Open House & Reception at ONSLRG’s New Office -Thurs, Jan. 7, 4-8 p.m.

Click on the link below to download this flyer as a PDF.

onslrg-open-house-jan07-2010

Our December newsletter didn’t get out in the mail, but the cover story still works as an invitation to the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group’s Open House on Thursday, January 7.  Come on out and join us in celebrating the opening of ONSLRG’s new office, the Crown Village Gallery, the Old North Community History Museum, and the neighborhood information center for current and prospective residents.  We’ve been working out of the new office since November, but the open house will be our first opportunity to show off the space for all of our members, friends, supporters and neighborhood residents.  So, please join us on Thursday, Jan. 7 from 4 to 8 p.m. and help us in spreading the word about this cool, new space at Crown Square in the heart of Old North.

With just one day left in 2009, you can still make a tax-deductible contribution to Old North St. Louis Restoration Group to support the preservation of Mullanphy or any of our other work to revitalize the physical and social dimensions of Old North St. Louis in a manner that respects the community’s historic, cultural and urban character.  To make an online donation, just CLICK HERE.  

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Scenes from the Preservation Fundraiser at the Coolest New Venue in Town

Last night the new Gallery at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group’s office played host to a fundraiser for the historic preservation group, Friends of the San Luis.  As the following photos show, the event attracted a good crowd of visitors, many of whom enjoyed their first glimpse of the revitalization under way at Crown Square, in the heart of Old North.

When the street and sidewalk are finished, this will be the front door to the gallery.

The gallery space will be available for rent for other events.  Call the ONSLRG office (314-241-5031) or send an email to info@onsl.org for details.

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New Space for Old North St. Louis Restoration Group!

As of today, the big move has begun - and the first commercial tenant at Crown Square is ready to open for business.  This coming Wednesday, November 11, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group will switch phone service over from the corner of St. Louis Avenue and N. 14th Street to historically rehabbed space at 2700 N. 14th Street.  Although we’re only moving 1 block away, it’s a huge leap for the organization, which, for the first time in its 28-year history, will be operating out of space that reflects the historic rehab we promote and support.

The front of the building soon to be home of ONSLRG and the Crown Village Gallery.

The old Thomas Furniture building as it looked in 2006.

The former Thomas Furniture building, which was previously a Worth’s Department Store, and prior to that, a Kroger grocery store, is one of the 27 buildings that have been fully rehabbed as part of the Crown Square redevelopment of the former 14th Street Pedestrian Mall.  Although the street work is still yet to be completed, 2700 N. 14th can be occupied now that water and sewer service have been connected. 

Workers were still making final touch-ups over the past few days, including at the front reception desk, which has been constructed with timbers from the former floor system of the building at 2612 N. 14th, & a stained & polished concrete counter top.

ONSLRG's new space will include the Crown Village Gallery, which will serve as a venue for community events, art exhibits, various meetings, and educational programming.

Among the cool features are sliding doors, made from salvaged maple floorboards, and repurposed windows saved from other buildings along 14th Street.

Come on by to see us, and grab a box or file cabinet from the old office and walk on down the sidewalk to our back door.  Until the street and front sidewalk work is finished, the entrance to our new space will be the back door, off the parking lot just east of 14th Street.

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Halloween in Old North

Since the last day of the North City Farmers’ Market coincided with Halloween, the end-of-season celebration included costume contests along with some of the other festivities, the fantastic live music, crafts from Old North, and the usual good deals on farm-fresh vegetables, baked goods, and meat.

The first of the two bands that heated up the chilly air.

Joe at the KDHX booth.

James at the Black Bear Bakery booth.

Sarah at the Lee Farms booth.

The Princess & the Pumpkin

Princesses, Power Rangers, dinosaurs, dalmations and other creatures line up for the costume contest.

The Dinosaur and Wolverine celebrate their prizes.

Some of the adults of the neighborhood celebrated Halloween the night before at a party hosted by Graham & V. Lane at their cool space in the former Ford Charcoal Warehouse.

