Here’s the current view from St. Louis Avenue looking south down the two commercial blocks of 14th Street that once composed the “14th Street Mall.” Sidewalks nearly done: check. Street under construction: check. Reopening of 14th Street by the fall: check and double check.
by Michael R. Allen
Here is 16th Street looking south across Delmar Boulevard. This may seem a mundane site to serve as a subject for a short article, but it is noteworthy for one reason: the stupid gates that blocked 16th Street are gone. The gates have been gone for a few years now, but for a long time gates blocked the sidewalks and street here, cutting off through traffic of all kinds between Delmar and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Residents of Carr Square couldn’t pass through walking to downtown, downtown residents could not pass through walking north. Cars couldn’t pass from Washington up to MLK or vice versa. Parking spots on this block were ridiculous on weekends, when they sat unused while City Museum patrons circles the block looking for spaces. Street grids are systems, and no disruption is casual to users. Like most closures in St. Louis, this closure had no apparent reason, other than to serve some whim of a tenant in one of the warehouses.
No doubt some well-meaning alderman put forth a bill to vacate the right-of way here, and no doubt that alderman was wrong to do so. Streets, sidewalks and alleys are public spaces that should be closed only in rare circumstances — and business loading, parking and “security” are insufficient reasons to alter the flow of the life-blood of pedestrians and motorists across the city. Another alderman reversed the closure, and the life of the grid has returned.
If there’s such a closure in your ward, call your alderman and get it taken out! Gates and blockades can be removed as easily as they are installed.
by Michael R. Allen
Last week I spotted this tear-down on Dielman Road at Engel Lane just south of Olive Boulevard. Another fine postwar ranch house, built sturdy of brick and concrete, will meet its death. Oh, recession, you were supposed to bring calm to the troubled waters of suburban real estate!
by Michael R. Allen
At last night’s meeting of the Special Administrative Board of the St. Louis Public Schools, Superintendent Kelvin Adams recommended closing the following six school buildings:
Gallaudet School for the Hearing Impaired, 1616 S. Grand; built in 1925; Rockwell Milligan, architect.
Alternative South at Lyon School; 7417 Vermont; built in 1909; William B. Ittner, architect.
Ford Branch School; 1383 Clara Avenue; built around 1960.
Fresh Start at Turner Middle School; 2615 Billups Avenue; built in 1939; George Sanger, architect.
Bunche at Madison School, 1118 S. Seventh; built in 1910; William B. Ittner, architect.
Pruitt Middle School (Cleveland Junior Naval Academy), 1212 N. 22nd; built in 1954.
Lyon School And Turner Middle School (formerly Stowe Teachers College) are already listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Gallaudet, Madison and Pruitt are eligible for such designation. Ford Branch might contribute to a historic district listing.
Six schools that Adams once suggested closing, including Mann Elementary School at 4047 Juniata Avenue in Tower Grove South (built in 1901-16 and designed by William B. Ittner; listed in the National Register), will be placed on a new “turnaround model” with new principals and at least 50% new teaching staff.
Four schools are going to be placed on “restart” — closed as public schools and reopened as chartered schools. One of these is the venerable — but academically failing — Sumner High School at 4248 Cottage Avenue in the Ville (built in 1908-9 and designed by William B. Ittner; listed in the National Register).
by Michael R. Allen
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Beacon published an article by Dale Singer covering a presentation by Superintendent Kelvin Adams on the state of the troubled St. Louis Public Schools. Not surprising, perhaps, is the prediction by Adams that more school closings are ahead. Singer writes:
Of the district’s buildings — 74 currently in use, 39 decommissioned — the average age is 75 years, he said, ranging from six years to 132. Last year more than a dozen schools were closed, down from the 29 closings that a consulting firm had recommended, but more are certain to be on the closing list this time around.
Mann School in Tower Grove South, previously considered for demolition and replacement or closure, likely will again be threatened with closure. Given the district’s financial state, however, demolition and construction of new school buildings seems unlikely.
