Category: Events

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Benton Park Churches Events

Pot Pies for Preservation

From Jeanette Mott Oxford:

Epiphany United Church of Christ at 2911 McNair in Benton Park will host a Chicken and Vegetarian Pot Pie Dinner on Saturday, April 10, from 5-7:30 p.m. Reservations may be made by calling 314-772-0263. We had had quite a bit of building repair and maintenance lately and want to preserve our beautiful church as a resource for the community. Please help us meet our expenses while enjoying wonderful food and conversation with others who are committed to the City.

Tickets for adults and children over 12 are $8. Children under 12 may have a reduced price ticket at $5, and children under five eat free. We are a Just Peace, Open and Affirming, Whole Earth congregation. For more information, visit www.epiphanyucc.org.

Categories
Events Historic Preservation

May Is Preservation Month

by Michael R. Allen

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced the slogan for this year’s Preservation Month of May: Old is the New Green. That catchy theme fits the strong focus on environmental stewardship that preservation advocates have embraced as well as the necessity of thrift amid ongoing recession.

While historic preservation is a year-round pursuit, having 31 whole days to celebrate and educate offers wonderful opportunities to showcase historic buildings endangered or rejuvenated, spread information and skills, share photographs and ideas and engage the broad theme of “old is the new green.”

What can St. Louis do to celebrate Preservation Month? Will you and your neighbors help organize a walking tour, street fair, art walk, house tour or other event to showcase your historic architecture? Can transit advocates and urban farmers find ways to plug in?

We’ll find out!

Please send your Preservation Month event announcements to me via email (michael@preservationresearch.com) or via the comments section and I will post them here in late April.

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Events North St. Louis Old North

Architect Discusses Crown Square Project Tomorrow Night

14th Street rehabilitation underway in May 2009.


What: Discussion on the Crown Square Redevelopment
When: Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: St. Louis Artists Guild, 2 Oak Knoll Park (directions/map)

The new Architecture Section of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild hosts its next meeting tomorrow night.

The featured speaker is architect Rob Wagstaff of Rosemann Associates, who will speak about the challenges faced in the Crown Square project (better known as the 14th Street Mall).

14th Street rehabilitation underway in May 2009.

Categories
Downtown Events Riverfront

Play on Sunday Tells the Story of the St. Louis Riverfront

Plate showing central riverfront from Pictorial St. Louis, 1875.

What: “Voices of the Riverfront”
When: Sunday, March 21, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Old Courthouse
Cost: Free

Voices of the Riverfront will bring to life some of the characters who shaped and chronicled the development of St. Louis’ riverfront — from Auguste Chouteau to Ernst Kargau to Hubert Humphrey. Written by sisters Nini and Sheila Harris, the play will be performed as a radio-style reading. The cast includes Jennifer Clark, Charlie Clark, Bill Hart, Doug Dunphy, Bob Officer, Jennifer Halla Sindelar, Craig Schmid, Jenny Heim and Michael Allen. Jim Mayhew will provide instrumental accompaniment.

The play lasts about one hour. Refreshments to follow.

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Agriculture Events Historic Preservation Missouri

Talk on Missouri Barns This Friday

Barn Again: Efforts to Document and Save Elements of the Rural Missouri Landscape

Noon, Friday, March 12 / Lecture Room / Architecture St. Louis / 911 Washington Avenue, Suite 170

Since joining Missouri Preservation as its Field Representative a little over a year ago, Bill Hart has been advocating for Missouri’s endangered historic resources. His position as Field Representative, a first for Missouri Preservation, is assisted by a Partners in the Field Challenge Grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. One of Bill’s outreach activities has included calling attention to the plight of the barn. Realizing that this is one of the most endangered building types not just in Missouri but throughout the nation, Bill has been photographing barns throughout the state (several hundred so far), keeping an eye toward at least providing quick photographic documentation of those that tenuously cling to the rural landscape. Bill has also been instrumental in organizing our state’s first barn alliance, which recently held its first meeting in conjunction with Missouri Preservation’s annual conference in Independence.

