Preservation Research Officeby Michael R. Allen
Demolition of the Switzer Building begins on Monday. Supposedly the wrecking ball will make its first strike at 10:00 p.m. that day. More information is available in this post on MayorSlay.com. Demolition will not include the three adjacent historic buildings to the north also owned by Clarinet LLC. Clarinet is salvaging the cast iron storefront and much of the decorative limestone from the front elevation for potential reuse.
by Michael R. Allen
At its quarterly meeting Friday in Joplin, the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted to approve the following St. Louis area nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and forward them to the Keeper of the National Register:
All votes were unanimous, although the Plaza Square Apartments Historic District is being sent for substantive review due to its construction date within the past 50 years. Nominations forwarded by the Advisory Council are typically listed on the Register within 45 business days of approval.
Notable among the approved nominations are the Plaza Square Apartments district, a local milestone of midcentury urban renewal and modern architecture. Under national regulations, nominations of properties that have achieved significance with the past 50 years require a demonstration of exceptional significance. Such nominations are infrequent, but contribute to greater recognition of the architectural achievements of the middle of the twentieth century.
Detail of one of the Plaza Square Apartments buildings.
Also interesting was the deliberation over the Ramsey Accessories Manufacturing Corporation Building at 3693 Forest Park Boulevard in St. Louis city, a nomination that raised issues of integrity due to the yet-incomplete removal of the stucco and concrete slipcover added in 1969 that covers the three-story building,. built in 1923 with addition in 1934. Fortunately, Bivens unearthed a wealth of information on the Ramsey Corporation that manufactured the “Ramco” piston ring and showed that the primary elevation is largely intact underneath the slipcover. The McGowan Brothers have an option on the building and hope to restore its original appearance.
One nomination not approved was that of Big Boy’s Restaurant in Wright City. The Council tabled the nomination due to concerns about an underdeveloped statement of significance while generally finding the building eligible for listing. With some improvement, the nomination should be in good shape by the next quarterly meeting in August.
by Michael R. Allen
Yesterday the Missouri House truly passed HB 327, sometimes known as the Quality Jobs Act. The bill contains the $100 million Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit Act sought by St. Charles County developer Paul J. McKee, Jr. for his massive, controversial north St. Louis “Blairmont” project.
St. Louis area Representatives Jeanette Mott-Oxford, Mike Daus, Michael Vogt and Jamilah Nasheed voted no. All other St. Louisans voted in favor of the bloated “economic development” bill.
The Distressed Areas credits received strong support from St. Louis city and county governments as well as McKee’s McEagle Properties. Opponents never coalesced into a formidable lobby despite strong individual efforts and no existing organization took up their cause.
St. Francis de Sales
2653 Ohio Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63118
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Free, but reservations are required. (314) 421-6474
(Photograph by Rob Powers for Built St. Louis; used with permission.)
2007 List Announced at site of Endangered Mullanphy Emigrant Home in North St. Louis.
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Barbara Fitzgerald
phone: (573)-443-5946
email: preservemo10@yahoo.com
Dr. Cole Woodcox will announce Missouri Preservation’s 2007 Most Endangered Historic Places List at a press conference at the site of the endangered Mullanphy Emigrant Home in North St. Louis at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, May 15, 2007. The Mullanphy Emigrant Home is located at 1609 N. 14th Street in St. Louis, MO. (In case of inclement weather, the press conference will move to the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group Office at 2800 N. 14th Street in St. Louis, MO.)
The Mullanphy Emigrant Home built in 1872 remains endangered after being named to the list in 2006 due to storm damage suffered in the Spring of 2006. The site has been purchased by the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group in an effort to save the property, but was again damaged further by a storm this Spring (2007). Efforts are being made to raise awareness and funds for the stabilization of this historic property. The site does not have electricity, so you will need equipment that works from an auxiliary power source.
Missouri’s Most Endangered List is announced annually during National Preservation Month to emphasize the threatened historic resources in Missouri. Nominations are solicited from around the state and properties are chosen which are considered “at risk.” The risks property face may be from deterioration, neglect, encroachment, potential demolition or a combination of threats. Missouri Preservation is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to saving historic resources throughout Missouri. Missouri Preservation may be reached at (573)-443-5946 or by email at preservemo10@yahoo.com. Dr. Cole Woodcox of Kirksville chairs the Most Endangered Historic Places Committee and can be reached at 660-785-4410 or by email at
cwoodcox@truman.edu.
Press packets and information on sites listed will be available at the press conference. For information on Missouri Preservation, please visit our website at www.preservemo.org. The 2007 list will be located on the website following the announcement on May 15, 2007.
