Tonight at 6:00 p.m. in Ivory Perry Park (Cabanne at Belt), Hamiet Bluiett will be performing for free. Something must be going right in this city if the world’s greatest jazz saxophonist is playing for free in a north side park. See you there.
Category: People
by Michael R. Allen
There are two excellent articles in today’ Riverfront Times pertaining to controversial development matters:
Phantom of the Hood, Part 2 by Kathleen McLaughlin
The newest member of the RFT staff has written a great article on Paul McKee’s north side project. Some of the new information she dug up includes the fact that McKee’s attorney Steve Stone of Stone, Leyton & Gershman was involved in drafting the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Act. McLaughlin includes a choice quote from State Sen. John Griesheimer, original sponsor of the tax credit: “My idea of redeveloping is taking a blighted area and bulldozing it, putting mixed-uses in.” The “bulldoze the ghetto” rhetoric gains some credibility. Kathleen McLaughlin’s byline is definitely one to watch; she is tenacious and smart.
Rebuilt to Suit by Randall Roberts
Randall Roberts’ last story for the RFT covers the tension between St. Louis University and the developers and businesspeople who are transforming Locust Street (as well as parts of Olive and Washington) east of Grand into a force that puts the “life” in that fables intersection Grand Center advertises. The last part chronicles the livery stable demolition, bringing to light SLU’s promise to demolish no more of its holdings north of Lindell. Roberts has a fine sense of public journalism, and of how an article like this one can make a difference for the better. While this article comes out too late to make a difference in the livery stable fight, its timing is still good since few know SLU’s next step on Locust Street. I’m confident that McLaughlin will continue Roberts’ legacy of providing critical coverage of development and preservation issues in the RFT.
Categories
A Memorial For Marti Frumhoff
From Christopher Thiemet:
Friday, June 15th, there will be a gathering in Forest Park, to honor, memorialize, and celebrate the life and times of our dear
friend Marti.
Rain or Shine!
We will be creating the space as we come together… some of us may want to share a story, read a poem, put up art work, lead us in a song, play Frisbee or Scrabble.
We see this as a informal time, family friendly, this includes dogs and children.
If this is at a time in which you will not be able to join us and you wish to have something read please email: mel@changingtide.org and we will make sure that someone reads it for you.
The space is available from 3pm – 8pm. The focused phase of this gathering will begin at 5:30pm.
This memorial is a time of celebration in a park Marti cherished.
Come early, stay late. Two BBQ pits are available.
Please Forward!
Details:
A memorial gathering to honor Marti
Place:
Pavilion 5 – Wells Drive – Across from the Zoo (south side – map here)
Date:
Friday, June 15th
Time:
3pm -8pm
Categories
Departures
by Michael R. Allen
Randall Roberts, the senior member of the Riverfront Times staff, DJ, KDHX host, cultural gadabout, satirist and trend-setter departs for Los Angeles at the end of June.
Randall’s departure will be followed in July by that of Joseph Heathcott and Ashley Cruce. Joseph is professor of urban studies at St. Louis University, counselor to Landmarks Association of St. Louis, board member of the Red Brick Community Land Trust and outspoken urbanist. Ashley is professor of social work at St. Louis University, where she also directs the Center for Social Justice. Joseph has taken a professorship at the New School in New York City.
May the coasts cherish the talent, vision and joy these St. Louisans have shared here. May St. Louis become a city that could have kept these folks around longer.
by Michael R. Allen
The prolific graffiti tagger Ed Box(x) struck the Orpheum Theater downtown over the weekend, bringing his trademarks to an occupied building in the heart of the city. Observers first spotted the graffiti on Sunday. Among the painted items on the theater are a large cigarette, cat head and slogans such as “Forgive People” and “Roll Over Bay Toe Vin.” The theater is owned by the Roberts Brothers and its exterior has not exactly been kept in good repair lately. No word on when the exterior will be clean again.
