Gregali: Tear down the Avalon – Shawn Clubb (Southwest City Journal, January 10)
Tear It Down (Brick City, January 10)
by Michael R. Allen
Anyone wondering who is making purchase loans to the Blairmont family of companies will have to keep guessing. While purchases made from 2003 through 2005 did not have accompanying deeds of trust filed (with one exception), purchases made late in 2006 with new front companies have had deeds of trust of varying amounts. However, the companies recorded as the lenders are as cloaked as the acquisition companies — and each “lender” is company specific.
MLK 3000 LLC gets all of its loans from the Parkburg Fund LC, incorporated on August 17, 2006 by CT Corporation System, a third-party incorporator.
Dodier Investors LLC gets all of its loans from Rice Capital Group LLC, incorporated on August 8, 2006 by the CT Corporation System.
The newest front company, Sheridan Place LC, gets all of its loans through the Lincoln Asset Allocation Fund LLC, incorporated July 28, 2006 by the CT Corporation System.
The three acquisition companies began purchases in September after the lending companies were created. Where the money comes from and where it goes is thus neatly hidden from scrutiny.
by Michael R. Allen
Here’s the view from the alley of the east wall of the former funeral home at 1930 St. Louis Avenue. Brick rustlers have been taking the wall down in recent weeks, but the building has been unsecured for months. Read the citizen complaint log here.
The building is owned by N & G Ventures LC, a Missouri corporation in which developer Paul McKee has reported a 30% ownership interest.
Obviously, the corporation has no interest in preserving this building or it would put its resources into securing it — or actively seek a buyer who was willing to safeguard this beautiful building.
Here’s the front view:
To watch the loss of this beauty on a daily basis is something that I hope most readers never have to endure. Who could own this building and not want to cherish it? I suppose that Americans are a callous breed when it comes to appreciation of great architecture, but no cynicism takes away the fact that myself and many other residents here have to watch this wonderful building die.
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 “silentâ€. 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
Papa FaBarre’s
by Michael R. Allen
Dry spell at Papa FaBarre’s eatery is called a mistake – Matthew Hathaway (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 6)
The story of a delayed liquor license renewal contains details of the history of the charming “old” cafe inside of the downtown Macy’s (Famous-Barr), which actually dates only to the 1970s. That is one of my favorite downtown lunch spots, even though as a vegetarian I have two or three menu options at best. Whatever. The charm, dark varnished wood, brass and belt-driven ceiling fans are worth being limited to a very good grilled cheese.
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.
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.”
by Michael R. Allen
Summary
The Brecht Butcher Supply Company Buildings are three separate brick multi-story industrial buildings built between 1890 and 1900 at 1201-17 Cass Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. The center building suffered a fire on October 6, 2006 and was condemned through emergency order of the Building Division on October 10, 2006. Subsequently, on October 31, the Building Division issued a demolition permit for both the 1890 section at 1201 Cass and the adjacent 1897 addition to its west at 1209 Cass Avenue. However, according to Demolition Supervisor Sheila Livers of the Building Division, this demolition permit was based only on evident conditions from the exterior of the group of buildings and not on a structural inspection of the interior. Livers says that she will not send a city building inspector into the two earliest buildings, which she says were structurally destabilized by the fire.
However, an interior inspection of the buildings reveals not only that the original building at 1201 Cass Avenue survived the fire with only minor masonry damage caused by the pressure of fire hoses used to put out the fire but also that the fire-damaged center building’s remains are possibly stable enough to be conserved through temporary stabilization. A thorough evaluation by a structural engineer is warranted by the current conditions, which allow reasonably safe access to most of the complex. Demolition has not started, and the owners of the building have neither endorsed nor opposed the demolition.
See the accompanying photographic narrative of the current condition here.
Elaboration
The eastern section is a four-story mill-method, bearing-wall building rectangular in plan. Several later openings on the western wall connect it to the 1897 addition and a stairwell and freight elevator at the north end that may be original to this building or built later. All openings have sliding-track steel fire doors that were effective in preventing the spread of fire on October 6. The building shows few signs of fire damage on its exterior. Its prominent Cass Avenue elevation shows visible signs of minor masonry damage likely wrought by the pressure of water sprayed by fire hoses. Under some window sills and at the cornice level, masonry elements have been dislodged although the wall remains stable. Boards and other window cladding were removed by firefighters attempting to ventilate smoke. Inside, this building also shows few signs of fire. On the first floor, there are almost no signs at all. On the upper floors, where fire doors were not closed completely, some partitions and other non-structural wooden items show signs of charring. In one place on an upper floor, at the base of a wooden column, a small section of the floor is burned from what appears to be an unrelated debris fire. This fire damage is minor. Throughout this building, the wooden columns and beams are all as true as would be expected and show no signs of fire damage or undue movement. The roof is in relatively good condition, although the collapse of parts of the adjacent addition damaged the parapet wall on the western side. Below the parapet, however, the wall remains stable with no large areas of mortar deterioration. The Building Division is worried about the condition of that brick, but it is unlikely that exposure of a former exterior wall faced in face brick would cause major structural faults.
