Commercial Street "Entertainment District:" Dr. Carter?! Paging Dr. Carter!
Posted on 25. Nov, 2008 by thederosh in Rants
Couldn't this have waited until Sweeps Week?! I was trying to smoke a cig.
NOTE: We’ve added a link to the original City Council plan for C-Street’s revitalization, for those curious to read it. You’ll find it after the break.
We won’t say the results are in yet, but we have results from the exit polls, metaphorically speaking, and the trend we see with the City of Springfield’s plan to convert Commercial Street into its designated Center City nightlife spot is disturbing. Consider:
Commercial Street between Grant Avenue and Washington Avenue has seen only two nightlife spots open for a year or more since the transition began, Lindberg’s and Ruthie’s. (Ground Xero, though successful and still in operation, is much further east on Commercial Street.) With the closing of Lindberg’s last Saturday, the total is back down to one, and, to our knowledge, Ruthie’s hosts no live music. The Belmonte, once it moved to Commercial Street, de-emphasized its previous live-music focus, and now seems to be almost–if not completely–dormant. Even longtime C-Street occupant Paradise Lounge is now gone.
The trend, dear City of Springfield, if you’re not catching it yet, is this: When it comes to splitting downtown’s eclectic bohemian-meets-businessperson-meets-college-student day/night meeting ground into two separate districts for the sake of profit and cohabitation, you have failed.
The fault for that doesn’t belong to Commercial Street, the Urban Districts Alliance or even C-Street business owners, really, though the latter can always be subject to debate. It goes instead to the City administrators, the people who first tried to entice downtown businesses to move to Commercial Street with incentives offers in 2005/06. None of the established downtown businesses–not one–took the bait to vacate, a fact that should have been an immediate red flag. But C-Street had its nightlife suitors and contractors, each with its own plan for success, and the City pushed forward.
This has all been coming to a head for a long time. Until the early 2000s, people who lived downtown kept mostly to apartment complexes on the outskirts of the district, a little detached from the noise and other headaches that came with being around the nightlife party scene. Even then, residents understood what they were getting into. For example, we had a friend who lived downtown a few years ago in Stove Works Apartments on North Jefferson Avenue, about three blocks north of Park Central Square. It was a bit detached from downtown proper, but he, like everyone else living there, knew that people who partied downtown would be passing by and through the apartment complex during the night. It wasn’t unusual to wake up in his beautiful, high-ceilinged, spacious apartment, open up the door and find an unaccounted-for pool of vomit next to the welcome mat. This was life in an entertainment district.
But when downtown businesses began converting their unused second floors into upscale loft spaces, it invited a different, less tolerant clientele. What changed: People moved downtown and expected the same church-and-state-level separation between their domiciles and the drink-and-dance-loving world around them. What didn’t change: the district’s zoning. These people moved into an area zoned for business. In theory, this would have given businesses some legal leverage to carry on as though nothing had changed, but the reality was things had changed, and plenty. The loft rent money was too much of a cash cow to be ignored, and with new downtown residents seemingly wishing for the this-and-that one associates with residential areas (shopping, grocery stores, etc.), the City did what made perfect(ly) political sense: It tried to make both sides happy.
The answer, it seemed, was Commercial Street, a district eager to rehab its image after years of dilapidation and of serving as a refuge for those who often turn up in the bad-news segments of the daily paper. To the City, it was a win-win; the new downtown residents could have the hip living area they wanted without the messy drawbacks of noise, crime and general dirtiness, while C-Street inherited the revenue stream of downtown concert and clubgoers in an area where the residents would be more tolerant of the drawbacks.
