CHOUTEAU'S LANDING, ST LOUIS, MO

FISH SALAD

 

For 11 miles along its eastern edge, downtown St. Louis is protected from the Mississippi River by a levee capped by a 15-foot-tall floodwall. So far the wall has successfully protected downtown from flooding (despite a close call in 1993), but it has also severed downtown from its vital artery: the river.

 

St. Louis was founded and thrived on Mississippi trade, but now the river lies neglected, not a resource but a threat, the industry it once supported decrepit, factories empty.

Fish Salad is an alternative to the floodwall, a compromise instead of an ultimatum. The Mississippi River belongs with St. Louis, and by mediating this relationship, architecture and landscape can bring people back the river in productive symbiosis.

 
 
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