tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70060351169705792162024-03-14T01:18:00.804-05:00Vanishing STLChronicles of the vanishing urban landscape of St. LouisVanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.comBlogger387125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-38502311667903337512017-10-02T06:49:00.000-05:002017-10-02T06:49:09.744-05:00Grand Center's Surroundings Continue to be Wasted Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihALqgObs2PtF9dzxGwNkUurQx_v7DEVlRQ7wTiQATldyP-8Wg0xeo8gFbLBlqQGyiW-xliRnSoRaMlugN3ruaWMLK_G6unw0wEQuBXAAmSvBVOAk7uBIGbxKlxXLkT5pDgZC7iSqwAlY/s1600/3826+olive001+copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="646" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihALqgObs2PtF9dzxGwNkUurQx_v7DEVlRQ7wTiQATldyP-8Wg0xeo8gFbLBlqQGyiW-xliRnSoRaMlugN3ruaWMLK_G6unw0wEQuBXAAmSvBVOAk7uBIGbxKlxXLkT5pDgZC7iSqwAlY/s640/3826+olive001+copy.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Every time Grand Center takes a step forward, such as the rehabilitation of the historic Missouri Theater office building into a new boutique hotel, it seems that it takes a step back with the loss of smaller buildings on the districts periphery creating an isolated island.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This week <a href="http://www.refabstl.org/" target="_blank">ReFab</a> posted a few photos on instagram (not the photos above) of a deconstruction they have begun in Grand Center. It didn't take me long to figure out that the building is at 3826 Olive Street near Vandeventer. The building is one only three structures left on the south side of Olive Street between Vandeventer and Spring Avenues. The other two are the William Cuthbert Jones House and the former Henry L. Wolfner Library for the Blind, both individually listed on the National Register. 3826 Olive is not listed on the National Register and falls just north of the jagged boundary of the Midtown National Register Historic District. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Because we live in a City of 28 Mayors, each can choose whether or not their ward has Preservation Review. Marleen Davis chooses to not have Preservation Review for the 19th, so buildings like this regardless of potential historic merit are completely unprotected from demolition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The City had condemned 3826 Olive in May 2015 due to an isolated partial collapse of a small portion of the rear masonry wall. This is a common issue with buildings that have been vacant and had their rear gutters stolen. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">The building is owned by Olive West Properties, LLC, whose address it that of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. This entity also owns a few other buildings on the block and much of the vacant land. While a demolition permit and cost has yet to be posted on Geo St. Louis, I would bet that the above collapse could have been repaired for what it is costing to take down the building.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">City property records indicate the building was constructed in 1904. I suspected the sloped roof was originally a photography studio and it turns out that it was both the studio and residence of photographer Orville Caleb Conkling until at least 1929. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAArlQ30WH8MZUYTB7QM7xIfe2MgB81wPZFWocxVA58ToI_oJQCUeZ_l8DIRI16ghTI-yQwhSsxEyMA_YmlkNC2at6kX-QW0GNk4FaJztpMMSKFC5PbO0nBhD7zIZ8gMkcCO9hjRHqHdQ/s1600/studioofjcstrauss3514franklin-bygone-stl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="287" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAArlQ30WH8MZUYTB7QM7xIfe2MgB81wPZFWocxVA58ToI_oJQCUeZ_l8DIRI16ghTI-yQwhSsxEyMA_YmlkNC2at6kX-QW0GNk4FaJztpMMSKFC5PbO0nBhD7zIZ8gMkcCO9hjRHqHdQ/s640/studioofjcstrauss3514franklin-bygone-stl.jpg" width="545" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The north facing sloped portion of the roof would have been glass similar to this long ago demolished castle like building that once housed the photography studio of J. C. Strauss on Franklin Avenue. Photo from <a href="http://bygonestlouis.blogspot.com/2009/09/studio-of-jc-strauss-at-3514-franklin.html" target="_blank">Bygone St. Louis</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnidljQ0dqp1Cq4Pn_N2RRUYzPLqmPmtSIE0bBjDC7Syu8Nioy5aTbqPyX8ngKJlNufb17KtxW0xM1suaJnbFvBeVnhDNgvathYaOq6pBQ3rGUhof6Z9ayvtMU1y6hySCnH2MnYBshEY/s1600/Gallery+district.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1212" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnidljQ0dqp1Cq4Pn_N2RRUYzPLqmPmtSIE0bBjDC7Syu8Nioy5aTbqPyX8ngKJlNufb17KtxW0xM1suaJnbFvBeVnhDNgvathYaOq6pBQ3rGUhof6Z9ayvtMU1y6hySCnH2MnYBshEY/s640/Gallery+district.jpg" width="483" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With the right kind of fostering, targeted marketing rehabilitation of the variety of existing buildings with small infill development between, the 3800 block of Olive could have potentially become a hip gallery district, a seemingly natural offshoot of an arts district and fed by a stream of patrons from the critical mass of arts institutions that has been built up over the last 25 years. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8dw6GihomFbyT5xqgci55q4O6QSrZZYcGar6RLtDJfzaJ5C-6_vOlUobn8atXdJ2uvOrqf-iMxbpHpXydgUBK7u6MUi-KSagmTsbu4AqijcbxBbqxtzAvNhM7hoi6OtXssBPHkmD7nU/s1600/IMG_5291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8dw6GihomFbyT5xqgci55q4O6QSrZZYcGar6RLtDJfzaJ5C-6_vOlUobn8atXdJ2uvOrqf-iMxbpHpXydgUBK7u6MUi-KSagmTsbu4AqijcbxBbqxtzAvNhM7hoi6OtXssBPHkmD7nU/s640/IMG_5291.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Instead, redevelopment in Grand Center has targeted the largest, and the most ornate buildings in the district centered on Grand Boulevard. The variety of small ordinary buildings, the kind of buildings that make up vibrant cities, have been considered expendable so that as they fall the land can be banked for new larger developments that in the best of economic times over the last few decades have simply not materialized. As a result, the 37-3800 block of Olive, like much of what surrounds the arts institutions of Grand Center, is a wasteland of vacant lots, parking lots, and crumbling sidewalks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Maybe with a little more land we could hope some developer will come along and build another Sub-Standard. </span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-46456032536748037972017-08-14T06:33:00.000-05:002017-08-14T06:33:41.300-05:00Why We Shouldn't Give Up The Clemens House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJWcfRrwFTcb3_0Hhv2nzh37q1QODvuAXLrgm4t52hbETBzj0Undj5LtAd_hzaDacku60TsVA_UGhYIz-jrrWhzU1ebmABY2OUJiCDBYK6fiQ9-ZX9LhOoMHbiAYkgsRIhNUg6Ru2v7g/s1600/IMG_3545+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1598" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJWcfRrwFTcb3_0Hhv2nzh37q1QODvuAXLrgm4t52hbETBzj0Undj5LtAd_hzaDacku60TsVA_UGhYIz-jrrWhzU1ebmABY2OUJiCDBYK6fiQ9-ZX9LhOoMHbiAYkgsRIhNUg6Ru2v7g/s640/IMG_3545+copy.JPG" width="636" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the weeks following the the Clemens House fire on the morning of July 12th, I saw many friends and fellow preservationists post RIPs and other comments essentially giving up the historic complex as being gone. While the fire was obviously a tragic event, it should not be concluded that the end is here for the Clemens House. Maybe its my experience with bringing back many buildings that were essentially shells, some seemingly on the brink of destruction, but I don't believe we should give up on the Clemens House. Here's why: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> A: Not much has really changed with much of the structure. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbr2C6avIp0lt2I-YIcqX0K2utsMU5B3ZJOiMCui5K_nXGQi_2UDGlLAH1FrstnMprylrLEKh7hzeWcz3d_INNLTWhmtpsB9x_9qzk1aezkcOFN09fYWZRdgZWsLmp29oFeMivFeRdl4/s1600/Chapel+Paul+Sableman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbr2C6avIp0lt2I-YIcqX0K2utsMU5B3ZJOiMCui5K_nXGQi_2UDGlLAH1FrstnMprylrLEKh7hzeWcz3d_INNLTWhmtpsB9x_9qzk1aezkcOFN09fYWZRdgZWsLmp29oFeMivFeRdl4/s1600/Chapel+Paul+Sableman.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today the Clemens House complex stands as a shell, but I would argue that this is not much different than its condition before the fire. The complete lack of any care or maintenance had already reduced the Clemens House complex to a group of shells. Nine years ago, in May 2008, the main roof of the chapel building collapsed. Much of the east wall also collapsed, over half the roof was gone and the west wall was left buckled, but still standing. The front and rear walls of the chapel remained with about one bay of roof at each end. Over the past nine years the remaining portions of roof deteriorated severely with the front bay completely gone and the rear section down to sagging joists and rotted sheathing. Photo of the chapel above by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasa/" target="_blank">Paul Sableman</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> The roof and interior floor structure of the original mansion had not fared much better. Around the same time of the chapel collapse, portions of the parapet at the demising wall between the original house and dormitory addition fell onto the house roof creating holes in the northeast and northwest corners. With no repair done, these holes grew over the years with the interior floor structures below deteriorating and eventually most of the large rooms at the rear of the original house collapsed pancaking into the basement. The last time I was in the house several years ago, the floors of the front rooms were also deteriorating rapidly from openings in the valleys of the roof. By this year, these floors were to the point of requiring complete reconstruction.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlpGmKUBJ_32Hcsg3TANqTarrCH3rkaoIClb9uGvA11fEUWTvDd_f9zwUULs1Trb00VHnAq28um7eGvRK548_lIoxv7mAzhdc_ol7DeZ7DYR4PKb51u5UgAitZrhF_ZCTkCZ2sgYsH1U/s1600/IMG_7415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlpGmKUBJ_32Hcsg3TANqTarrCH3rkaoIClb9uGvA11fEUWTvDd_f9zwUULs1Trb00VHnAq28um7eGvRK548_lIoxv7mAzhdc_ol7DeZ7DYR4PKb51u5UgAitZrhF_ZCTkCZ2sgYsH1U/s640/IMG_7415.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> While the four story addition to the house had fared slightly better overall, the roof by this year resembled a wavy piece of Swiss cheese giving no protection to the interior structure. An entire section of the west mansard fell off of the building a few years ago leaving a gaping hole. As of several years ago several floor areas were unsafe to walk so I can imagine that by this year the percentage of structure that was to the point of needing complete replacement had risen dramatically. The recent fire simply burned off what remained of the severely deteriorated wood floor and roof structures that by this year required almost complete replacement. Some more photos of collapses and what appears to be earlier fire damage in the mansion can be seen in <a href="https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2016/01/18/time-has-been-hard-on-clemens-house-can-this-beauty-be-saved?page=2" target="_blank">this RFT article</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> B. Significance of the Clemens House. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMkauVB9BibGEWOhlCKJjDs9nJRMlhfdtvO8ck4ODhMIobtnZj32OIpMllbDmGnkv0Etje8mWeQaANymoC5sDgnK3fg2rIfhlaReww0h3G1btzjXW4ROV15ygljk0XNEAWwWDsJ2-q10/s1600/IMG_9346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMkauVB9BibGEWOhlCKJjDs9nJRMlhfdtvO8ck4ODhMIobtnZj32OIpMllbDmGnkv0Etje8mWeQaANymoC5sDgnK3fg2rIfhlaReww0h3G1btzjXW4ROV15ygljk0XNEAWwWDsJ2-q10/s640/IMG_9346.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The James Clemens house designed by Patrick Walsh in 1858 is one of St. Louis' very few remaining antebellum mansions; its Italian Renaissance Revival design is distinguished by an extensive use of cast iron for the portico, quoining and window enframements which is unique in the city's domestic architecture. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> It has been said it is the finest application of cast iron on a residential building outside of New York City. Cast iron was usually utilized on commercial structures, but the</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> St. Louis Great Fire of 1849 apparently convinced Clemens that the exterior of the home needed to be fireproof, so the mansion was adorned with many cast iron features. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In memory of James Clemens' wife. Walsh and Porter White, a plaster artist, were instructed by the grieving Mr. Clemens to reproduce Eliza's image in the ornamental plaster ceiling molding on the first floor, in a Carrara marble mantle in the parlor, and in other design elements. Eliza's death mask was also carefully re-created in </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">cast iron and used in the exterior ornamentation over every window of the mansion.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The 1896 chapel which adjoins the house, designed by architect Aloysius Gillick for the Sisters of St. Joseph, carefully follows the Italianate forms of the earlier building. The stone trimmed pedimented porch with paired Ionic columns and paired brick pilasters at the second story repeat motifs from the original mansion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">C. Paul McKee owes St. Louis! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> After spending years secretly acquiring thousands of buildings and vacant parcels through anonymous shell corporations Paul McKee publicly revealed his grand plan for Northside in May 2009. The plan he said would include 3 million square feet of office and retail space, 1 million square feet of light industrial space, hundreds of new apartments and single family homes, parks, street improvements and even its own trolly system.
In October 2013 the St. Louis Board of Aldermen approved $<b>390 Million</b> in TIF financing for McKee's Northside plan. Additionally, the State of Missouri <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-tax-credits-helped-mckee-buy-land-now-city-st-louis-wants-buy-it#stream/0" target="_blank">gave McKee $43 Million in Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credits</a>. The Land Assemblage Tax Credit was custom written by McKee's lawyers and due to the large quantity of land required to be purchased, he is to date the only recipient.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Since unveiling the grand plan for "<a href="http://www.northstl.com/" target="_blank">Northside Regeneration</a>" over eight years ago and with hundreds of properties now owned for over a decade, McKee’s track record as a property owner has been nothing short of abysmal. The reality has been an intentional Northside Disintegration. Buildings owned by Mckee, many of which were occupied and in decent condition, were immediately emptied and left unsecured. Doors and windows mysteriously disappeared hastening the cycle of intentional demolition by neglect. Many buildings succumbed demolition by brick theft, and many of these were were hastened by arson fires. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> See </span><a href="http://www.builtstlouis.net/northside/blairmont00.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Built St. Louis' pages on Blairmont</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, one of several of Mckee's shell companies that purchased the properties. Note: Almost all the beautiful historic structures on the page linked above have since been demolished.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIHmDd-VCVaIb0guEWw2pCQ918w3MQdgqFR93InZhebhrzaSQLmxX0MnMNn91DxCUIFLde5ranpJrkK68Mufouy5_X8PiJP7how-htlgDkKFu0oV41S6_6q3mf-ysWDpgVecs5tJfnW8/s1600/Pruitt+food+shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIHmDd-VCVaIb0guEWw2pCQ918w3MQdgqFR93InZhebhrzaSQLmxX0MnMNn91DxCUIFLde5ranpJrkK68Mufouy5_X8PiJP7how-htlgDkKFu0oV41S6_6q3mf-ysWDpgVecs5tJfnW8/s640/Pruitt+food+shop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While there are certainly many other absentee landlords who abandoned their properties and let them rot and crumble (St. Louis Public Schools could be included on this list), the sheer quantity of historic buildings that have fallen in the last 10 years as a direct result of McKee's blatant and intentional neglect has probably not been seen since the days of urban renewal clearance in the 1960s. It only seems less dramatic because it has occurred over a decade.