Those who travel the streets of East St. Louis and north city know this work well. The work of Box(x) mars several landmarks that have long since slipped from our region’s middle-class consciousness. The downtown tag certainly raises the visibility of Ed Box(x) and hopefully will draw the attention of people who won’t see his other questionable endeavors.
Thomas Crone has more at 52nd City: Paging: ED BOXX, paging ED BOXX
Categories
Marti Frumhoff
by Michael R. Allen
Yesterday, Marti Frumhoff passed away far too early. The news is shocking, and I barely know what words can summarize such a great person who lived a great life.
To me, Marti was that person whose advice was always constructive and affirming. Even when we disagreed a conversation with her made me feel like I had the power to change the city — and so did her numerous other friends. Not only did she believe that we would make St. Louis a great city, she inspired those around her to act on our beliefs. She was a catalyst between idea and action, and never adverse to learning about one more idea, meeting one more person and making one more good thing happen.
Her impact on others’ lives is astounding given how busy she kept herself. Many knew her as the founder and ringleader of the Rehabbers’ Club, the largest and most active historic preservation constituency in St. Louis. Recently, she had founded ReVitalize St. Louis to create a platform for progressive action on built environment, political and cultural issues in the city. She launched Mainstreet St. Louis — an innovative project with great potential. Her regular job was working as a realtor, selling the city as much as its houses. Somehow, she managed to show up at everyone else’s meetings and events to provide support; lately, she was active with the Historic Mullanphy Alliance. Marti would often invent the vehicles for change needed to make something happen — and never complained, or shirked the responsibilities she had. She did what had to be done.
Her tireless enthusiasm for changing St. Louis, educating people and bringing out the best in everyone surpassed that of anyone I know. Marti’s life is intertwined with so many people, organizations and places that have grown because of her. Her spirit will be with us forever.
For a recent account of Marti’s ideas, please read this transcript of a round-table discussion that appeared in the April issue of St. Louis Magazine featuring Marti, Joseph Heathcott, Steve Patterson and me.
Steve Patterson of Urban Review has also posted a tribute, “St. Louis Just Lost A Great Advocate”; he urges people to leave memories in the comments section.
UPDATE: The memorial service takes place tomorrow, Friday May 18th, 1:00 p.m. at Central Reform Congregation (Kingshighway at Waterman).
by Michael R. Allen
Chicago salvager, photographer, historian and activist Richard Nickel was killed thirty-five years ago on April 13, 1972 while salvaging at the Chicago Stock Exchange Building. Thirty-five years later, Nickel’s legacy is evident in the contemporary preservation movement. Today architectural salvage, systematic photographic documentation, appreciation of commercial and industrial buildings and concern for the effects of widespread demolition are widely understood as important components of historic preservation — even if not as widely implemented as they should be.
Edward Lifson, himself an interesting interpreter of architectural history, commemorates the anniversary of Nickel’s death and celebrates the new book Richard Nickel’s Chicago in a segment from NPR that ran earlier this week.
Although not as famous as many contemporaries, Nickel sparks an intensity in people as they consider his haunting images, fiercely-argued writings and the awareness he kindled in people still alive today. Years later, for American historic preservation, Nickel stands as a pioneer whose accomplishments have not been fully considered (or even recorded) and whose ideas will provoke our minds for generations.
by Michael R. Allen
In a post entitled “A Dedicated Fund For Historic Preservation In STL?” at STL Rising, Rick Bonsach raises the point that St. Louis lacks a dedicated emergency historic preservation fund. The existence of such a fund would have aided Old North St. Louis with stabilizing the storm-damaged Mullanphy Emigrant Home (pictured above in the “better” days of December 2006).
Bonasch suggests that the topic be discussed among those who attend tonight’s fundraiser for the Mullanphy (at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood from 5-7:30 p.m.; details here).
The discussion should continue past tonight. With rising interest in historic preservation in north side neighborhoods hampered by strong weather, arson and metal thieves, such a fund could establish a sustainable effort to ensure that some funds are available for emergency stabilization. Such a fund could empower neighborhoods who might otherwise consider demolition as the only practical option. Many neighborhoods on the north side are far from having strong markets for historic buildings, but with assistance will undoubtedly reach that point.
