Old North Home Grown Festival & House Tour Just 1 Week Away!

We’re down to 7 days now.  Since next weekend will be here before you know it, be sure to firm up your plans to attend the Old North Home Grown Festival & House Tour on Saturday, May 14.  This weekend also marks the last weekend to spread the word while you’re out and around taking care of other errands and / or visiting your favorite restaurants, coffee shops, entertainment venues, or church.  So, be sure to invite your friends to join us next Saturday.

And now, a few more previews of what can be seen and enjoyed at the Old North Home Grown Festival & House Tour on Saturday, May 14:

As part of the Home Grown Festival, some of the storefronts along this stretch of N. 14th Street at Crown Square will be filled with art exhibits featuring local artists, such as Juan William Chavez, Dail Chambers, and young artists from Ames Visual & Performing Arts Magnet School and Holy Trinity School. La Mancha Coffeehouse will have continue its showing of photos by St. Louis ArtWorks participants.

The registration tent for ticket sales, tour booklets, and other information will be at this plaza area at N. 14th and St. Louis Avenue. The Parks building, in the background, will house a variety of local crafters.

The Old North Grocery Co-op will be one of the new neighborhood businesses on the tour. Many of last year's visitors who saw the building had good reason to be skeptical that the space would be ready for opening by mid-summer. But the store DID open last July, and return visitors will be pleased to see the co-op in business.

Another new business that will be on the tour is La Mancha Coffeehouse at 2815 N. 14th Street.

The Hebert Street Community Garden has been on the tour in the past, but this will be the first time since it was dedicated to Johnnie Owens..

A stroll down the 1300 block of North Market will provide glimpses of the mix of old and new, as well as the variety of housing options from apartment buildings to owner-occupied houses. The North Market Apts. community space, in the background, will be open and will feature a display of plans for another round of Habitat for Humanity houses in Old North.

Since Old North continues to be a work in progress, the tour also features homes that are still in the midst of rehab, such as this home on the 1200 block of North Market.

This house on Monroe, in its final stages of rehab, provides evidence that not everything in Old North has red brick facade.

This house on Sullivan has great interior space as well as a wonderful patio and garden in back.

Although the tour can only feature a limited number of buildings, the architectural and historic character of the streetscape can still be appreciated on the way to and from the different stops on the tour.

As noted in previous posts, more information and a link to purchase tickets online can be found at the ONSL.org page for the house tour: Click HERE to visit the House Tour page of the ONSL website.  Volunteers still have time to sign up to help with this year’s tour.  Just call the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office at 314-241-5031 or send an email to info@onsl.org and let us know when you’re available and how to reach you.

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Old North Flickr Set Features Highlights from 2010

The collection of Old North photos on Flickr now includes a set dedicated to highlights from the activities and events of 2010.  Check it out by clicking here.

Some of these photos will be included in the slideshow of 2010 highlights that will happen at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group’s Annual Meeting & Pot-Luck Supper, which will start at 6 p.m. on Monday evening.

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Huge Year for Old North in 2010 - Part 1

With a couple hours left to celebrate the accomplishments of 2010… and to make a tax-deductible contribution to support our work into 2011 (as noted in the previous post, with a link to our online contributions page), this is as good a time as any to review some of the events and activities of this unbelievably busy year.

NEW RESIDENTS

One of the keys to becoming a sustainable and thriving community is attracting and retaining residents.  It’ll be a while before we get neighborhood-level details from the 2010 Census, but we do know that Old North welcomed at least 80 new households to the neighborhood this past year, including new tenants at recently completed Crown Square Apartments; homebuyers who moved into the 17 Habitat for Humanity-built homes on Dodier, Sullivan, and Hebert; and other homebuyers who purchased houses throughout the neighborhood, from North Market to St. Louis Avenue to Hebert.

CROWN SQUARE COMPLETION & RE-OPENING OF 14th STREET

While some of the residential apartments at Crown Square were finished and occupied by the end of 2009, the rest of the apartments, the sidewalks, trees, bike racks, street lights, and the new street were completed at various points throughout 2010, giving us reason to celebrate something new almost every other month.

Although the street didn’t officially open until the end of October - after the street lights were installed, we held our ribbon-cutting and grand opening street festival on July 29.  The film crew from Marvo Entertainment recorded the event for a future production that eventually will air on PBS stations across the country.  Until then, a short clip from the occasion can be viewed online at Marvo Entertainment Group’s website.

Landmarks Association of St. Louis and the National Trust for Historic Preservation gave us even more reasons to celebrate Crown Square when they presented awards to ONSLRG and our development partners at the Regional Housing & Community Development Alliance for our work on Crown Square.  Landmarks presented us with one of their “Most Enhanced Awards” in May (along with one to Old North residents Nico & Nicole Leone, shown in the middle photo below, for the historic rehab of their home on Wright Street) and the National Trust/HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation was presented to staff from ONSLRG and RHCDA at the National Preservation Conference in October.

