Much to be Thankful for in Old North St. Louis

Despite the difficult economic times, Old North St. Louis has had a lot to be thankful for this year.  In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we’d like to put the spotlight on just a dozen improvements, achievements or positive developments in Old North during 2009.  By limiting this list to just 12, that means several other worthy events, occasions, or successes won’t be covered here.  So, stay tuned, we’ll try to get around to acknowledging those in later posts.  As it is, the following list includes many items that deserve much more space than a brief mention and a photo or two, but we’ll have to settle for that for now. 

1) Jackson Park Improvements

Part of the improvements at Jackson Park included new playground equipment.

2) Support for the Old North Grocery Co-op - Thanks to a very generous 3-year grant approved by the Missouri Foundation for Health, we now will be able to launch the Old North Grocery Co-op at 2718 N. 13th Street.  More funds still need to be raised, but the support of MFH ensure that we can get up and running in 2010.

Something like this will be coming soon to ONSL: interior of a grocery co-op...in a neighboprhood called Old North Knoxville.

Planning for the grocery co-op has benefited from help provided by UMSL’s Community Partnership Project and a diverse group of people serving on our co-op planning committee.  The whole effort has grown out of our successes with other food-related efforts, which is why that deserves mention here…

3) Continuation & Expansion of a Variety of Other Healthy Food Initiatives - this year we hosted the 3rd season of the North City Farmers’ Market (thanks again to the ongoing support of the Missouri Foundation for Health!); we enjoyed a bountiful crop of produce grown in the the 13th Street Community Garden; and we started a new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) arrangement with Family Harvest (with weekly deliveries by farmer Rusty Lee).

A healthy dialogue about plants in the 13th Street Garden

4) Opening of 2700 N. 14th Street as the new office for Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, the “Yet-to-be Named” Gallery, and space for neighborhood information and expanded support for neighborhood improvement initiatives.  We’ve posted some views of the exterior of the building and the gallery space in an earlier post, so now we’ll show off some other views of the interior space. 

5) Crown Square Apartments - NOW LEASING!…Yes, now that water and sewer connections have been completed on the 2700 block of N. 14th and nearing completion on the 2600 block, that means our leasing agents at Cohen-Esrey are actually showing apartments and signing leases with people who are taking advantage of the opportunity to live in the heart of Old North at Crown Square.  Give them a call today if you don’t want to miss your chance.

6) Work is in progress making it possible for the return of the street to the 2600 and 2700 blocks on N. 14th Street!  This is the part that is largely hidden behind the construction fences, but rest assured that it’s actually coming soon, thanks to the hard work of our partners at the Regional Housing & Community Development Alliance (RHCDA) who have been navigating the complexities of a myriad of regulatory agencies and funding sources.  Stay tuned for more on that topic in a future post.

7) The opening of the Urban Studio Cafe.  The cafe has been warmly received by the community and has turned into a favorite neighborhood gathering spot for residents and outsiders who want a quick cup of coffee, a wireless signal for some web-surfing, a sweet pastry or a nourishing sandwich or cup of soup.

Acquisition and stabilization of endangered historic buildings by ONSLRG.  Earlier in the year Old North St. Louis Restoration Group acquired 8 vacant and deteriorated buildings from the City’s Land Reutilization Authority (thanks to support from Alderwoman April Ford Griffin) with the goal of stabilizing them so that they could survive long enough to be acquired and rehabbed by others.  Since then, ONSLRG has succeeded in selling 2 of them to rehabbers, has started exploring plans for redevelopment of 2 others and contracted with E.M. Harris Construction Company to carry out urgen stabilization work at the remaining 4.

9) Completion of historic rehabs at several owner-occupied properties.  While ONSLRG is investing funds to make it possible for future rehabs, several rehabbers have completed (for the most part) on major efforts to preserve and rehab formerly abandoned buildings.  Two of these, 3240 N. 19th Street and 1303 North Market, were featured at ONSLRG’s Annual Old North St. Louis House Tour in May.

