It does indeed look as though the houses are going to be completely gone within the month… February at the latest. I may even get the schedule of the last house going down if I keep my fingers crossed.
They are planning to put up three ‘sculptural’ (their word) signs in strategic locations to ‘enhance’ visitor image and appeal to more potential travelers.
From the January 1st, 2009 Post-Dispatch article:
Two of the monument signs would feature entry sculptures towering about 40 feet, with a painted aluminum replica of the airport’s logo — an airplane flying past the Arch. The airport’s name would appear on an accompanying sign.
“This will be very distinguished looking, very professional,” Hrabko said. “It will put a branding type of situation on the airport, which it does not have right now.”
I saw a photo from the original article of the sign, but it since seems to have been removed. Basically, it looks like a cutout of their logo in cast aluminum or bronze, in a circle, atop a converging shape that narrows at the bottom, making the overall sign look like a decorated spoon. It could be aesthetically appealing and modern in appearance, if it were the year 1970. Unfortunately, Lambert did not even bother to update the boring arch/wing logo, and instead decided to use it in their latest image and marketing catastrophe. Projected price tag: $600,000 + and listed as part of a $100 million dollar makeover project.
It doesn’t seem as if the “if we build it, they will come” mantra is working. Maybe the solution is to keep building, adding, decorating? What the airport has failed to realize, all along, is that its not THEM… its St. Louis in general. When it city is not doing well, the travelers to and from will not come.
J. Desy Schoenewies
56 Houses Left 