Mack_Dundee
23 Oct 2006, 07:44 PM
I haven't posted in a while, but I was thinking about this today. How about a downtown St. Louis SSS in the style of Chicago/Dallas, with the ability to host concerts, financed by a casino company in the way that the Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to do for a new arena?
Personally, I think something down on Choteau's Landing, not far from from the fun of Soulard would be great in terms of fan experience. But I think the best option would probably be Laclede's Landing and, possibly, part of the current Pinnacle Casino development. The rest of Laclede's Landing and Washington Avenue could certainly complement this project and vice versa. Plus, if/when something ever happens with the Bottle Works project, that could be another bonus.
For the casino, a stadium/venue of this nature could be used for a lot of attractions. For instance, if it were to have a retractable roof you could host things like boxing matches, music festivals, concerts and other events year-round.
What seems like an insistance on the part of Don Garber and company is that accompanying soccer fields should be part of any stadium development, which strikes me as out-of-touch with the St. Louis market. St. Louis is NOT lacking in soccer fields or places to kick a ball around for amateurs. Forest Park, anyone? Other than the heart of downtown, I don't think there is a single neighborhood in the Metro area that doesn't have a community park and most have at least one soccer pitch. HOPEFULLY, the idea is to build a successful franchise and fanbase. Putting a team in the city in a prime location is the best way to accomplish this, I believe.
Personally, I think something down on Choteau's Landing, not far from from the fun of Soulard would be great in terms of fan experience. But I think the best option would probably be Laclede's Landing and, possibly, part of the current Pinnacle Casino development. The rest of Laclede's Landing and Washington Avenue could certainly complement this project and vice versa. Plus, if/when something ever happens with the Bottle Works project, that could be another bonus.
For the casino, a stadium/venue of this nature could be used for a lot of attractions. For instance, if it were to have a retractable roof you could host things like boxing matches, music festivals, concerts and other events year-round.
What seems like an insistance on the part of Don Garber and company is that accompanying soccer fields should be part of any stadium development, which strikes me as out-of-touch with the St. Louis market. St. Louis is NOT lacking in soccer fields or places to kick a ball around for amateurs. Forest Park, anyone? Other than the heart of downtown, I don't think there is a single neighborhood in the Metro area that doesn't have a community park and most have at least one soccer pitch. HOPEFULLY, the idea is to build a successful franchise and fanbase. Putting a team in the city in a prime location is the best way to accomplish this, I believe.