What has replaced all the buildings and neighborhoods that have been decimated by Paul McKee? Absolutely nothing! Yes the NGA is building its new campus at the corner of Jefferson and Cass, but this should not be considered a win as the result of McKee. Out of all that was to come from the grand plan, the only Northside project McKee has completed is a moderate rehab flip of an existing office warehouse building.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD82c4h00m-OOgzt5en3P-0Wcm9FaCU5ZdHi-0Ait11KXE-nyCd5k9IgPJq0FHXkLcnaCvQaP9OSuijtxQbrfr_1N4LbB19wL1VRLYZPRYXeKTB3lewg7B3taluJMSsKNDD0nGjBL9HFY/s1600/IMG_2374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD82c4h00m-OOgzt5en3P-0Wcm9FaCU5ZdHi-0Ait11KXE-nyCd5k9IgPJq0FHXkLcnaCvQaP9OSuijtxQbrfr_1N4LbB19wL1VRLYZPRYXeKTB3lewg7B3taluJMSsKNDD0nGjBL9HFY/s640/IMG_2374.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While most of McKee's grand plan for North St. Louis envisioned new construction, McKee also promised to preserve and rehabilitate about 60-80 houses and buildings he dubbed "legacy properties". Although he refused to ever release an actual list of these properties, <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/north-side-redevelopment-conversation-paul-and-midge-mckee#stream/0" target="_blank">he specified that the Clemens House would be rehabbed</a>. McKee however provided no more protection for the legacy properties than any other buildings he owned that were left to rot. Another presumed legacy property was the Bernhardt Winkelmann home at 1930 St. Louis Avenue among what was referred to as "Millionaires Row" in the Clemens House-Columbia Brewery Historic District. This beautiful home was <a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2009/09/inside-mckee-legacy-property-1930-36-st.html" target="_blank">struck by brick thieves on multiple occasions</a> with no response to clean-up, secure, or protect the remainder of the home in any way. Eventually the thieves removed literally the entire house leaving a pile of wood behind the stone facade, which was then unceremoniously demolished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">McKee claims to have spent a lot of money stabilizing the Clemens House. The reality is that the only work done was removal and storage of the 2-story porch and removal of portions of the chapel roof, supporting trusses and portions of the east wall of the chapel. The removals occurred because the porch and the rest of the chapel roof were on the verge of imminent collapse because they had not been properly protected from the elements. If McKee had truly stabilized the structure, the roof and floors of the mansion wouldn't have been collapsing into the fucking basement! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After 10 years of broken promises, its time for McKee to make good on at least one: Stabilize and rehab Clemens!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D. Precedent</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rebuilding and restoration of a building shell that remains after a fire or collapsed such as the Clemens House complex is more common than you might think. Here in St. Louis there are a few relatively recent examples.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9xbHVIjzuJgWHhxrUOuE2G87T0Q4Rckb2uzRxMS67gXHGUl7sdmyeUxfCp5EUXIvdr2mKiSRrKLV4K_Aa16vtkUHMtkvYanxVffPiQ_uE8TO-hVxH1_apE2qQbNmue7Gt1-pSYioUpg/s1600/M+Loft+Before+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9xbHVIjzuJgWHhxrUOuE2G87T0Q4Rckb2uzRxMS67gXHGUl7sdmyeUxfCp5EUXIvdr2mKiSRrKLV4K_Aa16vtkUHMtkvYanxVffPiQ_uE8TO-hVxH1_apE2qQbNmue7Gt1-pSYioUpg/s1600/M+Loft+Before+02.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In Lafayette Square, two buildings on Mississippi Avenue that were part of an International Shoe Company factory had sat abandoned for decades. The buildings deteriorated to the point where about 30% of the 5-story building had collapsed into the basement and the rest of the roof had mostly collapsed. The roof of the 1-story building was collapsing as well. This didn't keep Craig Heller from pursuing a rehab for lofts, commercial space, and a restaurant. He hired Pyramid to re-construct and stabilize the buildings and the development was later finished by Conrad Properties.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTz_dOKVrk_DTd9d87c3IZHWqvXcJl_xZ663YH9KYGSbJlZ2A1401Ub10L4I5dlJygHdDyF1YyxKjadZPkFmkviBb6v8MBBSXkEL4JYcA5JqSG_VnDefZhV4M0kFXfGjEBuI6H6K-tRI/s1600/M+Loft+After+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTz_dOKVrk_DTd9d87c3IZHWqvXcJl_xZ663YH9KYGSbJlZ2A1401Ub10L4I5dlJygHdDyF1YyxKjadZPkFmkviBb6v8MBBSXkEL4JYcA5JqSG_VnDefZhV4M0kFXfGjEBuI6H6K-tRI/s1600/M+Loft+After+01.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The finished exterior of the end of the M-Lofts building that was reconstructed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Lister Building at Taylor and Olive in the Central West End had similarly deteriorated to the point where the rotted floors and roof had to be completely removed and re-built. It was also rehabbed into loft apartments and ground floor commercial space.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakHmwLkRsRQxINf-NG97ymQcPtGLHnSjFA2wDBLGIeoMSwxYMxV9nJA6IpasoYrpHB-gndcsTU9XlER-kYAaW72orpjWuqQN2DhWQ_2Xk4S2RwIFFcwglW5mrBRjseunLcPtF9nNbzfY/s1600/Lister+demo03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakHmwLkRsRQxINf-NG97ymQcPtGLHnSjFA2wDBLGIeoMSwxYMxV9nJA6IpasoYrpHB-gndcsTU9XlER-kYAaW72orpjWuqQN2DhWQ_2Xk4S2RwIFFcwglW5mrBRjseunLcPtF9nNbzfY/s1600/Lister+demo03.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From the exterior you can see upper floors being re-framed even as collapsed debris was still being pulled out from the first floor.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS47OP2fmoC6fgqGWkSO0_U2DR4jowN2voMe0Gb6o5BIlBk4oGqwkMbyJIn-GCWCd0p4-VIB-QeDjValKMRkquSJ1ILsvwBkjmhB-8oQlOzq9oKjt9aeLmqOiOTxKTZIUef37b2AANevU/s1600/lister-interior-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="360" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS47OP2fmoC6fgqGWkSO0_U2DR4jowN2voMe0Gb6o5BIlBk4oGqwkMbyJIn-GCWCd0p4-VIB-QeDjValKMRkquSJ1ILsvwBkjmhB-8oQlOzq9oKjt9aeLmqOiOTxKTZIUef37b2AANevU/s640/lister-interior-web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An interior view of the shell (photo from the now defunct original website).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another local example is the <a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/search?q=dick+gregory" target="_blank">reconstruction of several on Dick Gregory Place</a> to create affordable apartments in the Ville neighborhood off Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. The interior floors, walls and roofs of several of the large but severely deteriorated large homes and portions of the mixed use buildings had to be completely re-built. Crown Square and the Mullanphy Emigrant Home, both in Old North St. Louis, are two additional projects that involved extensive re-building of collapsed portions of buildings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfxX6H4bOiJNgcMZsGbl-UEfaXTxmTH-RpAKdiYIL0pYaTZLLU2XO7SeqQcCoNMhzc0UYIwV1c5m6dFdKZCsHQQC3cMmQe3oaH54uhZ7fLBo2V8XWvBJR1jSMpK3kwIT_FbmqHnKp0h0/s1600/IMG_3619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfxX6H4bOiJNgcMZsGbl-UEfaXTxmTH-RpAKdiYIL0pYaTZLLU2XO7SeqQcCoNMhzc0UYIwV1c5m6dFdKZCsHQQC3cMmQe3oaH54uhZ7fLBo2V8XWvBJR1jSMpK3kwIT_FbmqHnKp0h0/s400/IMG_3619.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An exterior wall of the mansion w/ iron window frame covering the outermost brick. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvgbhmpVotlDWl0JwfULUGr-AyhykW1pJnzaib1cTMMrUxJf-Y7LtwQo2Iwhe2NTgxN77OcH-yNKkPDbtaCirkIuHdy3FJ0slkueNYO97YR-3Vmnfdz6p-vAIUwytpNlreX29APA1xBM/s1600/IMG_3571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvgbhmpVotlDWl0JwfULUGr-AyhykW1pJnzaib1cTMMrUxJf-Y7LtwQo2Iwhe2NTgxN77OcH-yNKkPDbtaCirkIuHdy3FJ0slkueNYO97YR-3Vmnfdz6p-vAIUwytpNlreX29APA1xBM/s640/IMG_3571.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Despite being gutted by fire, the walls of the Clemens House remain solid and stable. The exterior walls are four wythes (courses) thick, which is unusual for a residential structure. The exterior walls, including the tall front wall forming the outline of the pedimented portico (which was disassembled several years ago and is safely in storage), are braced by interior masonry walls that run north-south on both sides of the center hall and by intermediate east-west masonry walls that separated the large front and rear rooms of the mansion. All of these interior walls are three wythes thick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Portions of floors and woodwork survive in the west front rooms.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5exYoDAuJpnNVV0RmPgFa1DKLxIPSdPmTSiBf5NOWSS1sIGnQ-W-MvHYdaPTQuV98bHQ-xUiLG5yiUPg19yGzquMmwt1Cp9vNzJtalDGJcQttxhBdc6Wc94DZURrnW7BeINMxH5DVcEQ/s1600/IMG_3590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5exYoDAuJpnNVV0RmPgFa1DKLxIPSdPmTSiBf5NOWSS1sIGnQ-W-MvHYdaPTQuV98bHQ-xUiLG5yiUPg19yGzquMmwt1Cp9vNzJtalDGJcQttxhBdc6Wc94DZURrnW7BeINMxH5DVcEQ/s640/IMG_3590.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While a large percentage of the upper floor walls of the structure at the rear of the house collapsed during the fire, a substantial amount of the original 2-story walls of the original portion of the rear structure have survived largely intact. Like the main house, this portion of the structure also contains many interior masonry walls that are largely intact and stabilize the remaining portions of exterior walls. There are some portions of the east wall of the dormitory addition that are standing 3-stories tall un-braced. These should be stabilized in place and possibly have the upper portion removed. The condition of the chapel is largely the same as before the fire, with the front, rear, and west walls standing un-braced. These should be braced in place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now that McKee's negligence to keep the Clemens House secure has allowed an arsonist to torch the complex, its time for the City of St. Louis to hold McKee accountable and if necessary, force him to secure and stabilize the remains of the mansion, dormitory, and chapel in a manner that preserves it for rehabilitation or restoration. If McKee refuses, the City of St. Louis should either seize the property or force McKee to donate the Clemens complex to an organization that commits to stabilizing and facilitating eventual rehabilitation. Additionally, as the <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-when-property-neglect-leads-to-tragedy-who-holds-owners/article_f08e8ef0-b65c-53b0-9b4f-1e86b89bd95b.html" target="_blank">Post recently editorialized</a>, the City should raise the amount fines for property owners that won't keep their buildings secure and allow them to deteriorate to stop the cycle of simply paying the fines as a cost of business.</span></span><br />
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Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-83753453022276419192017-03-20T06:37:00.000-05:002017-03-20T13:41:55.955-05:00Demolition of the Southern Funeral Home Nears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteg4gsObEYVaPf5GUy4darbZSI-YfbV0CkvKUqZT5L9zS-HcOvZ2e5RAIfY0463DDGpBAaxlmKw0jgnIKMl9yM6OX6NK_XdcaW6nhgYi1f_nqKMEyBhlBGAF-rt-dK8utG7P08xAtEgI/s1600/Southern+Funeral+Home.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteg4gsObEYVaPf5GUy4darbZSI-YfbV0CkvKUqZT5L9zS-HcOvZ2e5RAIfY0463DDGpBAaxlmKw0jgnIKMl9yM6OX6NK_XdcaW6nhgYi1f_nqKMEyBhlBGAF-rt-dK8utG7P08xAtEgI/s640/Southern+Funeral+Home.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few weeks ago the founder of Refab, Eric Schwartz messaged me to say that Refab was going to be salvaging items from the interior and exterior of the Southern Funeral Home on S. Grand Boulevard and asked if I would like to photograph it before it was demolished. Of course I replied: Absolutely! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuR2zK1QnkBtuRYTP1o-XsdJQVnDXUTcBXK9rFkB713vLRP6h_73-3Sjdy3ZVAJdkZX0asTGr6BTfJXSCSespItHqyzCmw7f1VPpU10PxIjD0DSL0i2Su2EG6QvG3aR90a4JTGfHEIPQ/s1600/IMG_4223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuR2zK1QnkBtuRYTP1o-XsdJQVnDXUTcBXK9rFkB713vLRP6h_73-3Sjdy3ZVAJdkZX0asTGr6BTfJXSCSespItHqyzCmw7f1VPpU10PxIjD0DSL0i2Su2EG6QvG3aR90a4JTGfHEIPQ/s640/IMG_4223.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Southern has been vacant since 2010 and <a href="http://www.beltstl.com/2011/01/southern-funeral-home-for-sale/" target="_blank">was put up for sale in 2011</a>. A proposal that year to demolish the funeral home to construct a Dollar Store was denied, but in 2015, a proposal from <a href="http://www.vecinogroup.com/" target="_blank">Vecino Group</a> of Springfield, Missouri that involves rehabilitation of the adjacent Parkside Apartments that fronts Carondelet Park <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/building-blocks/st-louis-panel-backs-plan-to-demolish-vacant-funeral-home/article_cc55917d-9bcb-5f95-bcab-186df35308b1.html" target="_blank">was approved the St. Louis Preservation Board</a> by a vote of 3 to 2. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The St. Louis Cultural Resources Office had determined that the 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival style funeral home by architects George Kennerly and Oliver Steigemeyer was <a href="https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/documents/upload/FINAL-AGENDA-8-24-2015.pdf" target="_blank">eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places</a>, which would have made the building eligible for both Missouri and Federal Historic Tax Credits if it had been rehabbed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Instead of rehabilitation, the Southern Funeral Home is being demolished so that an addition can be added to the Parkside apartment building.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpfMk1Puq3WxfKmZGkohW4qbdRKJdif2v4C-X0KyOjxA85uQdYJEGI6nqljR6wPBs_AWrloBK5RJN8DKTVJoMmpTCmo0CBdotrK5MyyGbAY7qn_Q1kUmVXT7j6pzTUbEOGqrUTqIH2sQ/s1600/IMG_4137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpfMk1Puq3WxfKmZGkohW4qbdRKJdif2v4C-X0KyOjxA85uQdYJEGI6nqljR6wPBs_AWrloBK5RJN8DKTVJoMmpTCmo0CBdotrK5MyyGbAY7qn_Q1kUmVXT7j6pzTUbEOGqrUTqIH2sQ/s640/IMG_4137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The interior of the Southern Funeral Home features a beautiful large chapel, that with the exception of some minor vandalism, is in very good condition. Most of the multi-colored leaded glass windows had been stolen.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyO6f18oX-10YrcB1NUzpOfk38ZJLrBPRR0Us5S3VWTa2dBJAvxBe5UYK_YgFcvedZKc6kfNbhyphenhyphenNyNT9b9q8HWyu-_jBqpyXGLJIm1AQTOSHs8mdMyflfbSDRAQ-aO1UIHuY1oqdV8KWM/s1600/IMG_4122crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyO6f18oX-10YrcB1NUzpOfk38ZJLrBPRR0Us5S3VWTa2dBJAvxBe5UYK_YgFcvedZKc6kfNbhyphenhyphenNyNT9b9q8HWyu-_jBqpyXGLJIm1AQTOSHs8mdMyflfbSDRAQ-aO1UIHuY1oqdV8KWM/s400/IMG_4122crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A close-up of one of the decorative plaster air grills at the front of the chapel.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul6ekr2tJ2kqIuEEQqpyzb1BUT61FmmpDIYEAOpZm5YtUwANeAw5FMWZyiwZrBqz5ngbjoOlMogOTqWIeIPBmjUZ7lNAqkI5rbz5nsZapHH6ZbxP1ELc8vMh8QIaeaWWAxewvtFMoxus/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul6ekr2tJ2kqIuEEQqpyzb1BUT61FmmpDIYEAOpZm5YtUwANeAw5FMWZyiwZrBqz5ngbjoOlMogOTqWIeIPBmjUZ7lNAqkI5rbz5nsZapHH6ZbxP1ELc8vMh8QIaeaWWAxewvtFMoxus/s640/IMG_4159.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The rear wall of the chapel was composed of decorative plaster grills. Other than the graffiti, the grills are in perfect condition.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquRAFAPA9n3vKP5wHR9aIkSftD7ifspOqetO2K3tw1hb1yqXyqNkpOrTRN68dxm6rVZRLlzCUlojqLmsXp6G9ccQvcqRV2kxE6iplKkodHNgp3ZWAK9u2SovGtku0I_8BY0iHxiDw2js/s1600/IMG_4116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquRAFAPA9n3vKP5wHR9aIkSftD7ifspOqetO2K3tw1hb1yqXyqNkpOrTRN68dxm6rVZRLlzCUlojqLmsXp6G9ccQvcqRV2kxE6iplKkodHNgp3ZWAK9u2SovGtku0I_8BY0iHxiDw2js/s640/IMG_4116.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The entry hall outside the chapel has a fair amount of water damage, but considering that I have seen <a href="http://fox2now.com/2014/02/12/video-funeral-home-fire-on-south-grand/" target="_blank">video of smoke billowing out of this very window</a> from a fire in 2014, this room and the interior of the funeral home in general was in better condition than I anticipated.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdpLuOFJRB4mqpUthNMzq7qHPpAeJYNnhscz0HEOZYknzn7hDcAgG_i0y1f5ecxPcfsRgX6rayS32Tg_z0CTztWRgVTuIsUNYzhrS3RpBPq8pQ04HSHDbUvWJ8Johk9Nw_YDGfYD6SHY/s1600/IMG_4145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdpLuOFJRB4mqpUthNMzq7qHPpAeJYNnhscz0HEOZYknzn7hDcAgG_i0y1f5ecxPcfsRgX6rayS32Tg_z0CTztWRgVTuIsUNYzhrS3RpBPq8pQ04HSHDbUvWJ8Johk9Nw_YDGfYD6SHY/s640/IMG_4145.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another long hall that runs the length of the funeral home parallel to the chapel and is in worse condition, with a fair amount of water damage. The damage however would certainly be repairable. Other than the crown molding, the hall was not ornamented.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpytDnm7VpTLKs7wT2BXRAC8zZp9iYcCLsVtvM3QrN30xQkANktWPNNZlnszNCDHc3qwjgmYvaiLQRsJU4cIfk6xc9mn3VeNQnuDWuvaJVacA-ZZBTmouY0PZ9DAz5fp7r0hrHI03CvY/s1600/IMG_4143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpytDnm7VpTLKs7wT2BXRAC8zZp9iYcCLsVtvM3QrN30xQkANktWPNNZlnszNCDHc3qwjgmYvaiLQRsJU4cIfk6xc9mn3VeNQnuDWuvaJVacA-ZZBTmouY0PZ9DAz5fp7r0hrHI03CvY/s640/IMG_4143.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another small room north of the main hall is also heavily water damaged. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdg6zJX12Vvp9HTW694VvoQ7Oly5HuAhsHY9WL4fPNjAOvFaVDWwkGMRmlQ69pJPLCeAHlujJMy-y_BjJN-9QJBRsoCZ9AsCYTogC52OMlbi6rNx-88_THpJmYitmQtxJYbRqXX0CGWow/s1600/IMG_4180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdg6zJX12Vvp9HTW694VvoQ7Oly5HuAhsHY9WL4fPNjAOvFaVDWwkGMRmlQ69pJPLCeAHlujJMy-y_BjJN-9QJBRsoCZ9AsCYTogC52OMlbi6rNx-88_THpJmYitmQtxJYbRqXX0CGWow/s640/IMG_4180.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A reception room where the long hallway and the entrance hall intersect features a beautiful beamed ceiling that is in much better condition, with some smoke damage evident, but little to no water damage.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIovUlFZDHIfPRNGYQ9Gt_MTldb1mfFDoUfMOTl3gQechlrrVMELYFed2bfXOPJIQY17OCgSGzNhEuC04V9zDd-CjDSqWGDZyNvNIm7d0NIStv0rbNgQzR2IOS9bX1zfGR-DgsnqTOCjk/s1600/IMG_4185crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIovUlFZDHIfPRNGYQ9Gt_MTldb1mfFDoUfMOTl3gQechlrrVMELYFed2bfXOPJIQY17OCgSGzNhEuC04V9zDd-CjDSqWGDZyNvNIm7d0NIStv0rbNgQzR2IOS9bX1zfGR-DgsnqTOCjk/s400/IMG_4185crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The office in the northwest corner of the first floor contained one of the few fully intact </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">multi-colored </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">leaded glass windows. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbN-T8VniaC94OzpHObUrj5rQ4NZ1rXuQfV93tW9sy7DqpI7gnGkAi3kxQBhrpBoVoikd5J6IOhl64tU9dPWlMDDjw1uWNmRyjrwppZWDqwScZIO8cmZ2pQfDiysuynBhzmivpdTUsBI/s1600/IMG_4189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbN-T8VniaC94OzpHObUrj5rQ4NZ1rXuQfV93tW9sy7DqpI7gnGkAi3kxQBhrpBoVoikd5J6IOhl64tU9dPWlMDDjw1uWNmRyjrwppZWDqwScZIO8cmZ2pQfDiysuynBhzmivpdTUsBI/s640/IMG_4189.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The apartment upstairs was also in much better condition than I had imagined it would be, with flaking paint and some vandalism being the main issues.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIV5VQt22rvL5rzdahfzkbgl8Xb5ZKVHuoKbHb3hAwgtnWEDQ4TBnW3woQe3dcto_5u030JxqRVAGXvHZg__x5BcpRc-UEj1FAv8o2H3yFpMUERDhtrhaSuqFgDi3rskOAmLzY3dHJYyM/s1600/IMG_4192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIV5VQt22rvL5rzdahfzkbgl8Xb5ZKVHuoKbHb3hAwgtnWEDQ4TBnW3woQe3dcto_5u030JxqRVAGXvHZg__x5BcpRc-UEj1FAv8o2H3yFpMUERDhtrhaSuqFgDi3rskOAmLzY3dHJYyM/s640/IMG_4192.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The apartment features several kitschy trompe l'oeil murals throughout the living and dining rooms.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lCXZUqQeY8JYh4ZBtAQN4V_Yx1_QneRBviyLocv9evQS3s2d5KGGaL6UQHqCQ5ezkKFVbzU6J0lkLp8O5LpROHDxu8x9g9dk-6rUeJFO8J3azsECjlu1FNDhJi-n16bpb86scaFvtYQ/s1600/IMG_4196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lCXZUqQeY8JYh4ZBtAQN4V_Yx1_QneRBviyLocv9evQS3s2d5KGGaL6UQHqCQ5ezkKFVbzU6J0lkLp8O5LpROHDxu8x9g9dk-6rUeJFO8J3azsECjlu1FNDhJi-n16bpb86scaFvtYQ/s640/IMG_4196.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the kitchen, beneath some yucky 1970's sheet vinyl, there was some amazing multi-colored diamond patterned linoleum.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPYmE_FRl5QjaASSo0nLFi-7zwVpkaBQbsCJMkMVD5PDvE97jztDDAmaZf8ZrFNda5tOxcpuVaOuofodszpmv_tyy7w2idMpoEoj13FsyMoSp9kozhPtPGkC2yHwB0hoBnctXE9HHcVA/s1600/IMG_4214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPYmE_FRl5QjaASSo0nLFi-7zwVpkaBQbsCJMkMVD5PDvE97jztDDAmaZf8ZrFNda5tOxcpuVaOuofodszpmv_tyy7w2idMpoEoj13FsyMoSp9kozhPtPGkC2yHwB0hoBnctXE9HHcVA/s640/IMG_4214.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The basement was somewhat of a mess with a couple rooms that were the apparent location of the 2014 fire. Fire damage however, was limited to a few rooms on this level. The construction of the building's floors are concrete joists with clay tile infill between, which is fairly common for 1920's commercial construction and was used due to its resistance to fire. While we did not do a thorough investigation, it was apparent that there was no structural damage to the building do to the fire.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXctmISeYk9t1l5h50xkpJWA9G8zUonJfe_iz6EIXng9jfG_daIQF70xWFdWBv8Bk_1TktQettDTGwUWrQ5nGcPN0dBxZLbxBpY0T_yNSLFLyGQJoeh8ZCP4B3VVyFDwqZHoUrO_Ft00/s1600/IMG_4105crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXctmISeYk9t1l5h50xkpJWA9G8zUonJfe_iz6EIXng9jfG_daIQF70xWFdWBv8Bk_1TktQettDTGwUWrQ5nGcPN0dBxZLbxBpY0T_yNSLFLyGQJoeh8ZCP4B3VVyFDwqZHoUrO_Ft00/s640/IMG_4105crop.jpg" width="536" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Terra cotta ornament was used sparingly on the buildings exterior. This multi-colored door surround was one of the most detailed examples. For the past week or so, Refab <a href="https://www.instagram.com/refabstl/" target="_blank">has been working to salvage</a> all of this beautiful terra cotta, the remaining leaded glass windows as well as interior decorative items, doors, moldings, etc. Within a few weeks, demolition of the building will commence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you are not familiar with <a href="http://www.refabstl.org/about.html" target="_blank">Refab</a>, they are a non-profit organization that provides training and employment opportunities for homeless veterans salvaging building materials and deconstructing buildings that are slated for demolition. Refab has a warehouse at 3130 Gravois where they sell the salvaged building materials. You can find just about anything you want in this treasure trove including doors, windows, decorative trim, hardwood floors, plumbing fixtures, hardware, cabinets, appliances, and a seemingly endless variety of one-of a kind vintage items.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdHftYGeF0ff2nDgVDh96ybIs1saAiaPK16068L4P1DbwZxEUo7Jqg7S3dbevkguEershGknhPMm6CfeYlRZK50k3KLTKHPRMoWW0Huv1n5ukrfOs4_2NhrYBjyVZF_Cbw-yVP2_ExCg/s1600/IMG_4088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdHftYGeF0ff2nDgVDh96ybIs1saAiaPK16068L4P1DbwZxEUo7Jqg7S3dbevkguEershGknhPMm6CfeYlRZK50k3KLTKHPRMoWW0Huv1n5ukrfOs4_2NhrYBjyVZF_Cbw-yVP2_ExCg/s640/IMG_4088.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The vacant Parkside apartment building at the corner of Grand and Holly Hills is slated to be renovated as part of the development to be dubbed the Intrada. The development will provide a mix of affordable apartments seniors and supportive housing for youth aging out of foster care. Both of these are greatly needed uses, and the fact that the vacant Parkside building will be rehabbed is a very positive aspect of this development. I wish however that even a partial creative re-use of the Southern Funeral Home could have been either integrated into the development or developed along side it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7FrGLyJsJ91F0n_2ghyphenhyphenz6btx7OFHLrnWGvyLRM3JmAJHl7tSPWQtEUxDJHjHKAdss-5mcIbs6d-_eSJfwie0uDqCeY3j9nj6UnzTg3ZcpXiuK0qdXXNqL5P1kadkDpM8tRWaYHs9tE0/s1600/Intrada-block.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7FrGLyJsJ91F0n_2ghyphenhyphenz6btx7OFHLrnWGvyLRM3JmAJHl7tSPWQtEUxDJHjHKAdss-5mcIbs6d-_eSJfwie0uDqCeY3j9nj6UnzTg3ZcpXiuK0qdXXNqL5P1kadkDpM8tRWaYHs9tE0/s1600/Intrada-block.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This site plan that was <a href="https://nextstl.com/2017/02/intrada-lofts-project-offer-multi-generational-low-income-housing-qa/" target="_blank">recently published on NextSTL</a> shows the existing L-shaped Parkside building fronting on Holly Hills with the new addition to the north, which will turn the building into a U shape. Surface parking will replace the Southern Funeral Home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the frustrating things about this demolition is that the empty asphalt lot behind MJ's on the Park is part of the funeral home property and is currently owned by the developer, but appears to be left out of this project. If the newer portions of the funeral home were removed (the rectangular area behind the red tile roof), retaining the original building, enough parking probably could have been created using the space behind and the unused lot to serve both the apartments and a new use for the funeral home. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The parking lot immediately east of the Parkside building is owned by the New Testament Christian Church, which is located just across Tennessee Avenue. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-totrbkA78Mb52tbwauXIn-Mx2MHlvzj6xfT28FODwj_OBjjMpS-RPWFvPusXaP_b1tiJ92_NCtPO7tkmNrSROB5NQbQkLl9RVDTd6yGHdPmb2kplZwihb7lvb_qAOy1WyMjR46-w2k/s1600/Intrada-elevation2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-totrbkA78Mb52tbwauXIn-Mx2MHlvzj6xfT28FODwj_OBjjMpS-RPWFvPusXaP_b1tiJ92_NCtPO7tkmNrSROB5NQbQkLl9RVDTd6yGHdPmb2kplZwihb7lvb_qAOy1WyMjR46-w2k/s640/Intrada-elevation2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the very least, the Preservation Board should have required that the new addition be rotated so that it fronts on Grand Boulevard, but instead, surface parking will now be the prominent street frontage replacing the funeral home as illustrated by the fenced area in the elevation drawing above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Southern Funeral Home was likely doomed by a Development Report by ND Consulting that was done in 2009 for the Carondelet Housing Corporation, which discusses the potential for rehab with Historic Tax Credits, but then says that due to the configuration of the building, it should be demolished and the site should be redeveloped for something new such as a "stand-alone restaurant". This report was cited by the Cultural Resources Office in the Preservation Board agenda where it recommended the demolition request be approved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The loss of the Southern Funeral Home is unfortunate due to the rarity of good examples of Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings in St. Louis. If this demolition occurred in southern California or another area where this style is more prevalent, it might be just a mere blip on the radar screen, but in the Brick City, this loss really stands out.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-77633144836370891442017-01-30T06:49:00.000-06:002017-01-30T06:49:10.989-06:00Missouri Historic Tax Credits Threatened with Elimination<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaJowIIq68mcaBwSB55SMVv5t3rEHJlpuHM1x27L-7FNyEgy7lWfnmzvk5crw4A-3TZaK3IhP61ODfIZJIFpf-osvOu7ca_J3HhGZgugTxf_7vK8YpPLwLu_9rgLPC-fwSWESosJJzQg/s1600/Kiss+of+Death.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaJowIIq68mcaBwSB55SMVv5t3rEHJlpuHM1x27L-7FNyEgy7lWfnmzvk5crw4A-3TZaK3IhP61ODfIZJIFpf-osvOu7ca_J3HhGZgugTxf_7vK8YpPLwLu_9rgLPC-fwSWESosJJzQg/s640/Kiss+of+Death.JPG" width="508" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An RFT story from January 1995 documenting the impending demolition of the <a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2007/09/ambassador-theater-building.html" target="_blank">Ambassador Theater Building</a> in Downtown St. Louis (3 years before Missouri Historic Tax Credits began).</span><br />
