Categories
Mullanphy Emigrant Home North St. Louis Old North Uncategorized

Mullanphy Emigrant Home

by Michael R. Allen

The original appearance of the Mullanphy Emigrant Home. Line drawing by Pat Hays Baer, from the collection of Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

Those who pass by the Mullanphy Emigrant Home likely have no idea what this building used to be or how it appeared in its original state. Marred by a conversion that stole its distinctive pediment and cupola, the building is easier to neglect. This building is not abandoned, but it has fallen into disrepair and its current owner has not been able to keep up with the demands of its upkeep. An auto repair shop operates out of an addition to the building, but most of the original building is empty after years of abuse by previous owners.

The Mullanphy Emigrant Home was one of the charitable projects funded by the estate of Bryan Mullanphy, who left $200,000 — one-third of his estate — to establish the Mullanphy Emigrant Relief Fund for “poor emigrants passing through St. Louis.” Built in 1867, the Emigrant Home was a residential dormitory that provided temporary housing to immigrants. At that time and for decades to come, the near north side was becoming heavily populated by European immigrants. By the turn of the century, though, the tide turned and the European immigration slowed to be eclipsed by immigration into St. Louis by rural blacks from the American south. The Relief Fund abandoned the Emigrant Home in 1877, replacing the dormitory with a stipend for room and board to needy immigrants. The building went into use as Douglas School for the next decade.

The building is a noteworthy institutional application of the Italianate style designed by prominent local architects George I. Barnett and Albert Piquenard. The style was highly popular for schools and hospitals at the time of the building’s construction, but remaining examples are few. The State Hospital (formerly the County Insane Asylum), built in 1869 by plans by William Rumbold, is the one other example of an institutional Italianate style left in the city. The Mullanphy Emigrant Home deviated from conventions slightly by the curves of its central pediment, which exhibit a Spanish influence.


In 1900, H.R. Henderson — honored by the H.R.H. spelled in glazed bricks on the building — bought the old Emigrant Home for his Absorene Company. Henderson presided over some unfortunate alterations to the building, including the construction of an addition in the northeast corner that blocks the original facade.

Categories
Central West End Demolition LRA

4470-78 Delmar Boulevard

by Michael R. Allen

A quiet row of survivors sat at the intersection of Taylor and Delmar for years, until this year. These two-story commercial buildings, starting with an odd corner building with a rounded bay, formed an unbroken row in a part of the Central West End that is sadly disjointed from years of demolition, fires and bad remodeling. These find buildings date to the turn of the century, and are comparable to the splendid commercial buildings once found south on Olive Street in the area known as Gaslight Square. Over time, they became rare examples of this area’s commercial stock instead of the lesser variety they would have been when built.

Yet demolition started this year, marring the row. At first, the small building at 4472 Delmar, owned by the city’s Land Reutilization, fell. Next, the owners of the two buildings from 4470-78 Delmar (joined as one parcel) began plotting demolition. These two were executed in solid red brick with spare use of ornamental flourish. The building at 4470 was very plain but had wonderful arched storefront openings at the ground floor, while the building at 4474 had some fine cast iron columns decorating its first floor.

The building at 4474 Delmar Boulevard on March 31, 2005. Photograph by Michael R. Allen.

By July, 4474 was gone. By the end of August, 4470 will be completely gone as well.

The buildings at 4470 and 4474 Delmar Boulevard on August 9, 2005. Photograph by Michael R. Allen.

The two most unusual buildings in the row will survive, but without the context that accentuated them seem less spectacular. The Mae Building, now home to Williams Ornamental Iron Works, will remain at 4468 Delmar. Its white glazed brick facade features a decorative course of green glazed bricks as well as a polychrome terra cotta shield panel. The corner building at 468 N. Taylor will stand, although its being owned by “Kashflo Properties” makes me hesitant to stop worrying about it.

This casual demolition of common historic buildings is prevalent in historic areas not included in National Register of Historic Places or City Landmark districts, since renovation tax credits are not available in these areas expect for individually-listed. In this case, the buildings stood in a part of the Central West End north of Olive Street that is not part of the current district boundaries. May the boundaries soon be extended northward.

