Out Of My Reach

The field where much of Artica takes place is flanked by a long-disused railroad warehouse, known as the Cotton Belt Building, for the name of the defunct carrier. A few years ago, Artica founders Hap Phillips and Nita Turnage got permission to paint the side facing the Mississippi. Later, someone added the lame logo and slogan of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau. Sure doesn't add anything.

In the air this morning. Going to a different climate, in lots of ways.         

I Could See This At The Whitney

Need some filler. This was inside the ruins of the Cotton Belt Building. I noticed what seemed to be a burst of railroad ties through a busted out doorway. It looks like something you might see at The Whitney in New York.                  

Let's Do This

First, an aside. It seems that three-year-old Madeleine can't figure out the difference between Donald Duck and Donald Trump. When she sees the bewigged politician on TV she points at him and squeals "Donald Duck! Donald Duck!" And, you know, I think she's on to something. Close your eyes and listen to both of them...  

Anyway, back inside the ruins of the Cotton Belt Railway Terminal. Our industrial ruins can't hold a candle to Detroit's (anyone ever seen Naqoyqatsi?) but this is a pretty good example of the genre. Maybe someone is trying to do something with it. That's a utility bucket sold by a national hardware and home remodeling store.         

A Good Question

Found in the ruins of the abandoned Cotton Belt Railway Terminal adjacent to the Artica site.  Literally in a hole in the main floor. We Americans may well ask ourselves the question. Seems to me part of the answer is pretty obvious.                 

Remember Michael Brown

I assume that everyone knows about Michael Brown, the young black man who was shot and killed by a policeman in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri. No need for further editorializing from me. The continuing passion was shown by banners inside the Cotton Belt Building last weekend.                            

The Mural

There is a project underway to turn the east face of the Cotton Belt Terminal Building into a gigantic mural, easily visible from the new I 70 bridge across the Mississippi. The web page for the project has a remarkable illustration of what it will look like when completed (click it to enlarge).

Design of the project is by Nita Turnage and Hap Phillips. It take a lot of paint to cover those walls. Locals, if you would like to contribute to the effort click here. 

The bottom picture shows part of the festival entrance gait. It literally has a crossbar with a counterweight to raise it. You could walk right around it but that would violate the spirit of the day.              

A Tour Of The Cotton Belt Building

The Artica festivities were held in and around the abandoned Cotton Belt Railway freight terminal. As noted by Dave of Tamarindo Daily Photo, who lived in STL at one time, there was another Cotton Belt Building downtown that started as a hotel and became an office building. It was demolished two years after I started working downtown but I have no memory of it.

The freight terminal is a five story building that served a particular railroad. It is now owned by an acquaintance of mine who has great hopes of redevelopment but, as usual these days, cannot get funding. Tomorrow we will look at the great wall facing the Mississippi and what it may become.