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<a href="http://historicmo.org/latest-news/" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;" target="_blank">According to the Historic Alliance for Missouri</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, state Senator Andrew Koenig is sponsoring the “Corporate Welfare Elimination Act”, which would essentially shut down the Missouri Department of Economic Development in a misguided and ill-informed matter of “principle”: SB226 prohibits the transfer, sale, or assignment of tax credits under two dozen current programs including the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Brownfield Tax Credits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Senator Koenig zealously opposes state government participation in economic development planning, subsidy, investment, or competition for new business with other states. He erroneously includes the Missouri State Historic Tax Credit program in the same category as subsidies. In fact, the Missouri Tax Credit program is a profit center for the State of Missouri, bringing in more tax revenues that it costs. The Missouri Growth Association has documented that since its inception in 1998, the Missouri Historic Historic Preservation Tax Credit has produced $8.2 billion in direct economic development in Missouri and more than 40,000 jobs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;">What is at stake if Missouri eliminates Historic Tax Credits?</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Quite simply, rehabilitation projects become far less feasible to financially work, which means empty historic buildings will continue to sit abandoned and many will end up being demolished sharing the fate of Ambassador Theater Building. The Ambassador and several other notable National Register buildings were demolished in the 1990's prior to the enactment of the Missouri Historic </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Preservation Tax Credit. If the program had begun a few years earlier, these landmarks would still be here today. Killing the program would return Missouri to the not-so-good old days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">So what can you do?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you are able to, please attend <b><a href="http://www.preservemo.org/" target="_blank">Preservation Day at the Missouri State Capitol</a></b> this Wednesday, February 1st from 9 AM - 4 PM. Join with several preservation organizations across the state for an annual gathering at the capitol to let Missouri State Representatives and Senators know face to face how important the Missouri Historic Preservation Tax Credit is to our states economy! Even if you can only attend for a few hours, visiting your lawmakers in person can be extremely effective.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;">Call some Senators:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you cannot attend in person, Please take a half an hour out of your day on Wednesday to make some phone calls to Missouri Senators and urge them to defeat SB226 or any other bill that would eliminate or significantly cut the Missouri </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Historic Preservation Tax Credit. <a href="http://www.senate.mo.gov/senators-listing/" target="_blank">Here</a> is a phone directory for all Missouri Senators and <a href="http://www.senate.mo.gov/districtmap/" target="_blank">here</a> is a district map. Prioritizing calls to Republican Senators in rural areas is advised. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">THANK YOU!</span></span><br />
<br />Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-76990622527868278302016-12-09T06:30:00.000-06:002016-12-09T06:30:15.154-06:00BOA HUDZ Approves SLU Urban Renewal, Pevely Fate Sealed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_Ns0nW-yrb9JQsff6Sj2X1Fk8ibmXHxlW0fPxoxqwVsOkqinbNRobvEQhIrWDLKi5MAHQslXihztPQSOocEDJnqvRJO0QYB58NB3gYExlLrAN4uaJWeMhiXzVuBnvDtiOj-mUHrhy1A/s1600/Pevely+Dairy+from+Grand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_Ns0nW-yrb9JQsff6Sj2X1Fk8ibmXHxlW0fPxoxqwVsOkqinbNRobvEQhIrWDLKi5MAHQslXihztPQSOocEDJnqvRJO0QYB58NB3gYExlLrAN4uaJWeMhiXzVuBnvDtiOj-mUHrhy1A/s640/Pevely+Dairy+from+Grand.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Wednesday St. Louis Public Radio's <a href="https://twitter.com/radioaltman" target="_blank">Maria Altman</a> was live tweeting from the St. Louis Board of Alderman HUDZ committee where St. Louis University's proposed Midtown urban renewal program which covers nearly 400 acres surrounding the SLU Medical Center <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/city-foundry-and-midtown-redevelopment-projects-move-forward#stream/0" target="_blank">passed with a 5-1 vote</a>. SLU calls it a "redevelopment plan", but I prefer the term urban renewal since the proposal calls for carte blanche demolition of a dozen buildings including the remaining main building of the Pevely Dairy, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, without concrete plans for new development with the exception of the <a href="https://nextstl.com/2016/12/now-know-550m-slussm-hospital-might-look-like/" target="_blank">recently announced plans for a new SLU-SSM replacement hospital</a> and the retention of the historic Desloge tower. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7tZofUOG-xohFze2dSVEi1neTpu5T3Krp5PxGpWrdjXNOIG892pEtw9oRBAllP0i0hdvfDlIP7A2Hy-dEtN20hmgBuLArlYmw5WO39eeqL2ny1yTvd0xZAcgPxvmS-vwwd7fVPXtc4A/s1600/Mill+creek+valley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7tZofUOG-xohFze2dSVEi1neTpu5T3Krp5PxGpWrdjXNOIG892pEtw9oRBAllP0i0hdvfDlIP7A2Hy-dEtN20hmgBuLArlYmw5WO39eeqL2ny1yTvd0xZAcgPxvmS-vwwd7fVPXtc4A/s640/Mill+creek+valley.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">This is eerily similar what happened in the 1960's when the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood between SLU's main campus and Union Station was obliterated and over 50 years later parts of the area are still vacant and/or underutilized. The only difference being that SLU has already cleared much of the land in the proposed area, creating its own "blight" where neighborhoods once stood. Photo from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nextstl/sets/72157625599470315/" target="_blank">NextSTL's Flickr Mill Creek Valley album</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Alderwoman </span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Megan Green, who was the only no vote, questioned the proposed demolition of the historic Pevely Dairy and a SLU rep responded that the building "couldn't be renovated". Really? I find this very hard to comprehend considering the multitude of examples of universities re-using exactly this type of building.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenLcs2g5aMMDmX1mXRYG0n374YFjA12VB7NQBxk2vbeB_Kw5DxBWsbZXsrfGnrVsrMO81uslxtdKJf2FWi5FrtSUvwuvHsDewNEEwM8Kn9PJGVUA__0qNMA2klZb0UCer6pcKaa_dUZI/s1600/Cigar-Factory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenLcs2g5aMMDmX1mXRYG0n374YFjA12VB7NQBxk2vbeB_Kw5DxBWsbZXsrfGnrVsrMO81uslxtdKJf2FWi5FrtSUvwuvHsDewNEEwM8Kn9PJGVUA__0qNMA2klZb0UCer6pcKaa_dUZI/s640/Cigar-Factory.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Clemson University in Charleston, </span><a href="http://newsstand.clemson.edu/mediarelations/clemson-design-center-moving-to-cigar-factory/" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;" target="_blank">is moving it's Clemson Design Center</a><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">, which includes the architecture and historic preservation programs into a rehabilitated 19th century cigar factory not unlike the Pevely Dairy. Future expansion of the Design Center will include </span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">the Center for Health Facilities Design & Testing, graduate programs in Architecture </span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">+ Health and the masters program in Urban Design.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3XlHW3ArtMyuLzeoGdGfTsgablvgMSZRqsNiF6RdeoB0KKcpRaCfV_g_3ZdZIW0Jvv0gkXo0CKJURs_uIX8w72sl4y_Xo5pkAd92r4xII60X74NUD_o9CkFvTCO6qiS_Ar7EHNiHxYg/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3XlHW3ArtMyuLzeoGdGfTsgablvgMSZRqsNiF6RdeoB0KKcpRaCfV_g_3ZdZIW0Jvv0gkXo0CKJURs_uIX8w72sl4y_Xo5pkAd92r4xII60X74NUD_o9CkFvTCO6qiS_Ar7EHNiHxYg/s640/IMG_2040.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">In downtown Chicago several universities are housed in historic commercial buildings including Columbia College just south of the Loop. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcwHqubW5kCIBfKKg6xmEphGBXq0kO7yFzpSjwiapY2N-ZGp31qgWy_PMb0mE4U_oRDituoqwovyQaNea3QHQv75HRuWdCkeOlvk7nfxSz_IQWvwqiwpmAWlWvQmGtZVcLg3u9TQV_YA/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-12-07+at+8.37.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcwHqubW5kCIBfKKg6xmEphGBXq0kO7yFzpSjwiapY2N-ZGp31qgWy_PMb0mE4U_oRDituoqwovyQaNea3QHQv75HRuWdCkeOlvk7nfxSz_IQWvwqiwpmAWlWvQmGtZVcLg3u9TQV_YA/s640/Screen+shot+2016-12-07+at+8.37.45+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">On State Street, this large commercial building is home to part of the Loop campus of DePaul University, one of the largest Catholic universities in the US.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXL525rGXAVveVXQMH6__FOtDlHNnOktt8vcWrIBmoAoCtbqANqjkxMTB9OhLAfqYO8JY_CCX59ti4NoLFfy3WuWSrns_T91ajA0IMGHu-GiQd2N5rYIHigs76WHdo1xWsooD4zFSwdo/s1600/Roosevelt+U+Michael+Allen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXL525rGXAVveVXQMH6__FOtDlHNnOktt8vcWrIBmoAoCtbqANqjkxMTB9OhLAfqYO8JY_CCX59ti4NoLFfy3WuWSrns_T91ajA0IMGHu-GiQd2N5rYIHigs76WHdo1xWsooD4zFSwdo/s640/Roosevelt+U+Michael+Allen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Another Chicago landmark, Adler & Sullivan's Auditorium Building is home to Roosevelt University. Photo by Michael Allen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznUYPmRBY6WWwDuMIpIUo1jmtF_CGcxAivka5QOcuiuWZQOyymcuUfJbpB32BOciGHZAFMqK6lTbsarMhyZfl-EbEDE6sLHT4Hk4QS5B6IcPxyB_y6v31nEoB6JUDdUOz6xzPAzdYpCQ/s1600/Lobby-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznUYPmRBY6WWwDuMIpIUo1jmtF_CGcxAivka5QOcuiuWZQOyymcuUfJbpB32BOciGHZAFMqK6lTbsarMhyZfl-EbEDE6sLHT4Hk4QS5B6IcPxyB_y6v31nEoB6JUDdUOz6xzPAzdYpCQ/s640/Lobby-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here in St. Louis, Webster University's Gateway Campus occupies 2 1/2 floors of former retail and office spaces in the historic Arcade Building, which was abandoned for over 35 years before re-opening following a $110 million restoration last year. Across Olive Street in the historic Old Post Office, Lindenwood University has expanded their Downtown campus in the space formerly occupied by Webster.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">SLU only needs to look in the mirror to find an example of innovative adaptive reuse. In 2012 SLU </span><a href="https://nextstl.com/2012/01/saint-louis-university-announces-law-school-move-to-downtown/" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;" target="_blank">received a donation of a 265,000 s.f. building on Tucker Boulevard</a><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"> in Downtown St. Louis and made the bold decision to move their new law school there. This was not a historic building and it was in fact to put it mildly a dog of a building with small windows spaced far apart and a relatively low floor to floor height. Photo by Mark Groth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">While it may not have seemed a good candidate for reuse, with some choice removal of sections of floor to create a few double height spaces, replacing sections of the exterior wall with glass and a rooftop addition, Lawrence Group Architects turned this dog of a building into a very nice law school for SLU.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I could go on listing examples, because they are literally everywhere where universities exist in major cities, but the point is that there is NO valid reason that SLU cannot renovate the Pevely Dairy building. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The lobby of the historic Pevely Dairy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It would be one thing to consider if SLU had a grand plan to replace the Pevely Dairy building, but apparently they have none. </span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">At the HUDZ hearing Altman tweeted "SLU hasn't finalized what will happen with site at Pevely, but it will be academic". In other words, they don't have a plan. Instead, their "plan" seems to be to continue <a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/search?q=SLU" target="_blank">to knock down buildings and let ground sit vacant</a> until someday maybe they will build something, as they have done for many years.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-3782895559812530582016-11-21T06:30:00.000-06:002016-11-21T12:25:12.479-06:00Undue Praise for Piecemeal "Preservation"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.stlmag.com/The-Answer-Man/" target="_blank">Esley Hamilton</a>, who served as St. Louis County's Preservation Historian for 38 years, recently informed me that the November issue of St. Louis Magazine recognized Kristen Sorth, Director of St. Louis County Library <a href="https://www.stlmag.com/news/power-list/2016" target="_blank">in their annual "Power List"</a> for overseeing the ongoing renovation and replacement of several aging branch libraries. I had skimmed the list but hadn't taken time to read the bios. Specifically STL Magazine praises Sorth for "saving the famed Emil Frei stained-glass windows and reinstalling them" in the new replacement for <a href="https://savingplaces.org/stories/modern-times-fight-save-st-louis-midcentury-lewis-clark-library#.WDBfaiMrIy4" target="_blank">Frederick Dunn's Mid-Century Modern Lewis & Clark Branch Library.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If St. Louis County Library had reinstalled the entire Emil Frei composition, such praise might be deserving, but they didn't. Instead, as you can see above, the chose only the individual figures of Lewis, Clark and Sakajawea and installed them out of context in a plain storefront of clear glass panels. To top off this travesty, the figure panels were installed inside out and extra pieces of plain frosted glass were scabbed in at the top and bottom of each panel. I guess they didn't bother to measure first.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The original stained glass window composition was an integral part of the architecture of the now demolished library by architect Frederick Dunn. The windows gave the otherwise simple shed building its identity and served double duty as its signage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Esley Hamilton nailed it in his brief letter to Jeannette Cooperman, editor of St. Louis Magazine, which unless I missed it, has not been published:</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"If the curators at the St. Louis Art Museum took George Caleb Bingham’s painting “The Jolly Flatboatman,” cut out the central figure of the dancing man, reframed it as a separate painting, and consigned the rest of the picture to who knows where, would you praise the museum for saving the painting? I don’t think so. Yet you praise Kristen Sorth, director of the St. Louis County Library, in your November issue for doing exactly that to the Emil Frei windows at the Lewis and Clark Branch Library.</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m attaching and pasting in two pictures showing exactly what I’m talking about</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(2 images above)</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. The original figures of Lewis, Clark and Sakajawea were parts of a larger composition that included several other smaller images that evoked and symbolized their journey as well as anchoring them in the architectural structure of the building. Now the three images are floating in clear glass. Public libraries are supposed to be citadels of civilization, but our County Library not only destroyed the most significant work of architecture in their system but in the process trashed an irreplaceable work of art that they held in trust for the public. Whatever Ms. Sorth may achieve in the future, these acts will remain indelible blots on her record."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HtrM_eLo0XYFMeSUOcwX3lctjBVyk-0ABaY32ZuTen-5YHXZ4J0ep51939HQsk9czaVE6vauxK7w1L4GhFv8nw9puhCeXxZpzBCPY5-fwCOaQ-v6hKOaImNnvBWGIZzbNeRqP0xewWE/s1600/IMG_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HtrM_eLo0XYFMeSUOcwX3lctjBVyk-0ABaY32ZuTen-5YHXZ4J0ep51939HQsk9czaVE6vauxK7w1L4GhFv8nw9puhCeXxZpzBCPY5-fwCOaQ-v6hKOaImNnvBWGIZzbNeRqP0xewWE/s640/IMG_0277.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The window composition depicted some of the many sights seen by Lewis, Clark and Sakajawea including buffalo, fish, snakes and forests. The meandering red line likely symbolized their journey across the then uncharted Louisiana Purchase Territory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Inside the now demolished building, the windows composition filled the space with a warm colorful glow, the effect of which is completely gone in the reinstallation of the singular figure panels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Interior and exterior photos illustrating how the original composition wrapped the corner of the original building.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For the panels depicting fish and trees, Emil Frei emplyed a technique known as plating where different images were painted onto the interior and exterior faces of the glass. When the sun passes through the translucent panels the effect creates additional depth in the composition. This technique was widely used by Tiffany.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuxLIz2VxrMBOHfc9ylz_pLsrI5yviA-ROi8zVthyphenhyphenhxdmonVESla_JcECFgIg_cx2xqBv6JOkVT-_PCeGVaY44YPaROXqdudfuTk6Nbnf1GUZFNC28ROrwTB12Y19vWaBj_y_bfL9ngc/s1600/IMG_0341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuxLIz2VxrMBOHfc9ylz_pLsrI5yviA-ROi8zVthyphenhyphenhxdmonVESla_JcECFgIg_cx2xqBv6JOkVT-_PCeGVaY44YPaROXqdudfuTk6Nbnf1GUZFNC28ROrwTB12Y19vWaBj_y_bfL9ngc/s640/IMG_0341.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">A night view shows the inverse of the interior daytime view. The glowing composition became a colorful beacon to all who passed by. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A reporter covering the opening of the replacement building was apparently told that the remaining pieces of the original window composition are "in storage".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Saving" is NOT the right term for what happened at the Lewis & Clark Branch Library. I would say local architect, MCM expert and blogger Andrew Raimist's description: "C</span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;"><a href="http://andrewraimist.com/2014/03/demolishing-lewis-clark-library-would.html" target="_blank">ultural Vandalism</a>"</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"> best sums it up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Photos in this post are by John Guenther, Esley Hamilton & Andrew Raimist. </span></div>
