Categories
Missouri Legislature North St. Louis Northside Regeneration

Landbanking Bill Also Pending in the House

by Michael R. Allen

Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton is the sponsor of HB 991, the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit Act. The bill is identical the Senate Committee Substitute section of the same name in SB 282 introduced Senator John Griesheimer (R-26th). The bill has been scheduled for a hearing by the House Special Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development. (SB 282 awaits a vote by the full Seanate.)

Read the full text here.

Recall that the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit Act creates a $100 million tax credit program for redevelopment projects of at least 75 acres in federally-certified distressed areas, administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The program was first proposed in February by Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, who stated to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that sections of north St. Louis resembled Berlin after Word War II and needed such a credit for urgent revitalization. Both Kinder and Griesheimer have admitted that developer Paul J. McKee, Jr. wants to use the credit in conjunction with his controversial north St. Louis project commonly known by the name “Blairmont.”

As with the senate version, the credits are available to any applicant who is appointed redeveloper by a municipal authority or any applicant who has already incurred expenses and assembled parcels meeting the requirements of the bill. McKee almost definitely would qualify for the credits even if St. Louis city government does not appoint him redeveloper of the area in the St. Louis Place, Old North St. Louis and JeffVanderLou neighborhoods where he owns at least 637 parcels through holding companies. Also note that the tax credit application does not require any redevelopment plan beyond site assembly, meaning that even if a parcel remains vacant in ten years an applicant will be able to get the tax credit up front.

Among the co-sponsors of HB 991 is Representatives Rodney Hubbard (D-58th), whose district includes most of McKee’s holdings. Other city Representatives listed as co-sponsors are Thomas Villa (D-108th), Connie Johnson (D-61st), Robin Wright-Jones (D-63rd), Rachel Storch (D-64th), Fred Kratky (D-65th), and T.D. El-Amin (D-57th). Kratky and Hubbard are the only St. Louis representatives on the Special Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development.

Four city representatives are not co-sponsors: Jamilah Nasheed (D-60th), whose district includes the remainder of McKee’s holdings, Jeanette Mott-Oxford (D-59th), Mike Daus (D-67th) and Michael Vogt (D-66th).

Contact information for state representatives can be found here.

Categories
Downtown education People

This Week in Architectural Education

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.

Categories
Mullanphy Emigrant Home North St. Louis Old North

Media Recognizing Mullanphy Effort

Yesterday, KMOV Channel 4 ran a lengthy segment on its 6:00 p.m. news report. Watch it here: Group hopes to restore historic building, revive declining neighborhood.

In the last week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has published both a news story and a commentary:

Efforts to save 1867 building are dealt extra blow by recent storm – Tim O’Neil (April 9)

Mullanphy Emigrant Home welcomed and helped our ancestors – Sean Thomas (April 10)

Categories
Rehabbing

Done Gutting for Now

On Saturday came the last anticipated removal of a plaster ceiling at our house. We have long decided not to extensively gut the house. For one thing, the plaster is remarkably intact and has escaped the major water infiltration that typically dooms it to to the wrecking bar. For another thing, the amount of waste created by gutting gives us pause. Without a clear need for gutting save perfection, the whole deal seems wasteful. Hence, we have only removed three historic plaster ceilings. Season rehabbers can probably guess where these three ceilings are located: under each staircase.

With staircases, gutting is necessity. The bowing of masonry walls leads to the movement of stair stringers tied into those walls. Inevitably, the shims keeping treads and risers tight in their pockets fall and the stairs begin to creak, moan and slip. The only option decades later is to remove the ceilings below and undertake extensive staircase repairs involving shimming the stringers to tighten up the pockets, and then fitting the treads and risers with new shims to keep them snug.

With the first staircase, we had to remove every tread and every riser to rebuild. With the other two, we anticipate easier jobs without as much work. Later, I will post details of the work. For now, rest assured that part of me is ecstatic to have done the final gutting of a plaster ceiling here. Gone are the inevitable scrapes of skin quickly filled with stinging lime; gone are the particles that get past even the best respirator. Gone too is the quick swig of beer to force dust into the digestive system and out of the respiratory.

At least, such moments are gone at this building. With every pry of a lath comes the maddening delusion that the work isn’t so bad and that one can do it again and agian until the whole city is rehabbed.

Categories
Central West End Demolition Preservation Board

Demolition Likely to Proceed on Three Houses on Washington

by Michael R. Allen

Word on the street is that demolition is proceeding on the three houses owned by Saaman Development on the 4000 block of Washington Avenue. Read more on Urban Review here in a blog entry from April 2006.

The houses are located in the city’s Eighteenth Ward, represented by Alderman Terry Kennedy, who is also a member of the Preservation Board. Kennedy has opted not to include his ward in the voluntary ward-by-ward preservation review program that ensures that buildings like these receive review for reuse potential.

