Preservation Research OfficePart of the Photographic Survey of Blairmont Buildings.
Building is at right. Date of photograph: December 13, 2006.
LOCATION: 3510 Cozens Avenue; JeffVanderLou
CURRENT OWNER: Dodier Investors LLC
Date of Photograph: January 21, 2007.
LOCATION: 1450 N. Grand Avenue; JeffVanderLou
CURRENT OWNER: VHS Partners LLC
Building is the center one of these three row houses. Date of photograph: January 21, 2007.
LOCATION: 3226 Magazine Street
CURRENT OWNER: VHS Partners LLC
Part of the Photographic Survey of Blairmont Buildings.
Note: First posted on January 24, 2007. Updated through September 28, 2009.
1604 N. 14th Street
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
1612 N. 14th Street
Noble Development Company LC
At left in row.
2900 N. 14th Street
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
3115 N. 14th Street
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
3236 and 3238 N. 20th Street
Owner: Sheridan Place LC
3237 N. 20th Street
Owner: Sheridan Place LC
Had been largely rehabbed by owner who sold to McEagle.
1415 Benton Street
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
2701 Blair Avenue
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
Located at the intersection of Blair and Montgomery — Blairmont!
2710 Blair Avenue
Owner: VHS Partners LLC
1500 Branch Street
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
The entire two-part commercial row is included.
1201-9 Cass Avenue (Brecht Butcher Supply Company Buildings)
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
Demolished 2007.
1449 Clinton Street
Owner: Noble Development Company LLC
Shown at right above.
1913 Dodier Street
Owner: MLK 3000 LLC
3211 Blair Street
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
At left next door to owner-occupied home.
1420 and 1424 Hebert Street
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
Two cool small houses. The house at 1422 Hebert (left) is a flounder house.
1420 Hebert Street, Rear
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
Two-and-a-half story alley house next door to fully-rehabilitated alley house.
2518 N. Florissant Avenue (Al’s Used Cars)
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
3240 and 3242 Knapp Street
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
3248 Knapp Street
Owner: N & G Ventures LC
3261 Knapp Street
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
Alley house. Adjacent neighbor demolished.
1445 Monroe Street
Owner: Noble Development Company LC
Permastone covers brick. Great vergeboard!
1119 Montgomery Street
Owner: Union Martin LC
Just the left side of the first building in the row of houses. Purchased by agent Harvey Noble at a tax sale in 2008 apparently “by mistake.”
1416 Montgomery Street
Owner: Noble Development Company LLC
Located between occupied business and the Crown Square redevelopment project, in which it could have been included.
1501 Palm Street
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
More coverage here and here.
1523 Palm Street
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
Just the left side of the left building is owned by McEagle. Building at right being fully rehabilitated.
1311 St. Louis Avenue
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC
Photograph taken before McEagle purchase; second floor now boarded most of the time. Directly across the street from the Crown Square redevelopment.
1437 Warren Street
Owner: Dodier Investors LLC
Building adjacent to a church.
1215 Wright Street
Owner: Blairmont Associates LC.
At right. Shown here before McEagle boarded the second floor windows.
Part of the Photographic Survey of Blairmont Buildings.
Date of photograph: August 17, 2006.
LOCATION: 1617 N. 10th Street; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: VHS Partners LLC
Part of the Photographic Survey of Blairmont Buildings.
Building is at left. The building at right, owned by the city Land Reutilization Authority, has since been demolished.
Date of photograph: June 9, 2006.
LOCATION: 1508 St. Louis Avenue; St. Louis Place
CURRENT OWNER: VHS Partners LLC
These are the two buildings at left. Date of photograph: December 13, 2006.
Rear view. Date of photograph: January 7, 2007.
LOCATION: 1922 and 1924 St. Louis Avenue; St. Louis Place
CURRENT OWNER: N & G Ventures LC
Date of photograph: August 12, 2006.
LOCATION: 1930-6 St. Louis Avenue; St. Louis Place
CURRENT OWNER: N & G Ventures LC
Building is at left. Date of photograph: September 14, 2006.
LOCATION: 2200 St. Louis Avenue; St. Louis Place
CURRENT OWNER: VHS Partners LLC
Building is at left. Date of photograph: September 14, 2006.
LOCATION: 2325 St. Louis Avenue; St. Louis Place
CURRENT OWNER: Noble Development Company LLC
Part of the Photographic Survey of Blairmont Buildings.
Date of photograph: July 23, 2005.
LOCATION: 2325 St. Louis Avenue; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: VHS Partners LLC
Date of photograph: December 13, 2006.
