Categories
Demolition North St. Louis Old North

Demolition Proposed for Two Houses in Old North St. Louis

by Michael R. Allen


The house at 2605 Hadley Street (Michael R. Allen, October 31, 2006).

Two houses in Old North St. Louis are proposed for demolition by Haven of Grace, an outstanding social service provider. The conflict could not be any more difficult for residents of Old North — past and future are colliding, and a decision must be made.

Background

Sometimes, preservation questions come in the most difficult form possible. While we are often faced with David versus Goliath struggles of both the hopeful and hopeless kind, less often we have thornier affairs by which we test our consistency. Such is the situation in Old North St. Louis, where the Haven of Grace is seeking to expand its facility by demolishing two vacant historic houses in the 2600 block of Hadley Street.

An affiliate of Grace Hill Settlement House, Haven of Grace does amazing work that many others won’t: the organization provides transitional housing for pregnant homeless women. Director Diane Berry has tremendous drive to raise community support for this important work, and has served as an important member of the Board of Directors of the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group. The dormitory building that the organization recently built on 13th Street between Warren and Montgomery is a good example of thoughtful infill construction, blending historic massing and forms with modern materials like contemporary brick, metal siding and metal roofing. Some will fault the building’s design for a prominent parking lot, but generally it harmonizes with its setting amid nineteenth century buildings.

In a neighborhood steeped in exquisite, subtle architecture and a high concentration of residents committed to social justice, Haven of Grace is a perfect institution. The match between it and the neighborhood could not be greater.

That is why the issue of the demolition of the houses on Hadley Street to the east of the existing buildings creates a strange conflict. Haven of Grace has been a successful organization in part because of its relationship with its neighborhood. However, that neighborhood’s identity and future hinge on its historic architecture. With over sixty percent of its architectural stock lost in the last twenty-five years, Old North St. Louis must seriously consider the impact of the loss of two houses.

Furthermore, the houses are contributing resources to the Murphy-Blair Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The listing has enabled the use of much-needed Missouri rehab tax credits in the neighborhood. Further damage to the historic integrity of the official historic district seems needless.

The two houses are rather modest and, despite years of vacancy, in fairly good condition for their ages (both probably date to c. 1870-1880). The narrow Greek Revival home at 2605 Hadley is adjacent to a newly-rehabbed building, and sports one of the brick dentillated cornices typical of the oldest buildings in the neighborhood. The wider Italianate-style building, at 2619-21 Hadley, is modest save its unusual wooden cornice, which has exaggerated rounded brackets that are unmatched in the neighborhood — and perhaps on the whole north side. This house sites near the corner and through its presence helps define the character of the intersection of Hadley and Montgomery. Both houses would make excellent historic rehabilitation projects, and the wider house may be suitable for use by Haven of Grace.



The house at 2619-21 Hadley Street (Michael R. Allen, October 31, 2006).

Ultimately, the best resolution seems to be deferring to a precautionary principle against demolition. Old North St. Louis needs both its architectural and social resources in balance, but the architectural balance is difficult to achieve given the intensive demolition that has struck the neighborhood. Even last year, three contributing buildings to the Murphy-Blair Historic District were wrecked (2025 Palm, 1306 Monroe and 1929 Hebert) Preservation of all remaining historic buildings in any condition close to saving seems the only route to truly keeping the growth of the neighborhood in balance with its past. Given community support, Haven of Grace will surely be able to create an alternate expansion plan. After all, there is plenty of available space here in Old North — and an indomitable community spirit that always finds creative solutions to thorny issues like this one.

Preservation Board Meeting Ahead

The matter will be considered by the Preservation Board at its meeting on Monday. Staff of the city’s Cultural Resources Office have denied the demolition permit, and Haven of Grace has appealed. Staff is now recommending demolition of one of the buildings and preservation of the other.

Read the staff recommendation here.

Meeting details:

When: Monday, February 26 at 4:00 p.m.

Where: Conference Room, 1015 Locust Street, 12th Floor

How to Testify: Attend and sign up, or submit written testimony to Preservation Board Secretary Adonna Buford at BufordA(at)stlouiscity.com

Categories
Architects Mayor Slay Old North People

MayorSlay Talks with John Burse

MayorSlay.com’s latest podcast subject is my neighbor, architect John Burse. In his interview, John shares thoughts about the uniqueness of Old North St. Louis, what makes neighborhoods unique (and what makes others contrived), revitalizing the Gateway Mall and other things.  Listen here.

Categories
Brecht Butcher Buildings Demolition North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Old North St. Louis Building Division

Brecht Butcher Supply Buildings Under Demolition; Permit Altered

by Michael R. Allen

Two weeks ago, the A.G. Mack Contracting Company began wrecking the Brecht Butcher Supply Company Buildings at the northeast corner of Cass and Florissant avenues in Old North St. Louis. The historic buildings, owned by Blairmont Associates LC (30% owned by developer Paul J. McKee, Jr.), have sat empty since their purchase by the current owner in 2005. On October 6, 2006, a large fire struck the buildings and caused extensive but not insurmountable damage.