The remains of the buildings at 4470 and 4474 Delmar Boulevard on August 9, 2005. Photograph by Michael R. Allen.

Categories
Central West End Infrastructure Streets Urbanism

Reform the Central West End MetroLink station

by Michael R. Allen

The Central West End MetroLink station is becoming the least accessible station in the system. Once upon a time, the station was quite easy to access — its entrance on Euclid Avenue pt it on an open street, there were a few back paths to the station and all was well. In the twelve years since the station opened, the growth blob of the Barnes-Jewish-Children’s Hospital has engulfed the station with new buildings and a disastrous closing of Euclid between Forest Park and Children’s Place. The station’s visibility has declined and access is not as easy. The only back path remaining is an illegal and unwise walk from the platform to Taylor Avenue, which bypasses ticket machines and validators. This path is no option to disabled persons, either. The main entrance on Euclid is obscured by the street closure, which has created an elbow flow at the Euclid and Childrens Place intersection. This flow has made pedestrian life in this area difficult since people don’t come to the same sort of stop at an elbow as they did at a full T intersection. That is, they don’t really stop.

Lately, a large half-block section of sidewalk on Euclid immediately south of the station has been closed for six months for construction of a new building. A covered scaffold could have been put in palce during the project’s duration but such a pedestrian and transit-friendly gesture is of little interest to BJC planners.

I don’t even have to mention ow the mono-use blob development of the hospital has made life pretty boring around the station — there are no shops, no bathrooms and little visual interest.

What needs to be done to make the station better?

– Re-opening Euclid.

– Creating another station entrance at Taylor.

– Creating some strategic cut-throughs in the enormous and large-scaled hospital complex.

– Placing storefronts in the new hospital building adjacent to the station. (Tenants won’t move in, of course, if Euclid remains closed south of Forest Park.)

The situation at the Central West End MetroLink station is proof that density alone doesn’t make for an inviting and person-friendly built environment. Access and thoughtful design choices are essential to making a big city work for its residents and visitors.

Categories
Crime Metal Theft

Get Your Stolen Stained Glass Back!

From the St. Louis Metropolitan Police:

“The Metropolitan Police Department will give area residents the opportunity to view and claim recovered stolen stained glass windows on Saturday, August 13, and Sunday, August 14, at the South Patrol Division, 3157 Sublette beginning at 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Members of the Department’s South Patrol Detective Bureau have recovered a large number of stained glass windows that were stolen from homes throughout South St. Louis over the past year or longer. Anyone that may have been a victim of a burglary where stained glass windows were taken is welcome to view the property at the South Patrol Division this weekend. Victims must provide proof of ownership to retrieve
property.”

Categories
Adaptive Reuse Downtown Housing

LoftWorks Wants to Hear from You

Kudos to Craig Heller and Loftworks for actually soliciting public comments for their redevelopment of the Syndicate Trust Building. I’m impressed that any developer is trying this hard to be responsive to the needs of the creative people who are the life’s blood of this city.

….

Loftworks LLC and the Sherman Associates (of Minneapolis) are developing the Syndicate Trust building downtown into lofts and are planning to include affordable housing, as well as common gallery and “dirty” work space, that will appeal to artists.

As they develop their plans, they’d like to have artist input. That’s where you come in. You don’t have to be a potential user of the housing — just someone who understands what artists of various types might want or need. The developers would like to hear your input so they can shape something that really serves the local arts community.

A focus group on Thursday, August 4 will allow them to hear perspectives from the artist community before they refine their plans. They’ll share floorplans and proposed plans for the common areas. Please join us:

WHAT: Artist Community Focus Group

WHEN: Thursday, August 4, 6 p.m.

WHERE: Gallery Urbis Orbis, 419 N. Tenth St.

WHAT ELSE: Refreshments (chewable and drinkable) will be provided.

