StLEvolution

Show Your Love for the San Luis

2009-02-11T17:25:00.004-06:00

The citizens Group, Friends of the San Luis is holding a love-in on Valentines day at noon to show some love to our neglected beauty. Come out and show your love of buildings instead of surface parking lots.

WHAT: Valentine’s Day San Luis Love-In

WHEN: Saturday, February 14, 2009 @ 12:00 noon

WHERE: Northeast corner of Lindell & Taylor in the Central West End

WHO: Lovers everywhere – and anyone who is outraged by the notion of replacing unique, interesting buildings with parking lots.

WHY: Because we believe that St. Louis’s distinctive architecture is an asset, not a liability, and we love the San Luis!

Crown Square (14th St. Mall) Open House

2008-12-22T22:11:00.012-06:00

From the fine folks at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group:

You are cordially invited!

On December 23^rd from 3-6pm, the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group will hold a holiday open house and sneak peak of the Crown Square redevelopment in the former Parks Drug building at 2720 N 14^th Street at St. Louis Avenue. Light refreshments will be provided.

If you come while it’s still light outside, we’ll be offering hard-hat tours of the development, including our new office space, which is currently under construction. Everyone is invited and welcome to join us in celebrating an incredibly eventful and successful year. Feel free to bring along any others who might be interested in celebrating with us or seeing the progress.

This will be a great opportunity to check out the incredible progress on the buildings that are part of this project. Come over to the neighborhood and check it out if you have a bit of time. Check out the new Restoration Group website as well. It is completely redesigned and utilizes a content management system for easy updating by staff. The New Old North Blog is now integrated into the website as well.

If you can't make the open house, you can check out some of my pics from December 11.

Vote for Obama!

2008-11-04T07:49:00.003-06:00

Please do exactly as the title says. America depends on it. Obama is the clear choice for urban interests as well as the future of our country.

This will be the first time I ever vote straight party for all offices.

I will be voting for Props B and C as well. I will be voting for Amendment 4, but against Amendment 1. Against Prop A as well. I always vote against every judge.

If you live in St. Louis County, please vote for Prop M.

I can't wait for the results tonight! I have faith in my fellow Missourians and Americans.

Meeting on San Luis Apartments Demolition

2008-03-13T14:54:00.003-05:00

A group will be meeting this Sunday to discuss the demolition of the San Luis Apartments on Lindell. We are going to try to come up with an informational flier and discuss a protest. Here are the details:

Sunday, March 16
7:00pm
The Grind

Be there.

There will also be a public meeting on Saturday, march 29, at 9:00. This meeting will be held at the Schlaefly Library Branch at Lindell and Euclid.

Crown Square and Mullanphy Update

2008-01-17T23:36:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am alive. I've been too busy to write here. If you haven't noticed, my blogging generally happens on the New Old North blog. which is the purpose of this post. If you haven't been paying attention to that blog, a lot is going on right now. The concrete block wall on the south end of the Mullanphy Emigrant Home is finally rising. The cold weather and abundant precipitation has really slowed the work down, but progress is being made. The first floor is now closed in. Find out more about the building and how you can help at SaveMullanphy.org.

The other major project in Old North is the complete reconstruction of the 14th St. Mall into Crown Square. Work is moving quickly these days, with buildings in all stages of construction. Some units will be ready for occupancy at the end of February. I have many blog posts on the New Old North Blog with updates on the progress, including one from tonight. There are also many picture on the Crown Square Flickr Page. If you are interested in being involved in generating ideas for the public space of the project, which includes 14th St., come to the Charrette on Saturday morning. More info can be found here. The more people, the better.

I may return to writing here this year. We'll see how much work I have to do this semester, which includes looking for a job with a developer or planning firm. If you happen to know of a job opportunity or are looking for an employee that is one semester into a master's degree in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development and has a years worth of intern experience at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, feel free to send me an email at mattnstl at gmail dot com. I also come with about 10 years worth of experience following development in St. Louis.

Meeting on Blairmont, Among Other Topics

2007-10-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

This should make for some good theater. From what I understand there won't be a chance for much crowd interaction with Mr. McKee, but he will be there to make some kind of statement. Unfortunately, or maybe not, I will be in class and unable to attend.

14th St. Mall Construction Begins

2007-08-20T23:30:00.001-05:00

Construction on the 14th St Mall in Old North St. Louis has officially begun. Financing for the residential portion closed on Friday, and E.M. Harris wasted no time getting started. Two buildings are now being gutted, with more to start very soon. The commercial component will close within the next few weeks, allowing full scale construction to start. Check out pics of the first day of work from my post over at the New Old North Blog.

Land Assmbly Tax Credit

2007-08-20T23:29:00.000-05:00

I'm taking one from the PubDef book. I'll be reporting from Jefferson City tomorrow, where a special session hearing will be held on HB 1. The bill contains the controversial Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit, created solely for Paul McKee's "Blairmont." I'll have an update tomorrow. Hopefully some changes will be made to the bill to allow many more developers to qualify, such as removing the size requirement for starters.

Sometimes It's The Little Things

2007-08-02T22:31:00.000-05:00

In my time at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, I've had the opportunity to do a lot of different things. I have some big projects under my belt by this point. However, when you work at a neighborhood CDC that is also the neighborhood association in an area that has been neglected for half a century, it's not just big projects all the time. One of my projects in the last week has had the most impact of any other, and it is one of the smallest.

Old North gets a lot of outside visitors due almost entirely to Crown Candy. Unfortunately, most of the people coming in from just about everywhere have no idea of the great things happening in the neighborhood, and the city as a whole. They see the blight while driving in on I-70, then they get out of their cars and SUV's and see the abandoned 14th St. Mall right across from Crown. It's not really a pretty picture, but just a couple of blocks north or south one can find blocks of brand new, and spectacularly rehabbed houses and apartments. Of course, the 14th St. mall will be under complete reconstruction very soon. The patrons of Crown don't know to explore a little, so they miss out.

That's where my little project comes in. The Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office is right across 14th St. from Crown Candy. About half the customers for Crown walk directly by the windows. The windows have always featured news stories from the past couple of years, some pictures, and promotion for North Market Place. However, all of this wasn't very organized, and the materials had taken quite a beating from the sun. By this point in time, I had been walking by all of this myself for over 6 months. While talking about the office one day with one of the other interns we decided the windows needed to be redone because they were probably giving people a bad impression about the organization, and by extension the neighborhood. The next day I took everything down to start fresh.

