The London Eye…is St. Louis next?

Deep within the ancient mists of time — i.e., the Carter administration — it was proposed that the Mississippi River at St. Louis be spanned with a cable car system. The thought was that tourists would love to see the river from 300 feet.

There was no money for this plan, of course, and, as it turned out, very little enthusiasm. We hadn’t thought of it in three decades until we read Matthew Hathaway’s story in the Sunday Post-Dispatch about Mark and John Rodgers’ plans to build a 175-foot tall Ferris wheel on Laclede’s Landing.

As connoisseurs of far-fetched riverfront development schemes — cable cars, floating islands, Disney-St. Louis, the Battleship Missouri, etc., — we applaud the Rodgers frères for their pluck. When the economy went south and their proposed $25 million Port St. Louis condo development on the Landing went kaput, the brothers bounced back with the Ferris wheel concept.

Now, some will argue that to erect a Ferris wheel — actually, an “observation” wheel or “sky” wheel, featuring 42 climate-controlled gondolas with video screens — just north of Capt. James B. Eads landmark bridge and not far from Eero Saarinen’s Gateway Arch might be . . . well . . . a little tacky.

To which others might reply, “Have you seen the London Eye?” That’s a 443-foot tall Ferris wheel across the River Thames from Westminster that has become the most popular tourist attraction in England.

Who needs St. Paul’s Cathedral or Buckingham Palace when you’ve got a 443-foot Ferris wheel? In fact, all around the world, cities are building giant Ferris wheels. Soon, no city’s skyline will be complete without a Ferris wheel. St. Louis must close the Ferris wheel gap!
Besides, Laclede’s Landing could use the business. And former Sen. Jack Danforth, R-Mo., has been pointing out that tourism at the Arch is down, too.

Naturally, the Rodgers brothers are seeking a city subsidy for their wheel of fortune in the form of tax increment financing. This means the mayor, the Board of Estimate and the aldermen will all get in on the act. If the brothers think a Ferris wheel goes ’round and ’round, wait’ll they see City Hall.