OLD NORTH GROCERY CO-OP OPENED FOR BUSINESS

Old North’s growing population brings with it a greater demand for neighborhood goods and services and other amenities, as well as an increased supply of customers for neighborhood businesses.  To accommodate this demand, and in response to the expressed desires of long-time community residents, ONSLRG initiated efforts to establish a grocery store for Old North and surrounding neighborhoods.  After many months of planning and community meetings, and investment of thousands of hours of volunteer effort to get the building at 2718 N. 13th Street in shape to serve as a grocery store - and support from more people and groups than can be listed here (although UM-Extension, Missouri Foundation for Health, Ken Kranzberg, Kaemmerlen Electric, and IBEW electricians deserve special acknowledgment), the Old North Grocery Co-op opened for business on July 17.

Volunteers from groups such as Students Today-Leaders Forever (mostly from John Carroll University who spent part of their spring break with us), St. Louis area Yale University alumni and current students (who came out for this year’s Yale Day of Service), and students from St. Louis University and Washington University worked side by side with dozens of neighborhood residents and friends of Old North who carried out interior demo, new wall construction, painting, shelf assembly, and countless other tasks for much of the first half of 2010.

In addition to bringing healthy and affordable foods to Old North, the grocery co-op also brought a lot of outside attention to good things going on in the community.  Among those reporting on the developments in Old North, National Public Radio aired a story about the co-op on NPR stations all over the country.  Click HERE for a link to the NPR page where you can read the transcript or listen to the report by Veronique LaCapra of St. Louis Public Radio.

RE-DEDICATION OF HEBERT STREET GARDEN AS JOHNNIE OWENS GARDEN

We were greatly saddened by the passing of our great friend and longtime ONSLRG board member Johnnie Owens in September, but a few weeks earlier we were able to let Johnnie know how much she meant to all of us when we re-dedicated the Hebert Street Community Garden as a lasting tribute to Johnnie’s many contributions to the community.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2, with images and details about…

-ARTS EVENTS AND OTHER PROGRAMS AT OLD NORTH GALLERY

-NORTH CITY FARMERS’ MARKET AMONG TOP 20 OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE FARMERS MARKETS

-SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY GARDENS & DESIGNATION OF 13th STREET GARDEN AS GATEWAY GREENING ”HUB GARDEN”

-NEW BUSINESSES ON 14th STREET

-TOURS AND VISITS FROM FAR & WIDE

-NEW BOOK HIGHLIGHTS REVITALIZATION IN OLD NORTH

In the meantime, have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve!

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Scenes from a Snowy Day in Old North

Crown Square, looking up N. 14th Street from Warren

The office of Old North Saint Louis Restoration Group at the corner of N. 14th and Warren.

Looking up N. 14th toward Crown Candy Kitchen at St. Louis Avenue.

A home on Dodier decorated for the holidays.

New owner-occupied homes recently built by Habitat for Humanity on Hebert.

Just a few years ago this nicely rehabbed home on N. 19th Street was a collapsing, city-owned shell.

Hebert Community Garden, now dedicated to Johnnie Owens.

The 1400 block of Hebert.

Looking toward the 2800 block of N. 14th at Wright.

14th and Wright.

Looking down the 2700 block of N. 14th.

The Old North Grocery Co-op at St. Louis Avenue and N. 13th Street.

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Memorial Service for Johnnie Owens - Sat., Oct. 2 at 11 a.m.

The memorial service for Johnnie Owens will take place tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 2) at 11 a.m. at Christ Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church on N. Kingsighway.

As noted in previous posts - and echoed in the many comments posted by others - Johnnie was well-loved throughout the community and will be sorely missed by all.

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Old North Mourns Passing of Johnnie Owens

A few weeks ago we celebrated the life and contributions of Johnnie Owens, long-time board member of Old North St. Louis Restoration Group and beloved community leader, by dedicating the Hebert Community Garden as a tribute to her.  Now, we’re sad to report that Johnnie passed away on Sunday after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

All of us who had the pleasure and privilege to have known Johnnie will miss her positive spirit, common sense perspective, and constant readiness to lend a hand.  We dedicated the Hebert Garden to Johnnie because of the key role she played in bringing life and beauty to what otherwise could have been just another overgrown and abandoned empty lot.  But Johnnie’s love for her community couldn’t be confined to one corner of the neighborhood.  Johnnie was present at -and involved with- almost every community improvement initiative taken on by Old North St. Louis Restoration Group. 

