Landscapes of Hope

Bevo Mill/Morganford, pedestrianized

For the future sight, I wish to see the Bevo Mill pedestrianized. There are photos in the past where the street for the cars is just as wide, but with business busy and bustling up and down Gravois. I live down the block and around the corner from the Bevo Mill, a traditional windmill fashioned after those in Holland and built by the Busch family as a “rest stop” between their sprawling home and land at the current “Grant’s Farm” and the brewery. In the last several years, there have been multiple traffic-caused fatalities on Gravois and near Morganford. I cannot express how traumatic this is for someone who walks often, but also in thinking about the children and families who could be affected by these preventable tragedies. This is a major issue throughout the city and country, as vehicle operating behavior has appeared to spiral wildly out of control since the pandemic. There are studies that are researching the social connection between the pandemic, and the increase of reckless driving, automobile accidents, pedestrian injuries and deaths. This, however, has been an ongoing issue in our city which has been designed for cars. There is already a neighborhood committee, the Bevo Community Improvement District which was formed to promote the vibrant community. From the website, the CID states its goal- to bring awareness to the communities and St. Louis metro region that the Bevo Mill neighborhood is a growing and promising place to live and work. The CID also states, “We pride ourselves as being a walkable, livable, workable community”. While I do think this is technically true, I believe there needs to be some major safety changes and improvements to the street and sidewalk infrastructure to promote even more attraction to the neighborhood. We do see families walking with their children, strollers and dogs, but there is still an element of concern because there is very little to protect walkers from cars on Morganford and Gravois. I think if these sidewalks were improved, more people would feel comfortable walking to the businesses nearby, coming out into the community and meeting their neighbors. Experiencing the safety of pedestrianized European streets and parts of New York City has inspired me to dream of seeing this stretch of Gravois similarly protected. I have hope that this already beautiful and vibrant community can be even better with improved infrastructure. Walking in your community fosters not just a sense of belonging and place, but also physically brings people together but creating the space to do so. We learned in the archives and history of the nation’s parks that were created to bring people back in connection with nature in an urban environment. There are cities which have created this natural landscape feature in connection with the safety features that protect pedestrians from busy roads. Our own city has built several greenways, thoroughfares which are protected from cars and allow pedestrians and cyclists to connect to neighborhoods easier. Adding green and pedestrian friendly infrastructure to Gravois would mean cutting away some of the road dedicated to cars, but would have long-lasting cultural, social and communal benefits.

Kathleen Jochman, https://archive.curbed.com/2017/9/6/16257078/street-redesign-urban-planning

Kathleen Jochman

Fall 2025