Downtown Does Not Need a New Curfew, But a New Plan
Columnist Michael Allen reflects on youth curfews, a controversial public safety tactic employed by numerous St. Louis mayors.
Author: Michael R. Allen
Downtown Loses Synergism to Chesterfield
Columnist Michael Allen reflects on the careers of the sculptors and how their work seemed to waver between promotion of both urban revitalization and suburban growth.
Bill Pulte’s St. Louis “Blight Authority” and the Rise of MAGA Disaster Capitalism
Michael Allen reflects on Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte and his quickly abandoned plan to build a nonprofit “blight authority” in St. Louis with Block CEO Jack Dorsey.
Remembering Preservationist Bill Hart
Michael Allen remembers Bill Hart, a man who advanced the cause of historic preservation in St. Louis and throughout the entire state of Missouri.
Still Putting Out the Fires of 2008
Michael Allen puts the recent Crunden-Martin factory fire in context with a look back at the wave of redevelopment plans started during Francis Slay’s tenure as mayor.
Millennium Hotel Redevelopment: History May Not Repeat, But It Rhymes
Columnist Michael Allen reflects on the past and future of one of downtown’s most iconic pieces of real estate.
City Throws Away Millions of Dollars Previously Invested in Interco Plaza
Despite legal questions, the Board of Aldermen voted to sell Interco Plaza to developer StarWood Group. Michael Allen looks back to see how much the city invested in the park over its decades of use.
SLDC Awards Tornado Recovery Planning Contract to McKee-tied Firm
SLDC has turned to a new company led by a man with extensive ties to Paul McKee’s Northside Regeneration to coordinate the city’s recovery from this year’s historic tornado.
Washington University in St. Louis Quietly Capitulates to MAGA
Former Washington University in St. Louis professor Michael Allen notes that the school has chosen to sacrifice diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles to avoid the Trump administration’s ire.
Book Review: Adam Lemp and the Western Brewery
Christian Naffziger’s book explores Adam Lemp’s immigrant story and his brewery’s impact on a young and growing St. Louis.