RSVP via email by Wednesday to Margie at mmnewman@earthlink.net

Thanks,

Margie and Alan
Gallery Urbis Orbis

Categories
Architecture Hyde Park North St. Louis

More on Hyde Park "Security Wall"

Yesterday we posted about a security wall that Shreves Engine Company wants to build in Hyde Park, which would require them to tear down nine houses to make room for it.

Naturally, 3rd Ward Alderman Bosley approves this project.

Well, Mayor Slay has now written on his website that he is impressed with the idea, and may likely support it. He cites that this particular type of wall, gabion walls, “are really hot architectural elements in Europe.”

You know what else is popular in architecture in large parts of Europe, that’s also a green building strategy? Not tearing down historic buildings!!

Categories
Demolition Hyde Park North St. Louis

Hyde Park Losses Continue

by Michael R. Allen

Hyde Park continues to suffer from stagnation and loss. Look at these proposed demolition plans:

Shreves Engine Company plans to demolish nine houses for some inane “security wall” plan that Alderman Freeman Bosley supports.

The Phillips 66 gas station at Salisbury and Eleventh, owned by Nidal Othman, wants to tear down the Cordes Hardware buildings. Some may recall the days when Cordes was still open with an old-time charm on par with Marx Hardware down in Old North. (Bosley opposes this demolition, although he has offered no substantial aid to the owner or others trying to renovate destabilized buildings in this neighborhood.)

These projects seriously compromise the intact density of historic buildings in this neighborhood. They must stop.

There’s also a big stir about a development underway between Natural Bridge, Salisbury and West Florissant avenues on the western end of Hyde Park. Here, Bethlehem Lutheran Church has financed a development of new houses and apartments  that has involved a liberal use of eminent domain. This development has some Hyde Park residents up in arms due to questionable offers made to affected property owners and the attack on poor homeowners the Church is accused of leading. Last night, a group of 25 neighborhood residents joined with the Citizens’ Coalition to Fight Eminent Domain and marched to Bosley’s home on Bremen Avenue to make their demands.

Categories
Downtown Mid-Century Modern

Preserving Which Dorsa Building?

by Michael R. Allen

Preserving the Dorsa Building at 1007 Washington Avenue presents a challenge: which building does the historically-minded owner save? There are two buildings here, at least on the level of ornamentation: there is the original 1902 red-brick wholesale warehouse with terra-cotta ornament designed by the noted St. Louis firm of Eames and Young, and then there is the stunning 1946 art moderne slipcover facade designed by Meyer Loomstein — with terra cotta by sculptor Sascha Schnittman — with stylized interior spaces.

The original facade is a typically masterful articulation of Renaissance Revival detailing on a Chicago School commercial structure. While the Eames and Young design is certainly impressive, it is far from the firm’s best work as well as unexceptional for Washington Avenue.

The Loomstein design breaks through the gentle, classical street wall on Washington with bold lines and bright colors. The lower two floors are clad in green tile and lack fenestration beyond the first-floor entries, while the upper floors are covered in yellow stucco with bright red window sashes and flutes spandrels. Originally, the western doorway was a fantastic modern creation: a pronounced web suggestive of both the pragmatic lines of geographic longitude and latitude as well as the mysteries of a spider’s web. To the right of this entrance, centered on the elevation, brilliant red neon tubing proclaimed “DORSA” in a vertical line. Inside, the first level was a showroom for the Dorsa Company, which sold women’s dresses. Nary a 90-degree angle exists in the curvaceous space, which contains a splendid theater for fashion shows. Loomstein’s design is one of the finest modern commercial interiors in St. Louis, and a forgotten one at that.

The Dorsa building enjoyed new life in the early 1980’s when developer Larry Deutsch renovated it as one of downtown’s first loft buildings. Unfortunately, the web work and the neon signs disappeared during this renovation. Lately, the Pyramid Companies has acquired the building for development as loft condominium space. The company had to answer the question on which building to preserve, and the answer seems to be the version by Loomstein, although saving the plaster-cast interior spaces seems less likely. New posters modeled on old Dorsa dress ads have appeared on the building lately, advertising the condos.

At the least, Washington Avenue will continue to be punctuated by one of its few modern designs. By saving the moderne facade, Pyramid celebrates accumulation and originality in the built environment.