I started with the window that looks directly into the office. New signs promoting the website and blog were printed. Signs and pictures promoting the North Market Place development were made up. I went through all of the pics of the neighborhood that I have taken and printed a bunch of the good ones to display. The preservation campaign for the Mullanphy Emigrant Home also got a spot. To finish the window, I put one of our Coming soon signs up for the 14th St. Mall redevelopment. Stay tuned soon for the launch of the rebranding of the Mall area

Today I redid the windows in the conference room. These windows are actually in a storefront doorway, and had become incredibly dirty inside and out. I had to clean the windows first. I then put up website and blog signs, filled up a strip with old house tour posters, and printed some more pictures of the neighborhood. I also readied the windows to display posters when the 14th St. Mall rebranding launched very soon.

I went through all that just to say that my simple work in rebuilding the windows has led to many new looks. Before the new materials, people didn't often stop to look at what was displayed. After watching people for a week, many of the people walking by now stop, even if just for a moment. The office windows have almost become a microcosm of the neighborhood as a whole. People are rediscovering the city around them, renewing, rebuilding, returning.

This little project of mine, more than any other that I have done, could make a difference in the neighborhood, even if it just means many changed attitudes. Super projects don't make a difference if no one know about them.

Then I made this blog post to promote the neighborhood even more.

And since I mentioned it, here's a rendering of the renovated 14th St. It may have changed a little since May. The website and marketing campaign will launch very soon.

Mullanphy Timeline

2007-07-31T20:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am simply reposting an image from the New Old North Blog, but it's my image. Click on it to make it larger.

Rally for Historic Preservation in Midtown

2007-07-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

I'll be there, will you?

Rally for Historical Preservation and Urbanism! (beers afterwards)

Contact: Douglas Charles Duckworth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phone: 566-3465

Email: dcdb66@umsl.edu

Date: July 26th 2007

Once again there will be a rally protesting Lawrence Biondi's demolition of historical buildings within Midtown and the burgeoning Locust Business District. The last two attempts at dissent were cut short due to inclement weather; however this Thursday the 26th many will rally at the intersection of Locust and Josephine Baker Boulevard. Please arrive by 5:30 PM. At 6PM we will be walking from the remnants of the Livery Stable to the soon to be demolished Second Empire mansion at 3740 Lindell. Show your opposition to the annihilation of historical buildings as they represent St. Louis' unique built environment and history! Inform Biondi and the political machine that needlessly bulldozing the built environment is not a policy which will revitalize St. Louis.

St. Louis City has a precedent of demolition extending back decades. The practice is engrained within its political culture. The argument for demolition, specifically of large areas, was that certain neighborhoods were blighted slums thus their redevelopment was in the interest of the City. In fact Soulard was supposed to be demolished per the 1947 City Plan. These large scale projects, called “urban renewal,” were designed to provide new housing, office space, and industrial, that would allegedly offset population losses due to suburbanization. They failed miserably as the City continued its depopulation.

Considering the former Livery Stable, the argument for demolition was that surface parking must be provided for SLU’s new arena. In reality, there is plenty of parking available via on-street, surface, and garage parking. Moreover, the benefit of providing parking does not outweigh the loss of St. Louis’ unique built environment. Readily apparent throughout St. Louis City is our plethora of parking garages and lots, many of which supplanted a historical building through demolition. Suburbanites visit the City for a ball game, concert, or other event; yet afterwards the sidewalks are devoid of pedestrian life. The goal of the establishment should be a change of policy. Both large scale urban renewal and demolition for parking are failed policies. What didn’t work in the past should not be repeated.

There is a better solution. The City will gain residents by concentrating resources on rehabbing the built environment. Ironically, after decades of decline, Mayor Francis G. Slay and others in power cite the Washington Avenue rehab boom, and other transitioning neighborhoods, as explanation for the City’s recent population increase. Why is needless demolition acceptable in some areas when rehabilitation of the built environment has had such positive benefits elsewhere? Specifically, within Grand Center, concentration on rehabilitation and new infill construction would bring pedestrian life. With such activity comes a market for storefront retail and commerce. The end result is that Grand Center lives up to its official name, The Intersection of Art and Life, rather than its current reality: The Intersection of Art and Death.

Pedestrian traffic facilitated through urban residential and commercial development provides SLU with patrons to their new arena without the construction of parking. Individuals would simply walk from where they live or work. They could even use a bike. Finally, the rehabilitation of our built environment would provide the City a higher tax yield. These monies could fund mass transit expansion within the City, thus lessening the need for parking. The possibilities are endless, yet are utterly destroyed when a viable historical building is demolished. The Livery Stable is gone, but the mansion at 3740 Lindell, which contributes to the Midtown National Register Historic District, can be saved. Moreover, a message must be sent: St. Louis should have higher standards.

After the rally we will be walking across Lindell to the Moolah, which was masterfully rehabbed in 2004, for our monthly discussion of politics, urbanism, preservation, and architecture. This is the perfect opportunity to meet fellow activists and make new friends. Be sure to attend the rally and the social gathering afterwards. The future of St. Louis City is being decided today. Make sure it does not look like O’Fallon. Your children will thank you.

More info:

SLU Student Newspaper

http://media.www.unewsonline.com/media/storage/paper953/news/2007/07/2

And from Ecology of Absence:

Thursday Night Drinks Are Back This Week

What: People gathering to talk about architecture, urban design and politics.

Where: The Moolah Lounge, 3821 Lindell Boulevard

When: Thursday, July 26 from 7:00 p.m. until the discussion winds down

Who is invited: Preservationists, aldermen, Situationists, members of the Preservation Board, plasterers, urbanists, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, developers, philanderers, saints and real people.

I'd like to add Paul McKee to the list, as well as our fine graffiti artists.

Summer In Old North

2007-06-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update here since I haven't had much time to post anything lately. I happen to have an internship this summer at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group. You may remember I have actually been here since January. I'm doing a series on the New Old North blog featuring various scenes from throughout the neighborhood. I'm putting new pics up several times a week, and they are just random shots from around the neighborhood. Check out the pictures, and other news from the neighborhood at newoldnorth.blogspot.com.

Mullanphy benefit Concert Wednesday

2007-05-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

Another major Mullanphy event is this Wednesday. This time it is a concert featuring Lydia Ruffin and the Flying Mules. Never heard either, but I hear it should be a good show. Come out and be entertained for a good cause.

The details:
Wednesday, May 16
7:30 PM (Doors at 7:00 PM)
Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust Street
$25 at the door; $20 in advance (call 231-5031)

Old North St. Louis House and Community Tour

2007-05-09T12:29:00.000-05:00

The Old North St. Louis House and Community Tour will take place this Saturday, May 12. The tour starts at the corner of St. Louis and 14th, on the end of the soon to renovated 14th Street Pedestrian Mall. Tickets are $10.00 in advance, $12.00 the day of the tour. Advance tickets can be purchased online at the Old North website, or at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office at 2800 N. 14th.