In hindsight,it was a flawed plan from the beginning. First, Commercial Street was already following downtown’s lead by this time and creating loft spaces upstairs, so there was no reason to believe people moving in there would be any more welcoming to the noise of bars and nightclubs than downtown loftgoers. (And they weren’t; Lindberg’s management said the bar drew several noise complaints when it first opened until it began keeping its front door closed during live music shows.) Second, moving downtown businesses to Commercial Street, no matter how incentive- and discount-laden the offer to do so, meant trying to take established business owners from a proven commodity (downtown and its proximity to Missouri State University, Drury University and nearby apartment dwellers) to a then-unproven commodity (Commercial Street and its comparative lack of foot traffic after dark). Few, if any, business owners would make such a leap without knowing they were on the cusp of something big. When none of them moved, that would have been a good opportunity for the City to explore any possible Plan Bs. Instead, it stuck to its guns. As downtown became steadily more gentrified and hospitable to the average person, the corresponding surge in new nightlife spots on Commercial Street once hoped for never bore real fruit. The road, sewer and sidewalk improvements on C-Street that began this past summer blew extra wind onto an already tenuous house of cards, taking away what foot and vehicle traffic there was. Now, with Lindberg’s closing and little sign of new blood coming in besides the relocation of Pizza House to the old Peabody’s spot, we’re left wondering what the next step is, or if there even is one.
If we could go back in time, and if we were somehow involved in all these proceedings at the time, we would have implemented the same plan, only in reverse. Downtown survived the mid-’90s days of curfews on Park Central Square (which may be coming back–seriously?!) and relentless skinhead presence by embracing the college scene and giving young people places to go, hang out and have a good time. Better policing and increased vigilance by area business owners started the cleanup that made downtown attractive to potential residents. Those residents would have been good candidates to move to Commercial Street, an area desperate then for a clean-cut image and full of mom-and-pop stores for residents to peruse and give business to; that, or they could live downtown with the understanding in their leases that this was, in fact, a place of business and those businesses would be given priority, if not necessarily carte blanche. Downtown, by contrast, was already humming with music clubs, dance spots and bars full of people. These businesses had a natural stream of patrons coming from the surrounding community. Moving them all to where that community was not would have meant certain death. Not every plant that moves from pot to yard survives the transition, either. The moving incentives would have made more sense to give to the loft dwellers, with the assurance that a safe and clean infrastructure (such as a police substation) was moving in with them to reinvent C-Street and make it everything they moved downtown hoping for.
All this critiquing isn’t meant to show resentment. As we write this, we’re sitting in Coffee Ethic on Park Central Square, maybe five feet from where the Juke Joint’s corner pool table used to be. We miss the pool table and the Juke Joint/Rockwell, but we’re in no way displeased with what’s here today. Our point is that it could have gone better, especially in the case of Commercial Street, which, as the entertainment district it was once planned to be, is now flatlining thanks to a shaky plan with bullheaded implementation. There is nothing more stomach-churning than the unending, piercing beep that comes when Code Blue is registered on an ECG, and that, at least for now, is what we’re stuck with.
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The Spilken8r
25. Nov, 2008
I’m a little upset that even though you summon Dr. Carter in the title of this post, not one reference is made to Lil’ Wayne.
thederosh
25. Nov, 2008
To my knowledge, Dwayne Carter is not a licensed physician. That said, he is the mastermind behind the line, “I get her on top/she drop it like it’s hot/and when I’m at the bottom/she Hillary Rodham.”
I summoned the wrong guy.
Lil' Joe Terry
25. Nov, 2008
I’ve just had a conversation with me pa on this very subject…
i think it should be noted that “back in the day” (mid to late-80’s?) the downtown we know today was tumble weeds… no one, let alone college kids, dared set foot in the area. The hoppin places were Lindberg’s (on Commercial Street), The Buffalo Bar (also on Commercial Street), Klinker’s (National, where Panera Bread is now) and The Hanger (on St. Louis, behind Dillions)… My point being that there was nothing localized about these places. I feel that any kind of “splitting up” of the downtown being the reason C-street resurgence has failed is a fallacy. People go where good times are to be had, including the college crowd (also, just for the record, Drury is waaaayyyy closer to C-street than South Street).
I’m a proponent of the revitalization of C-street. It’s a cool area, and can only be made cooler by the presence of worth-while venues (i.e. venues that bring in worth-while bands, thus, worth-while crowds). I live vicariously through my dad’s stories of the past, but talk to any old Springfieldian and they have the same story of what the Springfield music scene was all about:
The Bel-Airs at Lindbergs, playing 3 and 4 hour sets, well into the morning, the room being so hot and full of dancing kids, that the side door bursts open spilling sweaty kids dancing into Campbell street. I firmly believe that, with the right goings-on, things like that can occur again in North Springfield, Moon City.
