Saturday, March 31, 2012

Old North Bustling with Activity, including Bike To My Lou and Volunteers from SLU’s Showers of Service and Dept. of Corrections

VOLUNTEERS ASSIST WITH CLEANING UP, SPRUCING UP, AND BOARD-UP TASKS

Old North neighborhood volunteers received considerable help today from students from St. Louis University and another group of volunteers brought to the neighborhood by the Missouri Department of Corrections’ Office of Probation & Parole.  SLU’s annual Showers of Service program is a day of service sponsored and planned by the SLU chapter of Alpha Phi Omega.  For several years now, this program has sent dozens of students to Old North St. Louis Restoration Group to be deployed throughout the neighborhood for various volunteer projects where they can work side by side with neighborhood residents on community improvement projects.  As shown in the photos below, this year’s range of activities included alley clean-ups, boarding up vacant buildings, clearing empty lots, and a lot of work in the neighborhood’s numerous community gardens.

The results of the volunteers’ work can be seen all over Old North…

Thank you to Alpha Phi Omega at SLU, to the Dept. of Corrections’ Office of Probation & Parole, and to neighborhood residents, including but not limited to James & Luz Maria Cox & family; Keith Marquard, Aida Rodriguez, Ernie Stanley, Chris Goetsch, Vela Hermann, Graham Lane, Ben Sever, Matt Fernandez, Ross Dorsey, Thom Fletcher, and many, many others.

BIKE TO MY LOU BIKE RIDE PASSES THROUGH OLD NORTH

A large contingent of cyclists passed through Old North this afternoon as part of the Bike to My Lou bike ride.  The free community ride and festival took riders through some of downtown’s adjacent neighborhoods - and we thank the organizers and sponsors for including Old North on the itinerary!

HABITAT HOMES UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Meanwhile, work continues on the 12 Habitat for Humanity homes under construction at N. 13th and Clinton.

A GOOD DAY FOR BUSINESS

Businesses in Old North enjoyed the flow of customers brought in by the various events going on in the neighborhood and the beautiful spring weather.

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• 13th Street Community Garden, 14th Street Mall, Bikes and Trails, Community Gardens, Crown Candy Kitchen, Crown Square, Habitat for Humanity, Johnnie Owens, Life in ONSL, ONSL amenities, ONSL people, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, Parks and green spaces, Uncategorized, Volunteer Opportunities, sustainability
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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Scenes from Metro Theater Company’s Performance of Super Cowgirl & Mighty Miracle

Please join us Sunday (March 25) at 1 p.m. for another FREE performance of Metro Theater Company’s Super Cowgirl and Mighty Miracle at the Old North Saint Louis Restoration Group Gallery, 2700 N. 14th Street.

In the meantime, enjoy these scenes from today’s performance.

The play is great for young children and the cast are fantastic with interacting with the audience after the performance.  Thank you again to Metro Theater Company for bringing this to the community, and thank you to the Regional Arts Commission for making it possible for ONSLRG to host events such as this.

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• 14th Street Mall, Art in Old North, Crown Square, Life in ONSL, ONSL amenities, Old North Gallery (formerly known as Crown Village Gallery), Old North St. Louis Restoration Group
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Saturday, March 17, 2012

March 24-25: Metro Theater Co. Performances of Super Cowgirl & Mighty Miracle at Old North Gallery

Please plan to join us next Saturday, March 24, or Sunday, March 25, for Metro Theater Company’s performances of Super Cowgirl and Mighty Miracle, a new play by award-winning playwright, Jose Cruz Gonzalez.  Both performances start at 1 p.m. and are free of charge.

Please spread the word and invite your neighbors, especially families with children.  This powerful and often humorous play is appropriate for audiences of all ages.  Click HERE for a PDF version of the flyer pictured above, which you can print and post or pass along to those you want to invite.

For information about the performances in Old North, please contact Old North St. Louis Restoration Group at 314-241-5031.  For more information about the play, contact Metro Theater Company at 314-997-6777 or visit their website at www.metrotheatercompany.org.

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• 14th Street Mall, Art in Old North, Life in ONSL, ONSL amenities, Old North Gallery (formerly known as Crown Village Gallery), Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, Uncategorized
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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Tschetters’ Home Featured in Sunday’s Post-Dispatch

Thank you to Susan and Tom Tschetter for allowing your home to be featured in Sunday’s Home section of the Post-Dispatch and for sharing your upbeat perspective on living in Old North St. Louis.  The article can be found on page H3 of the March 11, 2012, edition of the Post or click HERE to read the online version at stltoday.com/lifestyles.

In addition to showing the world that Old North is a neighborhood of historically significant homes with cool, one-of-a-kind features, the story also makes a plug for the enriching, community aspect of life in Old North.  After describing the great character and architectural details of the Tschetters’ 1879 home, reporter Amy Bertrand notes that “it’s the people of the neighborhood that mean the most to the Tschetters,” and then offers a quote from Susan: “It’s the ambience… We love it here.”