That the average age of a city school building is 75 years means that the average city school student attends class in a historic neighborhood school. While that fact alone does not produce desired educational outcome, it is reassuring. Our students are interacting with their city’s heritage and most are attending class in humane buildings with ample natural light, ventilation and classroom space. Imagine if the troubled district was mostly housed in the bleak, low-ceiling, fluorescent-lit educational hot-houses being built today. Performance could be much worse.
by Michael R. Allen
Books and Crannies: our fourth annual used book sale
Benefits the Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation
Located at the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion, 3352 DeMenil Place, Saint Louis, 63118
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 15 (preview: 8 a. m. – 10 a. m., $5)
Noon – 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 16
DeMenil Place (April 14, 2010) – The Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation will hold its fourth annual Used Book Sale at the House on May 15 – 16, 2010. This year’s theme will be “Books and Crannies.†Bigger and better than ever, the sale has outgrown our gift shop: for one weekend, patrons will have access to parts of the house usually off-limits to visitors, including our staff-only kitchen (for cookbooks, of course!) and the basement “tunnel.â€
Free tours will be offered throughout the sale weekend.
The Used Book Sale is one of the year’s biggest fundraisers, providing capital for ongoing operations and restoration projects. Books are accepted at the House from 10 AM – 3PM, Wednesday through Saturday until May.
The Chatillon-DeMenil House was saved from the path of Interstate 55 construction by concerned citizens. A remarkable community effort resulted in its careful restoration. In 1966 the House opened as a museum interpreting the lives of the French-American families who lived there from the 1840s into the 1920s, and as a rare survivor interpreting the tastes and architectural preferences of the Victorian upper class. For more information on the Chatillon-DeMenil House, please visit www.demenil.org or call (314) 771-5828.
by Michael R. Allen
Over at ArchitectureChicago PLUS, Lynn Becker has posted renderings of a bizarre plan to “save” Chicago’s St. Boniface Church by retaining the front elevation and the street face of the crossing, demolishing the rest and constructing a massive six-story apartment building for senior citizens. This has to be one of the ugliest designs that I’ve seen lately.
There is some grace in retaining parts of a neighborhood landmark on site where those whose lives connected with the church can still have a physical connection. that could be better than total demolition or relocation. The Buffalo, New York archdiocese is preparing to relocate an entire historic church to suburban Atlanta — another form of preservation that robs the church of a meaningful historic site. Many Buffalo residents oppose the move. The plan for St. Boniface in Chicago seems to be an odd compromise, and one that mocks the parts of the church that will remain.
Who do you think?
The 2002 short video …it’s just one building created by Alan Brunettin and produced by Margie Newman is now available on YouTube. …it’s just one building remains a powerful and moving piece, and the downtown focus is relevant in light of renewed interest in the riverfront. (Not to mention the fact that we still have threatened downtown buildings.) The haunting score by Dan Rubright and the images selected by Lynn Josse from the archive of Landmarks Association of St. Louis are as a poignant a combination now as they were eight years ago in the thick of the battle to save the Century Building.
by Michael R. Allen
This is how the building at 105-7 East High Street in downtown Jefferson City looked in 2006.
Here’s what it looked like on a recent visit. While mid-century slipcovers should not always be removed, here the half-covering was ugly and covered operable windows. Windows allow for light and ventilation and significantly reduce the energy usage of a building — not to mention the spirits of the people who work or live inside. Underneath, the ornate cast iron lintels are intact. The facade will be restored gracing a block very near our state Capitol.
This project is utilizing Missouri’s state historic rehabilitation tax credit, a national model that returns up to 25% of qualified rehabilitation costs back to an owner in transferable credits. This building was in sound condition before, but its street face was not becoming a location right by the seat of state government. Without the tax credit, the owner might have left well enough alone — and visitors to our capital might have found this block a bit unbecoming.
by Michael R. Allen
Juniata Street looking east toward Roosevelt High School in Tower Grove East.
Dodier Street west of Leffingwell Avenue in St. Louis Place.
The two blocks pictured here both were part of today’s Operation Brightside Blitz Day. My neighbors and I were out working on our block this morning. Since there is no such thing as a self-cleaning city, citizen cleaning is essential to keeping blocks looking lovely. Government provides the basic services, but citizens create quality of life. We have to be active stewards of our houses and our blocks. No one is going to clean our alleys and sidewalks for us, even in the most ideal world. There are Blitz days coming up in other areas of the city and you should do your part. There’s nothing more rewarding than working with neighbors to make St. Louis look beautiful!