Nine historic home, some dating to the 1850's, and one new home will be on the tour. Confluence Academy, the 150 year old Sts. Cyril and Methodius Polish National Catholic Church, and two community gardens will also be on the tour.

What A View

2007-04-19T00:57:00.000-05:00

I was able to take look today at the pics from inside the Mullanphy Emigrant Home from my tour on Monday. I saw it in person obviously, but they reminded me how awesome the view is from the second and third floors. I have always thought that the best view of the skyline came from the north, and the pictures definitely confirm this. The density just seems to cover the whole horizon from east to west. I would love to wake up to the view out the third floor every morning. The views to the other directions, while not quite the same, show the urban character of the city as well as anywhere. St. Louis is a pretty impressive city from the Mullanphy vantage point. Just imagine a Metrolink line coming up the street below, and all of the empty lots infilled with high density urban buildings full of new residents and retail. With some time and commitment, St. Louis will be known worldwide for it's comeback to status of one of the greats. Everything is there just waiting for those of us with visions of grandeur to take the initiative.

There's something about standing in that crumbling building that just shot my optimism through the roof (which would not be a good thing to happen while standing in a building that is open on three sides). I don't know if it is just me living in a dream world, but I have this sense that everything will turn out beyond anything anyone could have imagined just a year ago.

A few pictures are included in this post, many more can be viewed here.

Downtown as seen from Mullanphy

We can't explain it either

Old electrical equipment

Yours truly

I'm Legal

2007-04-16T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've finally made it to 21, and I gotta say that it really doesn't feel any different. I didn't even get asked for my ID at lunch. I guess I get to enjoy the little bit of time I have left in college with the above 21 crowd. 1 month to party it up legally. Should be fun.

I got my interior "tour" of the Mullanphy Building today. The views are truly incredible. My camera decided to stop functioning correctly after 2 pics (from the outside no less), so I will post pics on Wednesday when I can get copies of Sean Thomas' pics. There are a couple with me up against the edge of the south wall and the Arch and skyline behind. I would love to wake up to that every morning. E.M. Harris will be working on stabilization again this week. A boom lift and lumber has already been dropped off, and more shoring for the sagging floor joists will be provided. The last two weeks have been very successful for fundraising, but a lot more is still needed. Head over to SaveMullanphy.org to find out more about how you can help out.

Off to have a bit of fun. Hopefully I'm still alive tomorrow.

New (Old) Photo of Mullanphy

2007-04-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

A quick update before I pass out (plus I wanted to make a Friday the 13th posting). If you haven't noticed yet, Sean Thomas, Executive Director of the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, has been making daily updates for the last 13 days on the New old North Blog as part of his "45 days in Old North." He has had many various postings about the neighborhood such as the upcoming house tour or highlighting some of the new construction, with the most recent being on the Mullanphy Emigrant Home. It's partially a post promoting the fundrasier tomorrow at the Schlafly Bottleworks, but it also contains a previously undiscovered picture. One of the tasks for us interns at the office on Wednesday was to contact the St. Louis Public Schools to see if they had any info concerning the Building from when it was known as Douglas School, and apparently Mullanphy School as well. Turns out that there was some info, including a picture from 1890. SLPS was gracious enough to share the photo with the Restoration Group. They have asked that it not be reproduced or republished without permission, but you can take a look at the New Old North Blog. The photo is from a different angle as well. It is oriented towards the south east, an angle previously unseen in historical photos.

My 21st birthday present from the Restoration Group is an interior tour on Monday, so a post with lots of pics from inside will be coming next week once I sober up...

The Mullanphy Challenge

2007-04-07T00:54:00.000-05:00

I would like to challenge every reader of this blog right now. By now you have probably seen at least a small blurb about the effort to raise the necessary funds to stabilize and ultimately redevelop the Mullanphy Emigrant Home in Old North St. Louis. This is an effort that needs to involve all of St. Louis. Make a small (or large) tax deductible donation. Tell all of your friends about the effort. Ask your rich relatives to consider making a contribution. Just get the word out. I want to see every urban blog from St. Louis and beyond with a post about the Mullanphy preservation effort and how others can help. Have an idea for a fundraiser? Let the Old North St. Louis Restoration group know about it and start planning. The opportunities for you to become involved are endless. The $350,000 goal may seem out of reach, but if everyone works together we can reach the goal before we lose the Mullanphy Emigrant Home forever.

Among the upcoming events are an emergency fundraiser on April 14 at the Schlafly Bottleworks (see flier below), a benefit concert sponsored by Landmarks at Christ Church Cathedral on May 16, and more to be announced. Stay tuned for more information about the concert and other events. For now, here is the information on the fundraiser for next Saturday.

To be held at: Schlafly Bottleworks

7260 Southwest Ave. Maplewood, MO 63143

Google Map Link: http://tinyurl.com/2qvdeu

Saturday, April 14th, 5-7:30 PM

Donation range: $50...$500...$350,000

If you need more information send an email to info@onsl.org or give the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group a call at 314-241-5031.

We may not have big media attention yet, but a grassroots effort is what this is all about. This is more than this one building. This is people taking a stake in our own community, working together to preserve our past, and build a bright future. Something like this may never have been attempted before, but we have a chance to do something great. Will we seize the moment, or will we let another piece of our collective history fade into oblivion?

More Info:

Website: http://www.savemullanphy.org

ONSL blog: http://www.newoldnorth.blogspot.com

More Pics: http://flickr.com/photos/oldnorthstlouis

Another Mullanphy Update

2007-04-01T21:36:00.000-05:00

The New Old North Blog has a post updating the status of the Mullanphy Building. Read it here. Your help is still greatly needed, and quickly.

Another Storm Strikes the Mullanphy

2007-03-31T23:14:00.000-05:00

As reported by Michael Allen of Ecology Of Absence, The Mullanphy Emigrant Home sustained major additional damage in the storms that moved through the area. Part of the eastern facade collapsed, and a section of the north wall collapsed as well. More will likely be known after a more thorough survey of the damage can be done in the coming days.

You can view some photos of the storm damage on the Ecology of Absence Blog.

This is a major set back in the efforts to preserve the Mullanphy. Costs to rebuild the already damaged south wall were set at $150,000+. The additional costs from tonights collapse will likely add significantly to that total. Please consider making a donation to the Mullanphy Preservation Fund. To find out more about the effort and how you can become involved visit the What's new in Old North Blog. To make a credit card donation right now through PayPal just click on the PayPal icon below.