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<br />Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-48441183484368581902016-10-05T06:30:00.000-05:002016-10-07T11:49:25.078-05:00Route 66 - Changing Courses & Landscapes Through St. Louis<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last week I was invited to an evening tour of the Missouri History Museum's recently opened Route 66 exhibit. One of the more interesting aspects of the show was seeing the evolution of Route 66 as it was designated to travel through various parts of St. Louis over its history. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was the time before interstate highways when Route 66 and all of its travelers went right through the heart of the City. For some, Route 66 is about nostalgia, but for those of us younger than the interstate system, Route 66 seems more like mythology of a bygone era. The History Museum exhibit brings aspects of this mythology to life.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDnsORPxyX2s2Mwk5RakTRJnL9Tm65f1-zRMxEKOVOTDAGR8bBAOm5Ih4u5DuVbeLLpUOPEkjAGVx9_jHYfT0G9kyBuLM7FHFW2Gi_fZWNkAZonP1MaTRWsA8oBSGYTSXLAfoYq6DJlU/s1600/IMG_5123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDnsORPxyX2s2Mwk5RakTRJnL9Tm65f1-zRMxEKOVOTDAGR8bBAOm5Ih4u5DuVbeLLpUOPEkjAGVx9_jHYfT0G9kyBuLM7FHFW2Gi_fZWNkAZonP1MaTRWsA8oBSGYTSXLAfoYq6DJlU/s1600/IMG_5123.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The exhibit starts off with a great interactive map that allows you to trace the various paths that Route 66 took through St. Louis.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqtOdyuiVrU3s6cVnnS5jYh8YphuEyYR2JNLDM40ZGWX5eYAtsKyw_vs_0twHFf32JGmP6mOhpnow1sBBxy5_tpQeYCtIxJBCjmnRCHvag6OPgqNK8SBAYvVHFFsc5oCAwIqhchwZSjE/s1600/66+map+sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqtOdyuiVrU3s6cVnnS5jYh8YphuEyYR2JNLDM40ZGWX5eYAtsKyw_vs_0twHFf32JGmP6mOhpnow1sBBxy5_tpQeYCtIxJBCjmnRCHvag6OPgqNK8SBAYvVHFFsc5oCAwIqhchwZSjE/s1600/66+map+sm.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Beside the interactive map, there are several great vintage maps of Route 66 and the other major ways that people traveled through St. Louis before the interstates carved their wide paths of destruction through the City.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAbaJr7rh_Qz1Te9pzga5SOt-UORXQ6i1-9olShGV4hIbsNrV6y9qiPthhXP8w6IgpdNSuGmhal7aLxYOh5WJyAYVaV9bLlwuaROWU45bavy8lDCAXlObo-SQy7BF4yrl1N8v3mPVhiY/s1600/4+paths+to+Manchester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAbaJr7rh_Qz1Te9pzga5SOt-UORXQ6i1-9olShGV4hIbsNrV6y9qiPthhXP8w6IgpdNSuGmhal7aLxYOh5WJyAYVaV9bLlwuaROWU45bavy8lDCAXlObo-SQy7BF4yrl1N8v3mPVhiY/s1600/4+paths+to+Manchester.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Since I did not get a chance to photograph the various routes on the interactive map, I found this one from <a href="http://route66stlouis.com/">route66stlouis.com</a> by Norma Merit Bolin, who has authored two books about the Mother Road. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Throughout the exhibit you can see the </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">many changes in the urban landscape that have occurred along the Route 66 paths through St. Louis. s</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ince the building of the interstate highway system (and before). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZj5JUvhimJIpTY81QhIcLN-BwCL5Hm5bRCwxogi0vXlq6Du7Ez9kBMJvBCVuMLtSMxNzST7idrXU4jZyqzYH7YLfdRd_Y61xx87P2KTCSpWsGYKFOufNT_pIONLFVlMGv2Qa2XVhEgh8/s1600/AAA+Columbia+Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZj5JUvhimJIpTY81QhIcLN-BwCL5Hm5bRCwxogi0vXlq6Du7Ez9kBMJvBCVuMLtSMxNzST7idrXU4jZyqzYH7YLfdRd_Y61xx87P2KTCSpWsGYKFOufNT_pIONLFVlMGv2Qa2XVhEgh8/s640/AAA+Columbia+Club.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Originally built for the Columbia Club, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this beautiful three story building o</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">n Lindell Boulevard was </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">occupied by </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">AAA of Missouri </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">for many years before it was destroyed by fire in 1975. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was replaced by a modern elliptical shaped building by W.A. Sarmiento. that was threatened with demolition recently for a new CVS store. Fortunately, a compromise was reached and the CVS was built farther west of site, sparing the AAA building.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zudnMNP5QQgLFQHPpnfVYQkcBV9_aXWQ4Sk2wYO0yTrHCSncYtl8gJ_uicPstEhY-RZtUk4INYjOVzMkT3V6Qy9nNbnOKZmU9tEcX_K-TLts9uJGu9nFcz7WC9t13Wx6Wr3AzJ0Oz_s/s1600/IMG_5143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zudnMNP5QQgLFQHPpnfVYQkcBV9_aXWQ4Sk2wYO0yTrHCSncYtl8gJ_uicPstEhY-RZtUk4INYjOVzMkT3V6Qy9nNbnOKZmU9tEcX_K-TLts9uJGu9nFcz7WC9t13Wx6Wr3AzJ0Oz_s/s1600/IMG_5143.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Further west on Lindell Boulevard, this amazing sign once graced the top of the Chase Hotel. It is hard to imagine today that there was a time when the future of the Chase was in doubt. After seven decades as one of St. Louis' grandest hotels, <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-09-24/features/8901150906_1_chase-club-louis-airport-hotel-next-door" target="_blank">the Chase closed in 1989</a> after years of declining business and competition from newer hotels such as the Ritz Carleton in Clayton. The neon sign was taken down and ended up in the History Museum's collection where it sat for years until being restored for this show. Through the early 1990's there were fears that the Chase might be demolished as no plan was in sight. Fortunately with the enactment of the Missouri Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit in 1998, feasibility of a revival was possible and the Chase was one of the first large buildings to be saved by the program in combination with Federal Historic Tax Credits.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wx3bSH0p6RYitRnllTZQSyg2vo2tHbFSVP-5PdCcStut4lH2yTw0yzJMMz-TP3hUuYliVzTRsWazmvFceAtL2deZ_yjQWbmwAu3IkD-Yv5w3B05GBhxyQcFgkxHkIHV8c_TWfcDBtqk/s1600/Red+Crown+mo-hist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wx3bSH0p6RYitRnllTZQSyg2vo2tHbFSVP-5PdCcStut4lH2yTw0yzJMMz-TP3hUuYliVzTRsWazmvFceAtL2deZ_yjQWbmwAu3IkD-Yv5w3B05GBhxyQcFgkxHkIHV8c_TWfcDBtqk/s640/Red+Crown+mo-hist.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Large rooftops signs were once more commonplace around St. Louis. One of the more prominent locations was the Standard Red Crown sign at the intersection of Skinker Boulevard and Clayton Road. This sign composed of thousands of individual red and white light bulbs was eventually replaced with an internally lit plastic faced "Standard" sign, which was later changed to "Amoco". When BP bought out Amoco they apparently thought that they would not be able to switch the sign to their sun logo since rooftop signs are now technically prohibited, so the giant Amoco sign remains one of the few in active use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The giant Amoco sign as it appears today</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZbPuhdJzf3U87t2EfBekkC0Iuth_tMg-z3xkuVf07Un7Zq2Ga6NvPnbKepDmVOuhLddJnLnJvsho2gxIxvLKtEApxA0aJy-vMPA4mwS6q2v83vDaQaxEuS9a0dLzb04PYaT8ngLyekM/s1600/Parkmoor+1930s+mo-hist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZbPuhdJzf3U87t2EfBekkC0Iuth_tMg-z3xkuVf07Un7Zq2Ga6NvPnbKepDmVOuhLddJnLnJvsho2gxIxvLKtEApxA0aJy-vMPA4mwS6q2v83vDaQaxEuS9a0dLzb04PYaT8ngLyekM/s640/Parkmoor+1930s+mo-hist.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Further west on Clayton Road at Big Bend was the Parkmoor, which was the first restaurant in St. Louis to offer in-car service like you can get at Sonic drive-ins. The Parkmoor ended car service and built a new orange roofed restaurant in 1969. The restaurant closed in 1999 after being in business for over 70 years and was replaced by a Walgreens.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hk6oLhqCLw1Ix0bVlCB0awmtKSaBpJ8bSsaZqFbDNS44SJZQF6nAhMyNHfkJHmrJ1F2Qf5qa3wKig4gg9woq5tiW1FtCtsKw8FobLqnzD04241nBXJlG9bj7o-jKXqa_-ppD0WniGrA/s1600/FB+Mo+archives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hk6oLhqCLw1Ix0bVlCB0awmtKSaBpJ8bSsaZqFbDNS44SJZQF6nAhMyNHfkJHmrJ1F2Qf5qa3wKig4gg9woq5tiW1FtCtsKw8FobLqnzD04241nBXJlG9bj7o-jKXqa_-ppD0WniGrA/s640/FB+Mo+archives.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On Chippewa, which became part of the principal Route 66 after 1933, this iconic building at the northwest corner of the intersection with Kingshighway housed the Southtown Famous Barr department store from 1951 until its closure in 1992. The building was demolished in 1995 and after the surrounding community said no to the idea of a new K-mart store, the site sat vacant for several years. Eventually a shopping center containing a Petsmart, an office supply store, a Walgreens and several small retail stores was constructed on the site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Further west on Chippewa at Hampton Village this colonial revival style grocery store sat in the middle of the parking lot about where the McDonalds is today. It was built as a Bettendorf's and later became a Schnucks. By 1991 it was demolished and replaced by a larger grocery store at the south end of the Village.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Also located at the same intersection was this early White Castle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you headed west on Route 66 through St. Louis County on Watson Road, there were several motels that popped up along Route 66. The most famous was the <a href="http://www.coralcourt.com/" target="_blank">Coral Court</a>, which featured streamline moderne style buildings, many of which featured individual garages. Although probably not the original purpose, these garages allowed patrons to come and go unseen, which gave the motel a reputation as a location for secret rendezvous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px;">Interior of one of the units shortly before demolition with its signature glass block visibly bowing outward.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Coral Court Motel was closed in 1993 and razed two years later. The motel was actively on the market for nearly 3 years but no one was able to make the numbers work to preserve the existing buildings with an inflated $1.5 million pricetag plus an estimated $1 million for renovation. Had it remained standing another 3 year, Missouri's Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program that came on line in 1998 could have made rehabilitation feasible.</span></span><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 14px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The exhibit features several pieces of memorabilia from the Coral Court including one of the lights that marked the entrance on Watson and some of the glazed blocks from which the buildings were constructed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Further west this 1986 aerial view shows a recently expanded Crestwood Plaza across from the 66 Park-In Theater. The drive-in theater had parking for 800 cars. It was closed in 1993 and was demolished in 1994 for another shopping center, much of which now stands empty. As you are probably aware, Crestwood Plaza was finally demolished earlier this year to make way for <a href="https://nextstl.com/2015/04/crestwood-mall-redevelopment-plan-features-retail-225-apartments/" target="_blank">a not-so-mixed-use redevelopment</a> consisting of free-standing single use buildings in a sea of surface parking. Maybe I should withhold judgement until it is built, but the conceptual plans made public so far make the Streets of St. Charles look like great urban planning in comparison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Part of the exhibit features a large mural depicting the 66 Park-In Theater with it's lot full of vintage cars that was painted by a Muny scenic artist. Ironically the mural was painted with a red sky, which was probably meant to be a beautiful sunset, but in my mind it looked like apocalyptic clouds foretelling the coming end for the theater.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The beginning of the end earlier this year for the former Stix Baer & Fuller/Dillards department store, which anchored the east end of Crestwood Plaza. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A majority of the photos above are from the Missouri History Museum Route 66 exhibit. A few vintage photos and postcards are from <a href="http://www.66postcards.com/postcards/index.html" target="_blank">Joe Sonderman's Online Route 66 Archive</a>, which is a treasure trove of thousands of photos and postcards of just about everything you ever wanted to see along Route 66 from its start in Chicago to its end in Santa Monica, California. Photos of the Coral Court are some I shot shortly before it was demolished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you want to learn more about Route 66 as it traveled through the St. Louis area, go check out the <a href="http://mohistory.org/route66" target="_blank">History Museum's awesome exhibit</a> that is currently open and runs through July 16, 2017. Despite some of my commentary above, the show is quite the opposite of depressing and is very informative. The exhibit also features a over a dozen fabulous neon signs that once graced Route 66 through our area, an Airstream trailer with fully vintage interior decor and a beautiful 1963 Corvette Stingray built right here in St. Louis!</span></div>
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Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-67578189001279459402016-09-12T06:30:00.000-05:002016-09-16T21:14:45.726-05:00A Funding Initiative for Stabilizing Vacant LRA Buildings!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A coalition of neighborhood leaders across the City of St. Louis is proposing new funding to stabilize and secure vacant buildings owned by the City's Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), making them ready for rehabilitation. Neighbors for a Stable St. Louis is currently gathering signatures for a bond issue that would go to St. Louis voters in 2017. If passed, up to 200 vacant buildings would be stabilized and secured each year with up to $30,000 each.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This would huge both in terms of preserving St. Louis' irreplaceable architecture and stabilizing neighborhoods. Currently we lose hundreds of vacant buildings every year because they have deteriorated beyond feasibility of rehabilitation. Each demolition costs the City an average of $12,000 for houses and more for larger buildings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This historic Italianate home on West Belle Place could have been stabilized when it was owned by LRA if the proposed stabilization funding had existed two years ago. Instead, LRA did nothing to his house prior to selling it to the current owner who had planned to rehab it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While having a National Register nomination prepared, so the rehab could qualify for Historic Tax Credits, the leaking roof collapsed and destroyed much of the homes interior. The home will soon be demolished. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The proposed new funding would help bridge the gap between building condition and developers budgets, making it more financially feasible for them to rehabilitate more houses. As with the case above, currently if LRA gets a house and the roof is already leaking, the home simply continues to deteriorate. Every year this makes these house more difficult and expensive to rehabilitate to the point where it becomes financially infeasible to rehab or the building starts to collapse and become a public safety hazard. At this point, the City is forced to demolish the house and we end up with yet another vacant unproductive lot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Many houses are unnecessarily demolished because they are not secured on a regular basis and are seen by some as a hazard. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Often when people complain loud enough, the local alderman may be persuaded to put a building on the City's demolition list. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">LRA's method of securing buildings with plywood and screws (often only on the first floor) is largely ineffective. This house at 5709 Vernon in the West End neighborhood had an intact roof, but the upper windows were left wide open allowing rain to infiltrate on a regular basis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Unsecured vacant houses often end up burned by arson fires or homeless people trying to keep warm or cook food. The rear of the home at 5709 Vernon was unsecured and in September 2011 it was gutted by fire leaving only the front and side walls standing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7cgBzkYcLQHAdMw66U4IcNczc9FzDosPdLY9f-T2Bhuau-k94GJ72jLd-cVqEECOk-YZawyqwDvlk5tUJBE1wemmYD2z0XL4TxLQ8nZxNQBR581IJQqGRsHYmqDZAUvL71gJv3mOZlE/s1600/IMG_8264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7cgBzkYcLQHAdMw66U4IcNczc9FzDosPdLY9f-T2Bhuau-k94GJ72jLd-cVqEECOk-YZawyqwDvlk5tUJBE1wemmYD2z0XL4TxLQ8nZxNQBR581IJQqGRsHYmqDZAUvL71gJv3mOZlE/s640/IMG_8264.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The shell was demolished about </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a month later. (2 </span>photos above from Geo St. Louis)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The home on the right was partially damaged by the neighboring fire. While damage did not appear significant, apparently it was enough that the owner demolished the house in 2012.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Many homes in the West End neighborhood have been rehabilitated in the last few years and if 5709 Vernon had been stabilized and secured, it likely would have joined the ongoing revival. Instead, we are left with two vacant lots today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Neighbors for a Stable St. Louis needs additional volunteers to help gather the 11,000 signatures required to put this initiative to a public vote. If you would like to assist with this, please <a href="http://www.neighbors4stablestl.org/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>, where you can sign up to volunteer. O</span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">ne of the initiative organizers</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> will arrange to get petition forms to you and will also arrange to collect completed forms. Signatures must be collected and turned in to the St. Louis Board of Elections by <span style="color: orange;"><b>October 10th</b></span>. All signatures must be City of St. Louis registered voters. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here is </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6DG4yZC2ZBESTZFX1plUlk2ZUk" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">list of talking points, frequently asked questions and basic petition rules</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to help with your signature gathering.</span></div>
Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-70626578548638283952016-08-21T10:35:00.000-05:002016-08-21T23:20:15.792-05:004171 West Belle Place Is Too Important To Lose!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If your reaction was like mine the first time you saw 4171 West Belle Place, you stopped cold in the middle of the street, stared in awe and thought "How did this incredible house end up in the middle of this block?" The answer is quite simple: It was there before anything else was around. Hopkin's Atlas of St. Louis from 1883 shows the home (presumed to have been built in 1882) as the only building in the area, surrounded by open countryside. The area however would not remain country for very long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The ornate high style Italianate home was built by Philip Green, who speculated with nearby real estate as development crept westward from Vandeventer Avenue, constructing 12 homes on West Belle Place by 1894. For whatever reason Green chose to build his home in a highly ornate manner compared to the homes he and others would build on the rest of West Belle Place. The National Register nomination for the home couldn't have stated better the caliber of this home:</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">The Philip and Louisa Green Home at 4171 West Belle Place is an exceptionally rare example of an
Italianate country home in St. Louis.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">When compared with other examples of Italianate buildings in St. Louis, the home is unique. It is far less
formal than the designs executed for Henry Shaw or the Lemp Mansion, and
much more elaborate than other rural examples like Einstmann House, or extant urban
townhouses such as the William Cuthbert Jones House. The home’s elaborate cornice and use
of heavy projecting hood molds and quoins, its multiple projecting octagonal bays and alternating use of
both segmental and round arch window openings set the Philip and Louisa Green home apart as a high
quality and unusual expression of the Italianate style in St. Louis.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">134 years later, this highly ornate "exceptionally rare" and "unique" Italianate country home is threatened with demolition! After may years of abandonment under several owners, 4171 West Belle Place was in the hands of LRA. In 2014 what seemed like the homes savior purchased the home with intentions of rehabilitation. To assist with financing the rehabilitation, the new owner had the home listed on the National Register in order to qualify for Missouri Historic Tax Credits. While the nomination was being prepared, the roof collapsed and the home was condemned by City Building Division. 4171 West Belle Place was successfully listed on the National Register on November 2, 2015, yet the owner now claims the rehabilitation as planned is not feasible and applied for a demolition permit on July 18, 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This Monday afternoon, at 4:00 the St. Louis Preservation Board will decide if the demolition</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> should be allowed. Surprisingly, the Cultural Resources Office staff recommendation is to allow demolition due to the circumstances. This is </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">exceptionally</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> short sighted and I would argue that the demolition should not be allowed due to the importance of this</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> historic home. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As the National Register nomination states, this home is "exceptionally rare" and "unique", which are not terms used in most nominations. There simply is not another surviving comparably ornate Italianate home in the St. Louis region. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While the owner of 4171 West Belle Place cannot be blamed for the current condition of the home, the argument that rehabilitation "feasibility" has drastically changed seems flawed. If the roof was to the point of collapse, it would very likely have needed to be completely rebuilt even if it had not collapsed. Roofs don't go from structurally sound to rotten to the point of collapse in one year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Preservation Board should deny this demolition and order the owner to use the estimated $5,000 cost for the demolition to construct a temporary roof over the home. If the cost of the rehabilitation minus the Missouri HTC is too much for the owner, they should consider rehabbing the home as a rental property for 5 years, which would allow the addition of the 20% Federal Historic Tax Credit. Otherwise, the LRA should take back the property and put out an RFP to find a new owner willing and able to rehabilitate the home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Cultural Resources Office describes 4171 West Belle Place as "High Merit", which it indeed is. The reality is, that </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">4171 West Belle Place</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> is <b><span style="color: orange;">irreplaceable</span></b><span style="color: orange;"><b>!</b></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you agree that this exceptional home should NOT be demolished, <b><span style="color: orange;">please</span></b> email Dan Krasnoff, Director of the Cultural Resources Office at: krasnoffd@stlouis-mo.gov and copy Adonna Buford at: buforda@stlouis-mo.gov or if you can, attend the meeting and tell the Preservation Board in person. The meeting location is 1520 Market Street, suite 2000.</span></div>
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Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-51898089721930842862016-07-22T06:41:00.000-05:002016-07-23T07:59:40.680-05:00STL & Preservation Board Should Demand Better @ SW Bank<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ojEVUc78h2xBDhf42sJAMSEsScAGmFkrk7UQRgPfjQ74MWM9nE7F5DpnuQqMlEPGKgy5o2_Fa7qq3-UZCaZb3x82H04FHieBWlv5URnI9YAM6M96kzvM9eE_dIG7OUASNJ-k2OHwdA/s1600/SW+Bank+site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ojEVUc78h2xBDhf42sJAMSEsScAGmFkrk7UQRgPfjQ74MWM9nE7F5DpnuQqMlEPGKgy5o2_Fa7qq3-UZCaZb3x82H04FHieBWlv5URnI9YAM6M96kzvM9eE_dIG7OUASNJ-k2OHwdA/s640/SW+Bank+site.jpg" width="595" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Monday evening BMO Harris held an open house in the historic Southwest Bank Building to reveal details about the rumored redevelopment of the bank building that stretches from Southwest Avenue to Botanical through five connected structures built between 1905 and 1973. The site plan above has made two major positive change since it was first shown to neighborhood groups and preservationists in separate meetings in early June.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At that time, the plan showed preservation of the original building at the corner of Southwest and Kingshighway only. The Walgreens was about 20 feet south of what is shown above and the corner building at Botanical would be demolished. The plan has been changed so the corner building is preserved. Since the developer, Draper & Kramer of Chicago does not see any value in rehabilitating the building, they will be donating it to the <a href="http://towergrovecdc.org/" target="_blank">Tower Grove Community Development Corporation</a>. Also, the Walgreens had been shown with its ass end facing Kingshighway and the entrance facing what they called the "town center", a small area of pavers in the middle of the asphalt (don't get me stated on that one). This has now been reversed so Walgreens face Kingshighway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The proposed plan still calls for demolition of two contributing buildings in the Reber Place National Register Historic District. The proposal will go before the Preservation Board next Monday afternoon at 4:00 pm in the 2nd floor hearing room at 1520 Market Street. The <a href="https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/documents/upload/FINAL-AGENDA-7-25-2016.pdf" target="_blank">final agenda for the meeting</a> was posted yesterday and as it should be, the Cultural Resources Office recommendation is "</span><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That the Preservation Board withholds