The houses are also located in the Central West End neighborhood, renowned for its historic architecture and high residential density.

Categories
Mullanphy Emigrant Home Old North

Historic Mullanphy Alliance Forging Ahead

by Michael R. Allen

Since the Mullanphy Emigrant Home in Old North St. Louis endured further storm damage Saturday, its supporters in the Historic Mullanphy Alliance have intensified their fund raising and awareness drive.

Despite overwhelming difficulties and the lack of a model for dealing with emergency building stabilization, the alliance is not shying away from the daunting task of securing an estimated $350,000 for stabilization.

The Alliance announced today an emergency fundraiser next Saturday, April 14, at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood. (Details at the new SaveMullanphy.org site.)

Also in the works are a fundraiser at the Royale on April 19 and a benefit concert at Christ Church Cathedral sponsored by Landmarks Association of St. Louis on May 16.

Yesterday, KWMU radio’s Matt Sepic noted the damage and fundraising effort in a story summarized online.

The Historic Mullanphy Alliance is chaired by Old North residents John Burse and Claire Nowak-Boyd.

Categories
SLPS

District Closing and Selling Five Schools, Selling Six More

The St. Louis Public Schools will be closing and selling five more schools and selling six others. (Post-Dispatch coverage is here.) These are the first closings since 2003, when the district closed 17 schools.

Schools to be closed and sold:
Ashland Branch, 4415 Margaretta Avenue
Euclid Montessori, 1131 North Euclid Avenue
Lafayette, 815 Ann Avenue
Turner Branch, 4235 West Kennerly Avenue
Webster Middle, 2127 North 11th Street

Additional buildings to be sold:
Central High, 3616 North Garrison Avenue
DeAndreis, 4275 Clarence Avenue
Gardenville, 6651 Gravois Avenue
Lexington, 5020 Lexington Avenue
Marshall, 4342 Aldine Avenue
Marshall Branch, 4322 Aldine Avenue

Categories
Demolition National Register Old North

Haven of Grace Expansion Moving Forward

by Michael R. Allen

By March 22, Haven of Grace had demolished the house at 2605 Hadley Street in Old North St. Louis — a building counted as a contributing resource to the Murphy-Blair Historic District. Last month, the Preservation Board approved the demolition permit for the house at its February meeting. (Read more here.)

Haven of Grace originally had applied to demolish that house and another one at 2619-21 Hadley Street that is also a contributing resource to the district. At the Preservation Board meeting, Haven of Grace announced its withdrawal of that application and its intention to rehabilitate the building for use as offices.

The demolition of 2605 Hadley makes way for a three-story addition designed by architect Tom Cohen, who is also preparing plans for the rehabilitation of the remaining historic house. The addition will create apartments that will allow Haven of Grace to expand its social services to homeless pregnant women and their children by offering more substantial transitional housing. Haven of Grace is a part of the Grace Hill Settlement House.

The expansion plan increases building density on the block, even though it entailed demolition of a historic house that was not beyond repair. On the whole, this is a good project for an important institution that does difficult work. Many neighborhoods would likely turn Haven of Grace away.

However, Old North St. Louis cannot afford to lose another historic building. This is an exception brought about through compromise — not a precedent.

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

McKee’s Acquisitions Slowed in March

by Michael R. Allen

In March, companies controlled by developer Paul J. McKee, Jr. slowed their acquisitions of north St. Louis real estate, spending $716,850 to acquire 13 parcels in the Old North St. Louis, St. Louis Place and JeffVanderLou neighborhoods.

Among the properties are owner-occupied houses in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood on 20th Street as well as three buildings counted as contributing resources in the Murphy-Blair national historic district. While a public statement by McKee issued in February claimed that his assembly activity had stopped due to backlash from critics, and several of the properties closed in March had earlier contract dates, several had contract dates as recently as March 20.

The companies buying property are Dodier Investors LLC, MLK 3000 LLC and Sheridan Place LC. Sale prices ranged from $5,000 for a sheriff’s sale to $149,500 for the houses on 20th Street.

Categories
Mullanphy Emigrant Home Old North Severe Weather

Mullanphy Emigrant Home Hit Again

by Michael R. Allen

The Mullanphy Emigrant Home in Old North St. Louis sustained more damage during today’s severe storm and accompanying gust. The biggest damage fell on the south section of the primary (east) elevation, adjacent to the south elevation that collapsed last year; that section collapsed from roof to foundation. (See photograph above.) The north elevation also partly collapsed. (See photograph below.)

The collapse of the east elevation is most damaging because the building’s joists run perpendicular and are tied into the wall. Without temporary bracing between floors recently, the joists would have had no support and would have failed completely.