Mullanphy Update

2007-02-19T19:35:00.000-06:00

Your help is still needed in the effort to stabilize the historic Mullanphy Emigrant Home. Click here to find out more. Click on the image for a larger version.

At least Gieco Will Insure Me

2007-02-19T00:12:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to think of a response to the STL Business Journals "article" about CAVEmen- Citizens Against Virtually Everything. I am supposedly one of these. I just don't know how to respond to the ridiculousness of this claim. I could never be considered as against development. I'm one of the biggest cheer leaders of development you will find. The problem developers have with me and others is that I have the balls to ask for appropriate urban development, not just the least common denominator.

If a closer look is taken, you can see that us anti-development people will actually take the time to rally for a good development. When Patti Tepper and her little group know as "Citizens for Responsible Development" threatened the Lindell Condos project, a group of us were very vocal in showing support. We had our own thoughts and criticisms of the design, but we were fully in support of the general idea presented.

In the cases used in the article to show an anti-development bias, we were and are all for development, just not in the way it has been proposed. We were all for the OPO being renovated, but we wanted to historic gem next door known as the Century Building to be renovated as condos and parking, as well as street level retail. This would have kept the historic integrity of the district as well as not blatantly going against official plans for the district to help out developer buddies. Even more important, there were developers willing to take this on, but there proposals were squashed by DESCO/DFC and politicians that are in their pockets. As far as the Bohemian Hill plans, I am perfectly fine with a retail development, it just needs to be done in a much more urban fashion. Phase II should be done as an infill and renovation project, not as clear cutting of new and renovated homes. When it comes to the north side and Paul McKee, I'm not against anything but letting buildings rot and potential for suburban styled development. I'm all for proper urban development. Just look to Old North to see how it should be done.

I think what pisses me off the most is that the Biz Journal is blatantly supporting developer buddies instead of taking a constructive look at what both sides wants. I think a dialogue would be much more useful to developers and urbanists than petty potshots. I'm perfectly willing to share what I would look for in a proper urban development as well as hear the developers view, but the developer needs to be willing to listen as well, not just view us as obstructionists in the way of their gifts to us poor urban folk that don't know any better.

For now I will proudly wear the badge of CAVEman- Citizens Against Vulgar Environments. Thanks to Steve Patterson for recoining the acronym.

Mississippi Bluff's Resurected?

2007-02-01T00:39:00.000-06:00

The latest word on the long delayed and poorly planned Mississippi Bluff's project along Broadway is that construction will start in April. Michael Curran apparently told a neighbor of the site across Broadway that construction would indeed finally start this spring, and that none of the delays were his fault. His biggest excuse seemed to be bad advice from an engineer that told him he would need a lot of steel in the ground. My info is from a second hand, but reliable source, so the details are a little fuzzy, but that's the story at the moment.

Snow, Again

2007-01-31T23:39:00.000-06:00

The snow is back again, and seems to be more beautiful this time. With the temperature so cold the snow has the powdery consistency that we don't normally get around here. This allows the crystals to shine a little more brilliantly from the bright street light across the street. And with the temperatures so cold there won't be any melting to ruin my pictures tomorrow, or basically the next 10 days. And my camera is now back in perfect working condition, so I shouldn't have any problems there (always keep soda away from your camera, especially when it's sitting in your front seat and a cup happens to tip over). Hopefully I'll have some pics to post tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Update 2-2-07 12:57 am
Looks like I didn't have time to get any pics besides a few in front of my house and of the arena construction at SLU. If I see anything good I'll post, but I doubt there is anything noteworthy. Looks like we could get a major snowstorm in the next Friday- Saturday time frame. Hopefully I can get something good then.

Veronica O'Brien Has Got To Go

2007-01-31T13:48:00.000-06:00

If you are somehow reading my resurrected blog but not reading Urban Review STL, there is something wrong with you. But in case you missed it, Steve Patterson has started a petition asking Veronica O'Brien to resign as President of the St. Louis School Board. Please sign the Petition if you care about the St. Louis Public Schools. I don't know what effect, if any, it will have, but at least it's another way for the voices against O'Brien and state takeover to be heard.

Built St. Louis

2007-01-30T17:08:00.000-06:00

While I was checking out the update to the State hospital Page on Builtstlouis.net today I just so happened to spy a pic of myself on the first page. The photo contains my brother, best friend, and me sledding in Tilles Park after a snow in the winter of 1997. I can guarantee that it is us because the coats match what we would have been wearing at the time, and the sleds are exact matches to what we still own. And going on my incredibly good memory, I think I may even remember someone taking pics from below the hill that day.

Mullanphy Progress

2007-01-29T19:44:00.000-06:00

As one of my tasks today I took some pics of the work now occurring to stabilize the Mullanphy Emigrant Home. The roof is now secured from collapse. The south wall is still completely exposed to the elements, and hopefully the workers can get that closed in soon.

Snow

2007-01-21T02:31:00.000-06:00

If you have spent any appreciable amount of time with me, you will know that I am a weather nut. I came oh so close to majoring in meteorology at SLU instead of Urban Affairs. I find 70 degrees and sunny to be quite boring. I'll take extreme heat, cold, tornadoes, or ice storms any day. Besides St. Louis, this is most definitely my biggest passion. The near miss of the ice storm last week was quite painful to me. I can sit in front of my computer for hours uninterrupted and follow the progress of a storm. In fact, that's what I have done all tonight. I got off work at 9:00 pm after the precipitation had started, and as soon as I got home I planted myself right in front of the keyboard and started watching. And I had the bloggers on Chris Higgins Blo g over at Myfoxstl.com to keep my company.

What does this have to do with a blog about the built environment of St. Louis, you ask? Well, I'm not sure if there is anything more beautiful than watching a fresh snow blanket the city. The gloom of the barren winter landscape slowly disappears as the snow accumulates inch by slow inch. The street lights provide a glow that is reflected off the fresh powder making it seem as bright as day. Auto Activity seems to come to a halt. Imperfections are slowly covered. The world seems to slow down briefly. Nature takes over what we think we have control of. And I get to take some different pictures from the normal scenes. I'll update tomorrow night with some of the pictures I took tonight and tomorrow.

Old North St. Louis

2007-01-16T23:42:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am alive still. Between school, work, and obviously the Urban St. Louis Forums, I just haven't had time for the blog. But I thought I would share a little personal update with all of you out there. As part of my course work at SLU I am required to complete an internship. I met with Sean Thomas of the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group today, and I will be interning there starting Monday. So I finally get a practical application of what I have learned in the past 2.5 years, and I get to do it in one of my favorite neighborhoods. I'll keep everyone updated. Should be fun.

No Award This Year

2006-09-28T16:04:00.000-05:00

Looks like I am among the crowd of losers for the RFT's best blog award. I'm shocked that I lost.