Categories
Abandonment East St. Louis, Illinois

Elks Club / East St. Louis Public Library

by Michael R. Allen

In 2000, the East St. Louis Public Library left behind its cramped old building at 409 North Ninth Street for a spacious new building on the western end of State Street. Fifty years earlier, such a move could have been seen as a flight from the aging inner city and into the newer parts of town. Instead, the move was purely pragmatic — yet not without pathos of an unexpected sort.

The Public Library left at least 10,000 books behind, as well as magazines and record albums. Making matters worse, no one realized these items were left behind for almost four years.

During this time, the left-behind items endured the ongoing damage the old library building has sustained: broken windows, water infiltration and the carelessness of numerous squatters. A few thousand volumes are too moldy to save. Much of the neglected collection was already unusable when library director Cynthia Jones discovered their location. A patron’s request for a missing item led staff to the discovery that so many items were missing that they had to have been left behind when the library moved.

A citizen’s group organized by Reginald Petty recovered 3,000 volumes in summer 2004 before East St. Louis Mayor Carl Officer pledged to put city government resources to work to save the remainder of the abandoned collection. Unfortunately, his pledge has not been fulfilled; the continuous upheaval in city government has stymied any efforts on his part to save the volumes. Thus the abandoned books in the abandoned library were found and then lost again.

Photo taken on May 8, 2005.

The old library building was the second home for the East Saint Louis Public Library, purchased by the city government from the East St. Louis Elks Club in 1927 for $150,000. The Elks Club built the building around the turn of the century for their meeting house.

Categories
James Clemens House North St. Louis Northside Regeneration Old North

Seeking Blairmont

by Michael R. Allen

Just saw this post (copied below) on Craigslist. It’s great to know that someone wants to save the James Clemens, Jr. House. It’s distressing to know that Blairmont Associates LC is causing yet another annoyance to a rehabber; Blairmont owns many properties on the Near North Side of St. Louis and is notoriously hard to reach. No one can find out anything about Blairmont except that a man named Harry Noble supposedly owns the company — but even that isn’t verified. A search through the Missouri Secretary of State’s corporation registry reveals that the “CT Corporation System” registered the name “Blairmont Associates LC” on behalf of an anonymous party or parties.

Many of Blairmont’s properties seem to be vacant lots in Old North St. Louis, St. Louis Place and other neighborhoods, although the company recently purchased a vacant St. Louis Public Schools property at 2333 Benton.

Other people report needing to make agreements with Blairmont to repair shared utilities or utilities that run through Blairmonnt properties, and having difficulty finding a phone number.

If you know anything about Blairmont, please post a comment here and maybe we’ll be able to help Lyra and others who are interested in contacting the company.


Contact info for Blairmont Associates LC?
Reply to: thegamestlouis@yahoo.com
Date: 2005-06-19, 1:58AM CDT

Do you know how I can get in touch with a company called “Blairmont Associates LC”? aka Blairmont Associates, Blairmont Associates Limited Company.

They buy and sell property in St. Louis, and they currently own (bought just this April) a house on Cass Avenue that I am *REALLY* interested in purchasing… the Clemens House. I have fallen in love with this abandoned house, and intend to restore it to it’s old glory. The house’s history is intriguing (Buddhists, nuns, insanity, and the title of “the Taj Mahal of St. Louis”), and the history of the family that built it in 1858 – James Clemens, Jr – is even better (James Clemens Jr was Mark Twain’s uncle, and helped found the city’s first electric company and first bank, among other things). The house itself is beautiful, but dying, and I want to help this city landmark return to it’s golden days.

Problem is, Blairmont Associates LC’s last address is on Olive Street, and they are no longer there. I have been unsuccessful in finding their current address, or their phone number; although I do know that they are under a corporation based in Clayton called “CT Corporation System.”

If anyone out there has any info on the address, phone numbers, owners/officers of this company, or anything I might have missed, the information would so very appreciated! Please contact me (Lyra) at thegamestlouis@yahoo.com