approval of the demolition of the Merit
Buildings unless it finds that the use of the
structures proposed for demolition are not
economically feasible and/or that approval
of the proposed redevelopment will equal
or exceed the contribution of the
structures to be demolished</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">". If you cannot attend the meeting in person, public testimony may be submitted by emailing Dan Krasnoff at krasnoffd@stlouis-mo.gov and Adona Buford at buforda@stlouis-mo.gov</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The proposed design of the Walgreens was also revealed Monday, and there were rightly several comments of disapproval from members of the audience. I tweeted that I thought it loos like a suburban Schmucks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1q8Pw8sQbLfPbp82MxzOr_DF61ra-o3YGeLKINVdwuMzVJXoW1kagkwKDdt3KdjWE2Bfoz3FkX2vAWWDXnADF072EnH3W0IuHHIaTlN-Rcdn8dzaFBvDMP7AIg0zvSmSFC6zkCMOEZM/s1600/Walgreens+Revised.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1q8Pw8sQbLfPbp82MxzOr_DF61ra-o3YGeLKINVdwuMzVJXoW1kagkwKDdt3KdjWE2Bfoz3FkX2vAWWDXnADF072EnH3W0IuHHIaTlN-Rcdn8dzaFBvDMP7AIg0zvSmSFC6zkCMOEZM/s640/Walgreens+Revised.png" width="560" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The comments must were obviously taken to heart because the design shown in the Preservation Board Agenda is quite different. It went from boring & suburban looking to basically a bland box. Also, what appeared to be a dual entrance facing Kingshighway and the parking to the north is now shown just opening to the parking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If the developer wants to go contemporary, maybe they could do something that has some style like this example the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZXscsR5YWuqPasqxjUuRgIf1wp4imwBzdejiLN8PehSxonO6yPzsVt-9T1R2D9Kh5wptRGZqsIrPtM1Zu2vtQVpenOTEaTFaNHpRxAfiPR5s1t1n3aR1ZC9yHbi8y0GShSbaAtLjb30/s1600/extralarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZXscsR5YWuqPasqxjUuRgIf1wp4imwBzdejiLN8PehSxonO6yPzsVt-9T1R2D9Kh5wptRGZqsIrPtM1Zu2vtQVpenOTEaTFaNHpRxAfiPR5s1t1n3aR1ZC9yHbi8y0GShSbaAtLjb30/s1600/extralarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZXscsR5YWuqPasqxjUuRgIf1wp4imwBzdejiLN8PehSxonO6yPzsVt-9T1R2D9Kh5wptRGZqsIrPtM1Zu2vtQVpenOTEaTFaNHpRxAfiPR5s1t1n3aR1ZC9yHbi8y0GShSbaAtLjb30/s640/extralarge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You may be thinking this looks too small for a Walgreens, and you would normally be correct. This store however has a mezzanine level inserted into the double-height interior volume. Photos from <a href="https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150414/lincoln-park/walgreens-set-open-on-armitage-despite-community-objections" target="_blank">dna info Chicago</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DvmjaqXGd38eJV5FKla2BZY3en0mtoI2GrJ0iaaVofUBtkCXxDpQVvoHft4ER5dixyswO5EZxHXBzDq4duakGzb_T6yvbzgB6JSia9F8YsVxdmKsko49hm8osfY-stp994oN7hJ2En8/s1600/wagmag_beforeafter_comparephotos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DvmjaqXGd38eJV5FKla2BZY3en0mtoI2GrJ0iaaVofUBtkCXxDpQVvoHft4ER5dixyswO5EZxHXBzDq4duakGzb_T6yvbzgB6JSia9F8YsVxdmKsko49hm8osfY-stp994oN7hJ2En8/s1600/wagmag_beforeafter_comparephotos.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In New Orleans, developer Stirling Properties took an old American Legion hall and retrofitted it for Walgreens. After many meetings with area residents and retailers, they transformed the front elevation on Magazine Street with a design that fits well with the historic character of the neighborhood. More info on this project <a href="https://stirlingproperties.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/successful-grand-opening-of-new-walgreens-marquee-store-on-magazine-street/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In many cities examples can be found where Walgreens has gone into an existing historic building. In Downtown Atlanta, Walgreens is re-using the former Woolworths space in the historic Olympia Building. The new signage even mimics the Art-Deco style of the original Woolworths, which required extensive restoration work. Rendering from <a href="http://www.tonetoatl.com/2014/03/historic-olympia-building-to-get.html" target="_blank">Atlanta Tomorrow's News Today</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On State Street in Ann Arbor, Walgreens went into this historic building that was once a Kresge store.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, just down the street is a CVS located in another historic building. Photos from <a href="http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/walgreens-drugstore-targeting-former-michigan-book-supply-space-in-downtown-ann-arbor/" target="_blank">The Ann Arbor News</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYXurTe5eZkWGtFmLLV52S9Ck9ALE0tq2luyuPxhZZzn3gOkbw-K6KjV5mQXK0wK7KvuaU_k-EYeJMY8Xk26C3XNEerjmePBPfplj0UtP31PD0zGozcjnAnhvZl4hggj0nh3Hie8O_Ds/s1600/Walgreens+Baltimore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYXurTe5eZkWGtFmLLV52S9Ck9ALE0tq2luyuPxhZZzn3gOkbw-K6KjV5mQXK0wK7KvuaU_k-EYeJMY8Xk26C3XNEerjmePBPfplj0UtP31PD0zGozcjnAnhvZl4hggj0nh3Hie8O_Ds/s640/Walgreens+Baltimore.jpg" width="560" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In Downtown Baltimore, Walgreens went into this colonial revival, which at least on the exterior seems less suitable than the former Woolworths or Kresge spaces. The did manage to block out the windows though. Photo from <a href="https://coloradotravelingducks.com/2014/08/04/historic-buildings-with-modern-businesses/" target="_blank">Colorodo Traveling Ducks</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In Oak Park, an inner ring suburb of Chicago, Walgreens preserved two street facades of a historic two-story corner building. The contemporary entrance, which also fronts on the street is set back several feet and uses a contrasting brick color to highlight the historic facade. This project was designed by the architectural firm of <a href="http://camburasandtheodore.com/recent-projects/#!" target="_blank">Camburas & Theodore, Ltd.</a>, who also restored a historic bank in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood for a 30,000 square foot flagship Walgreens Store.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An interior view of the Oak Park store, which features fresh fruit!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqevsbRJ8hmq2uQ6gj0fpRDYPI2RDkOX35X_MZohKY2q4cnkQF0vPBjWdYLPalLQD9HymPeIs-yEGo4sFNOk-S2IzK0iuqznLGPw2EVJG92atDwYbP2FibgfkNCbhdhvuFAH96N1Xd1I8/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.53.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqevsbRJ8hmq2uQ6gj0fpRDYPI2RDkOX35X_MZohKY2q4cnkQF0vPBjWdYLPalLQD9HymPeIs-yEGo4sFNOk-S2IzK0iuqznLGPw2EVJG92atDwYbP2FibgfkNCbhdhvuFAH96N1Xd1I8/s640/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.53.04+PM.png" width="591" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Oak Park example of saving a historic facade could easily be done for the proposed new Walgreens fronting Kingshighway. The 2-story circa 1928 store building in the middle of the block aligns with the new Walgreens, and keeping this Mediterranean revival facade would go a long way toward preserving the integrity of this historic block. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyKHKVqDb2L3uhTtDDKweBh-TJjdSqcpi6vdDfiO-RzFkdom0eVH7kg5C6yJUWFn2NMyBhJAwP4ekmqv3_HiKJKUdZxean2Gns4jUM1qR-bz6EwVUULm_Byv-8q1AGc4W4wLHSQHYcZ8/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-07-21+at+9.04.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyKHKVqDb2L3uhTtDDKweBh-TJjdSqcpi6vdDfiO-RzFkdom0eVH7kg5C6yJUWFn2NMyBhJAwP4ekmqv3_HiKJKUdZxean2Gns4jUM1qR-bz6EwVUULm_Byv-8q1AGc4W4wLHSQHYcZ8/s640/Screen+shot+2016-07-21+at+9.04.34+PM.png" width="600" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Between the two story 1928 building and the 1905 bank at the corner is this 1923 one story structure. While much simpler in design, keeping the facade of this building as well would further preserve the integrity of the block. This facade should be incorporated into the one-story addition planned for the bank and the remainder used to screen the parking between the bank and the Walgreens with landscaping behind the openings where storefront windows are removed. While avoiding a curb cut here would be preferable, using 2 of the storefront openings could allow the right-in, right-out configuration currently proposed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Walgreens has shown its willingness to either go into existing buildings or at least preserve historic facades of buildings in other cities and we should demand no less for the proposed new store on Kingshighway.</span></div>
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<br />Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-43567060828381590682016-07-18T06:34:00.000-05:002016-07-18T07:13:21.361-05:00Southwest Bank is Much More than One Corner Building<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7TWjhTsEs242YFfN5q4Qrazny_hMuKA4HAFWVi4MORSIsglPb_YgIRy4ce-c8yaVP_xWGDqN6dXmZsmh1phec53zTal7l4cADO8tTn4d_Wa_xLdFvX8XAL8lqh8FLlvOhYmDeog_kZ4/s1600/SW+bank+corner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7TWjhTsEs242YFfN5q4Qrazny_hMuKA4HAFWVi4MORSIsglPb_YgIRy4ce-c8yaVP_xWGDqN6dXmZsmh1phec53zTal7l4cADO8tTn4d_Wa_xLdFvX8XAL8lqh8FLlvOhYmDeog_kZ4/s1600/SW+bank+corner.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tonight BMO Harris Bank in coordination with the Southwest Garden Neighborhood Association is hosting an open house at 7:00 pm to reveal its plans for a new Walgreens on the property of Southwest Bank at the intersection of Southwest Avenue and Kingshighway Boulevard. The event will be held at the bank building and due to space constraints, attendance is limited to 100 people. Please go to <a href="http://most%20st.%20louisans%20are%20familiar%20with%20the%20historic%20bank%20building%20at%20the%20corner%20made%20famous%20by%20the%20movie%20the%20great%20st.%20louis%20bank%20robbery./" target="_blank">Eventbrite to register for a ticket.</a> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There will be a presentation followed by questions and an opportunity to express your opinions about the proposed plan.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaV1MMsZE-9jYpXxH3O84vDHPEYedjcJ2KkmINZfJxjkwgeYUcWFlEuvviZTTWjuLtYSdekO6z3EqWKSpKUnNT2014BiOg-LS0qYy6oVt_J7IcYKZHMinDYzEa7OdxKlJPxoB8lWkqEw/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.47.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaV1MMsZE-9jYpXxH3O84vDHPEYedjcJ2KkmINZfJxjkwgeYUcWFlEuvviZTTWjuLtYSdekO6z3EqWKSpKUnNT2014BiOg-LS0qYy6oVt_J7IcYKZHMinDYzEa7OdxKlJPxoB8lWkqEw/s640/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.47.23+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most St. Louisans are familiar with the historic bank building at the corner made famous by the movie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMb4PjwGH-0" target="_blank">The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">BMO has already stated that they plan to keep the corner bank building and restore the structure. What remains to be seen is how much of the rest of the block face of historic structures along Kingshighway they plan to bulldoze for the new Walgreens. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ0y_JiS2JlNyDGhGOJJmeKvDfQQeec1GznYsYonFLqleV38lb6QIV6ApzcxuXkxMoTRYfagVFBVFpmHAUMGfE8Civ2VDrySNtRDdHZkoc2NKWAzZ11FDBlLIB4TlxbSTUqlo8mdh86o/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+10.54.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ0y_JiS2JlNyDGhGOJJmeKvDfQQeec1GznYsYonFLqleV38lb6QIV6ApzcxuXkxMoTRYfagVFBVFpmHAUMGfE8Civ2VDrySNtRDdHZkoc2NKWAzZ11FDBlLIB4TlxbSTUqlo8mdh86o/s640/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+10.54.38+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The block is part of the <a href="http://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/12000100.pdf" target="_blank">Reber Place National Register Historic District</a>. The map above is from the district nomination and shows the dates of construction of the five connected buildings along Kingshighway. The last portion, built in 1973 is considered non-contributing to the district due to its date of construction. The four contributing buildings would be eligible for both Missouri & Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits if rehabbed.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwoL5WbagxZSvNXBwNIfvGcp4NDRe2p8h3rfRWRpcJh8aPcFai5toZ2iBPwklNF_sys7lCgj1X0JJFH1nrYBd0rxXlfrkpF2uT6LjY9GD6e2ln9pWYXjVslEC0sLDyfCqwg60oYzh6ZM/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.53.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwoL5WbagxZSvNXBwNIfvGcp4NDRe2p8h3rfRWRpcJh8aPcFai5toZ2iBPwklNF_sys7lCgj1X0JJFH1nrYBd0rxXlfrkpF2uT6LjY9GD6e2ln9pWYXjVslEC0sLDyfCqwg60oYzh6ZM/s640/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.53.04+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the middle of the block stands this two story store building featuring decorative terra cotta in a Mediterranean style built in 1928 as a separate structure and later incorporated into the bank. The buildings 2nd floor windows have been bricked-in, but this facade is still an attractive composition. If the new Walgreens was to be located here, it would be an opportunity to incorporate this historic facade with windows and an entrance along Kingshighway.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqa4dcXzcqpxGyQwMsVmO1lSaSFuHDAzSJW0mZPOAgoBvcQsn4hYN0gBJYiWNAyDqHeXjNQJBX3YHzlZ4jftND34oCtvu1RFiVNhz95D1dKpAo2nLlfgfMK0fIUnEoKhaSoAN3Z-XopSA/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.56.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqa4dcXzcqpxGyQwMsVmO1lSaSFuHDAzSJW0mZPOAgoBvcQsn4hYN0gBJYiWNAyDqHeXjNQJBX3YHzlZ4jftND34oCtvu1RFiVNhz95D1dKpAo2nLlfgfMK0fIUnEoKhaSoAN3Z-XopSA/s640/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+8.56.58+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the corner of Botanical and Kingshighway, this Arts & Crafts style building was built in 1920 as a corner store likely with apartments above. While the beauty of this building has been muted by bad white paint, monotone grey trim, bad windows and garish blue awnings, this building is arguably as significant from a design standpoint as the corner building at Southwest. This building could easily be repurposed with commercial space for a restaurant or retail on the first floor and office space or apartments on the 2nd floor.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCluMNXM780evF_gxvA8vkaqh-dlHXfKimk6l1f_MUNEw3m1MuoR8q12wxem1ghl2WJVA73aC8kw055cMWbwFjXPBMbA1DP0EmCFRJ40n4ZcgGWkf-wigjuArDnES1RxHNbOHDtKUxWU/s1600/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+9.03.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCluMNXM780evF_gxvA8vkaqh-dlHXfKimk6l1f_MUNEw3m1MuoR8q12wxem1ghl2WJVA73aC8kw055cMWbwFjXPBMbA1DP0EmCFRJ40n4ZcgGWkf-wigjuArDnES1RxHNbOHDtKUxWU/s640/Screen+shot+2016-07-17+at+9.03.17+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From an urban design perspective, the buildings presence at the corner is crucial to the historic nature of the intersection. Across Botanical is another corner mixed used building. While it has also had some unfortunate remuddling at the parapet, the composition of the intersection is fully intact. Losing the corner building on the Bank property would be highly detrimental to what is a very intact neighborhood and historic district. Hopefully BMO and the their architect will agree.</span></div>
Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-60586900758442695972016-07-03T11:02:00.000-05:002016-07-05T21:25:08.159-05:00Huntleigh Maritz & Young Marketed as Potential Tear-Down!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_ZOOQNI0jcQFRUjOYLWXHF49M9T1z0kWVpFjBENLcYEK_wNkX3sjx1UWFuzQio2yzcKAjyc8kxi-3ovy7z1rShHgjfZWahhm7NtP2RDKWBuzO_swj-u5ayKQK95QDRcPktDwktxSm74/s1600/exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_ZOOQNI0jcQFRUjOYLWXHF49M9T1z0kWVpFjBENLcYEK_wNkX3sjx1UWFuzQio2yzcKAjyc8kxi-3ovy7z1rShHgjfZWahhm7NtP2RDKWBuzO_swj-u5ayKQK95QDRcPktDwktxSm74/s640/exterior.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A Vanishing STL reader informed me that this beautiful 5,000 s.f. home designed by the esteemed firm of Maritz & Young is currently for sale as a potential tear-down. The home at #2 Dunlora Lane, which was constructed in 1935 in Huntleigh, features 4 bedrooms including a 1st floor master suite, 3 full baths and 2 half baths. There are two separate real estate listings: <a href="http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2-Dunlora-Ln_Saint-Louis_MO_63131_M86173-17789?ex=MO610400195" target="_blank">One that includes information about the house</a> and <a href="http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2-Dunlora-Ln_Saint-Louis_MO_63131_M86173-17789?ex=MO610810987" target="_blank">one that describes the property as a building site</a> which happens to have an existing house "which can be deleted"! Maritz & Young designed over 150 homes for the who's who of St. Louis between WWI and WWII. For more about the Maritz & Young, read <a href="https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/content/32457/take_5_schott_08232013" target="_blank">this story</a> about a monograph of the firms work.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_qw7LlCzmmnBjf7l4RKPFuQ_xJnq1sxBK_4PMPp8QSFVYLgGsdRgjy3eiKC5Tn3KlBS6z0s_k4MQN5oJhnApmfwTPlHZQXT1ZLG2g6ahb9exqBRu5nR4VsbeIW9DesjN0ORPAgCoPao/s1600/844649a67aafcf105f4d5b168de7498el-m6xd-w1020_h770_q80.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_qw7LlCzmmnBjf7l4RKPFuQ_xJnq1sxBK_4PMPp8QSFVYLgGsdRgjy3eiKC5Tn3KlBS6z0s_k4MQN5oJhnApmfwTPlHZQXT1ZLG2g6ahb9exqBRu5nR4VsbeIW9DesjN0ORPAgCoPao/s640/844649a67aafcf105f4d5b168de7498el-m6xd-w1020_h770_q80.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The spacious main rooms of the first floor feature beautiful polished terrazzo floors, something almost never found in newly constructed homes. A home of these quality materials would cost $250-$300 a square foot to construct today, meaning that if someone does demolish this home they would be flushing upwards of $1,500,000.00 down the toilet! Unfortunately this kind of blatant waste is not unprecedented. In 2006 another colonial revival home by Maritz & Young at 35 Brentmoor in Clayton <a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2013/08/lecture-signing-wednesday-for-new-book.html" target="_blank">was demolished to build a Mediterranean style McMansion</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-GlaA-TRNpAoowOamOp8kyJaEoSlxIILhEQ4mwWOUXmshmJ4_TjGr-Q0v5snSrukoORN9pJOPdOnGJd4s9DhNdd7cBsI9shd_2mi967kFCqcC0k1tgphuJFzp-eG4soWhs1myrL_Zkg/s1600/dining+room.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-GlaA-TRNpAoowOamOp8kyJaEoSlxIILhEQ4mwWOUXmshmJ4_TjGr-Q0v5snSrukoORN9pJOPdOnGJd4s9DhNdd7cBsI9shd_2mi967kFCqcC0k1tgphuJFzp-eG4soWhs1myrL_Zkg/s640/dining+room.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A view of the dining room shows off the homes plaster crown molding, arched doorways and large windows. Photographs above from the first listing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hPwwMxja1_PD4zcqbSSYqKcErjNXUW4pGnCd2FWeB75_BCdyokiryQE51Kbb76Rdvp121a_zCA5C_j1Vk6ECkoNEtoOTi6TP0C9sycl0AN6YnP8gtKDRLAzefuPif3z021BBvsftv6w/s1600/aerial.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hPwwMxja1_PD4zcqbSSYqKcErjNXUW4pGnCd2FWeB75_BCdyokiryQE51Kbb76Rdvp121a_zCA5C_j1Vk6ECkoNEtoOTi6TP0C9sycl0AN6YnP8gtKDRLAzefuPif3z021BBvsftv6w/s640/aerial.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An aerial view of the property which also features an large pool and a separate </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2-bedroom </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">cottage with kitchen and living area. People seem to forget all too often that if a home (or any other building for that matter) doesn't suit your present needs, it can be renovated, remodeled, added onto or reconfigured to your liking. Clearing the site and starting over is not always the best option.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Also, if you have a horse or two, you are in luck. The area is zoned for equestrian use, so you can add a barn to the property of you want.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In an estate auction was held at the house. The video from the auction gives a broader overview of the house. Ignore the frumpy stuff that was sold and focus on the house. Note the coffered ceiling in the basement. Typical of homes of this size and time of construction, the entire first floor of the house is a cast in place concrete slab, which goes hand in hand with the wall to wall terrazzo floors.</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A5s3CcNb2CQ" width="560"></iframe>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-81743671809936248612016-05-09T06:32:00.001-05:002016-05-09T13:40:17.389-05:00A source has requested this post be removed -Sorry!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-4261743572379134672016-04-01T06:30:00.000-05:002016-04-07T06:34:21.007-05:00New MLS Stadium To Be Built West Of Busch Stadium<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TYDPsdmbNUnwUxf1rVQ2xpfQfd0V2hGshG1DTcWti5nKgLLzO7MhKyy3yPfo6zGPS6Sh3b1g9Kuykbkbk9rnus2Vps2VAowiVj9AIbd2laCwnWExDr1h6BDXdgPNrTw1eOXqvx3-91c/s1600/MLS+STL+4-1-16.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TYDPsdmbNUnwUxf1rVQ2xpfQfd0V2hGshG1DTcWti5nKgLLzO7MhKyy3yPfo6zGPS6Sh3b1g9Kuykbkbk9rnus2Vps2VAowiVj9AIbd2laCwnWExDr1h6BDXdgPNrTw1eOXqvx3-91c/s640/MLS+STL+4-1-16.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A new ownership group has been formed to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis! They have chosen a site directly west of Busch Stadium for a new 20,000 seat soccer stadium to be the home of the first MLS expansion team, the St. Louis Steamrollers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When asked for comment about the plan, a spokesman said they really liked they concept and planning process that went into the failed riverfront stadium for the now departed Rams, but preferred a more central Downtown location. What sold them was the idea of having the existing parking infrastructure for Busch Stadium and Scottrade Center as bookends for the new soccer stadium.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A real estate broker has secured options on all of the remaining buildings at Cupples Station, which will be demolished for the new stadium and additional surface parking lots. MODOT has agreed to re-locate two ramps to maintain the present access to highway 40/64. The ownership group hoes to have the stadium ready for the 2018 season.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-2185966591735899662015-10-30T06:30:00.000-05:002015-11-22T10:09:34.913-06:00Does the NGA Really Need 99 Acres?<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22319654008/in/dateposted-public/" title="NGA preservation site overlay crop"><img alt="NGA preservation site overlay crop" height="640" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5652/22319654008_85ba790726_z.jpg" width="499" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'll start this post by saying that I support keeping the NGA within the City of St. Louis. Not only does the City need the 1% tax revenue from the 3,100 jobs, but there are the secondary and non-monetary benefits of keeping 3,100 people employed in the center or the City. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you may have already seen, the NGA recently released the <a href="http://nextngawest.com/site/index.php/deis" target="_blank">Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DIES)</a> which is an evaluation of the social and environmental impacts and benefits of constructing the new NGA campus at each of the four locations that are in the running for the development. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Besides supporting a location within the City of St. Louis, my comments revolve around preservation of historic and cultural features that are located within the current City site boundary. The City of St. Louis established the site boundary and with a wave of the planners hand, assumes automatic destruction of everything within the roughly rectangular area set bound by Jefferson Avenue, Cass Avenue, 22nd Street and the alley south of St. Louis Avenue. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This practice of clear-cut demolition of everything in a 24 block 99 acre areas of the City reeks of 1950's and 60's "urban removal" planning that permanently scarred cities across the US including many areas of St. Louis. The big difference here is that most of the land under consideration is already vacant, but that should not condemn everything that is left to destruction if the opportunity exists for strategic preservation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Does the NGA need all 99 acres being proposed? According to the DIES, NO.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The DIES states that the NGA vetted 186 potential sites prior to narrowing down to the current four in contention. One of the filters listed was that the site had to be at least 50 acres, not 100 acres. This is a big difference in site size. While the other sites under consideration are 101 acres, 167 acres and 182 acres, the fact remains that 99 acres is not a requirement according to the DIES.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22518430811/in/dateposted-public/" title="NGA STL City Construction Limits"><img alt="NGA STL City Construction Limits" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/595/22518430811_dddeb6be18.jpg" width="445" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The graphic above from the DIES shows a proposed security fence that cuts into the site at the northwest and southeast corners, which correspond to the 2500 block of Montgomery, which is located within the St. Louis Place National Register Historic District and to the Rhema Baptist Church, which was at one time carved out of the NGA site boundary.</span><br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22493898592/in/dateposted-public/" title="NGA Construction Limit text"><img alt="NGA Construction Limit text" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/584/22493898592_40a145204f.jpg" width="376" /></a><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22481366196/in/dateposted-public/" title="NGA preservation aerial overlay cropped"><img alt="NGA preservation aerial overlay cropped" height="336" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5702/22481366196_2f19ac116c_z.jpg" width="550" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The modified site plan at the top of this post and the modified aerial rendering above represent what is possible with targeted preservation of historic and cultural resources. It should be noted that the site layout and buildings shown in the base images are a theoretical plan produced by the St. Louis Development Corporation and packaged in a <a href="https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/news/nga-briefing-release.cfm" target="_blank">site briefing book</a> meant to sell the NGA on this site.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22481360546/in/dateposted-public/" title="Buster Brown Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory"><img alt="Buster Brown Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory" height="381" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5738/22481360546_395b592fe7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Starting near the intersection of Cass & Jefferson is the former Buster Brown Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory, which is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/04001560.pdf" target="_blank">listed on the National Register of Historic Places</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> This historic 4-story brick structure is occupied and in-use by St. Louis Sales & Manufacturing, a cabinet and countertop outlet.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22320515489/in/dateposted-public/" title="Buster Brown Shoe Factory from Cass & Jefferson"><img alt="Buster Brown Shoe Factory from Cass & Jefferson" height="356" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5670/22320515489_c12401f1dd.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While it doesn't front on the intersection, the rear of former Buster Brown factory still presents a strong urban presence at Cass & Jefferson.</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/21884600084/in/dateposted-public/" title="Jefferson looking toward Cass"><img alt="Jefferson looking toward Cass" height="354" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/567/21884600084_fc9f149e05.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A block north of the shoe factory is a stately two story structure that was an addition to the Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri. Under current requirements for National Register listing, because the <a href="http://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/mowihsp/win/Timeline/Homeopathic.htm" target="_blank">original college building located on the corner</a> was long ago demolished, the addition lacks "integrity" and is technically ineligible for listing on the National Register. As a result, the building is ineligible for protection under Section 106 which reviews impacts of federally funded projects on historic resources. </span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22518448061/in/dateposted-public/" title="Homeopathic Hospital of Missouri"><img alt="Homeopathic Hospital of Missouri" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5830/22518448061_fa7686fd27.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As Michael Allen points out in his article "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.preservationleadershipforum.org/2014/10/24/national-register-helping-hindering/#.VjBBgmSrQy5" target="_blank">Is the National Register of Historic Places Helping or Hindering Legacy City Preservation?</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">", maybe it is time for a change to the hard and fast rules that often result in the demolition of buildings worthy of preserving. I strongly agree.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22577087942/in/dateposted-public/" title="25xx block of Montgomery"><img alt="25xx block of Montgomery" height="316" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5664/22577087942_07c462c961.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few blocks north off Parnell the 2500 block of Montgomery, which is within the proposed NGA and part of the St. Louis Place National Register Historic District (photo from the districts nomination). With 15 homes tightly spaced in a row, this is by far </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">is the most intact block</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> within the proposed NGA site. As mentioned above, this block lies outside the potential security NGA fence line</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/21886133303/in/dateposted-public/" title="Rhema Baptist Church"><img alt="Rhema Baptist Church" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/654/21886133303_fb1011777c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Rhema Baptist Church at the corner of 23rd & Cass, while not historic or architecturally significant, could certainly be considered a cultural asset worthy of consideration.</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22481354086/in/dateposted-public/" title="2530 N Market built 1894"><img alt="2530 N Market built 1894" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/738/22481354086_ed8fca80f1.jpg" width="488" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you have probably have heard, the St. Louis Board of Alderman have approved the use of eminent domain to acquire property to assemble the site for the NGA. As of last week 66 property owners have already agreed to buy-outs including an offer to a longtime homeowner Charlesetta Taylor <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/aldermanic-committee-endorses-use-eminent-domain-national-geospatial-intelligence-agency-site" target="_blank">to move there three story circa 1894 house</a> on North Market pictured above to a lot off-site. Taylor also happened to be </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a longtime opponent of the City effort to lure the NGA to North St. Louis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The agreement to move this beautiful residence is very welcome news, but many other home owners live in beautiful structures that could be demolished. Another homeowner, Joyce Cooks, who has lived in a three story 15 room home for 40 years is rightly concerned with how she would replace such a house. The right thing to do is to offer every owner of these irreplaceable solid brick homes the same opportunity to move their homes to existing vacant lots outside of the NGA site area. This could actually strengthen the area around St. Louis Place Park by moving stable owners and their well cared for homes to the neighborhood around the park. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Below are several examples of structures that had they been built a few blocks east would be contributing properties in one of two National Register Historic Districts, but because of "loss of integrity" the homes (and owners) are considered disposable. </span><br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/21884587674/in/dateposted-public/" title="2236 Warren built 1893"><img alt="2236 Warren built 1893" height="352" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/757/21884587674_1902432f91.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2236 Warren Street - built in 1893</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22319636228/in/dateposted-public/" title="2243 Benton built 1886"><img alt="2243 Benton built 1886" height="590" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/701/22319636228_9c8372d804_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2243 Benton Street - built in 1886</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22319386150/in/dateposted-public/" title="2318 Madison built 1892"><img alt="2318 Madison built 1892" height="640" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/611/22319386150_b6c3489a34_z.jpg" width="569" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2318</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Madison Street - a rare flounder house built in 1892</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22481352086/in/dateposted-public/" title="2321-25 & 2325-27 Mullanphy built 1887 & 1889"><img alt="2321-25 & 2325-27 Mullanphy built 1887 & 1889" height="331" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/622/22481352086_8abf27f6da.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2321-23 and 2325-27 built in 1887 and 1889</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/22319387420/in/dateposted-public/" title="2220 Warren built 1891"><img alt="2220 Warren built 1891" height="610" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/705/22319387420_50a034d27a_z.jpg" width="569" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2220 Warren Street - built in 1891</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While moving these houses may be more expensive in the short run than buy-out and demolition, the long term benefit to the larger neighborhood is worth it and the money saved not buying out the Buster Brown Shoe Factory and Rhema Baptist Church would more than cover these added development costs, and would result in a more intact neighborhood instead of the appearance of a giant spaceship like building landing on wasteland in the middle of the City.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-70993762824719442322015-09-09T06:30:00.000-05:002015-09-09T06:30:00.867-05:00SAVE AL'S RESTAURANT!<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/21172920681/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's 1920s"><img alt="Al's 1920s" height="430" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5721/21172920681_d2e3a48cb4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the discussions revolving around the proposed new St. Louis NFL riverfront stadium ranging from the <a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-stadium-plan-that-doesnt-blitz-north.html" target="_blank">destruction of an entire historic district</a> to <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/judge-says-no-vote-needed-on-st-louis-stadium-funding/article_51c33b67-9b72-5055-ba56-94cc9e1b46e2.html" target="_blank">whether the people of St. Louis should be able to vote</a> to use their tax dollars to whether we need a new stadium at all, one ingredient has been missing: the fate of Al's Restaurant (also known as Al's Steakhouse), which has been operating on the riverfront since 1925... and is scheduled for certain oblivion if current plans move forward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago Pam Barroni Neal, a 3rd generation owner-operator of Al's started <a href="https://www.change.org/p/save-al-s-restaurant?recruiter=20387937&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg&fb_ref=Default" target="_blank">an online petition at change.org to save Al's Restaurant</a>. I urge you to please sign and share this share this Facebook, Twitter, etc. If nothing else makes you want to sign, this should: <b><u>Al's is St. Louis' oldest restaurant locally owned and operated by a single family and in one location</u>!</b></span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/21154853732/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's - STL stadium site 9-1-15"><img alt="Al's - STL stadium site 9-1-15" height="391" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5710/21154853732_49dd31f845_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Looking at the most recently released site plan for the stadium, Al's Restaurant is bulldozed for... you guessed it, a surface parking lot. Approximate location of Al's, one block west of the monumental Ashley Street Power Plant, is shown in red.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/20977196028/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's GRG Master Plan"><img alt="Al's GRG Master Plan" height="534" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/20977196028_97cb5387f4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Surprisingly Al's is even missing in the Great Rivers Greenway <a href="http://greatriversgreenway.org/great-rivers-greenway-and-the-city-of-st-louis-to-hold-open-house-for-the-north-riverfront-open-space-and-redevelopment-plan-july-8-at-the-central-library/" target="_blank">North Riverfront Open Space and Redevelopment Plan</a> which was previewed in July. The GRG plan is an ambitious well thought out urban plan calling for preservation of historic buildings, new construction residential & office infill and development of active green spaces, but somehow they managed to completely miss Al's. The rendering above appears to show Al's Restaurant overtaken by a 3-4 story jelly bean shaped building west of the historic Ashley Street Power Plant. </span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/20978285089/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's Streetview"><img alt="Al's Streetview" height="314" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/754/20978285089_764a9952d1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Admittedly, it is easy to miss Al's, which today from the exterior appears as just another white painted windowless 1-story brick box located at the northeast corner of N. 1st and Biddle Streets. Only the black awnings and understated signage give you any indication that this is something other than another non-descript storage building down by the river. You can easily drive by and not have any clue whats inside.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/20542434724/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's dining room"><img alt="Al's dining room" height="426" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5741/20542434724_1cf927acf8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stepping inside Al's takes you back decades to time of elegance with white linen table cloths, red tufted leather chairs, dark wood paneled walls and brass chandeliers. In classic steakhouse fashion, there are not menus. Instead fine cuts of meat are presented on a silver tray for selection. Long known locally as one of the best places for steak, among other national awards and lists, Al's made a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/26/travel/historic-restaurants-smaller-cities/index.html?hpt=tr_bn9" target="_blank">CNN top ten list of historic restaurants</a> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">a few years ago</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/21004026169/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's Restaurant building in 1876"><img alt="Al's Restaurant building in 1876" height="618" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/728/21004026169_06c9c7c816_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The building that houses Al's Restaurant has been around since before Compton & Dry created their iconic 3D map of our city in 1876 housing a combination saloon and sugar exchange.</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/20978283369/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's restaurant historic"><img alt="Al's restaurant historic" height="360" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5672/20978283369_4295783d1b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This pre-1900 photo shows the front of the building on 1st Street. The towering St. Louis Grain Elevator on the riverfront which would be replaced by the Ashley Street Power Plant can be seen in the background. Albert Barroni opened his restaurant here in 1925 first serving egg sandwiches to the local factory and railroad workers in the then bustling industrial district. As industry moved on, Albert Jr. refocused the establishment to sophisticated fine dining.</span><br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/20977194148/in/dateposted-public/" title="Al's modernization"><img alt="Al's modernization" height="479" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/607/20977194148_29afb15705_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At some point the front of the building received a "modernization" in the form of contrasting light and dark glazed tile cladding. Later, the 2nd floor was removed and windows were bricked-in giving way to its appearance today. Most of the context of Al's Restaurant visible in the detailed axonometric drawing above has disappeared, being replaced by gravel lots and asphalt but Al's has remained still serving fine food night after night. With your help and some simple refinement by the planners, Al's might still be serving St. Louis for another 90+ years.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-72175407218602507832015-07-06T06:30:00.000-05:002015-07-06T06:30:02.354-05:00City Destroys Banner Iron Works Warehouse on Shaw Blvd.<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/19446860862" title="Banner Iron Works demolition by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Banner Iron Works demolition" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/431/19446860862_0b33ce8606.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kingshighway will close today for reconstruction of the viaduct between Shaw Blvd. & Vandeventer, but the City's Board of Public Service has already been busy spending your tax dollars to demolish a three story brick warehouse as part of an ill-conceived plan to re-align Shaw Blvd. at Kingshighway (which makes sense), but to also keep the present Shaw Blvd. (which doesn't make sense). By doing so, O'Connell's Pub loses some of its existing parking lot, so the City is demolishing the warehouse to pave additional spots to make up for the lost parking. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The warehouse building was in good condition and was occupied until it was purchased by the City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next STL <a href="http://nextstl.com/2012/05/kingshighway-viaduct-plan-requires-revision-offers-misguided-shaw-boulevard-realignment/" target="_blank">brought this plan to light over 3 years ago</a>, and showed how eliminating the existing Shaw Blvd. would regain the lost parking spaces and avoid a needless demolition. It is apparent that the City has not made any major changes and is moving forward. A demolition permit was issued on June 23rd and as of yesterday, the building was already gone (photo above).</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/19453608425" title="Board-Impacted-Businesses-Shaw by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Board-Impacted-Businesses-Shaw" height="354" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/390/19453608425_f971361679.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The plan above shows how Shaw Blvd. will split with two separate roadways that will intersect Kingshighway. Eliminating the original roadway and adding an access drive or a short spur road providing access to the Botanical Garden lot off shaw north of O'Connell's would have provided space for additional parking spaces and would have allowed the warehouse building (outlined in red) to remain. See Next STL's plan for this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nextstl/6996881608/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/19457440861" title="Banner Iron Works warehouse by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Banner Iron Works warehouse" height="330" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/449/19457440861_3c49bc0240.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The warehouse building had been constructed in 1911 as an expansion of the Banner Iron works complex, which had been established on Shaw on property adjacent to the rail crossing to the east in 1901. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Banner Iron Works was a </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">foundry and fabricator of cast iron and steel for the construction business, </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">producing cast iron storefronts and other building components, manhole covers, street signal boxes as well as the iconic gas lamp poles that were installed in many areas of St. Louis. One of these poles </span><a href="http://250in250.mohistory.org/objects/533" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">was recently exhibited</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> in Missouri History Museum's St. Louis 250/250 exhibit. Banner also </span><a href="http://collections.mohistory.org/resourceMgr/147235.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">designed and fabricated the structural frame</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> of the Admiral river boat, which was </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUEslcVgb_c" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">destroyed for scrap</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> in 2011. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/19446858582" title="Banner Iron Works postcard by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Banner Iron Works postcard" height="323" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/397/19446858582_0a32dc99b4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This postcard shows the entire Banner Iron Works complex with the recently demolished warehouse in the upper right corner. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The company closed in 1986, and most of the complex east of the warehouse had already been demolished. The large three story building at the top center of the postcard is still in use by Lunar tool.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/19267026179" title="1-Kingshighway-and-Shaw-Inter-large by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="1-Kingshighway-and-Shaw-Inter-large" height="323" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/260/19267026179_21550e0b25.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A rendering of the flawed dual Shaw Boulevards, which not only resulted in demolition of the Banner Iron Works warehouse, but is sure to cause confusion for drivers.</span><br />Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-18203575485276342512015-06-10T06:30:00.000-05:002015-06-10T06:40:06.332-05:00Cortex Begins Demolition of the Brauer Supply Building<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/18660964301" title="Brauer demo 6-9-15 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Brauer demo 6-9-15" height="316" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/478/18660964301_be32813050.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This week demolition began on the Brauer Supply building at the southeast corner of Forest Park and Boyle in the Cortex district. A gaping hole is visible at the back of the Brauer building to the left and beyond the rehabilitated @4240 building which opened last summer and has already and recently achieved 90% occupancy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/18633717736" title="IMG_5390 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5390" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/440/18633717736_c45f4acd10.