Category: Northside Regeneration

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Historic Preservation Housing North St. Louis Northside Regeneration St. Louis Place

Front-Addition Houses Part of the St. Louis Place Legacy

by Michael R. Allen

Planner Mark Johnson from Civitas has had a major hand in developing McEagle’s plan for north St. Louis and western downtown. On Monday night at Central Baptist Church, Johnson used the phrase “legacy properties” to describe the historic buildings that McEagle is contemplating including in the project. I have no idea what criteria Johnson or McEagle has use to define “legacy property,” but when I heard that phrase I started thinking about houses like the one showed above at right, located at 2552 North Market Street in St. Louis Place. (The house at left, at 2548 North Market, is quite a looker itself — check out that entrance arch!)

Readers might recall last week’s post “Brick Thieves Return to St. Louis Place” that showed how a house at 2543 Maiden Lane was damaged by criminals earlier this month. That house is just east and south of the ones shown above. All are highly visible from Jefferson Avenue.

Why do I think that the modest house at 2552 North Market is so interesting? Well, the house is one of a few remaining frame houses that have brick front additions. If that doesn’t make sense, take a look at the rear of the house.

The rear is a one-story gabled frame home, with one room in front and a small addition at the back. This house dates to the 19th century. The front brick section, with one room on each of two floors, dates to a building permit issued on May 22, 1915. The cost of the addition was $500 to owner William Duerdick and his builder J. Scaumel. The result of the addition was a handsome, two-story brick front to match those of neighboring houses.

As St. Louis Place developed into a high-density, middle-class enclave, many early frame houses were absorbed into the emerging urban (brick) fabric through front additions. Simple frame houses could be concealed behind fronts as refined as those of any neighbors’ houses. A new look and more space arrived, while the usable original house was retained instead of being wrecked. What great architectural economy for growing families on a budget!

The 1909 Sanborn fire insurance map shows the footprint of the little frame house before expansion. That house is numbered 1, while the brick two-story house at 2548 North Market is numbered 2 and the flounder house at 2543 Maiden Lane is numbered 3. Frame is colored yellow, and brick is pink.

One can see that this area was not typified by any one form of house or method of construction. There are even a few vacant lots. Architectural diversity like this as historically common as the more regular patterns found in other parts of the city.

Lest I throw out my appreciation without offering any idea for how a developer like McEagle could reuse a quirky “legacy property,” I have a great example from another block in St. Louis Place. Here is the house at 1871 Madison Avenue, built first in the mid-19th century and given the brick front treatment in 1890. The style is different, but the form is the same.

The owners purchased this house from the Land Reutilization Authority, spent their own time and money on rehabilitation and ended up with a cozy homestead. The frame addition was in shambles, so they rebuilt it and finished it in earthen stucco. The roof on the frame section is a long-lasting metal roof, while the windows and doors are mostly recycled elements purchased at the ReStore and other places. A solar collector is on top of the flat roof of the brick front. Inside, the house makes great use of its small size with an open layout and a sleeping loft. The house uses stove heat in the winter, made possible by the small size.

While not historically accurate, the rehab of the house on Madison is inventive and green. The front-addition form is versatile and adds small-house options to the neighborhood for those who want to own a house but keep costs and house size down. the home on North Market Street is ripe for rehabilitation. The mansions of St. Louis Avenue tell one part of the St. Louis Place story, but that story is incomplete without the other parts. We can’t preserve everything that is left, but we should ensure that we preserve an architectural cross-section of a living, economically diverse neighborhood — so that we encourage that diversity to be part of the future as well as the past.

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DALATC North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Public Policy

DALATC and the McEagle Project

by Michael R. Allen

Now that McEagle Properties has started to reveal its plan for north St. Louis and downtown, let’s review the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit Act. Last night at a meeting, Bill Laskowsky from McEagle and planner Mark Johnson from Civitas revealed that McEagle hopes to submit a financial proposal to the city of St. Louis’ Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority by May 26. That proposal will accompany a request for redevelopment rights and tax increment financing. Various government entities will consider the proposal and make recommendations to the Board of Aldermen.

According to Laskowsky and Johnson, a redevelopment ordinance ideally would be in place by the end of the year so that an application for the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit (DALATC) can be made. The DALATC will allow McEagle reimbursement for 50% of land acquisition costs and 100% of maintenance

While the redevelopment agreement with the city will have its own rules, the DALATC brings its own rules.