Scott P.
25. Nov, 2008
but what is the city doing? dragging ass on street improvements that have taken 6 months too long and led to much needed staple businesses on commercial street closing.
sorry joe, all i’m getting from you is more hot air and wishes in the wind. another case of talk and no manufactured results.
point is, the city’s plan IS NOT WORKING. in the meantime, live music and people willing to take the risk on c-street are suffering.
and a personal point of mine here…screw the city’s sad attempt to make a change that A) didn’t need to happen and B) isn’t happening regardless of what little efforts they put into it. the city is making a killing of taxes from downtown businesses..in fact sometimes a bit too much and a bit greedy (yeah city of springfield…greedy). get your hands out of the pockets of the people busting ass to make downtown what it has become and instead of trying to move them, enable them to grow further into bigger and better businesses and allow the downtown district to grow.
there’s a reason larger cities create districts like the loop in st. louis and the power and light district or the market in kansas city…they work. maybe this is what the city was trying to do, but you don’t try to relocate a growing and evolving district…you help it grow. i can’t say it enough. now with a number of downtown businesses suffering, the closing of c-street businesses…what now city?
so readers, what should the city do now? what can we do as patrons, musicians, owners, employees, students, etc?
The Spilken8r
26. Nov, 2008
The first thing we could do is not insult seasoned (and bad ass) musicians like Joe, who happen to know what’s been going on in this town’s music scene (and the national one at that) for some time before blogging was even a word. Bad form.
The next thing we can do is make it a point to play any open club on Commercial and bring everyone we can to the show. Get them away from their Tivo and internets and have them put some money on the barrel head and C-street could make it.
People travel long distances and brave pretty shitty conditions to see bands. A bit of walking to a venue wouldn’t be an issue if the music was worth hearing.
Monkey [STFU!]
26. Nov, 2008
I’m with thederosh, the city screwed up on this one bigtime. I’m going to miss Lindbergs but I’m more disappointed with the way the city has meddled with my beloved downtown!
thederosh
26. Nov, 2008
Joe, I grew up a stone’s throw (if you had a good arm, anyway) from The Hangar, and I remember how big crowds could be out there. Oddly enough, I don’t remember Klinker’s at all, and I didn’t know the old Lindberg’s at the time, but I have no doubt the bar was just as busy and awesome as your dad remembers it.
It could have been that way again, and could still be. The problem is that the momentum died with the bar’s closing in 1990. I applaud the city for trying to regain that momentum, but it didn’t go about it the right way. Meanwhile, it tried to defer momentum from another spot that HAD gained it: downtown. Sometimes it’s better to let things take their natural course instead of trying to force results, and I think this is a good example.
C-Street, good as it CAN be, still has a stigma to overcome that I don’t think it had in the days of the bars you mention, either. Public perception can be the most damning thing of all. Then again, if downtown could beat the skinheads ‘n’ wannabe-vampires rap…
thederosh
26. Nov, 2008
Also, if I may add a little more, I think Joe is absolutely right about kids going where the good time is rather than what’s convenient. However, today the two are more or less the same. The majority of local college kids today flock to Icon, Piano Bar, etc., all of which are downtown; others hit up live music clubs, and still more head to the martini bars. Opportunistic entrepreneurs saw “where the party’s at” and filled the voids that area had with stuff that proved successful in other markets: East Coast-style nightclubs and get-plastered-to-Billy-Joel-songs P-bars. As much as I hate to say it, maybe that’s another thing C-Street needed and didn’t get: variety.