From Landmarks Association of St. Louis:
In the 19th century, beautifully landscaped cemeteries were often the choice for leisure-time outings. Recreate that point in time as you meander past impressive final resting places on Prospect Avenue in Bellefontaine Cemetery with architect, photographer & tour guide Gary Tetley. Enter main gate on Florissant and drive more or less straight ahead on Willow (which turns in to Lawn) until you reach Woodbine. Turn right and park adjacent to Prospect Avenue.
Bellefontaine Cemetery
4947 W Florissant Ave
St. Louis, MO 63115
Saturday, May 12
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Free, but reservations are required: (314) 421-6474
by Michael R. Allen
Built St. Louis documents a slow crime that residents of the near north side have watched unfold in the last several weeks: the destruction on five buildings on the 1900 block of Montgomery by brick rustlers. Need I add that these are the only five buildings on this block?
Apathy breeds neglect, and neglect of whole areas of a city is fatal. When our cultural leaders have had the chance to safeguard St. Louis Place and other near north side neighborhoods, they have chosen otherwise. When our leaders have seen dozens of buildings fall, they have offered apologies or ignored the destruction. When they have watched residents loose their sense of place…well, they haven’t. Apparently a “sense of place” is germane only to the central corridor and the south side. North St. Louis gets fucked.
North St. Louis the region’s shameful embarrassment, and the “Blairmont” solution will help us forget about some of it without having to do any real work for change. While we can’t preserve a building whose walls have fallen to thieves and their eager fences, we can look back and see decades where we had the chance to prevent this tragedy from unfolding and instead we silently let it happen.
Of course, the reality is very disconcerting east of Grand: blocks with much vacancy also contain well-kept homes and apartments, smiling children and strong churches. Middle-class mythology renders the people who live here politically and culturally nonexistent, and that helps us to cope with our end of the problem. The harsh reality is that there is enough social fabric left to rebuild this area without wholesale clearance or mass relocation.
But the myths are easier: Oh, they don’t care. Most of those buildings are past saving. Parts of that areas have places where you can’t see a building for blocks around. Old North St. Louis is the only part of that area worth saving. No one wants to live there.
The reality is that despite fifty years of degradation and neglect the near north side retains its character and its sense of place. Thoughtful public policy for this area was impossible in the urban renewal age, but in our historic-tax-credit era seems equally impossible. The brick rustlers are committing a small crime with their own hands. Other more powerful parties have committed larger crimes with those of others. Sadly, it seems that the near north side will not fend off either assault, which seems likely to spread west of Grand after the “Blairmont” model is proven and embraced politically.
What then becomes of the character of the rest of the city? Are our self-serving myths worth the loss of a large part of the city’s culture?
This Friday starts Preservation Week, sponsored by Friedens UCC Church in Hyde Park and a happy hour at Blu, one of the midcentury Plaza Square Apartment buildings undergoing rehabilitation.
The calendar in online in PDF format; I will post selected events in plain text in the blog throughout the next week.
The Art and Geometry of St. Louis Buildings
Over the last several months, students in Debbie Raboin’s Art and Kelly Wamser’s Geometry classes at O’Fallon (Illinois) Township High School have toured St. Louis landmarks and studied their history. This open house showcases their final projects, including artwork, 3-D models, PowerPoint presentations and a City Hall cake (isn’t that a must-see?). In addition, OTHS students will provide music for the background in the rotunda. This pioneering program, developed with the assistance of the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation, is an exciting new model for the use of architecture in unexpected places in the high school curriculum. Over 150 students look forward to sharing their work with you.
Date: Friday, May 11th
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE
* Music and refreshments provided
Venue Information:
St. Louis City Hall
1200 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
Readers may recall that this blog covered this program earlier, in a March 16 post entitled This Week in Preservation Education, and that I was fortunate to be part of the program. I urge you to please attend to show your appreciation for the people who will be shaping our region’s future.
The Old North St. Louis House Tour is this Saturday. Call 314-241-5031 to purchase advance tickets, or simply show up at the corner of 14th & St. Louis on Saturday and buy your tickets then.
This year’s tour will feature beautifully rehabilitated homes as well as projects in progress, including Kevin Dickherber’s rehab of a c. 1859 rowhouse at 1208 Hebert which will be available for sale later this year (photo here). Dickherber is rehabilitating five houses on that block and may be the first for-profit private developer to undertake a multi-building project in Old North in years. (No slight intended to others working in Old North, including Blue Shutters Development which is rehabbing three connected houses on 14th Street.)