On October 31, 2006, the city’s Building Division issued an emergency demolition permit for the eastern two buildings of the three-building group. According to demolition inspectors, the two-story western building was to be spared while the other buildings would be wrecked with city money.

Then, suddenly, salvagers removed the cornice from the two-story section beginning January 8. Demolition started on the two-story section, and a complaint to the city led to information from Demolition Supervisor Sheila Livers stating that all three building would be wrecked.

The city’s Geo St. Louis website shows that the original wrecking permit issued October 31, 2006 was replaced by a new one issued January 12, 1007.

The reason for the change is unknown. Obviously, the loss of the two larger buildings would have diminished the visual impact of the two-story building. Yet leaving some part — a part not at all damaged by the fire — of the historic row would have been better than nothing.

(Photograph from February 8, 2007. Most of the two-story section is demolished now.)

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

Three Neighborhoods, Thousands of People

by Michael R. Allen

If anyone tuned into last night’s excellent program on the 6:00 p.m. news program of KMOV Channel 4, you would have seen a compelling, tightly-edited report from Russell Kinsaul.

Just don’t get the wrong idea. More is at stake here than Old North St. Louis with its eager young middle-class white rehabbers. The “Blairmont” project encompasses the lives of thousands of people, and the biggest impact is on a largely poor, African-American population. This population may not survive the development apparently envisioned by Paul McKee’s McEagle Properties. (That project is in line to receive a large subsidy from the state of Missouri should a proposed bill amendment go through this week.)

The concerns of renters in JeffVanderLou are as politically important as those raised by homeowners in Old North St. Louis. In fact, the fact that both share the same concerns show that the near north side already enjoys incredible diversity — and an unfortunate deep bond in fear over the possible changes to come.

In the future, that bond and that diversity could be improved by thoughtful, careful redevelopment efforts. Clearance would erase the potential for retaining the existing population that has maintained the cultural fabric of the area despite incredible obstacles posed by decades of disinvestment.

Instead of viewing the area as a potential blank slate, would-be developers should see an area already possessing a great array of architectural, cultural and social resources. The focus needs to be on filling the gaps harmoniously to create a strong urban fabric for three very cool neighborhoods.

These neighborhoods already are rebuilding block by block, neighbor by neighbor, house by house. While Claire and I are a part of this effort, so are many other people. We look forward to many others joining us in the next decade, and to seeing our fellow near north siders stick around for the good future we share.

Categories
North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Old North

Blairmont: The Old North Buildings

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.

Categories
Columbus Square JeffVanderLou North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Old North St. Louis Place

Photographic Survey of Blairmont 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

1617 N. 10th Street

JeffVanderLou

2400-2500 Block of Coleman Street

2900 Block of Montgomery Street

Other JeffVanderLouBuildings

2629 St. Louis Avenue

2800 Block of St. Louis Avenue

Old North St. Louis

The Old North Buildings

St. Louis Place

1900 Block of Wright Street

Some of the St. Louis Place Buildings

St. Louis Avenue Buildings in St. Louis Place

Categories
North St. Louis Old North

Skyline Views from the Northside

by Michael R. Allen

The rear of our home faces south. This is the time of year for the glorious skyline view. Sure, we can see the skyline from the tallest part of our roof at any time. But we have to wait for the leaves to fall to see the skyline from inside of the house.

To see such a view at all fills me with awe. No matter how small St. Louis’ towers seem compared to other cities, the grouping of them still makes me appreciate the fact that my species can build anything so tall and permanent.

To see this view from inside of my own home is even greater still. I’d say that the north view of the syline is the one that makes it seem more lively and makes the city seem more robust and metropolitan. At night, when the skyline glows with the dozen different colors lighting windows, roofs and spires, it’s hard to think anything bad about this city’s future — or present.

There are many other homes in my neighborhood, Old North St. Louis. Some are taller, and some are closer to downtown. Those with skyline views each have a unique vantage point, and many may have a better one than ours.

These views are anyone’s free for life with the purchase of a near northside home. There just might be a few homes for sale here, too.

Categories
North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Old North

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group on Blairmont

In response to a comment in this blog asking if the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group was taking a public stance on Blairmont, president John Burse posted this comment. We are re-posting it here so that it doesn’t get buried amid the lengthy and heated comments Blairmont posts generate:

On behalf of the ONSLRG, I would like to express our gratitude to Michael and Claire for their diligent investigative work of Blairmont’s activities and offer a response to some of the comments. Our organization has been aware of Blairmont’s activities for quite a few years and is very concerned about their impact across the entire near north side.

EOA’s work has provided us the kind of useful data on Blairmont’s activities, data that we simply do not have the time to mine given the current work load and activities we have underway – work that includes over the past 18 months moving over 40 new families into renovated and newly constructed dwellings into the neighborhood, the planning and predevelopment of the 14th Street Mall Project, and the effort to save the Mullanphy Emigrant Home. This work is slowly but surely transforming the landscape of our neighborhood and capturing the imagination of other to join our calling – to revitalize the physical and social fabric of our community. This work is ongoing, healthy and quite visible in spite of the activities of Blairmont. Those who know our organization know we are not undertaking these efforts alone – it is through a broad spectrum of close working relationships ranging from city officials, organizations like RHCDA, and neighbors like Michael and Claire that we have been able to reverse Old North’s decline.