3240 N. 19th Street has enjoyed a remarkable comeback from its previous condition as an empty shell missing its back wall.The former charcoal warehouse on the 1300 block of North Market has a new life as a cool, loft-like home.

10) Acquisition of other vacant properties and start of rehabs by individual rehabbers.  The work has only just begun at several other vacant buildings, but individual rehabbers in different parts of Old North are currently in the midst of bringing new life to long-neglected properties on Palm, Benton, North Market, and Monroe, among others.  One of these buildings, at 1307 Benton, is in the able hands of James Cox, right on the heels of getting a ”Most Enhanced” Award from Landmarks Association in May for the home he and his wife, Luz Maria Evans, rehabbed on Hebert.

1307 Benton in the midst of a major makeover.

11) Continued stream of volunteer help.  Much of the successes over the past year would not have been possible without the thousands of hours of help from volunteers - from within the neighborhood and from outside friends, relatives and supporters.  Sometimes these volunteers come as individuals, such as Brian Krueger, who helped out with many different tasks throughout the year, from staffing a table at the North City Farmers’ Market to planting, weeding, and harvesting in the 13th Street Community Garden; on other occasions, we get volunteers by the busload, including SLU Law School orientation service day students (thanks to Kathleen Parvis) and other students recruited and coordinated by New City Fellowship Church.

12) Ongoing support and attention from outside groups.  We also benefit from a broad range of outside groups who help share the Old North story by bringing their members or the general public in for tours and presentations.  This past year was much busier than previous ones, with numerous local groups, such as the regular visits from the Rehabbers Club and Metropolis, educational tours guided by local historian NiNi Harris, and the monthly bike rides coordinated by Bike St. Louis during the summer months; out-of-state visitors, including Iowa State University architecture students; and some foreign interest this years with visits from delegations from as far away as Russia and Thailand (thanks to UMSL). 

Thanks again to all who have made 2009 such an eventful and exciting year!

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Now’s Your Chance to Become a Part of “One of the Country’s Best Revitalization Stories”

Recently we used this space to celebrate the achievements in preserving and breathing new life into historic buildings throughout Old North (see post from July 4) - and once again, Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC, picked up the message and shared our story with the rest of the world.

Kaid Benfield's latest blog post about Old North St. Louis on July 6 draws the attention of his readers to the progress at Crown Square.

In previous posts over the past year or so, Benfield, the director of NRDC’s Smart Growth Program, has referred to Old North as “one of the country’s best revitalization stories” and described the neighborhood as “the very antithesis of sprawl.”

Now YOU can get in on the action, become a part of the community, and keep the neighborhood’s momentum going all at the same time.  Last week the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group released a Request for Proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of six (6) vacant, historic buildings in the North Market area of Old North St. Louis.   The full details of this RFP can be found in the Rehabbers page of the Real Estate section of the ONSL.org website, where you can download the RFP and see a listing and photos of all of the properties:http://onsl.org/rehabbers/.

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group purchased these properties from the City of St. Louis with the purpose of stabilizing them before they deteriorate any further or completely collapse.  Since the ideal scenario would be to get these properties into the hands of legitimate rehabbers who have commitment and resource to preserve the buildings, ONSLRG would like to give rehabbers or developers the chance to purchase them before ONSLRG spends significant funds on stabilization.  If serious offers do not get submitted by August 14, ONSLRG will begin work on the buildings and offers to purchase after that date will be expected to cover those stabilization expenses.

With this offer, you can get a limited edition Old North historic property and customize it to create your dream home.   The following buildings are just three of the historic properties available through this RFP:

The building at 1312 Warren is in the Crown Square redevelopment area and is sandwiched between two other buildings that have already experienced complete historic rehabs.

The little building at 1217 North Market should be small enough to make it more manageable and affordable for an individual rehabber. The house is between a new North Market Place home and one of the nine buildings part of the North Market Place Apartments development that won a "Most Enhanced" Award from Landmarks Association a couple years ago.

At first glance, the building at 1300 Monroe may seem a bit challenging, but we have plenty of experienced rehabbers in Old North who can share their expertise and make referrals to reputable contractors. Besides, this building features a nice view of the Arch, straight down 13th St., and was featured in the New York Times a few years ago.