Here are a few key provisions to keep in mind:

The DALATC will reimburse McEagle for 100% of demolition costs.

Under DALTAC, “acquisition costs” are defined as the purchase price for the eligible parcel, costs of environmental assessments, closing costs, real estate brokerage fees, reasonable demolition costs of vacant structures, and reasonable maintenance costs incurred to maintain an acquired eligible parcel for a period of five years after the acquisition of such eligible parcel. Acquisition costs shall not include costs for title insurance and survey, attorney’s fees, relocation costs, fines, or bills from a municipality.

The DALATC will reimburse McEagle for half of the cost of mowing lawns and boarding up windows.

“Maintenance costs” are defined in DALATC as the costs of boarding up and securing vacant structures, costs of removing trash, and costs of cutting grass and weeds.

The DALATC is authorized under Chapter 99 of Missouri law.

Under Chapter 99, a redeveloper must follow a certain process to have an area declared blighted by municipal authority; that process is detailed online here. Eminent domain power will reside with the city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, not McEagle.

Less than five percent of the acreage within the boundaries of the eligible project area shall consist of owner-occupied residences which the applicant has identified for acquisition under the urban renewal plan or the redevelopment plan.

Let’s make it clear: eminent domain can be used by McEagle in this project. There just happens to be a reasonable limit to its use, and parcels acquired by eminent domain can’t get the DALATC.

No city-owned property is eligible for the DALATC.

McEagle won’t be able to get DALATC for purchase of the hundreds of city-owned parcels it requires for this project. Does that mean that the city will convey the land for a token amount to help the deal move along? Or will the cash-strapped city hold McEagle to the same standards as anyone else who seeks to purchase city-owned land, and charge the typical “full price” for each parcel?

No more than seventy-five percent of the urban renewal area identified in the urban renewal plan or the redevelopment area identified in the redevelopment plan may be redeveloped by the applicant. The remainder of the urban renewal area or the redevelopment area shall be redeveloped by co-redevelopers or redevelopers to whom the applicant has assigned its redevelopment rights and obligations under the urban renewal plan or the redevelopment plan.

McEagle will be working with co-developers. Who are these partners? What area non-profit development organizations are likely to get on board?

The redevelopment agreement shall include a time line for redevelopment of the eligible project area.

The DALATC requires a redevelopment time line be submitted to the city. What is unclear is whether that time line is binding, and what enforcement mechanisms the city or state can implement to ensure completion of the project.

The DALATC sunsets in 2013.

Any attempt to receive all $95 million has to start soon to beat the sunset.

Categories
JeffVanderLou North St. Louis Northside Regeneration St. Louis Place

McEagle Shows the Plan

by Michael R. Allen

Yesterday evening at Central Baptist Church, Aldermen Marlene Davis (D-19th) and April Ford-Griffin (D-5th) held a meeting on McEagle Properties’ large-scale redevelopment project centered around St. Louis Place and JeffVanderLou. McEagle’s representatives made a presentation, including slides showing proposed land uses, before taking spirited questions from the crowd.

The bombshell dropped was that McEagle plans to submit a financial plan and tax increment financing plan to the city by May 26, and hopes to have a redevelopment ordinance approved by the Board of Aldermen by the end of the year. This project is on a fast track all of a sudden.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an account here: “Residents get briefing on developer’s long-awaited plan”

I’m going to withhold comment now and turn this post over to readers and people who attended last night’s meeting.

What are your thoughts about the McEagle project, the proposed timeline and the forthcoming request for more public incentives?

Categories
DALATC Historic Preservation Missouri Legislature Northside Regeneration Public Policy

Tax Credit Action in the State Legislature

by Michael R. Allen

Yesterday the Missouri House of Representatives passed the House Committee Substitute (HCS) to Senate Bill 377. Now included in the bill is a $150 million cap on the historic tax credit with a $250,000 (in credits issued) exemption and a $250,000 (in credits issued) per-project cap on residential rehabs. The $150 million cap might not have much impact with healthy “micro” exemptions like these. The question: Is this a good enough micro exemption to keep present level of tax credit activity going?