She was out there with a trash bag picking up litter on neighborhood clean-up days; she was there at the sign-in table at countless neighborhood meetings or house tours, greeting neighbors and visitors alike with a friendly welcome; she was there at Executive Committee meetings at 7:30 in the morning and out at Quality of Life meetings that went well into the evening hours later that same day; she represented Old North at meetings outside the neighborhood and she helped to bring neighbors together right down her street; and she was there just about any time we asked for help.

Old North is a stronger, more vibrant community today because of Johnnie Owens.   We were incredibly blessed to have had Johnnie as part of the Old North community.

Johnnie with John Bratkowski and Mayor Francis Slay in October 2008.

Johnnie at one of our construction worker appreciation coffee breaks in March of 2008.

In 2004 Johnnie (in the yellow hat), serving as a greeter at the annual Old North House Tour.

National Night Out, August 2006.

In 2005, Johnnie was part of the delegation that traveled to Jefferson City to receive an award from Missouri Preservation and proclamations from Old North

Although Johnnie often was called upon to be out-front as a representative of the community, she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty with the thankless, glamourless, and often unseen work of cultivating a garden and building a better neighborhood.

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Celebrating the Contributions of Johnnie Owens

Most weekends in Old North St. Louis are filled with community-building events and activities.  This weekend was no different, with Friday night’s Cinema St. Louis screening of HomeGrown in the Old North Gallery, Saturday morning’s North City Farmers’ Market, and the community meeting Saturday afternoon to discuss future activities for the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.  Until recently, we could have counted on Johnnie Owens to have shown up at each of those events.  However, due to a difficult battle with cancer, Johnnie hasn’t been able to get out very much lately.  On Saturday morning, though, Johnnie did get out to the Hebert Community Garden, across the street from her home, for the unveiling of a new sign dedicating the garden to Johnnie, as a tribute to one of Old North’s most beloved residents and one of the neighborhood’s most reliable and reasonable leaders.

With ONSLRG Board President Tino Ochoa looking on, Alderwoman April Ford Griffin presented Johnnie (seated on the right, with her back to the camera) with a resolution from the Board of Aldermen.

The sign is unveiled.

Another surpirse for Johnnie: the 1500 block of Hebert will also be known now as Johnnie E. Owens Street.

Johnnie's family gathered around her to celebrate the occasion.

Neighbors and friends came out to show Johnnie how much she has meant to them.

Among the neighbors who were responsible for the occasion were Carmella Kranz and Se'an Whiteside.

Old North's own metal artist Janet Sanders was responsible for creating the unique frame for the sign and welding it all onto the antique post donated by the Bratkowski family.

As testament to Johnnie's capacity to bring the community together, residents lingered to enjoy the garden and each other's company long after the ceremony.

Thank you Johnnie for all you’ve done for Old North St. Louis, as a dedicated board member & officer of the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group; as a tireless worker in and advocate for the Hebert Garden; as an outgoing and welcoming neighbor; and as a generous, thoughtful, and caring friend.

UPDATE: To see more photos from the dedication  visit the Old North St. Louis flickr site or just click HERE.

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North 14th Street Sidewalk & Street Work in Progress

For those who were beginning to doubt that the street was ever going to come, this week has provided visible proof that the Crown Square redevelopment does, indeed, include putting the street back in.  The following pictures show the work under way over the past couple days.

The view from inside the ONSLRG office.

Kevin from RVWagner was part of the crew that closed the street and converted 14th Street into a pedestrian mall in the 1970s; now he's back on the scene as part of the crew digging up the mall to make way for the return of the street.

The cross-street of Montgomery is getting opened up, as well.

The view from Warren.

The Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office has become a popular spot to watch the action. A reflection of Johnnie Owens can be seen in the glass on the left.

Joe Sweet is stopping by every day to check on the progress.

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North City Farmers’ Market off to a Good Start

The following scenes from the first hour of the North City Farmers’ Market’s opening day show a lively and cool start to the season.

Set-up volunteer of the day, Ben Sever, up on the ladder putting up the market banner.

Graham & V pick up some fresh veggies from the City Seeds table.

Johnnie Owens buys some herbs grown in Old North's 13th Street Community Garden; Veronica Holden handles the sale.

Chef Euylan Welch prepares some "old school brick chicken" for the free samples.

The market will go until noon today — so there’s still time to get over here if you’re reading this right now.  If you can’t make it today, come back every Saturday between now and Oct. 31.

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Above: Johnnie Owens (third from left) accepts the Local Hero Award from Bank of America and presents ONSLRG executive director Sean Thomas with a Bank of America contribution of $5,000. Johnnie was able to select a non-profit of her choice to receive the contribution from the bank in honor of her award. At the far right is Patricia Mercurio, President, Bank of America Missouri.

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