Missouri Botanical Garden / Deoksu Palace

Deoksu Palace (덕수궁) holds an important place in Korean history.  It was one of the two main palaces used by King Ko-Jong in the last days of the Joseon Dynasty.  In his attempt to play foreign powers against each other prior to the Japanese invasion, Deoksu Palace became important for its proximity to the nearby Russian embassy.  The Russians offered some protection to the king before his country was taken away from him.

Now, more than a century later, Deoksu Palace is a park and an art museum across the street from Seoul City Hall.  The entrance looks like this.

To many people in the city, the wall around the palace is more important than the palace itself.

The wall forms a very famous tree and brick lined street called Deoksugung-gil.

It's beautiful and busy in all sorts of weather.

The seating options are varied and generally nice.

I always liked the Baduk (Go) benches.

I'm also a huge fan of that family of smashed people that got installed on the side of path.  They create a sense of vertigo as you approach them.  I always stopped to squint and stare at them.

Deoksugung-gil is in Seoul, but it has a lesson for cities around the world:  Walls can be nice!


In St. Louis, I've moved into the Southwest Garden neighborhood and live very close to Alfred Avenue.  I walk north along it to catch the 14 bus.  I bike south along it to get to Tower Grove Park and South Grand. 

Alfred and Shaw

At the corner of Alfred and Shaw, you can see the cast iron fence around the Botanical Gardens parking lot (not the garden itself) and a sidewalk that abruptly ends.

Alfred and Castleman

Going down Alfred just a short distance, we can see the sidewalk has disappeared and given way to a dirt path.  It isn't a crushed limestone jogging path, but a dusty dirt path worn into what might have been grass in the past.  Next to this dust path is a cheap cyclone fence topped with barb wire.  Yes, barb wire.


Alfred and Russell

 The dust and barb wire continue south to a private access gate at Russell.

Alfred and Flora

 Approaching Flora and Flad, the grass it a bit healthier and the barb wire continues unabated save for a short wooden privacy fence that seems to have been tossed up on a whim.

Alfred and Magnolia

Finally at the end of Alfred, the sidewalk suddenly returns and the barb wires curves of to the left.  At this point, a person on a bicycle wanting to cut across the park is left with no option but to hastily cross the street, hop offer their bike, and lift it over the curb to the tiny sidewalk that may or may not be designated for pedestrians or bicycles.  Regardless, the curb is not ADA compliant.

The Botanical Garden is supposed to be world class.  It is supported by tax dollars and has a public mission.  Why does it present such an ugly face to its own Garden District?   I am a member, and I can enter for free at the front gate.  Why can I not use the various side gates?  Why not have a Japanese entrance to the Japanese Garden?  Wouldn't that be fun? 

There is a sidewalk along Magnolia, but the barb wire is there as well.  The Gardens and the park were both concieved by the same man from the same estate.  They shouldn't be separated by barb wire.

Yes, along Tower Grove Avenue, there's a nice historic wall with regular breaks in it that could be used as entrances (but aren't).  That wall being there does not excuse the presence of the barb wire fence around the west and south edges.  Why be beautiful on one side and not the other?   Why does the wall end and the offensive barrier begin?

I suggest the new director take a walk around the perimeter of his garden on a regular basis.  I'm sure he wouldn't be that pleased with what he sees.