To the west of the original building is the four-story 1897 addition. This building is U-shaped, with its long side facing Cass Avenue maintaining the wall line established by the original building. The eastern wall of this building is reinforced with structural clay tile that provided additional fire protection. This addition is also of bearing-wall mill-method construction, except for a two-story addition that fills the opening created by the U shape. This addition suffered extensive structural collapse during and after the fire. Most of this damage is concentrated in the south end in the five westernmost bays, where all four floors’ worth of wooden structural members collapsed. The recessed north masonry wall of this section, between the two wings of the building, also collapsed down to the second floor level. The side and alley walls on the north side are totally intact, though. However, the three easternmost bays of the south section retain some stability and are providing an anchor for the south wall. The structural framework is intact to the full height in the first bay from south, with various missing elements in other bays back to the start of the wing. The easternmost of the two ends of the U was connected to the main section and suffered some structural collapse on the upper two floors, although it remains intact below. The westernmost wing, perhaps a later addition although no building permit record exists, is separated from the main section by a masonry wall that prevented the spread of fire. Notably, the south wall along Cass Avenue appears stable and suffered no loss of masonry elements during the fire except for some decorative parts of the cornice.
The two-story westernmost building, built in 1900, has a steel frame with masonry walls and concrete slab floors. This building suffered no fire damage and is not part of the condemnation order for the group.
The Brecht Butcher Supply Company Buildings were built for industrial uses at a time when fireproofing was an utmost concern for St. Louis manufacturers. The construction of the 1890 and 1897 buildings in this group demonstrate the successes and shortcomings of fireproofing technology used in their construction. Overall, the fireproofing performed remarkably well and saved the 1890 building from significant damage. The 1890 building clearly does not need to be demolished as a result of the fire. The 1897 building is obviously structurally unstable and meets the criteria for condemnation. However, the building retains sufficient structural integrity to be appropriate for stabilization. The south wall could be reinforced with steel supports pending reconstruction of the structure; with proper bracing it would be in no danger of collapse. Other local buildings that were in similar advanced states of structural collapse include the Lister Building in the Central West End and the Wire Works buildings and the so-called M Lofts in Lafayette Square. (Another excellent example of an extensive recovery from structural collapse is the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis.) These buildings recovered through extensive reconstruction using Missouri’s state historic rehabilitation tax credit (see photographs). A developer is currently working to rebuild the Nord St. Louis Turnverein in Hyde Park, nearly destroyed by fire on July 4, 2006. Clearly, the Brecht buildings are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and such listing could make available funding mechanisms to ensure reconstruction.
Conclusion
The Brecht Butcher Supply Company buildings slated for demolition are not beyond repair. The original building actually is in sound condition, while the 1897 section could be stabilized and rebuilt with urgent work. A full report by a structural engineer could determine the best course for the 1897 addition, although demolition is certainly not the only option available. If the current owner would be interested in stabilization or selling to a developer who would stabilize the building, the prospect of rehabilitation is good. At the least, the Building Division should reverse the condemnation and demolition of the 1890 building, which is not structurally compromised by the fire.
Appendix
Post-Fire Photographic Evidence: Photographs of existing conditions.
Examples of Buildings Stabilized After Collapse: Buildings with structural collapse that successfully have been rehabilitated.
by Michael R. Allen
These photographs date to December 9, 2006 and show the post-fire conditions of the interiors and rooftops of the sections of the Brecht buildings built in 1890 and 1897. Since the section built in 1900 is not condemned and free of any fire damage, it is omitted here.
FIRST BUILDING (BUILT 1890)
The first floor of the original building shows no signs of fire damage — just clutter and debris left by former occupants and squatters.
The worst fire damage in this section is on the sceond floor, where a partly-opened fire door allowed flames to reach the acoustic ceiling tiles, which show heavy surface burning. Some wooden partitions at right burned. View looking south.
The third floor, looking south. No fire damage here.
The fourth floor, looking south. There are few traces of fire damage here.
Here is a typical post and beam connection in the building. All visible connections show good structural integrity. This is on the fourth floor.
Here’s another view of the fourth floor, looking north.
As this photo shows, the roof of the original section is intact save normal deterioration. Note the mostly solid parapet wall at right.
The terra cotta parapet on the Cass Avenue elevation lost some pieces due to the pressurized water spray of firefighters’ hoses, but is otherwise stable with fairly solid mortar joints throughout.
FIRST ADDITION (BUILT 1897)
View looking southwest through a fire door opening between the first building and the 1897 addition. Note that some structural members, although compromised, remain tied into the front elevation on Cass Avenue. The masonry walls are solid although the collapse of roof structures led to some damage.
A closer look at some of the remaining structural members of the 1897 addition shows salvageable condition.
View southwest from the roof of the 1890 building.
View to the west shows damage to the west parapet wall of the original building. Note that only the top seven courses and coping tiles collapsed, and that the wall is solid below. Temporary coping could protect this wall from moisture until rebuilding occurs.
View to the northwest shows the collapsed section of the north wall facing toward the recess. The adjacent walls of the wings seems solid.
This view west across the terra cotta parapet of the 1897 addition shows a fairly straight shape, altered by normal bowing in masonry walls. No major movement has occurred since the fire. Steel bracing could keep the wall from moving further as debris is cleared from the interior.
Categories
Good Idea from Grand Center
by Michael R. Allen
While it may seem like a small act, Grand Center’s effort to light vacant storefronts windows along Grand Avenue between Olive and Delmar is a good model for dealing with vacant space. Here, the redevelopment corporation used colored lights and paper to give empty spaces a pleasing night-time glow. The effect is helpful in an area known for its dead sidewalk life and plethora of empty storefronts.
Other neighborhoods should consider the big effect that lighting, posters, window displays or other decoration can provide. While waiting for development, there’s no reason that vacant spaces have to be lifeless. After all, a small first step toward drawing attention to a space could lead to the end result of a signed lease or completed rehab. Every space from a storefront to an entire house can be decorated, and I encourage readers to urge their neighborhood groups to implement a decoration plan or, better yet, implement one of their own (no spray paint, please).
Now, if Grand Center could get St. Louis University to encourage its students to get off campus for lunch…