Soulard Farmers' Market: Comments from Insiders and Guide for Beginners
Good Neighbors Create Better Neighborhoods
Soulard in Literature: Stephen E. Ambrose, Tim Fox and Eric Sandweiss, Betty Pavlige, Arthur Proetz and Adolf Schultz
Soulard Market Regulars, Page Two
Flower in the crannied wall...
 Pet Tallulah earns some attention from Philip Durham, AIA, who runs his architecture business, Studio Durham, from a converted Soulard warehouse. The building also serves as the residence for Philip and wife Hali. (People Productions photo by Clark Rowley) |
Not all is well at the Soulard Market. Two nagging problems exist. Jack Dyer, a retiree who has shopped at the market since l992, is quick to point to one: "There are a lot of basic maintenance and cleanliness issues that should be addressed at the facility," he comments.
John Haas, who has lived in Soulard since 1982 and has been a homeowner since l997, is more specific. "The market should be cleaned up," he says. "For a place that is not open every day, it could be a lot cleaner." John does the cooking in his household. Brenda Switzer, his wife, is a dentist. Her office, Soulard Family Dentistry, is located in the neighborhood.
"Also, they should do something about some of those old, rusty vehicles parked behind the booths," he adds. The truck bodies are used for cold storage by a number of vendors.
Dave, an architect, says the architectural interest inherent in the market building could be brought out with a focused maintenance program. The steel roof trusses are one example. "They are very unique and visually appealing, but they are not emphasized with paint and maintenance and so they just disappear. The market could be a much more charming and unique shopping setting," he believes.
Dave adds that "St. Louis does not understand the quality or value of its architectural heritage. The market is one building that could be made wonderful," he notices.
Sandra Zak, market master since l992, reports progress on the truck front, including getting rid of some, painting others and generally making them less obtrusive. "Trying to keep the market clean is a constant and difficult struggle," Sandra admits.
Such issues might be further along towards solution if a market re-do discussed several years ago had gotten off the ground.
"Under the basic plan, about $10 million would have been poured into the facility," Sandra explains. "The objective of the effort was painting up, fixing up, HVAC, electrical work - nothing really fancy," she observes. "The electrical work alone was going to cost close to $3 million," she adds.
"Those involved could not agree on a definite plan, so the project never reached the fund raising stage, although we had some nibbles for matching funds," Sandra reveals. "It was a big project, so we needed everybody behind it, but the vendors voted it down," she says. That was in February, 2000.