Categories
Events Urbanism

That "G" Word

by Michael R. Allen

This Thursday, I will moderate what should be a provocative City Affair panel discussion on the “g” word: gentrification. I volunteered to moderate because I lack a hard and fast definition of the word, and have been challenged and amazed at the wide range of connotations the word has attained. I’m eager to learn more about the cultural definition of the word, and look forward to the discussion.

Here’s the event description:

What is meant by gentrification and whether that word is a positive or negative can vary depending on who uses it. Panelists will talk about the dynamics that they perceive as contributing to gentrification: real estate purchasing, property improvement, demographic change, perception of inclusion and other forces of city life.

The panel consists of:
Steven Smith – Owner of the Royale and activist

Minerva Lopez – Past President of the Cherokee Station Business Association

Alex Ihnen – Regional Director of Development at Washington University, blogger at St. Louis Urban Workshop

Alycia Green – Advocate at The People’s Advocate St. Louis

Michael Allen will moderate the panel discussion.

Following forty five minutes of panel discussion we will open the floor to audience questions.

CITY AFFAIR XIV: GENTRIFICATION

MARCH 4, 2010
7:30-9:00 PM
STYLEhouse (STL-Style)
3155 Cherokee Street
Saint Louis, Mo. 63118

Categories
Art Downtown Events JNEM Riverfront

"Faces of the Riverfront" Exhibit Opens This Sunday


The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial will host a special exhibit from St. Louis artist Sheila Harris at the Old Courthouse from Feb. 14 through Aug. 22, 2010. Created especially for the memorial, the exhibit consists of nearly 40 watercolor paintings of buildings that once stood on the Arch grounds. Harris’ “portraits” of buildings depict structures from several generations of the city’s architectural history illustrating how the landscape of the riverfront evolved over time.

The exhibit will launch with an artist’s reception on Sunday, February 14, at 2:00 p.m.

Categories
Benton Park Events South St. Louis

Chatillon-DeMenil House Trivia Night, February 13th

Undated photograph of the Chatillon-DeMenil House by Dr. William G. Swekosky, from the collection of Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

The October 1966 issue of the Landmarks Letter, newsletter of preservation group Landmarks Association of St. Louis, reports on notice of the newly-restored Chatillon-DeMenil House in the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune‘s feature article on St. Louis “glowingly described the Chatillon-DeMenil House.” Furthermore, “[t]hree recent out-of-town visitors to the house said they came to St. Louis to see it after reading the newspaper story.” Over forty years later, the Chatillon-DeMenil House continues to attract visitors from around the nation (although the house is closed for January).

Interior view of the Chatillon-DeMenil House in 1962 prior to restoration, from the collection of Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

St. Louis is very fortunate that the Chatillon-DeMenil House was spared from the path of I-55 through purchase by Landmarks Association of St. Louis (via a gift from Union Electric Company), and that the foundation that assumed ownership afterward has operated the house as a museum for over four decades. Thousands of people have been able to set foot in a fully restored 19th century Greek Revival mansion through tours and interesting programs. We could very well have had greater numbers hurtling over the site at 65 miles per hour if not for the swift, smart work of St. Louis’ early preservation leaders. We all should support the less dramatic stewardship that allows the house to remain an active part of St. Louis’ public life.

That is a roundabout prelude to announcing that the Chatillon-DeMenil House is having a trivia night fundraiser next month:

Trivia Night to Benefit the Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation

Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: St. Wenceslaus Parish Hall, 3014 Oregon Ave

Everyone’s an expert on something, and a little bit of everything (and anything) can be expected at our first trivia night. 80s TV shows? Come on down. St. Louis history? That could be useful too. Who knows?

Cost is $20 per person, 8 people to a table. Beer and soda provided. Come alone, come with 1 or 2 friends, come with a bunch of friends, just come! Don’t think you have to fill a table to attend!