LOCATION: 1923-25 Madison Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: Blairmont Associates LC
Date of photograph: November 23, 2006.
LOCATION: 2533 Madison Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: MLK 3000 LLC
Date of photograph: November 23, 2006.
LOCATION: 2331 Maiden Lane; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: MLK 3000 LLC
Date of photograph: September 21, 2006.
LOCATION: 2336 North Market Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: N & G Ventures LC
Date of photograph: September 21, 2006.
LOCATION: 2548 North Market Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: N & G Ventures LC
LOCATION: 2552 North Market Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: N & G Ventures LC
Date of photograph: September 14, 2006.
LOCATION: 2309 University Avenue; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: Blairmont Associates LC
Part of the Photographic Survey of Blairmont Buildings.
Date of photograph: June 9, 2006.
LOCATION: 1921 Wright Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: VHS Partners LLC
Building is at left. Date of photograph: June 9, 2006.
LOCATION: 1923 Wright Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: Sheridan Place LC
Date of photograph: June 9, 2006.
LOCATION: 1929 Wright Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: Sheridan Place LC
Date of photograph: June 9, 2006.
LOCATION: 1941 Wright Street; St. Louis Place; Saint Louis, Missouri
CURRENT OWNER: Sheridan Place LC
by Michael R. Allen
According to deeds of trust filed with the city Recorder of Deeds, the three active Blairmont companies — Sheridan Place LC, MLK 3000 LLC and Dodier Investors LLC — financed $1,102,800 worth of real estate purchases between January 16 and January 23. This total represents only eight transactions in Old North St. Louis, St. Louis Place and JeffVanderLou.
Among the properties are the Ackermann Auto Repair building at 1514 N. 13th Street north of the Brecht Butcher Supply Company buildings, two small houses in the 3000 block of Montgomery Street, a string of vacant lots and one old tenement building in the 3000 block of Thomas Street, a house on the 2600 block of Howard Street and some vacant lots on 25th Street. Besides the Ackermann property, none of these seem to be worth the amounts of the deeds of trust — at least on the current market.
To think that such money would be invested in pure landbanking seems folly. Why would these entities and their backers pay over one million dollars for a week’s worth of purchases including vacant lots in JeffVanderLou and deteriorated flats? Where would the eventual payoff come?
The more likely scenario is that there is a firm master development plan for the near northside and that the people putting money into these acquisitions have confident that their plan will allow them a return, with profit. Selling these properties to other developers on a piecemeal basis seems to offer no real guarantee of a return. Likely, the properties in Old North and on major streets would be cherry-picked, leaving the other properties to be sold at less than the acquisition cost or retained.
While I know nothing of the motives behind Blairmont’s owners, I do think that I am safe to assume that these people would not invest over one million dollars simply to buy property on speculation. Their effort is relentless, as the amount of transactions and capital flow they reported in the last week shows. The companies probably own nearly 500 properties to date, an impressive feat that suggests there is a more serious effort at work than just making money off of money.
Built St. Louis now has a section showcasing some examples of the historic buildings owned by the “Blairmont” family.
From Rob Powers’ impassioned introduction:
Just as Old North is truly coming into its own, just as the revival of this area is showing signs of spreading into adjacent communities, just as awareness of the housing stock of this area is growing… these companies are both blocking the redevelopment of many vacant properties, and allowing those properties to deteriorate.
The latter action is both illegal and immoral, creating dangerous conditions for residents who live nearby, and preventing other buyers from renovating these buildings.
by Michael R. Allen and Claire Nowak-Boyd
2933 Montgomery Street, owned by Sheridan Place LC.
Wonder what exactly we keep talking about when we bemoan the treatment of historic north side buildings by the “Blairmont” companies?
Now you can see for yourself by looking at our photographic survey of their buildings. This project is a work in progress, and will be greatly expanded, but already the survey includes recent photographs of over 50 of their buildings in Old North St. Louis, Columbus Square, JeffVanderLou and St. Louis Place.
Columbus Square
JeffVanderLou
2400-2500 Block of Coleman Street
2900 Block of Montgomery Street
2800 Block of St. Louis Avenue
Old North St. Louis
St. Louis Place
The Actors – Douglas Duckworth (Random Talk on Urban Affairs, January 17): Duckworth examines the possible development perspectives involved with the plot to landbank the near northside.
McEagle’s plans for McHousing on the Near North Side? (At Home blog, January 10): I don’t know why I neglected to point this out last week. Hopefully y’all read it already. Stefene Russell and company make this blog, companion to At Home magazine, more timely than most of our readers would be inclined to think.