Modern On The Southside

2006-04-26T16:31:00.000-05:00

There isn't a development in St. Louis that doesn't catch my attention, but a new project planned for South St. Louis has leapt out at me. It is to be known as Val Place and is located at Virginia, Alabama, and Delor in Dutchtown South. Millennium Restoration & Development is the developer. The site will contain twenty, three story townhouses starting at $180,000.

There is nothing special about what I just described, but some aldermen and developers need to pay attention to what will follow. First off, this is what we call an urban design. Notice no driveways in the front. The garages are in the rear off of an alley, and the front is oriented to the street and sidewalk. The site plan also calls for density. What a novel idea. Not everything has to be single family with large yards. The design is also rather modern for St. Louis infill. While I agree that many so called modern designs are really not that great, I really like this particular design. Looks like a good use of siding, stucco, glass, and probably concrete. Nice to see a design that doesn't try to hide vinyl with an awkward brick front. The balconies also add a nice touch, and the large one off the kitchens should make a nice area to sit and enjoy a nice evening talking to the neighbors.

Overall, Millennium has done a good job with an odd site.

Technology and Crime

2006-04-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

*Class Post*

The question of whether technology is causing more crime or if it is just there because it is in our culture is an interesting one. Technology has certainly opened the opportunity for crimes such as hacking and stealing data, and has probably made stalking easier in some cases. It has also made plagiarism much easier. But overall, I don't think technology has lead to any increase in crime, or made crime easier. Technology is part of every day life, so criminals make use of it. Bragging about a murder in a blog is comparable to people making a video of a crime and sharing it or bragging to friends. As technology changes, peoples habits change and it becomes incorporated.

Technology doesn't cause crime, criminals are just stupid in their use of it.

2006-04-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

I know this was directed at Steve Patterson, but it's about time. From MayorSlay.com

Downtown Now

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Printer-Friendly Version
In certain quadrants of the blogosphere, this will be Big News: Downtown Now! has updated its website.

Downtown Now! Website

Another Gem Renovated

2006-04-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

There is finally a solid redevelopment plan for the Old Missouri Pacific Building downtown, and it involves new construction. The existing building will be renovated with retail space, 51,000 sq. ft. of office space and 108 condos. A new tower built with a modern design will rise 15 floors on Tucker and contain retail space and condos. A 750 car parking garage will be built in between with a pool and other resident facilities on the top level. Two adjacent parks will also be renovated to the west and south. The Lawrence Group is handling the work.

This is one of the landmark buildings downtown, and I'm glad it will be put to such a good mixed use. The new tower should make a drastic difference along the barren blocks of Tucker, and it will hide the boring back side of the Missouri Pacific Buildings. This will make a barren spot downtown lively once again. The parks certainly need some sprucing up, although I agree with others that the park to the west is a little bit too focused on the Park Pacific. I personally would like to see a high-rise along Tucker on part of the current park land, but I can only ask for so much at once.

Overall, I give the development a preliminary grade of A.

Wikkipedia

2006-04-12T16:14:00.000-05:00

*Class Post*

What do you call 1,075,000+ articles created completely by volunteer effort? That would obviously be the English version of Wikipedia. Many great things have come out of the Internet, but this has to be one of the best. Anyone can sign up to edit pages, making the possible topics infinitely greater than a yearly encyclopedia like the Encyclopedia Britannica. And the best part is that according to studies, Wikipedia is just as accurate as all the leading encyclopedias that don't allow the general public to write them. The information is endless, and everything is categorized and linked together with similar topics. Best of all, Wikipedia is completely free!

2006-04-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

*Class Post*

According to the article from the University of Dayton, 85% of college students equaling 3.9 million students have accounts on Facebook. The social networking site for students has spread from just a few schools to every college and thousands of high schools in just over a year. Students use it to tell others about themselves, keep track of friends, plan events, and post pictures from parties and other events in their daily life. Departments of Public Safety have sometimes made use of these pictures and other statements made on the site. Students have received various punishments because of something found on the site. Both of the Departments cited in the articles, Princeton's and Dayton's, deny any use of Facebook for more than just an aid for investigations. I am okay with some minor use of the site, but I am wary of any use from an Public Safety Officers, especially an officer that may like to browse the site looking for violations.

There are many reasons that Facebook should not be used. First, it is hard to tell where something is from a picture unless there is some type of landmark to give it away. Like was stated in the article, how can someone tell what is in a cup in a picture. If the supposed violation took place off campus, any DPS has no right to cite someone for an offense. Second, no matter what a school wants to say, anything that happens on Facebook should be private. The site is password protected, and it is not hosted on any university related servers. I would think that a warrant would be required to gather any evidence from Facebook, because it is not in the public domain. This brings up serious issues with invasion of privacy that need to be dealt with. The director of Police at Princeton says that he can legally back up his statement that Facebook is not private. Even if pulling evidence from Facebook is legal, it doesn't make it right.

No matter the legalities of using sites like Facebook, we should all be a little more careful.

New Ballpark

2006-04-04T23:01:00.000-05:00

I spent three hours tonight milling around outside of the new Cardinal's ballpark. It was great to see all of the fans back for another baseball season, and there was a definite buzz in the air. This was my first chance to get up close to the park after several planned tours fell through this summer for one reason or another. In my opinion, the still under construction park turned out great. There is a connection with the street that old Busch came as far away as possible from having. I was on the sidewalk, but I felt like I was part of the action. For all of the complaining about the park that some other urbanists do, I think the architecture and design is good. Busch is built like a baseball park ought to be. The brick is a nice nod to Cupples Station, and the exposed steel gives a bit of a contemporary feel. The Eads bridge style pedestrian bridge makes for a beautiful termination of Spruce St. This doesn't even take into account Ballpark Village tying into the park. This will be a great transformation for the south end of downtown from a lifeless and unfriendly area to a great urban "village."

After I finish sorting through the 279 pics I took tonight, I will have many up for your viewing pleasure at Ballparkconstruction.com.

In Case You Cared

2006-04-04T22:57:00.000-05:00

Here's how I voted in today's election in the city.

School Board:
Peter Down
Donna Jones

Prop R:
No

Prop EJ:
Yes

Prop G:
A reserved Yes

Seems to be pretty much how the other urban bloggers voted.