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A view of the Brauer Supply building from Forest Park. Back in April 2011 the St. Louis Preservation Board was to consider three buildings for listing on the National Register: the @4240 building, built as a SWB Telephone Distribution House, the Crescent building on Duncan west of Boyle, built as a printing facility for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and the Brauer Supply building, which was constructed in 1919 as the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company Branch House. This presumably was a sign that the three buildings would be rehabilitated using historic tax credits to serve new functions. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/5620505829" title="Brauer Supply by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Brauer Supply" height="241" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5264/5620505829_48205b01aa.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately the Brauer Supply building was not listed and no listing seems to be present for the Crescent building either, although I have heard people say that it is earmarked for renovation.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17415900001" title="4260-TechShop-renderings-3-25-15-1-1024x519 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="4260-TechShop-renderings-3-25-15-1-1024x519" height="253" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7782/17415900001_1ccd0673af.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Instead of renovation, the Brauer Supply building will be demolished for a new 3-story 60,000 s.f. building to be built by Cortex. The new building cuts and pastes designs from the Cortex I building across Boyle that opened in 2006 and the BJC Commons building to the south that opened in 2013. So much for innovative architecture in an innovation district!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17414340922" title="Brauer Building by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Brauer Building" height="485" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7668/17414340922_4ef82e5545.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">According to <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/cortex-construct-new-building-techshop-will-anchor" target="_blank">a story by Maria Altman</a> of St. Louis Public Radio, there where no less than two assessments of the Brauer Building with intentions of rehabilitation, but the decision to demolish and build new apparently came down to costs. Above is a reuse study completed by Cross Street Partners which included concept plans for rehabilitation of the Brauer building and a series of adjacent one-story historic buildings on the north side of Duncan with a total of 95,000 s.f. of renovated space.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17390290246" title="TechShop SF Exterior by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="TechShop SF Exterior" height="496" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7736/17390290246_341fb650de.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I find it odd that Cortex's CEO stated in the STL Public Radio story said that the Brauer Building would have been difficult to make work for Tech Shop, who will be an anchor tenant in the new building. The Streetview shot above is of Tech Shop's San Francisco location, which is housed in an old warehouse building in the SOMA district that appears to date from the 1920's or 1930's.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16793766084" title="TechShop SF Interior by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="TechShop SF Interior" height="333" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7717/16793766084_9bd63158b2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here is a photo of the interior of the SF Tech Shop from their website.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17228729680" title="Case Threshing Machine Co - Fargo by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Case Threshing Machine Co - Fargo" height="300" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5324/17228729680_1d7c288076.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Fargo, North Dakota another J.I. Case </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Threshing Machine Company Branch House with almost the exact same footprint of the Brauer building continues service as an office building. It will soon lose its sister in St. Louis.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-5524848600942255392015-05-29T06:30:00.000-05:002015-05-29T06:30:00.177-05:00Laclede Gas Demolition Completes Suburbanization of Ikea Site<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/18138527322" title="IMG_5407 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5407" height="394" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7760/18138527322_019095f395.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Demolition has begun on the Laclede Gas field office building on Forest Park Boulevard west of Vandeventer. Clearance of the 2-story building building just several feet from the sidewalk along Forest Park will complete the suburbanization of the Ikea site, leaving only the big new blue box that will sit 500 feet back behind a sea of surface parking. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17519431294" title="IMG_6690 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6690" height="394" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7791/17519431294_8d66299788.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A view along Forest Park from earlier this year. The building, according to City records was constructed in 1936, and exhibits spare stream line detailing common for the period. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17954156358" title="IMG_5409 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5409" height="394" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8820/17954156358_97d7918b19.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This demolition is less about the loss of the office building and accompanying garage to the west, which was very utilitarian in style, than it is about the loss of an urban character along this stretch of the broad boulevard. Directly across the street a large grassy field still sits at the northwest corner of Forest Park & Vandeventer where the Welle-Boettler Baking Company complex</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2011/06/cortex-to-demolish-building-at.html" target="_blank">was needlessly demolished by CORTEX</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> in 2011.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17954171418" title="IMG_5416 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5416" height="394" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8878/17954171418_b7227f6fcd.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A view of the Ikea site from a point near the corner at Vandeventer.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17558301354" title="IKEA Site Plan by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IKEA Site Plan" height="321" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7779/17558301354_912bb1b90d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The suburban style Ikea site plan with parking in front and a three lane access road running parallel to Forest Park and Vandeventer. Like most Ikea stores, the new St. Louis store will also have parking under the building.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/18178486422" title="Atlanta Ikea aerial by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Atlanta Ikea aerial" height="323" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8832/18178486422_59d57698f4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As <a href="http://nextstl.com/2013/12/some-design-advice-for-ikea/" target="_blank">NextSTL illustrated last year</a>, the Ikea in Atlanta is <a href="http://binged.it/1Qecifx" target="_blank">in similar proximity</a> to the center of the city as ours but has a better plan. Although the site is somewhat less urban due to interruptions of the street grid, the store and garage extending out below are packed onto a much tighter site. Instead of a 3-lane mall style ring road, the city street is fronted on the other side by two new multi-story apartment buildings. The ensemble is a much more urban solution fitting into an urban environment, and would fit entirely on the Forest Park & Vandeventer site. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17993187800" title="IKEA STL Alternate Site Plan by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IKEA STL Alternate Site Plan" height="372" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7766/17993187800_7eb6591094.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Even if the Ikea St. Louis was not fronted by a large apartment complex, another solution would be to include a row of smaller retail stores along Forest Park Boulevard. Through selective demolition the the front wing of the Laclede Gas offices, which was the same was 60 feet depth as a typical strip retail building, could have housed 10,800 s.f. of retail space. The upper level could have housed the same amount of office space for companies wanting to be in the CORTEX area. Instead of surface parking, an additional parking level would be built in the middle (shown in blue).</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/18115513546" title="IMG_6932 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6932" height="394" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8802/18115513546_15abfc50d6.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The garage building west of the office structure, which was demolished earlier this year, could have housed an additional </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">19,600 s.f. of retail stores in 70 foot deep column free space under the large trusses seen above. East of the office building a new retail building could be 18,000 built for additional small stores (shown orange above) or a medium size 20-25,000 s.f. junior anchor could be built. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17558300704" title="Market at McKnight Aerial by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Market at McKnight Aerial" height="233" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8837/17558300704_7a8995121f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The concept of lining the street with smaller stores is nothing new and a local example was built several years ago at the southwest corner of Manchester and Rock Hill Roads. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17992994468" title="Market at Mcnight 03 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Market at Mcnight 03" height="245" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7776/17992994468_9be28b558b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">From Manchester Road, the Market at McKnight is an attractive window lined pedestrian friendly experience. Yes, this corner of suburban Rock Hill is more urban than Midtown's Ikea site. Oh wait, they</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2012/01/half-baked-in-u-gas-hill.html" target="_blank">tore down a historic church</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">for a gas station right across the street. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Like everyone else, I'm thrilled an Ikea is about to open in the center of the City of St. Louis, but it could be much more. Additional development could always happen in the future on the parking lot in front of Ikea as was shown on <a href="https://flic.kr/p/ozxgq4" target="_blank">an old CORTEX master plan</a>, but what would be their incentive since they own the entire site? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The site to the west bounded by the Ikea, the grain elevator, Sarah Street and Forest Park Boulevard is owned by CORTEX, who put out an <a href="http://nextstl.com/2014/03/cortex-ready-residential-leap-district-eyes-infill-historic-conversion/" target="_blank">RFP last year for a mixed use development</a>. Hopefully this site will be fully built-up and not be a continuation of the suburban Ikea model.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/18115522126" title="Gas Lamp Parking Lot by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Gas Lamp Parking Lot" height="340" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7748/18115522126_88340502e2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="500" /></a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Probably the only parking lot in the region lit entirely by gas lamps is also gone.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-80360817696973705772015-05-18T06:30:00.000-05:002015-05-18T06:30:00.111-05:00Clearance of Empire Brewery Office First of Two CORTEX Demolitions<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17416319805" title="IMG_4942 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4942" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8770/17416319805_05f595b3b6_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first of two planned demolitions in the CORTEX district began last week with the destruction of this small but ornate buff brick building on Sarah Street that is part if the former US Steel complex. The complex is being demolished by CORTEX to make way for a multi-building project to be developed by Wexford Science & Technology. <a href="http://nextstl.com/2014/06/tiger-grant-seeks-metrolink-station-funding-reveals-cortex/" target="_blank">As reported last year by NextSTL</a>, the development will include research, laboratory and residential buildings. In a rendering that was part of the TIGER grant application for a new Metrolink station just east of Boyle, the corner of Sarah and Duncan that includes the footprint of the building above is shown with a building labeled "Build to Suit". This makes it seem like this will be a later phase of the development and that they have no idea what will be built there. In other words, the decision to take down the building or possibly incorporate it or part of it into something new could have been made later by Wexford or a future user of that portion of the site.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17228552908" title="IMG_4939 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4939" height="375" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7774/17228552908_dd56a81bd7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The facade of the building that fronted on Sarah Street. The building was originally constructed as the office and bottling department for the Empire Brewery, a branch of the Independent Breweries Association. The building shows up on a 1909 Sanborn map below. The larger light blue metal building that was built for US Steel will also be cleared. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17415922811" title="IMG_7250 by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7250" height="385" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7694/17415922811_d748353c69.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I photographed the building a few weeks ago, the terra cotta loin heads that graced the corners of the building and flanked the entrance had already been chiseled out and were sitting on pallets next to the building. St. Louis Patina <a href="http://stlouispatina.com/u-s-steel-building-old-empire-brewery/" target="_blank">has some nice photos</a> of the building when it was fully intact. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17179257574" title="Sarah-Duncan-Scott 1909 Sanborn by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Sarah-Duncan-Scott 1909 Sanborn" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8686/17179257574_effa2fafca_z.jpg" width="532" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The 1909 Sanborn map showing the L shaped building just south of Duncan on Sarah.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/17779470522" title="Empire Brewery rubble by Paul Hohmann, on Flickr"><img alt="Empire Brewery rubble" height="361" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8701/17779470522_025ee05389.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">By late Friday there was nothing left of the building but some rubble. The other planned COTEX demolition that will likely be occurring soon is the Brauer Supply Building at the southeast corner of Forest Park Blvd. & Boyle Avenue. More on that soon. </span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-66772634622566998102015-02-28T09:50:00.001-06:002015-02-28T09:50:40.236-06:00Ten Years Ago This Month: The Crime of The Century<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/7589639264/" title="IMG_8653 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8653" height="700" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7589639264_05c5c8b207_z.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As this bitter cold and snowy February draws to a close I was reminded a few times that the last of Century Building fell ten years ago this month. In early February 2005, I was sitting in the small conference room of Pyramid Companies offices on the 6th floor of the Frisco Building when conversation was suddenly interrupted by a gigantic crash followed by a few screams. I knew it could only be one thing. Like a giant game of Jenga, the last remains of the Century Building had fallen. We went running out of the room into the open office where everyone by now was crowded at the windows staring into the giant cloud of dust that had engulfed Olive Street. The photo above is from October 2004 as demolition began.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/3805962068/" title="IMG_0526.JPG by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0526.JPG" height="700" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3471/3805962068_8e862a1d2f_z.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Late December 2004... a holiday season to forget.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/7589666602/" title="IMG_0566 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0566" height="394" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7589666602_5e955f91bf.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Veins of grey and white Georgia marble revealed the beauty that had been covered with layers of paint. The facades of the Century were entirely clad with solid blocks marble.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/7589674144/" title="IMG_0798 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0798" height="700" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7110/7589674144_4948f1e6de_z.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A view of the destruction from the top of the Paul Brown Building, which at the same time was being transformed by Pyramid into <a href="http://paulbrownlofts.com/" target="_blank">loft apartments</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/3805961084/" title="IMG_1108.JPG by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1108.JPG" height="700" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2535/3805961084_f078dfba58_z.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Near the end in early February 2005. More demolition and pre-demolition photos can be found <a href="http://www.builtstlouis.net/century00.html" target="_blank">here</a> on Built St. Louis.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/6884799789/" title="Syndicate - Century Building Alternative Proposal by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Syndicate - Century Building Alternative Proposal" height="345" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6884799789_39b67c9bbe.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Craig Heller had proposed a compromise that would save the Century and provide almost 700 parking spaces in the basement and lower floors of the Century and adjoining Syndicate Trust, but the powers that be would have nothing to do with this great idea.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/2959553569/" title="IMG_2535.JPG by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2535.JPG" height="394" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3032/2959553569_7f3aaedb93.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ten years later the upper half of the Garage Mahal that went up in place of the Century sits mostly empty on a daily basis.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/7589701770/" title="IMG_1249 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1249" height="394" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7589701770_0ee75a0925.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shortly before the construction fence went up around the Paul Brown to start the renovation, someone scrawled this on a dusty storefront window. It remains to be seen whether the demolition of the Century in 2004-2005 will continue to hod the title of the greatest crime against architecture in this century.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-34969218274392878562015-02-01T17:33:00.000-06:002015-02-01T17:34:14.501-06:00A Stadium Plan that Doesn't Blitz the North Riverfront <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16413519591/" title="Blitzed by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Blitzed" height="378" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8598/16413519591_b3030ae306.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is the first thing I thought of when I saw the site plan for the proposed new NFL stadium on the North Riverfront announced in early January</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">by David Peacock and Robert Blitz of the St. Louis NFL Task Force. I immediately started thinking of an alternative plan for a new stadium that doesn't require such wanton destruction.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16227880750/" title="North Riverfront Stadium Site Plan by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="North Riverfront Stadium Site Plan" height="825" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/16227880750_35ccc9d4b7_c.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As currently proposed, the stadium and its surrounding sea of surface parking lots, walkways and parking structures would completely wipe out the North Riverfront Industrial Historic District with exception of the Ashley Street Power Plant, which is still used by Trigen to feed the Downtown St. Louis steam loop. Also to be demolished would be the south half of the North Broadway Wholesale & Warehouse Historic District including Shady Jack's Saloon as well as Farmworks, a transitional housing development by Craig Heller and the Cotton Belt Freight Depot, both individual National Register historic properties.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15792802894/" title="North Riverfront Historic Districts & Buildings by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="North Riverfront Historic Districts & Buildings" height="640" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8578/15792802894_1e9ca21a55_z.jpg" width="531" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An aerial view of the historic districts and individual National Register historic buildings (outlined in red) that would be demolished by the current stadium proposal (outlined in yellow). Below is a graphic provided by the NFL Task Force that overlays the stadium over the existing context of the North Riverfront. I have highlighted the buildings that would be demolished.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16418652862/" title="Stadium Site Plan Demolition Overlay by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Stadium Site Plan Demolition Overlay" height="820" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8576/16418652862_df8906e58c_c.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The alternative plan would build the same open air stadium as proposed by the NFL Task Force, but would simply move it just south of the Ashley Street Power Plant and across 2nd Street from Lumiere Casino and the Four Seasons Hotel. Loading and services would access the stadium via Leonor K Sullivan from the south and Lewis Street from the north under a pedestrian promenade that would extend all the way around the stadium and out over the river. The existing railroad tracks would also be re-routed on a new trestle around the east side of the stadium (the current plan re-routes the tracks west of the stadium).</span><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15792804734/" title="No-Blitz STL Stadium Plan by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="No-Blitz STL Stadium Plan" height="1253" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/15792804734_1e0ccda7f3_b.jpg" width="525" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16389312486/" title="No Blitz STL Stadium Legend by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="No Blitz STL Stadium Legend" height="217" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/16389312486_1a2cea9a56.