EOA’s contribution has lit a candle in the darkness of this one situation, and we are certainly inspired by its light. In this matter we have not been “silent”. Over the years we have had a number of conversations with elected officials and even Mr. McKee regarding Blairmont. While I will not go into detail about those conversations, we believe the facts Michael, Claire and others have been uncovering make action on this matter possible and even easy to consider. A year ago in a conversation with our organization, Mr. McKee denied any involvement in this enterprise. EOA’s detective work allows a different kind of conversation to occur at this point and we are actively pursuing those discussions.

Let there be no question: Blairmont’s activities are most certainly a concern to us. They do indeed raise our “hackles.” As a community based development organization we are committed to principles of openness and public engagement as key ingredients in any socially sustainable, large scale development activity. This has been a virtue we have practiced in our own work, and one which we consider as an imperative for others considering large scale efforts. We have expressed this position to both Mr. McKee and city officials.

In the matter of neglected problem property, our organization has in the past organized efforts to report Blairmont properties to the city and urge action to clean these properties up. This activity usually involved calls and emails to the CSB and ultimately did not produce the kind of sustainable action needed to hold these folks accountable for taking care of what they own and being good neighbors. I’m sure they simply paid the fine or bill the city sent (if any) for board up, debris removal, or mowing the city did at our urging. For an organization like Blairmont that kind of activity is like a buzzing gnat – it really doesn’t slow this gorilla down and so we are very interested in a more proactive working relationship with the city to pursue this issue and have also expressed that position to both city officials and Mr. McKee.

I apologize for the length of this note, but help it hopes your readers to understand our stance regarding this situation. Again thank you to Michael, Claire, and Doug Duckworth for your outstanding efforts.

Kind regards,

John Burse
Board President
Old North St Louis Restoration Group

Categories
Brecht Butcher Buildings North St. Louis Old North

Eulogy for the Brecht

by Barbara Manzara

Friends of the City, northsiders, lend me your ears;
I come to query Blairmont, not to blame them.
The buildings that men burn live after them;
The truth is oft interred with their rubble;
So has it been with Blairmont. The noble City
Has told us it works not with Blairmont:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
For grievously has Blairmont let us burn.

Here, under the gaze of Francis and the rest–
For Francis is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable aldermen–
Come I to speak for the near northside.
It is my home, beautiful and dear to me:
But Paul McKee says he is not Blairmont;
And Paul McKee is an honourable man.

He hath built many homes in West County
Whose taxes did the general coffers fill.
Which subdivision funded malicious speculation?
When that the poor have shivered, Blairmont hath burned:
Ambition should be made of less flammable stuff:
But Harvey Noble says he is not Blairmont;
And Harvey Noble is an honourable man.

You all did see that when the Brecht did burn
And neighbors feared for loss of life and homes,
The City issues handy demolition permits.
Yet the City swears it knows not Blairmont;
And, sure, the mayor is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what the City spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love the northside once, not without cause;
What cause witholds you then from simple honesty?
Blairmont has bought square miles of the 5th ward
And not without a politician’s ear; Bear with me —
My trust is in the coffin there with Blairmont’s burnouts,
And I’m not waiting til it comes back to me.

Barbara Manzara is a resident of Old North St. Louis. Contact her at manzarbe@hotmail.com.

Categories
Brecht Butcher Buildings Central West End Collapse Lafayette Square North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Old North South St. Louis

Examples of Buildings Stabilized After Collapse

Other industrial buildings in St. Louis and elsewhere have been stabilized and rehabilitated after sustaining damage as sever or worse that that sustained by the 1897 addition to the Brecht Butcher Supply Company building. These photos here show conditions at buildings brought back from ruins. Thanks to architect Paul Hohmann for providing these images.

LISTER BUILDING (Central West End, St. Louis)

The Lister Building at the southwest corner of Taylor and Olive was in ruins before its historic-tax-credit rehab. Read more here.

M LOFTS (Formerly part of the International Shoe Company Factory, Lafayette Square, St. Louis)

The “M Lofts” building in Lafayette Square was in a very similar state to the Brecht addition before developer Craig Heller purchased it in 2001 for an ambitious rehab. The former International Shoe Company manufacturing building was a mill-method building like the Brecht, with extensive structural collapse. Heller’s LoftWorks company rebuilt much of the building and converted it into residential space. Read more here

WIREWORKS (formerly the Western Wire Products Company Factory, Lafeyette Square, St. Louis)

A significant portion of the Western Wire Products Company buildings burned after rehab started in 2000. The developers chose to stabilize the affected section and create an inviting enclosed courtyard. Read more here on Landmarks Association’s 2002 Most Enhanced Building Awards page (the building was among the winners).

MILL CITY MUSEUM (Minneapolis)

From the museum website: “Built within the ruins of a National Historic Landmark — the Washburn A Mill — the museum provides a multi-sensory, interactive journey. The story of flour milling — and its impact on Minneapolis, the nation and the world — comes to life through the eight-story Flour Tower and other hands-on exhibits.”