Walking In The City

2006-03-29T16:52:00.000-06:00

I did an extensive walking tour of two parts of the city this afternoon. I am doing a Powerpoint presentation tomorrow for my Tech Apps class, and my topic that I am covering is all of the mid and high-rises proposed and under construction in the city. I wanted to include pictures of all the sites in the presentation, so this required that I get out and take all of them today. After my 11:00 class, I drove to the CWE to get started. I parked behind the Park East and started there. I circled around that site and headed over to the site of the Renaissance on Euclid, Lindell Condos, and then down to 4545 Lindell. After my stroll through the CWE, I headed downtown. I parked in my usual free spot in front of the Bowling Hall of Fame. I made a full circle around the stadium to get some more pics for ballparkconstruction.com. I then headed over to the Old Post Office to the site of the Robert's Mayfair Tower and the possible site of a high-rise just up locust from there. I also wasted some battery life on the Garage Mahal. I walked for a little while on Washington, but forgot to get a pic for the site of the Gateway Condos. I negotiated the horrible set up of the elevated I-70 and went by the Switzer building and the site of Port St. Louis. I walked around the Pinnacle site and over to the Bottle District site. I then walked to the Convention Center Metro stop and rode metro over to the Stadium station. I covered everything in 2.5 hours, including spending a good chunk of that time on top of the Stadium East garage.

Today was sunny and warm, and the streets reflected the good weather. There weren't masses of people on the street, and I was not walking at lunch time, but there were people on every street in both downtown and the CWE. That was great to see as always. Most buildings were looking good, and construction work was going on in all of the rehabs. The banker's lofts looked great with almost all of the new windows in. The Federal Reserve site was being excavated well below ground. There seems to be a fair amount of tourists on the streets for this time of year, almost all of them were families. I happily watched them checking out all of the construction.

Downtown is really going to have it's act together this summer. I can't wait to experience it.

One of these days I will share the presentations, probably on UrbanStL.

Typefaces

2006-03-29T16:18:00.000-06:00

*Class Post*

I found the article on Matthew Carter and his work creating typefaces very interesting. I never realized so much work went into it, especially the work to carve the letters in steel as was done in the past. I had no idea that a typical typeface requires designing 278 different characters. Even subtle differences in a letter that most would never notice can require a complete redesign of the set. A designer also has to be able to come up with a style that has never been done before. Carter has designed an amazing sixty two full families.

Certain institutions wanting their own typeface is interesting. With a type face specifically designed for your use, you can set yourself apart. The New York Times was creative in saving money by only requiring letters to spell out "The new York Times."

The part of the article I liked most was when Carter spoke about identifying forgeries by typefaces he designed. Identifying the two forgeries by a typeface being used before it was created was a method that I had never thought of. I will remember this if I ever forge a dated document.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church

2006-03-08T16:48:00.000-06:00

St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church is now taking it's final few breaths. An article in today's Southwest City Journal states that the Board of Aldermen has passed a redevelopment bill allowing the church to be torn down. Back on December 19, this project was rejected by the City Preservation Board. The Board ruled that the church and other buildings on site were historic and should not be demolished. This was a pet project of Alderman Vollmer and the Catholic Church. The whole story can be found here.

Why do aldermen insist on aldermanic courtesy? I know it secures votes for their pet projects, but do they really not see some projects are simply bad for the city? This just makes me want work even harder to change the political culture of St. Louis. Someday people that get it will be in charge, hopefully before I am gone.

Evils of Technology: PowerPoint

2006-03-01T16:53:00.000-06:00

*Class Post*

So is PowerPoint really evil, or is it the greatest thing ever created? I think the answer lies somewhere in between. Certain situations and presentations lead me to feel certain ways about the software. An example of a good use of Powerpoint in my eyes is when a presenter puts a few main topics on a slide as talking points, and then can fully expand on the points in the slide. This way the audience can get the general topic off the slide, but they still have to listen to the presenter to fully understand the topic.

The dark side of PowerPoint, and we've all done this, is when a presenter put's his entire speach onto the slides and essentially reads off the slides. This is boring, and shows a lack of knowledge and effort on the presenters part. If someone wanted to just read their speech, why put it on PowerPoint in the first place. Large amounts of text on a slide is also distracting and takes away from the presentation.

This following quote from Edward R. Turte in the article sums the situation up well:

PowerPoint is a competent slide manager and projector. But rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute for it. Such misuse ignores the most important rule of speaking: Respect your audience

In other words, PowerPoint is a good tool, but no one knows how to use it properly. That is the true evil in this case.

Update to Misguided Citizens for Responsible Development

2006-02-22T23:02:00.000-06:00

A group of people that want to show support for the Lindell Condos project have joined together to show our support to Opus and the city, as well as gather other supporters. We are meeting on Sunday at 1:00 pm at the Grind in Maryland Plaza in the CWE to plan out our counter petition and exactly what we want to do. There is more info over at Urbanstl.com.

Misguided Citizens for Responsible Development

2006-02-22T16:48:00.000-06:00

Patti Tepper and her crew of urban foes in the CWE have now formed a group called Citizens for Responsible Development, a name which I think is rather ironic for this group. Their main goal is to stop Opu's proposal of a 28 floor modern design condo building on the Northeast Corner of the intersection of Lindell and Euclid. Read the article in the West End Word. Their main reason for opposition to the project is the CWE historic district rules which state that buildings should be limited to 10-15 floors. Here's what Carolyn Toft of Landmarks had to say about the rules-

Carolyn Toft, president of Landmarks Association, said that the historic district standards are legislation, but that exceptions and variances can be made. A CWE resident, Toft helped draft the standards more than 25 years ago.

“The question is, is a variance in the best interest of the city and the neighborhood?” Toft said.

Yes, a variance is in the best interest of the neighborhood. Don't hold back a great project because of legislation that may not always be right.

Here's my quick rebuttal to the text on the front page of their site stlouiscitizens.org.

We are in favor of responsible development that adds value to our CWE neighborhood, our city, and our region.

Than why are you not in favor of this project. Some minor things need to be reworked, but overall it is a high quality development. This 28 floor building will add more value to the neighborhood than a ten floor building on that corner. A two story building with no interaction to the street on a high profile corner will be replaced with 200 condos and retail.

The second Opus Development project, now proposed for the northeast corner of Lindell and Euclid, has been given special treatment by the City of St. Louis: its site has been blighted, it received a TIF, and it violates the Historic District ordinance previously established for all buildings within the neighborhood.

This special treatment sets a harmful precedent for the entire City.

I don't think this is any more special than any other large development project receives. Oh yeah, the historic district. What about all those other buildings over 15 floors on the same block. Talk about a slippery slope. Isn't this what variances are for. Nothing wrong with a 28 floor building with a modern design. 4545 Lindell has a very modern design, why weren't you against that building. That's right, It''s not right in your backyard. you weren't being selfish like you are with this project.

SIGN the Petition against the proposed project by request to:
stlouiscitizens@aol.com

With these Petitions we will TELL Alderwoman Lyda Krewson to support a building that conforms to the Historic District ordinance for the area.