Meanwhile, Representative Tim Flook (R-Liberty) offered an amendment to the HCS for SB 377 that, among other things, changed the language of the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit (DALATC) to allow issuance of up to $20 million per year instead of the current $10 million. On the House floor, Rep. Flook stated that a group of representatives had met with developer Paul J. McKee, Jr. to see his plans for north St. Louis, and that those plans needed an extra boost during this session. Of course, McKee still has to be designated redeveloper by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen in order to apply for the DALATC. Since the DALATC credits must be spent on development within the project area, the higher issuance could mean more immediate development activity after McKee receives the credits.

Flook’s amendment passed.

Categories
Events Historic Preservation James Clemens House North St. Louis Northside Regeneration St. Louis Place

Lecture: The James Clemens House: Past, Present, Future

Volunteers for the Landmarks Association of St. Louis standing on the porch of the James Clemens, Jr. House in 1960.

“The James Clemens House, Past, Present and Future”
When: Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.
Where: Architecture St. Louis, 911 Washington Avenue #170

Join Michael Allen, Assistant Director of Landmarks Association, as he offers a look at one of the most significant endangered houses in St. Louis. Built in 1858 for James Clemens, Jr., the house at 1849 Cass Avenue is one of the few remaining antebellum mansions in the city. Later life included expansion of the house and use as a convent and several ministries. For the last decade, the fate of the vacant complex has been uncertain. Collapse of a chapel wall last year sent shock waves throughout the preservation community. Explore the fascinating history of this St. Louis landmark and discover what hope remains.

Lecture is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested, please call 421-6474.

The lecture is part of Preservation Week, a week-long series of events centered on historic preservation. The full schedule is online here.

Categories
Brick Theft Flounder House North St. Louis Northside Regeneration St. Louis Place

Brick Thieves Return to St. Louis Place

by Michael R. Allen

By March 2009, things were not good for the unusual two-and-half-story flounder house located at 2543 Maiden Lane in St. Louis Place. The house was sporting a small hole at the base of its west wall as well as a major stress crack. The hole was strange because there was no apparent structural problem causing it. Urban Solutions, the consulting firm performing maintenance on behalf of owner McEagle Properties, placed one of its orange construction fences around the building in response to the conditions. Then the building just sat, with most window and door openings unsecured.

On April 2, the Building Division condemned the house for demolition, but so far has not placed the demolition out to bid.

The house stands out not only for a height rare for a flounder house, but also because it actually faced out toward Maiden Lane, an east-west street that is almost alley-like. The flounder sits on the north end of its lot, directly on the alley between Maiden Lane and North Market. The one-story flounder addition in front is a unique feature as well. The east side contains a gallery porch with access to the two flats inside of the building.

The north face shows the full height of the house, as well as some original six-over-six wooden window sash.

Last week, I noticed that the hole had grown bigger, with a pile of bricks at the base covered in lime mortar dust. I wondered if recent windy days had taken their toll until today, when I realized that a more common culprit is at work here.

That’s right, the brick thieves are back in action. They have made short work of the one story addition, and have made the hole in the main house bigger (although their clumsy methods have broken many bricks).

The tire tracks running through the high grass on the vacant lot next door provide clear evidence of thievery.


Strange that the thieves have evaded detection here — the west wall faces out at busy Jefferson Avenue, not far from the police station. I’m also perplexed by the fact that of all of the brick buildings with wall damage in this vicinity, the thieves have struck this one. Is the recent condemnation for demolition a prompt? Perhaps the thieves saw the building on a demolition bid list.

In the middle of a flagging economy, brick theft could be elevated this summer. It’s time for all of us to get tough — city government, police and neighbors. If you see people removing bricks from a building and there is any suspicion of theft, call 911. If you have the constitution, take photographs of the activity and wait for police to arrive. Unfortunately, police will not always respond seriously to a brick theft call. A legitimate wrecker with demolition rights will be able to show police a demolition permit.

Let’s hope this summer does not see a wave of destruction like the ones that hit the north side in the past two years.