To see more photos from the Tschetters’ home, click here for the STL Today photo page, but we can also provide a few of our own from just a couple weeks ago, when Susan and Tom opened their home for the most recent of the many groups of visitors who’ve come to be impressed by their home and other developments in Old North.

On February 25, “Urban Walkers Group” came to see the revitalization in progress throughout the neighborhood, and made a stop at the Tschetters’ home along with other sites in Old North.

Friends of Old North and others who would like to see more of the fascinating homes in ONSL will get a chance on Saturday, May 19 when ONSLRG puts on the annual Old North House & Community Tour.  For more details and to purchase tickets, visit the tour page now: http://onsl.org/house-and-community-tour/.

Of course we also have opportunities to enjoy the ambience of the neighborhood as an owner of one of these historic gems, which can be rehabbed to reflect your own personality and style at a fraction of what it would cost elsewhere.  We recently received a visit from a current New Yorker who just closed on the purchase of a house in Old North.  Among her reasons for buying in Old North: “This house was an amazing value, and the mortgage rates are at historic lows; so, from a long-term investment standpoint, it makes perfect sense.”

To learn more about homebuying opportunities in Old North, visit ONSL.org’s real estate page at http://onsl.org/real-estate/.  And even if you’re not up for the rehab process or owning an old home, among the positive features of Old North is that we have new homes, as well.  Check out the website for 1319 North Market, which is one of the best deals in town for new or recently constructed homes.

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• Historic rehabs, House Tour, Houses for Sale, LRA properties in ONSL, Life in ONSL, North Market Place, ONSL amenities, ONSL in the news, ONSL people, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, Renovation, real estate

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Trivia Night on April 14 for North City Farmers’ Market and 13th Street Community Garden

Join friends of the North City Farmers’ Market and Old North’s 13th Street Community Garden on Saturday, April 14th to show your support and provide these good community causes with some financial means to keep up their good work.

Because of limited space, those planning to attend the trivia night fundraiser are encouraged to RSVP for the event by calling ONSLRG at 314-241-5031 or sending an email to info@onsl.org.

Both the market and the garden are projects of OId North St. Louis Restoration Group, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.  All contributions to support the market and the garden are tax-deductible and should be made payable to Old North St. Louis Restoration Group or ONSLRG, with a note or reference in the subject line for NCFM or 13th St. Garden.

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• 13th Street Community Garden, Community Gardens, Life in ONSL, North City Farmers' Market, ONSL amenities, Old North Gallery (formerly known as Crown Village Gallery), Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, sustainability
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Thank you to Pi Pizza Truck for Supporting ONSLRG!

If you get an opportunity to eat at one of the Pi Pizza Restaurants around town or if you can catch the Pi Pizza Truck during a lunch break, be sure to thank them for their support of Old North Saint Louis Restoration Group.  Today the pizza truck dedicated 50% of its sales to support the ongoing work of ONSLRG, which was more than enough reason for us to get out of the office for lunch and track down the truck at 8th and Pine in Downtown St. Louis.  As seen in the photo above, our practicum students, Michelle Wiegand, Sheila Galvez, and Becky Bitzer, joined us for the field trip to witness good corporate citizenship in action.

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• Interns, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Save the Date NOW: Sat., May 19th - Old North House & Community Tour and Homegrown Street Festival

Put Saturday, May 19, 2012, on your calendar now, and make plans join us that day for the Annual Old North House & Community Tour.

Once the weather starts getting nice (and we got a head-start on that a few months ago this year), all sorts of events and activities start jockeying for space on our calendars. So, now is the time to get Saturday, May 19 onto your calendar - and it’s not too early to start telling all of your friends, family, co-workers, and everyone else you know to join you for a day of celebrating all that’s good about urban neighborhoods.

Get your tickets now - either online by clicking HERE for the Tour and Street Festival Page on our ONSL.org website or by stopping by the ONSLRG office at 2700 N. 14th Street.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for businesses and organizations that want to support the ongoing revitalization of Old North and want to demonstrate their commitment to “one of the country’s very best revitalizing neighborhoods,” (as our good friend Kaid Benfield described Old North in his post on the Atlantic Cities site when Old North won EPA’s National Award for Smart Growth Achievement).  Click HERE for information about sponsorship levels and how to take advantage of that opportunity.

And volunteer opportunities are still available for all who want to help us make the day a rousing success- and get a free pass for the tour, an invite to the after-party, and other great tokens of our appreciation.  Click HERE for information about volunteer opportunities.

For any other questions, please feel free to call the ONSLRG office at 314-241-5031.

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• Awards and honors, House Tour, Life in ONSL, ONSL amenities, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, Volunteer Opportunities, sustainability
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