Please don't sign it, and I don't think it's going to make a big difference anyway.

VISIT the first Opus Development project at Laclede and Euclid to
obseve problems similar to those of the now proposed project at Lindell and Euclid.

I can't quite figure out what they are referring too. Is it because the Park East took a surface parking lot, and gasp, is right up to the sidewalk.

GET INVOLVED, STAY INVOLVED!

I agree, but but don't be against a project because you are selfish. Like you said, think about the betterment of the neighborhood and the city and region as a whole. The current project is the best option, although I wouldn't be opposed to it being even taller.

I really felt like an alderman defending myself against Elliot Davis of "You Paid for It" on Channel 2. Except I din't make myself look like a completel fool.

Plagiarism

2006-02-22T16:37:00.000-06:00

*Class Post*

Plagiarism. It's a tough area to define. Stealing someones work word for word is obviously plagiarism, but there is so much more to it. Paraphrasing was always taught in grade school as a good way to avoid plagiarism, but I have now learned that even this is considered wrong. Unless there is quotes around the phrase, and it is properly cited, you are plagiarizing someone. Your personal original ideas do not nead quotes, but if you are taking your personal idea from a different published work, you are required to cite the source. While plagiarism is definately not something to do, because it is stealing, I think it can get a little overboard sometimes. It is possible to accidentally forget to cite a source once in a while. Putting someting into your own ideas can be difficult at times, and if four or five word of a bigger sentence is copied does not matter to me. I guess the individual interpretation is up to everyone, but you better cover your butt anyway.

Centre of Failure

2006-02-15T22:29:00.000-06:00

Steve Patterson of Urban Review St. Louis reports that an announcement on the future of the failed St. Louis Centre Mall downtown will be made sometime this week. I'll make judgement when I see the announcement, but I'll say right now that I am not necessarilly optomistic. Hopefully it will at least include plans to immediately remove the bridge over Washington Ave. That can not happen soon enough. Done right, a redeveloped St. Louis Centre could be a great asset to downtown, but done poorly like it is now, the centre will continue to be a drag on the area. Not completely sure exactly what I want in St. Louis Centre's place, but I know it is definitely not going to succeed as an enclosed mall.

Searching Google

2006-02-15T14:18:00.000-06:00

*This post is for my class*

Personally, I do not mind if the government sees what I search for. I have nothing to hide. I have not searched or how to make a backpack nuclear bomb or how the effectively take out a bridge. I don’t think many people would have anything to hide either. That brings up the point of how much good a subpoena will really do. What does the government actually need one million random web addresses for? If the government wants to have the addresses to protect children as they claim, why don’t the investigators look them up? Private businesses should not have to do the work for the government.

The whole situation with searching and wiretapping is ridiculous to me. In general I do not have a problem with either; I just don’t think devoting so many resources to domestic surveillance is a worthwhile use of what we have. How many people is the government really going to catch in America? Were the thousands of wiretaps actually successful? It just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Ballpark Village

2006-02-14T21:27:00.000-06:00

After all the talk that it would never happen, it is finally official. Ballpark Village will be built. It was made official in a story on Fox 2 News tonight. I have had the renderings since November 10, but it is nice to see that Ballpark Village is now officially designed and will be under construction by the end of the baseball season. Cordish of baltimore is the lead developer.

Ballpark Village will be a $450 million project covering six city blocks adjacent to the new Busch Stadium. The new development will have 1,200 condos in four towers, 450,000 square feet of retail, and 400,000 square feet of office space.

In my mind, the best feature of Ballpark Village is that it restores the street grid. The old Busch and the parking lot where the new Busch is was a giant superblock. While the new park is a superblack, it is in a spot where I think the stadium works well for it's size, right up against the highway where no through streets are anyway. Ballpark Village will be able to tie together the south end of downtown with the north end of downtown much better than the old Busch did. The village will be urban.

I find the design of the buildings to be good for the most part. Good mix of styles. Brick for the mid-rise buildings on the west end of the site, and all glass for the east end of the site. These buildings will make a dramatic difference in the skyline, and they offer a different style than much of downtown. The new towers should add a nice modern contrast to the surrounding historic buildings in Cupple's Station and the Tum's factory, along with the retro designed ballpark. I did a rough count of floor heights and it looks like there is one at 15, two buildings in the 15-20 range, one at 25, One at 26-27, and one at about 34 floors. And these towers will be in camera views shipped all over the country.

1,200 residents in a six block area also brings badly needed residential density to the south end of downtown, an area lacking much besides offices and useless parks. There needs to be many year round residents, not just fans and office workers, for an area to really thrive. Look at the area around Washington Ave. for an example of what good density can do.

But I am glad to here that office space will be in the project. There are several firms looking for large Class A spaces downtown, so hopefully some will consider Ballpark Village.

Being next to the new ballpark and having so many residents and shops should make for some nice pedestrian traffic on the streets. Another great urban aspect of this development. The open section of Busch should make for large crowds on Clark catching some of the games for free.

Overall, Cordish does good urban developments.

Now if we could just get something done about the ugly and anti-urban stadium parking garages.

Snow Angels In The Outfield

2006-02-08T16:37:00.000-06:00

The snow falling today in St. Louis made for some neat scenes around town. Check out ballparkconstruction.com for more of my snow pics of the new Cardinal's Ballpark.

Note to Readers

2006-02-02T18:17:00.000-06:00

As you may have noticed, this blog has come back to life. While I will be doing St. Louis and Urban based posts, I will also be doing a post once a week for my Tech Apps class. You can read them if you want, but they will probably have absolutely nothing to do with cities. Just think of it as my user fee.

Reflection on "The Net Gen Goes to College"

2006-02-02T17:57:00.000-06:00

College professors are being told to use technology in the classroom. Video, powerpoint, and computer software are in demand by the new generation of students, often called the Millenials. But is the use of technology in the classroom really necessary? Some say yes, and some say absolutely not.

I agree with both sides in this case. Technology is great as a tool for learning, but so are traditional teaching methods. There is no doubt that todays students are different than past generations. We grew up with technology. We have been checking websites while doing a reading asignment and Instant Messaging at the same time for years. Students are bored when they go to class and get the same old lecture over and over again. Different technologies allow a professor to vary the class instruction. But technology should not be the only device used in teaching. The lecture is just as good of a tool now as it was fifty years ago. Traditional research papers are just as useful as a powerpoint presentation. I think it is more important to use all of the different teaching tools effectively instead of just one tool on either side of the spectrum.