The first response to Bonasch in his comments section is dismissive and seems to presuppose government footing the bill for the fund. Bonasch replies that he envisions the private sector administering the fund. After all, the Mullanphy effort has yet to collect a dollar of city money — and probably will not. The momentum is building regardless.
(Some have joked that instead of a preservation fund what is most urgently needed is an advocacy group against our new forms of severe weather.)
Bonasch’s post raises interesting questions:
Does St. Louis have the energy and vision to continue working for emergency stabilization efforts after the Mullanphy is rebuilt?
Can we sustain the effort foe years to come?
Can we successfully collect money for the effort in the absence of a targeted project like the Mullanphy?
Are there existing organizations or people who may have established a suitable foundation for such work?
Should city government be involved?
Would St. Louisans be willing to have any tax money go into the creation of such a fund?
Are their existing municipal funds that could be used for stabilization instead of demolition?
by Michael R. Allen
On Wednesday, Landmarks Association of St. Louis presented a version of its What Are Buildings Made Of? (WABMO) program to 25 students of Ranken Technical College.
After an introduction from co-worker Susan Tschetter, I gave a 20-minute slideshow talk with short histories of common local historic and modern building materials as well as some discussion of how the use of each material influenced and enabled different common building forms. Landmarks staffer Doug Johnson followed with a presentation of actual building materials, and finally we screened the ever-relevant …It’s Just One Building to make its subtle and effective case for sound preservation planning.
The highlight of any WABMO program is the walking tour, and despite windy weather the tours went well. Richard Mueller, Karen Halla, Susan and I served as guides for one-hour walking tours of the eastern section of downtown. The Ranken students were lively, engaging and attentive — an ideal group. I knew I was in for a good time when one of them pointed at the Arch and shouted “Look, there’s Union Station” but then proceeded to listen attentively to my explanation of the role of the Old Courthouse and the long-gone Merchant’s Exchange in pulling commercial St. Louis westward.
My tour’s stops ranged from the Adam’s Mark Hotel (the epitome of bad 1980’s architecture and an example of a terrible re-cladding of an older building) to the Old Post Office, and included spirited conversation. When I offered the students the chance of leaving the tour at the designated end time or continuing to see a few more things, they all stayed on the tour.
The challenge with architectural education again seems not to be finding a convincing message and compelling information but rather getting the message to the public. Our city’s great architecture is an “easy sell” in many ways. People can’t help but notice the wonders of the built environment here, even if they have not yet encountered encouragement and explanation. The more we provide that encouragement and explanation, the stronger our cultural appreciation for architecture will become.
by Michael R. Allen
After work, I headed over to the Metropolis-sponsored reading from Gaslight Square: An Oral History by my friend Thomas Crone. The experience was unique, to say the least: Thomas narrated his own reading with stories about the making of the book along with bits of history and gossip that did not make it through. His presentation summoned forth ideas about a history with a palpable intangibility. After all, the reading took place in one of the new houses on Olive Street that sits on the site of long-gone building where the famous events went down. Through the windows of the new house, all one can see are other new houses occupying the sites of building vital to one of the most culturally formative stages in St. Louis’ recent past. (The exception is the brick building that once housed Ben Selkirk & Sons auction house, newly rehabbed at the southeast corner of Whittier and Olive.)
Listening to Thomas invoke the history of this place in its stunningly reference-stripped incarnation gave me great appreciation for his work. While his account is not a thorough narrative of the events that went down, it is an essential record of impressions, memories, ideas and connections between his interview subjects and one place that doesn’t even seem like itself anymore. Without buildings or other landmarks, an urban place could very well die in collective memory over time. Those who directly experience a place during a particular incarnation won’t live forever, after all.
However, with Gaslight Square there is an enduring key to a place otherwise lost. Even away from the place itself and the author’s voice, the book offers a chance to help us know where Gaslight Square is — in many senses. Thank goodness the book exists!