by Michael R. Allen
Today I discovered that the beautiful former Brecht Butcher Supply Company warehouses between Hadley and Florissant along Cass Avenue, immediately north of the Greyhound Station, are owned by none other than Blairmont Associates. Readers may recall that Blairmont Associates is a troublesome and largely anonymous group of speculators that has purchased hundreds of acres in the city’s Fifth Ward, mostly in the Old North St. Louis and St. Louis Place neighborhoods.
Blairmont owns the James Clemens House, the scene of an unfortunate robbery last week. (More on that soon!)
No one has found much about them, as their corporate registration was done through a third party and their mailing address was at Eagle Realty Company.
The city Assessor’s database record for the Brecht buildings gives a new address, however.
According to the record, Blairmont Associates’ address is 4131 Davis Street in Boulevard Heights. 4131 Davis Street is a private residence owned by Roberta M. Defiore, Ph.D., who is employed by St. Louis University and assists the St. Louis Archdiocesan Office of Urban and Community Affairs, the strategic planning arm of the Church.
Interesting. But I still don’t know who Blairmont is. For all that I know, this record is in error and the address is wrong. The record leaves out the customary “LC” behind the name of Blairmont, but that’s probably one of those danged old typos Claire mentioned.
Word is circulating that the city’s Building Division is suing Blairmont over the condition of the Clemens House.
Whatever is going on, Blairmont may want to come forward and tell Fifth Ward residents the who, what and why they want to know — before suspicions run too deep.