Sammy
26. Nov, 2008
Blame the city….and “greed”.You forgot to bitch about the damn welfare office.That shit needs to move over to Republic road.Who wants to pay 900 a month rent to live next to “baby mama getting her food stamps” square traffic all day long?This city is one like many that has modernized their downtown areas to generate revenue.At least you weren’t a blue collar Polish immigrant who bought a home 50 years ago and had it ripped away from because someone wanted to build a jamba juice in New Jersey.And as you may or may not have noticed,this city isn’t a very wealthy one.The majority of people living inside city limits are either poor or becoming the slipping middle class.I see no problem with teeny screamo bands drawing crowds of 100 people into Billiard’s tiny blue room on any given show night.It is a consumer driven market and the big acts aren’t clawing their way in to town to play these “live music” venues.The demographic to support places where they have bar bands is the minority.There aren’t enough 33 year old women who dress and act like 19 year old girls to keep that boat afloat…no matter how many gh3y “support our scene” buttons she made.
I plan to hit “c-street” tomorrow to serve thanksgiving dinner to
“those who often turn up in the bad-news segments of the daily paper”.I might not be changing anything or solving the problem but at least I’m giving something of myself and not sitting around bitching about it.
Dan Magnum
26. Nov, 2008
I actually spent some time with Olivia Hough (sp?) from the Planning and Development office about the renovation of Commerical Street a couple of years ago. We walked up and down Commercial Street and talked about what the city would like to have happen with the area. The “entertainment” district was basically going to be subsidized by big tax incentives for the businesses to either relocate or to start a new enterprise. Unfortunately, the way it came across was more about the buildings being for sale and there were going to be tax breaks for the people who wanted to buy them, but nothing about how they wanted those buildings to be used. The plan was never realized because the city didn’t step in and really encourage the “entertainment” businesses (bars, venues, etc.) to move up there. Personally, I never really believed in Commerical Street as I knew that people would be reluctant to go there instead of going downtown, no matter how many busses the city wanted to run between the two areas to bring drunk college students back to where they originally started the evening. It didn’t make sense to me then and it still doesn’t. The big issue I had, from a promoter’s standpoint is that I know the stigma that is attached to Commerical Street and the north side of town and there are plenty of parents who wouldn’t let their kids go see shows there. According to those parents, downtown is bad enough, but letting their kids go to Commercial Street is “letting their kids hang with junkies and hookers.” Now, I fully believe that there is room in this world for junkies and hookers…or hookers who are junkies…or whatever, but, that is the other side to the story for many people. If there were to be another “entertainment” district in Springfield, I would say that it would have to be somewhere that is fairly undeveloped. I like the loop in St. Louis, but I also think that the riverfront is a perfect example of something that works (though, Mississippi Nights would be nice to have around). We could have that here in Springfield as there are plenty of buildings and areas left downtown where this could work, but those are slowly slipping away to the idea of high-priced lofts and more buildings for MSU. Park Central East has gotten better in the last few years with the addition of a few successful bars, and I’d love for the city to close that street off again (like it was in the 80s and some of the 90s) and really support the “entertainment” district that we already have.
Scott P.
26. Nov, 2008
good perspectives. keep in mind, we ARE NOT ragging on commercial street…we are ragging on the city’s sad and thus far unsuccessful transition attempt. not for their purpose but in their lack of backing it up. call us nags, but we feel it is fair to those working to make commercial street better to have a voice. after lindberg’s… Read More closed, that was kinda the last straw. we feel they were screwed and we feel its the city’s fault. we’re trying to speak up for commercial but at the same time realize that it isn’t working. and either stick to what works (downtown) or ACTUALLY try to make commercial street work instead of dragging ass like they have been.
Jamie Smith
26. Nov, 2008
Its pretty unfortunate for the bars that did try and make C-Street happen..and they fell victim to a failed plan by Springfield City.
Unfortunately, it seems as if Springfield was trying to do something and make a mistake that they have made many times before, and trying to act as if we are a bigger city than what we are. Yes, KC and STL can survive with various entertainment districts..Springfield..I do not believe can. KC and STL have different entertainment districts 15-20 miles apart or more..
Springfield was trying to do two completely different districts 5 miles apart or so? As Scott said..why not try and grow downtown more as opposed to seperating it. Are we all really happy with the state of downtown as it is? Is it really busy enough (live music especially) to even consider splitting it up into another completely different sector of town? I don’t think downtown is anywhere near that stage of growth yet.