Han Solo (Graham) and Princess Leia (V).

The spider (Tom) and his ladybug (Gloria).

Graham showing off the features of his one-of-a-kind home.

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Youth Leadership St. Louis Visits Old North

Yesterday a group of about 35 high school students participating in the Youth Leadership St. Louis program came by to learn about the work of Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.  After a presentation in the ONSLRG office on the history of the neighborhood and the achievements of an active and determined community with a vision, the students headed out to see the transformation in person.

The Youth Leadership group outside the soon-to-be "old" ONSLRG office.

One of the highlights was a tour of the "Crown Village Gallery" which is nearing completion, adjacent to the "new" ONSLRG office (coming soon!).

The group braved the chilly weather to walk down 13th Street to see the 13th Street Community Garden and the future site of the Old North Grocery Co-op.

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Scenes from the Old North House & Community Tour

The 2009 House & Community Tour is history - and it turned out to be one of the best in terms of the attendance, the weather, and variety of sites to see.  The following is just a sampling of photos from the big day.

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Art Lovers, Rehabbers, Clean-up Volunteers, & Crown Candy Fans Converge on Old North

Just another busy week in Old North St. Louis, with crowds of visitors and friends of the neighborhood gathering at various spots throughout Old North to celebrate the many ways the community is experiencing a comprehensive revitalization.

On Friday evening, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group hosted an Art Exhibit and Artist Reception at the former Parks Drug Store Building, as a preview of what is soon to come to the Crown Village Gallery, which will be located within ONSLRG’s new space at 2700 N. 14th Street.

Quilt artist Edna Patterson-Petty discusses the stories behind her quilts.

Carmelita Nunez and Daniel Shown answer questions about their work featured at the exhibit.

Rehabbers Club Tour of ONSL, earlier today:

Graham (on the stairs) and V. Lane (leaning against the white post) discuss the progress in converting the former Ford Charcoal warehouse on North Market to live/work space.

Heidi Sever greets visitors to the home she and her husband Ben are rehabbing on N. 19th Street

Ben Sever shows off the back part of the house, including the new wall.

Starting with the ONSL Neighborhood Clean-up Day on Saturday, March 14th, residents took to the streets, vacant lots, and community gardens to clear debris, weeds, and trash that had accumulated over the winter.  On Saturday and throughout the week, this work was supplemented by volunteer support from high school and college students on spring break, under the direction of New City Fellowship.

Volunteers at the Hebert Community Garden

And the usual spring / pre-Easter season lines out the door at Crown Candy Kitchen all week long:

Crown Candy continues to attract new and returning visitors from far and wide for their world-famous ice cream, candy, BLT sandwiches, malts, and much more.

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Crown Village Gallery Reception Friday Evening — & Channel 9 Coverage of Crown Square

The official space for the Crown Village Gallery isn’t quite ready yet, but we won’t let that stop us from hosting an exhibit and artist reception on Friday evening, just a few doors down from where the permanent gallery will be.  On March 20 from 6 to 9 p.m., the artwork of Carmelita Nunez, Daniel Shown, and Kevin Wilson, along with the Confluence Freedom Quilts of Edna Patterson-Petty, will be on display at Crown Square in the former Parks Drug Store building at 2720 N. 14th Street.  The exhibit and reception are made possible by generous support from the Regional Arts Commission and the Greater St. Louis Regional Empowerment Zone.  The quilts are on loan from Confluence Greenway.

Watch for a ribbon-cutting and opening reception at the gallery’s permanent location within the new home of the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group at 2700 N. 14th Street, at the heart of Crown Square, later in the spring or early summer.

The Crown Square redevelopment of the former 14th Street Mall (a collaborative project of ONSLRG and the Regional Housing & Community Development Alliance) is making great progress.  On this past Monday, Channel 9’s Living St. Louis program featured a story about the development and what it means to Old North’s revitalization.  The show included a lot of good neighborhoods scenes and comments from several ONSL leaders and residents, including Johnnie Owens and John Bratkowski.

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