Regester Parking Garage

The Regester Parking Garage is a parking garage originally built on the 200 block of College Avenue, 6th Street, 7th Street and Morton Street. It is named after Jim Regester, who helped finance the original construction. Originally it was a two level parking garage taking up half the city block. It was demolished in 2003 to be reconstructed as a 6 story parking garage built on half the space of the previous one.

The original

The original Regester Parking Garage was built in 1982. It had two levels, the top level was accessible from College Avenue and had metered parking spots. The meters where a quater per hour with a maximum of 8 hours from 9am - 5pm. The bottom level was for permit parking and was accessable from Morton Street. Doors into Graham Plaza were located on the north side of the building for easy access to the garage.

Structural Damage

A music concert held in the garage in the 1980s did some permenent structural damage.

Cruisers

On Friday and Saturday nights for most of the 1990s and 2000s up until the garage was torn down, cruisers would drive their cars in and out of the lot for hours, usually starting around 7pm and going until midnight or 1am.

The new garage didn't lend it self to the normal cruising route and it seems that the cruisers have found other places to go.

Other uses

• During the winter in the 1980s and early 1990s, the city would flood the garage with water and let it freeze so that people could go ice skating.

• The lower level of the garage would often be blocked off to be used as a staging area for the 4th of July Parade.

• Before the old garage was completely torn down, the University of Saint Louis did some structural stress testing as part of their own research. This was done on a smaller section of the northeast corner of the structure about 2 parking spots wide.

The New One

The new garage was constructed in 2003. It featured pay parking as well as permit parking. Eventually a automated pay system was implemented. The garage, though situated on city land, is owned by the Mercury Development Group, which is owned by David Ferguson.

External Links

• City council opens garage - 2003-12-11 IDS News
• CIVITAS: The freedom to ignore - by Greg Travis