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This stadium plan would not only significantly reduce the $90-$110 million estimated budget for demolition, environmental remediation and land purchase, but by moving it 1,600 feet south, would also better integrate the stadium with Downtown St. Louis and Lacledes Landing, positioning it to better take advantage of MetroLink and the plethora of existing parking infrastructure that is already present near the Edward Jones Dome.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The south end of the alternate stadium location would be only about 1,125 feet from the Lacledes Landing MetroLink station, well within the 1/4 mile considered to be a comfortable walk. The current planned location would be 2,725 feet or over over a half mile from the station, which could deter some from taking the train. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The same goes for existing parking infrastructure. Why waste millions of dollars duplicating existing parking spaces when a closer stadium location would put existing garages near the Edward Jones Dome and some garages in the Central Business District, including the large garage at Broadway & Locust and the MX Garage (former St. Louis Centre) nearly as close or closer than the Kiener East & West Garages are to the Dome?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Locating the stadium nearly 1/3 mile farther north would leave garages in the CBD sitting largely empty, not to mention the area restaurants that currently fill with fans before and after football games, and other events at the Dome. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Similar to the present proposal, the alternate plan would include some new structured parking with mixed use buildings built around the perimeter. Locating these farther south as well would allow them to be better utilized on a regular basis, serving Lacledes Landing, Lumiere Place and events at the convention center.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Locating the stadium just east of Lumiere Place could also help jump-start redevelopment of several historic buildings in the North Riverfront Industrial Historic District as well as the Cotton Belt building. Using Historic Tax Credits, these buildings could become residential and office lofts with ground floor spaces for restaurants, bars and other commercial uses... instead of becoming landfill.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16326504336/" title="IMG_4893 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4893" height="394" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7456/16326504336_494cdceb10.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shapleigh Hardware Warehouse #3 built in 1903 & 1906 fills the entire block between 1st, 2nd, Ashley and O'Fallon Streets. This view showing window detailing similar to some of the Cupples warehouses is along Ashley looking toward the river. Just beyond is a smaller 6 story warehouse built in 1903 for the Beck & Corbitt Iron Company.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16413837791/" title="O'Fallon Street by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="O'Fallon Street" height="348" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/16413837791_b9bc4a53ab.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Looking east on O'Fallon Street, the small building on the left was built in 1894 for the Belcher Water Bath Company in 1894 and is now the home of the <a href="http://wakfoundation.org/" target="_blank">William A. Kerr Foundation.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16389628076/" title="Kerr Foundation green roof by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Kerr Foundation green roof" height="393" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7420/16389628076_2ca5e77f44.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rehabilitation of the building in 2004 for the foundation achieved LEED Platinum Certification and includes a plethora of green building features including a green roof. It wouldn't be very sustainable to bulldoze it into the ground now, would it? Photo from the Kerr Foundation website.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16164867558/" title="IMG_6039 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6039" height="394" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/16164867558_a155b2bb12.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Laclede Power Company Building was built in 1901 at Lewis and O'Fallon Streets just north of the Ashley Street Power Plant and was later used by Union Electric for electricity generation. More recently, in the mid 2000's, <a href="http://trailnet.org/" target="_blank">Trailnet</a> <a href="http://urbanstl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1038" target="_blank">proposed renovating</a> the building as a multi-use facility that would include a trailhead for the North Riverfront Trail, a restaurant, bike shop, event and office space. Unfortunately the project was not completed.</span><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15730035264/" title="1322 Lewis by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="1322 Lewis" height="401" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7473/15730035264_31113e78ee.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This castle-like building was built in 1900 for the St. Louis Cold Storage Company at 1312-22 Lewis Street. It is one of several buildings in the district that has been proposed for residential rehabilitation in the last dozen years, but still waits.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16351571972/" title="IMG_1126 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1126" height="394" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/16351571972_6c88d3b8f7.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Measuring 750 in length, the massive Cotton Belt Freight Depot Building was built </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">adjacent to the Cotton Belt Line railroad</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">in 1913 entirely of site-formed concrete. Although still vacant, the building has been used for the last dozen years for the annual <a href="http://www.articafest.org/" target="_blank">Artica</a> arts festival.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16229374559/" title="Cotton Belt Mural by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Cotton Belt Mural" height="361" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8634/16229374559_ae86cacf36.jpg" width="525" /></a>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The east side of the Cotten Belt Building was recently transformed into a giant mural called Migrate, which is highly visible to drivers crossing the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16351576132/" title="Farmworks by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Farmworks" height="325" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8626/16351576132_a235d66473.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Developed by Craig Heller's Loftworks, <a href="http://farmworksstl.com/" target="_blank">FarmWorks</a> is a multi-use facility that streches across five buildings along Cass Avenue between 1st Street and Collins Avenue. It includes the St. Louis Stamping Lofts, which provides transitional housing with supportive services and job training, and urban farm with indoor and outdoor growing facilities, a green business incubator focusing on locally grown foods, an educational facility, an anaerobic digester that turns food waste into methane, and a CNG </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">fueling station.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/16165106600/" title="Farmworks floor plan by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Farmworks floor plan" height="358" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/16165106600_41367173af.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A floor plan rendering of FarmWorks from their website.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasa/14635300589/" title="Shady Jacks by pasa47, on Flickr"><img alt="Shady Jacks" height="350" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/14635300589_c0eed42ce0.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Along north Broadway is a series of buildings that are mostly occupied buildings that comprise the southern half of the North Broadway Wholesale & Warehouse Historic District. Probably the most well known business in this row is <a href="http://shadyjackssaloon.com/" target="_blank">Shady Jack's Saloon</a>, which has to be the worlds friendliest biker bar. If you have never been, you should go have their Simple Breakfast, which comes with 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast and on weekends a complimentary bloody mary, all for $6.95! We cannot lose this for another parking lot! Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasa/" target="_blank">Paul Sableman</a></span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-82527826441679769082014-10-28T06:30:00.000-05:002014-10-28T06:30:01.115-05:00As Part of Athletic Center Expansion WU Demolishes Historic Francis Gymnasium<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15647373415/" title="IMG_6495 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6495" height="375" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/15647373415_a3667f5bff.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Saturday morning I was running along Forsyth near Big Bend on my way to photograph a soon to be demolished circa 1970 bank building in Clayton when I looked north and realized that Washington University's historic Francis Gymnasium has been largely been demolished. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15461394977/" title="IMG_6481 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6481" height="375" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3953/15461394977_afa86b7585.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The east block of the building fronted by the twin towers and main entrance is being retained and will be renovated. The complete removal of the roof, exposing the structural frame, is indication that the interior of the remaining portion will be greatly altered. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15460723079/" title="Francis Gymnasium Aerial by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Francis Gymnasium Aerial" height="278" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7579/15460723079_1139668c55.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An aerial view of the historic gymnasium complex prior to demolition of the gym.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15461779250/" title="East Elevation Sumers Recreation Center_standalone by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="East Elevation Sumers Recreation Center_standalone" height="251" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3933/15461779250_1ee594284e.jpg" width="475" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A rendering of the expanded & renovated complex with a new south addition.</span><br />
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<a href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7488/15026615444_c49a3d1bd4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Francis Gymnsium rnovation rendering" border="0" height="230" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7488/15026615444_c49a3d1bd4.jpg" width="450" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The demolition of Francis Gymnasium took me by surprise since I had seen this rendering last year that shows the historic gym renovated a a new fitness center. The <a href="https://together.wustl.edu/Pages/News/Gary-Sumers.aspx" target="_blank">detailed description of the project on the Campaign for Washington University site</a> also alludes to a different outcome for the gym. Boasting that the Francis Gymnasium and Francis Field are on the National Register of Historic Places and were the sites of the first Olympics in the Western Hemisphere, the article goes on to stat that the gym will be renovated into a state of the art fitness center.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15026615444/" title="Francis Gymnsium rnovation rendering by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15623648716/" title="Screen shot 2014-10-26 at 10.11.25 PM by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Screen shot 2014-10-26 at 10.11.25 PM" height="389" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3934/15623648716_af80193f65.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The rendering above is not so far off from this photo <a href="http://collections.mohistory.org/search/custom_search?text=gymnasium" target="_blank">from the Missouri History Museum collection</a> of the A. G. Spalding and Bros. Model Gymnasium, Physical Culture Exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15623649746/" title="WU Athletic Complex by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="WU Athletic Complex" height="240" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7553/15623649746_28f915c0cb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A <a href="http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/26534.aspx" target="_blank">story from Campus Life News</a> from February of this year however states that the gym will be "replaced" with the new fitness center, locker rooms and multi-purpose rooms.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-9078093788112087852014-08-25T06:53:00.002-05:002014-08-25T06:53:30.834-05:00Buder & International Buildings Imploded 30 Years Ago Today<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/15007345606/" title="Buder & International Buildings implosion by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Buder & International Buildings implosion" height="509" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3847/15007345606_210741cc0d.jpg" width="525" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thirty years ago today at 7:24 am the Buder and International Buildings, which were located on the block bounded by 7th, 8th, Market & Chestnut Streets, were imploded to make way for implementation of the Gateway "Half-Mall" plan. Today the block is occupied by the Gateway One Building on the north half and a plaza/park on the south half.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The photo above is from the St. Louis Post-Dipatch archives. stltoday <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/a-look-back-explosives-drop-old-buildings-for-gateway-mall/article_954a8148-d2b0-5815-82e1-f6e2340db6aa.html" target="_blank">has a gallery of photos</a> of the implosion and the buildings prior to demolition. For the history of the "Half-Mall" see <a href="http://preservationresearch.com/2012/01/the-evolution-of-the-gateway-mall-part-7-pride-and-the-mall/" target="_blank">http://preservationresearch.com/2012/01/the-evolution-of-the-gateway-mall-part-7-pride-and-the-mall/</a>Part 7 of The Evolution of the Gateway Mall by Preservation Research Office.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006035116970579216.post-38677370011604395772014-08-05T06:54:00.001-05:002014-08-05T08:39:05.709-05:00Buildings No One Will Miss<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14814445692/" title="Clayton & Sarah by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Clayton & Sarah" height="393" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5585/14814445692_4f7f6101fb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Friday <a href="http://nextstl.com/2014/08/cofactor-genomics/" target="_blank">NextSTL posted a great story</a> about the recent rehabilitation of this building at the southeast corner of Clayton Avenue and Sarah Street. What struck me first was Alex Ihnen's initial take on the building prior to it's revival: "Won't survive the CORTEX onslaught, and no one will miss it". He's right. Over the years I've driven through that intersection maybe hundreds of times and the building never jumped out at me as anything too special. I'm glad to see it put back into use and with a surprisingly interesting interior transformation to boot.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14834627473/" title="4333 W Clayton Avenue by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="4333 W Clayton Avenue" height="308" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5590/14834627473_aa171e7613.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The story made me think about a few other buildings in the area that have disappeared in the last few years without much fanfare, such as this one at the northeast corner of Clayton Avenue and Newstead that was demolished in 2012. The building had a nice limestone entrance element and streamlined eyebrows over the windows, but not enough panache to stand out too much from others of its type and era.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14812429524/" title="Clayton & Newstead aerial by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Clayton & Newstead aerial" height="296" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5567/14812429524_5cf45acfd8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The location is not exactly an urban paradise surrounded by parking lots, a non-descript lab building and a 1-story former factory building. The site opposite on the southwest corner is now home to the soon to be completed Shriners Hospital, but <a href="http://christnerinc.com/uploads/project-slideshow/HospitalsShriners-Hospitals5_130208-SITE-PLAN.jpg" target="_blank">the site plan for the new facility</a> is a typical suburban disaster with the building pushed to the rear corner behind a parking lot so the building can become a billboard along the highway. Also pushed against the highway is the Stix Elementary School which was built on land BJC didn't want so they could put a garage on the site of the <a href="http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2009/02/loss-of-william-stix-elias-michael.html" target="_blank">original 1921 Classical Revival Stix School on Euclid</a>. The location however is directly between BJC/WU Med and the center of CORTEX, one block from a future Metrolink station and close to Highway 40. All of this would make it a very attractive location for many companies, especially one that has graduated from a nearby biotech incubator and is looking for space of its own.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14814446152/" title="4333 W Clayton Avenue by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="4333 W Clayton Avenue" height="321" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5565/14814446152_1c3efb5395.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">City records show that BJC purchased the building and surrounding parking lot totaling 1.22 acres for $1.45 million in April 2010. In December 2011, they applied for a permit to demolish the building, which was estimated to cost $68,000. Today the building site is a vacant plot of grass surrounded by a chain link fence. Certainly the one story building that was on this site is not the highest and best use for the property assuming the CORTEX district and BJC continue to expand. One has to wonder whether the building could have served an interim use as relatively inexpensive lease space for a growing company until the area surrounding area is built-out and its time to build a larger structure.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14635930417/" title="Newstead & Clayton 1909 Sanborn by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Newstead & Clayton 1909 Sanborn" height="416" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/14635930417_8caebc2f31.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Curious about what was previously on the site before the modern era one story structure, I looked up the 1909 Sanborn map and was surprised to find that the area was a mix of small commercial and residential buildings, a majority of which were built of wood.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14819390921/" title="4201-27 Duncan by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="4201-27 Duncan" height="139" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2914/14819390921_c595f6dd31.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Further east in the 4200 block of Duncan the demolition of this office and freight transfer facility probably dating from the 1920s has less to do with the building than what the CORTEX District will ultimately become. While the eastern office block portion of the building had some appealing aspects, it is safe to say that few saw a great loss when the building was demolished last year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14842314673/" title="IMG_7568 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7568" height="375" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3897/14842314673_9ac79db500.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The building was located across the street and just east of the <a href="http://at4240.com/" target="_blank">@4240 Building</a>, the historic rehabilitation of the Western Electric - Southwestern Bell Telephone Distribution House, which has been a game changing project for the CORTEX District, proving that historic structures can be rehabilitated for new biotech uses and can become highly desirable. The project by Wexford Science & Technology has been very successful and has attracted among other tenants unexpected new branches of Boeing and Husch Blackwell.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14822119782/" title="4201-27 Duncan demo by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="4201-27 Duncan demo" height="383" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3873/14822119782_45debbce67.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The photo above was taken shortly after t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">he building complex across the street was demolished to make way for a large surface parking lot to serve the @4240 building. Beyond are two large structures fronting on Forest Park Boulevard that currently house storage units and a Salvation Army warehouse. Both are ripe for renewal.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14800362856/" title="Cortex aerial 2013 by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Cortex aerial 2013" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3910/14800362856_b41e33e773.jpg" width="473" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An aerial view of the new parking lot under construction last year in the top right corner of the image. The large white square in the middle is the @4240 Building, which has a smaller amount of surface parking wrapped around the east and south sides. The white rectangle in the bottom left corner is the also recently opened 220,000 s.f. BJC Commons office building that is surrounded on the north and east by a sea of asphalt stretching out of the image almost 750 feet all the way to Sarah Street. The proposed CORTEX Metrolink station will be located between the two buildings.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanishingstl/14819393591/" title="Cortex Master Plan by Vanishing STL, on Flickr"><img alt="Cortex Master Plan" height="311" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3844/14819393591_873c01760c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In 2012 the architecture & planning firm Ayers Saint Gross was commissioned to do a <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/BizNext/2012/10/cortex-plans-186-million-in-new.html?s=image_gallery" target="_blank">master plan</a> for the CORTEX District that showed parking confined to garages and buildings lining the streets forming an urban mixed use innovation district. CORTEX has grown exponentially in the last two years, but is starting to resemble a glorified office park rather than an urban mixed use district. While the planned linear park is currently under construction, the idea of mixed use combined with retail <a href="http://nextstl.com/2013/12/some-design-advice-for-ikea/" target="_blank">has apparently been thrown out the window</a> with the massive parking lot that will be built in front of IKEA.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For CORTEX to achieve the vision of the master plan they will likely need to do a district wide taxing district to pay for the consolidation of parking and other improvements. Hopefully this is in the works and I understand that these things have to come in phases, but for now, the urban plan views such as the one above are notably absent from the <a href="http://cortexstl.com/the-district/master-plan/#sthash.wW6STsFt.dpbs" target="_blank">Master Plan page</a> of the CORTEX District's website. Maybe like Peter La Fluer in Dodgeball they have found that if you set goals, you might get disappointed.</span>Vanishing STLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08798287914185180625noreply@blogger.com1