And as Dan mentioned..C-street unfortunately was not the location if it WERE to happen. While it could have potential to be cool if revitalized, remodeled, etc with the historic features it has…it still is C-Street, and its simply too far north to gain mainstream support. Most parents do not want thier kids venturing to that area…and I’ll be honest..the few times I went to Lindbergs..I wasn’t real excited about it or about leaving my vehicle parked there. If it was to happen, I think it’d have to be a more south location..possibly even Nixa/Ozark area for a completely different sector to exist. Nonetheless, I don’t think we are at that point. Focus on getting springfield downtown to where we want it to be success wise before trying to break it up.
Scott P.
26. Nov, 2008
“I think it’d have to be a more south location..possibly even Nixa/Ozark area for a completely different sector to exist.”
that’s a very interesting idea. but again, distance? that’s a long drive for students from msu and drury.
Lil' Joe Terry
26. Nov, 2008
Agreed 100% Scott, the issue at hand is the poor execution of what i believe is ultimately a good thing. More venues? That aren’t in strip malls? fuck yeah.
Jamie Smith
26. Nov, 2008
“I think it’d have to be a more south location..possibly even Nixa/Ozark area for a completely different sector to exist.”
that’s a very interesting idea. but again, distance? that’s a long drive for students from msu and drury.
It is…which is why at this point, I don’t think 2 completely different sectors can exist successfully. There must be a need…and its not there yet
Scott P.
26. Nov, 2008
word. (to both of those)
Gregory Holman
26. Nov, 2008
So if the big entertainment-district plan was a failure, who were the plan’s authors? And who was supposed to carry it out?
In this economy, in an age of iTunes, I don’t think you’re going to see local live music grow much, regardless of how good or bad Springfield’s attempts at urban redevelopment might be.
That said, perhaps the FourFour, fresh out of a successful FourFour Fest, should try to reorganize the C-Street Jam, which of course was canceled last spring. The jam brought as much music excitement to Commercial Street as the Belmonte or Lindberg’s ever did.
Scott P.
26. Nov, 2008
want us to name names? that is possibly for later.
as far as growth of music, it actually is growing for the first time in a long time
wouldn’t mind bringing back the c-street jam. the first one was great…after that, not so much
thederosh
26. Nov, 2008
Interesting points, Greg. It’s good to get the thoughts of a C-Street resident. While the goal of the post was not finger-pointing, but rather a summation of reasons we see for how and why things progressed the way they did. That said, if names are asked for, they will be given: City Council members Denny Whayne and Sheila Wright proposed the Commercial Street Revitalizing Strategy (Council Bill 2006-078) at the March 6, 2006 Council meeting. It was passed unanimously. The plan outlines in full how Council, with the help of the UDA and other groups, would entice businesses to Commercial Street. Live music was the FIRST thing set up to be brought to C-Street, per the strategy, with the creation of six to nine venues to bring people “not as concerned about the existing [Commercial Street] perception as many other customers.” There was also supposed to be a live music organization established to enhance the musicgoer’s experience at such venues, something that, to my knowledge, never came to be. All of this was to be aided by a combination of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and tax abatements. You can still read the full plan at itsalldowntown.com.
The implementation of all of this is harder to pinpoint, and that may be the problem. Was the delegation of duties clear between Springfield City Council, the Urban Districts Alliance, Community Improvement District, Commercial Club, etc. following the strategy’s passing? I don’t know, and perhaps the parties involved didn’t, either.
thederosh
26. Nov, 2008
Pardon me; I said they “proposed” it when they sponsored it.
Happy New Year? Ground Xero to close 1/1/09 «
05. Dec, 2008
[...] Happy New Year? Ground Xero to close 1/1/09 By thederosh We heard from the boys in Knife*Death about this last night, and after checking on it with manager Zac Oxford it turns out to be true: Ground Xero, Commercial Street’s last active music venue, will close January 1 of next year. The bar’s last night will be its New Year’s Eve party. Ground Xero’s show calendar still lists the New Year’s Eve show performers at “TBA,” so expect details to come soon on that. In the meantime, we’re just given more evidence that Commercial Street, as an entertainment (and particularly live music) destination, is dead. [...]