Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of the steam-shovel sex change that turned walkable Monroe Mall into driveable Monroe Center.
The project itself turned downtown into a Beirut-esque war zone of rebar, concrete dust and diesel fumes. During the work, some businesses, like the kitchy, kick-ass salad bar Three Crowns, had to relocate (and later close, sob).
Now, 10 years later, was it worth it? With the analysis pretty much left to me, the results break down like this:
Final cost of Monroe cluster: $15 million.
Final value: dubious and doubtful, and here's why...
The GRAM and Rosa Parks Circle could have gone up and functioned very nicely with or without street traffic. While I am tempted to point out that such family destinations would be safer without the street, I will simply say the addition of traffic added nothing to these sites. Similarly, the sweetheart deals that put the cops in the old City Center and Blue Cross in the Steketee's building were gonna happen anyway. These big pretty projects didn't need Monroe opened.
After the street went in, we gained XO, but lost Yen Ching. The nice bookstore that used to be down by McKay tower is gone, but there is nice one in the Blue Cross building. Up on the east end, restaurants do seem a bit more durable — but I have a feeling that is more due to hundreds of hungry Blue Cross and police employees. These little wins would have happened with or without traffic on Monroe.
Looking west, I am afraid things get uglier. Downtown staples like Herkner's, Blake's Turkey and Four Friends have packed it in. The Mexican restaurant promised for the Herkner space is still M.I.A. Best draw down here is guitar guy, and he is a seasonal attraction.
The bottom line is that it is hard to see what we got for our $15 million. That kind of money could have kept the weekly Calder Plaza festivals going in the summer probably kept some city workers on the job and maybe even covered a fireworks' tab or two. Oh well. The important thing is that we learn from our mistakes. Don't we?
SDP believes the next logical step is to make Monroe Center into Monroe Canal, as the romance and grace of gondola travel will surely jump-start downtown retail!