This quote sums it up for me quite well. " We find that they like Multi-media -- they want text, video, and sound," according to Mike Turner of Case Western Reserve University. I agree, I don't want just one tool, I want them all.

Amazing!

2005-09-14T22:27:00.000-05:00

I can't stop thinking about the new renderings of the Bottle District just north of the Edward Jones Dome. The planned district is designed by the well known starchitect Daniel Lebiskind, and are thoroughly modern on a scale St. Louis has never seen before. One of the three planned residential towers is even planned for 630', the same height as the Arch. Two images even say 650'. I have been waiting a long time for a building taller than the Arch, and didn't expect it in the Bottle District. This project, along with the new casinos on the Landing, Ballpark Village, and Chouteau's Lake are going to completely transform downtown in the next 5-10 years. I can't wait for all the suburbanites to come into downtown for the first time in 15 years and have there pants completely blown off. What an exciting time in St. Louis. For more pics go here.

Get a Clue People

2005-09-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

Why are so many people around here so self-centered and, well, stupid? Two things today really bothered me enough to get me back posting on here again. (Sorry if you were checking for posts here, school started again, and I haven't had time.) First is the people collecting signatures for a vote to stop Metro from issueing more bonds to finance the Metrolink cost overruns. These are the same people that caused it to be so expensive in the first place by forcing the trains to run in a tunnel for a large portion of the cross county extension. They are plain and simply obstructionists that are against Metrolink and more importantly, regional cooperation. For a good summary of the whole situation, go here and read the post that the link takes you to.

The other thing that came up today is nimbyism over the height of Opus's planned 28 story condo tower for the corner of Lindell and Euclid. Read this article for some context. Here is my problem with the article-

The idea of having 28 stories could be revisited, but Opus is committed to a 25- to 30-story building, Krewson said.

“I am concerned by the height,” said John Berglund, a member of the Central West End Association’s Planning and Development Committee. It would be no problem closer to Kingshighway, but in this location it might crowd out the smaller-scale buildings of Euclid Avenue, he said.

The committee has not formally looked at any plans for the building yet, Berglund said. The group meets each month and the project was not on the agenda at its Sept. 10 meeting.

The committee has an advisory role only, and it attempts to influence the city’s Cultural Resources Board and the aldermen if it is unhappy with elements of a project, Berglund said.

“It makes our job much easier,” if a project has the backing of the neighborhood, he said. But “everyone has their own tastes and desires” and Opus would not submit to “design by committee,” he said.

This guy has no idea what he is talking about I don't get the issue with the height. First, 28 floors isn't really that tall. second, the Central West End is full of residential highrises, and they are often intermixed with smaller buildings. There is nothing wrong with varying height next to each other, and especially when there are so many tall structures in a definite row existing. And how can we put anymore highrises along Kingshighway, build them in the park? Not Rocket Science folks. Opus is a good company with high quality projects, let's not run them out of town over something so trivial. Is there anyone with a brain in this town? Here is a pic showing where the planned Lindell Condominiums will be. Not exactly in the middle of a field of one and two story structures. Thanks Arch City.

Go to this page at the Urban St. Louis Forums for some more context pics.

Can You Please Spare Some Change

2005-08-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

From an entry on Mayor Slay's Blog dated August 21, 2005-

For the last year, the City’s Cultural Resources Office has repeatedly blocked the demolition of two wooden buildings in the Hyde Park Local Historic District. The buildings, at 4242 and 4244 N 19th Street, belong to the LRA because they were abandoned by their owners years ago. No one has expressed the slightest interest in them since LRA acquired them. They are very small – one story, one bedroom. They lack basements.

They have, though, some history. They were, according to the CRO, built in 1894 and 1896, a time when frame houses were more common in Hyde Park and in other City nabes. But, most of the other wooden structures from the period have been lost due to the relatively fragile nature of their construction. These two, though, remain.

They are, undoubtedly, eyesores. They are full of termites, which they are spreading throughout the block. They attract vagrants and worse. Their condition adversely affects the well maintained properties on the block. Both the neighbors and the alderman want them demolished. They have asked the Preservation Board to allow that to happen.

Unless someone with a checkbook and a viable plan shows up before the meeting, I suspect that demos will be authorized.

The Preservation Board will meet tomorrow, August 22nd, at the SLDC, 1015 Locust. The meeting starts at 4 pm.

While I have never seen the structures in question (other than an aerial on the city website), I believe they are worth restoring, simply for their uniqueness, nevermind their historical value. They are different, and that is what I like about them. The houses are from a different era than almost everything else in the city. Most old houses in the city are of solid brick construction, these are frame construction. But I also think cleaning up the vacant lots that I saw in the aerial would have a biggere effect on the property values than demolishing 2 houses. Demolition isn't always the answer. Too bad I don't have the money to step up.

Mixed Feelings in South City

2005-08-10T01:20:00.000-05:00

Ahrens Demolition and Excavation recently started demolishing the formerly City owned Truman Restorative Center on Arsenal just east of Hampton. The site will be turned into a new subdivision of 36 single family homes, and 22 villas. I am certainly happy to see the investment in the area, and I welcome the new residents, but I can't help feeling that this could have been better.

First, The Truman Center was a cool building in it's own way. If it was in the middle of downtown, I don't know if I would care for it, but in it's context, I really like it. Why couldn't the large open areas of land around it be developed, and the current building be renovated for condos or apartments? I understand that may not be completely feasible, but why can't we at least have something a little better than a suburban development plopped down in the city.

This brings me to my second point. What is the obsession in St. Louis of putting brick fronts on otherwise completely siding houses. Who are developers trying to fool? The brick stands out like a sore thumb. Or is it the vinyl? I guess it's the whole mess of materials. Whatever it is, it should not be done. One material or the other. Vinyl can look good if it is covering the entire house, and the house has the correct architectural style. Likewise, brick should cover an entire house when it is used on the front. I curently split my time at work between a beautiful urban location on Grand by Carondolet Park and (shudder) Arnold. While the Arnold/Imperial area has some atrocious suburban abominations, I have noticed many new houses out there that are completely brick. If developers can do it in Arnold, why can't we build all brick houses in the city? The new homes will also have garages in the front with driveways. Hopefully the shrines to SUV's will not be used as the main architectural feature on the front of the houses.

I guess only time will tell how this development goes, but it's not a good start. Homes starting in the $290's should be nicer.

Welcome!

2005-08-04T00:53:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Matt Fernandez. Welcome to my new companion project to StLEvolution.com. I plan to use this blog to show how St. Louis is continuing to evolve, for better or worse. I plan to also use it to promote events in the city, spread good news about the city I love, and maybe sometimes just make a random post. This should be an interesting ride, mainly finding out if I continue to update this, so stick around.