Doors open at 6:30pm, trivia starts at 7 p.m. All proceeds from this event go to the historic Chatillon-DeMenil House. For more information or to make your reservation, please call Jim Hubbard at 314-578-0798.

Categories
Events Historic Preservation North St. Louis Old North

Second Anti-Wrecking Ball: Success

by Michael R. Allen

Toby Weiss has already posted an excellent recap of last night’s Anti-Wrecking Ball, but here’s another. In short, we raised more money than we thought that we could, had more people attend than we expected and had a lot more dancing than usually seen at preservation fundraisers!



Video by Toby Weiss.

Dozens of people came to Old North St. Louis to support the cause of citizen preservation action and to enjoy a party inside of the spacious, lovely new Old North St. Louis Community Gallery. The venue was perfect, and not simply spatially. While the event’s focus was raising money for the Friends of the San Luis‘ appeal of a circuit court ruling against citizen standing in preservation battles, it was also a celebration of all that we can do together. The gallery is smack dab in the middle of the revitalized 14th Street commercial district, until recently a horrid pedestrian mall. The rebirth of the mall and Old North have come through the dedication of scores of people working against tough odds. Citizens, acting on the belief that we can make our neighborhoods better places and save our irreplaceable landmarks.

The attendance was a great example of the wide support for preservation. There were north side residents, young urbanists, veteran preservationists, architects, artists, anti-eminent domain activists, and even a Preservation Board member. Up the street at the Urban Studio Cafe there was an art opening, and crowds migrated back and forth throughout the evening.

DJ Darren Snow kept a wonderful flow of music going. Emily Beck created a powerful slide show that weaved together the past year of Friends of the San Luis events, architectural images and photographs of people across the city celebrating the historic architecture of our neighborhoods. The Chase Park Plaza Cinemas, STL Style and Toby and I provided raffle items. Volunteers too numerous to mention pitched in, and the party went well past the advertised midnight close. Bravo!

Categories
Events

Raise a Cup for Preservation

Next Friday, unwind with your fellow preservationists over a pint of fresh keg beer — while helping to raise money for your right to stand up to senseless demolition!


On Friday, December 11, local preservationists will host another Anti-Wrecking Ball to raise funds for ongoing legal efforts. Darren Snow, host of KDHX’s “Rocket 88” program, is the DJ for the party. All who attend will be entered into a raffle for prizes from STL Style, St. Louis Cinemas and other local businesses. The venue will be a new community gallery in Old North St. Louis in the heart of the nearly-completed 14th Street redevelopment project.

When: Friday, December 11 from 8:00 p.m. – midnight.

Where: Old North St. Louis Community Gallery, 2700 N. 14th Street

Cost: $10 (includes beer)

The Anti-Wrecking Ball will raise funds for the ongoing appeal of this year’s ruling by St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Robert Dierker that citizens have no standing under city preservation law.

When the Preservation Board approved — by a close 3-2 vote — demolition of the modern San Luis Apartments in June, the Friends of the San Luis filed an injunction in court. Under city preservation law, the citizens who make up Friends of the San Luis have a right to appeal – but only after a demolition permit has been issued! The Friends sued to stop demolition so we could appeal the Preservation Board ruling.

However, Judge Dierker ruled against the Friends, and not because he thought their argument was wrong, but because he thinks that citizens who are not owners of property threatened with demolition should have no right to protest or appeal. The San Luis Apartments were demolished this summer, but the ruling left a bigger issue that affects all citizens regardless of what they think about that one particular building.

Unchallenged, Dierker’s ruling could impede citizen efforts to save community landmarks across the city. The Friends of the San Luis filed an appeal to the Missouri Court of Appeals in September to stand up for future preservation efforts. The Friends of the San Luis believe that citizen rights should not be demolished along with the San Luis Apartments.

Consequently, the Friends of the San Luis and other preservationists have organized the Anti-Wrecking Ball to raise funds to cover attorney’s fees. After the Friends wins its appeal, the Anti-Wrecking Ball movement will continue to raise money for legal costs associated with citizen preservation action.