to take the train to Springfield, Missouri (the capital) and continue on to Kansas City. Unfortunately, COVID was re-emerging and sweeping east. I beat a hasty retreat north. Although the Amtrak rail pass turned out not to be as easy to use as I originally expected (many times empty seats were unavailable on a train for passholders), I managed to secure a seat to Chicago and then onward to Milwaukee.