Categories
Abandonment North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Public Policy St. Louis Place

Where Ed Box and Peter Kinder Meet

by Michael R. Allen

The Suave House at 2512 Palm Street in St. Louis Place has been adorned by both the graffiti artistry of Ed Box and the political signage of Peter Kinder. The fact that’s it is owned by a Paul McKee, Jr.-controlled holding company (N & G Ventures) creates a strange political triangle of sorts. McKee owns many of the vacant buildings of St. Louis Place, Box tags them and Kinder posed himself as a gatekeeper of north St. Louis’ future by championing a tax credit that could help McKee make sense of his holdings.

Someday MetroLink may run down Palm, which merges into Natural Bridge. There are pockets of storefronts like this one on Natural Bridge west to the city limits. Unlike Martin Luther King Drive, Natural Bridge largely passes through areas of high population density, making it a natural commercial thoroughfare for north St. Louis. In fact, on the block just west of the Suave House there already are popular small businesses in sidewalk-fronting buildings. The area already functions as a commercial gathering spot, but it needs enhancement. Of course, commercial districts on public transportation corridors don’t work well if they are not densely built out, and buildings like the Suave House indicate the density and building form that is needed to build up Natural Bridge in the future.

McKee would be wise to think about this northern edge of St. Louis Place, where Palm meets Natural Bridge, and its relationship to other neighborhoods west of here and the future presence of light rail. This is a seam, not an edge. This eastern end could be the gateway to a renewed Natural Bridge Avenue commercial district. The Suave House is a welcoming building that defines this block not as a marked boundary but as the face of one side of a street that laterally connects the entire city.

Of course, MetroLink itself could be a boundary of sorts if Metro insists on building out a light rail line like the ones it currently operates. The drawings for the north extension show many streets crossing Florissant Avenue, Palm and Natural Bridge that would not go through due to the placement of contained tracks in the middle of those major thoroughfares. That could hurt the tremendous potential of these streets to sprout more pedestrian-oriented commercial areas. A less invasive light rail system would be better — how about a street car? Meantime, let’s protect future building blocks like the Suave House.

Categories
Housing JeffVanderLou North St. Louis Northside Regeneration

Refaced House on James Cool Papa Bell

by Michael R. Allen

This small refaced house at 2911 James Cool Papa Bell in JeffVanderLou attracts my attention. (The fact that it is owned by one of Paul McKee’s holding companies doesn’t hurt.) Although the new jack-arched window opening is a bit small, the polychrome brickwork is done well. There is even a recurring pattern in the bond found at the roof line and on each side of the window. There are many examples of historic houses being refaced with inappropriate materials, covered with paint that damages the face brick and partly relayed with new brick that doesn’t match. Then there are houses like this one, built in 1890 and refaced after World War II, where the changes add a new and interesting dimension. Perhaps my outlook reflects the fact that I read How Buildings Learn long before I read the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. So be it.

Categories
JeffVanderLou North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Storefront Addition

Storefront Addition: A Corner in JeffVanderLou

by Michael R. Allen

Here is another corner storefront addition in located at 2800 James Cool Papa Bell (at Leffingwell) JeffVanderLou. This is made for high density, with a storefront on James Cool papa Bell and two additional (although now filled) storefront bays on Leffingwell. Although vacant and now owned by Union Martin LLC, the house and the addition are in good condition. Note the dentillated cornice on the storefront, and the intact dormer details on the main house.

Categories
Historic Preservation JeffVanderLou North St. Louis Northside Regeneration

Not Long for This World?

by Michael R. Allen

The house at 2719 Madison Street (left), owned by N & G Ventures since 2006, is obviously facing serious problems. The front wall collapsed in early 2008. While the joists run parallel to the front wall and are in no way compromised by the wall collapse, the roof structure is clearly sagging. The old house in JeffVanderLou dates to 1879 and managed to dodge decades of area decline. Two blocks east is the Pruitt-Igoe site. All around this block are vacant lots and derelict historic buildings. In the past five years, the speed of abandonment has rapidly increased, but the worst toll hit this area between 1950-1980.

The surviving buildings hung on, due to better ownership or physical condition than neighbors. Will the survival of remaining resources be only momentary? That’s up to current owners and political leaders — especially the aldermen who have the power to craft a redevelopment ordinance that will detail requirements for preservation, land use and eminent domain. For every house with a wall collapse is one like the next-door neighbor here, which is vacant but as solid as ever. No matter what, this poor house at 2719 Madison Street does not seem long for the world.