To learn more about these properties and the process for making an offer for one or more of them, download the RFP from the Rehabbers page.  If you would like to make an offer or have questions after reviewing the information included in the RFP, call ONSLRG’s real estate development coordinator, Karen Heet, at 314-241-5031, or send her an email - karen@onsl.org. 

If you’re not up for taking on a rehab project, you can still help out by sending ONSLRG a contribution to help cover the rather hefty costs of stabilizing these buildings.  For this option, call executive director Sean Thomas at 314-241-5031 or send him an email - sean@onsl.org.

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2 Days to Go! Sneak Previews & Other Opportunities to Support ONSL

With the Old North House & Community Tour just two days away - we want to offer a few glimpses of some of the sights you’ll see, apart from the Crown Square redevelopment. 

This home at 3240 N. 19th Street is nearing completion and has come a long way in less than a year.

As bad as the front looked in July of 2008, the other side was worse, missing the entire back wall.

The new building at 1318 Hebert and the historic building at its rear also are nearing completion, with an exciting future as a bed & breakfast, gallery, and meeting space.

The owners of both of the above properties graciously have agreed to have their buildings on this year’s tour.  And, as a bonus, you can read more about them on the websites the owners created to chronicle their progress: 

•  The story of 3240 N. 19th Street can be found at a site with the title of “3 Walls”
• And you can learn more about the blending of old and new at 1318 Hebert at a site called “1318 Hebert“, with an appropriately descriptive subtitle: “rehabbing a house in the city”

In addition to buying your tickets on the ONSL website, now you can support the work of Old North St. Louis Restoration Group by making an online donation or you can purchase some cool, Old North merchandise, such as t-shirts, mugs, stickers for your car or home.  All you have to do is click on the Buy Stuff  tab along the top of the ONSL.org main page — or you can just click RIGHT HERE.  So, even if you can’t make it to this year’s tour, you can do your part to keep the revitalization moving forward.

But, if you do come out on Saturday, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., you’ll get a chance to see first-hand many of the cool things going on in the neighborhood, including the great spaces shown above.  So, as long as you’re sitting at your computer, why don’t you just click on over to the Buy Stuff page and purchase your tickets now for the low, advance ticket price of $10 instead of paying $12 per ticket on the day of the tour.  (By the way, have we mentioned lately that all tour-goers get free ice cream from Crown Candy Kitchen?)

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Heidi & Ben: Another Old North Success Story in Progress

Above: Heidi & Ben Sever along with Nate & Kathy Sprehe at the Sept. 30 Crown Square meeting.

If you ever start losing faith in the prospects of revitalization in places like Old North St. Louis, just strike up a conversation with some of the people who are in the midst of establishing a new home in Old North. The passion, energy, and vision of these folks will remind you why Old North continues to attract creative people who are willing to roll up their sleeves to make something really cool and restore the beauty to long-neglected properties.

Case in point: Heidi & Ben Sever, who will be moving into Old North from Webster Groves when they finish rehabbing a historic building in the northwest corner of ONSL. Ben is an attorney, and Heidi is a stockbroker-turned glass beadmaker and jewelry designer (check out her handmade glass beads and jewelry by clicking HERE). Just over a month ago, the Severs closed on their purchase of a vacant shell that had been a problem property for at least a dozen years and sitting in the city’s inventory of Land Reutilization Agency (LRA)-owned properties for the past seven years.

If you don’t get a chance to meet them or see the building they’re rehabbing in person, you can visit the Severs’ website, http://www.3walls.net/ to gain some insights into who they are and some images of their phenomenal rehab project on N. 19th Street. In addition to sharing their experiences and lessons learned in the process of bringing a forsaken piece of real estate back to life, Heidi puts in some nice plugs for the neighborhood (”You have got to check out this community!”) and their new neighbors:

On that work day alone, 12, yes TWELVE! (I counted each one) different neighbors came over to introduce themselves and welcome us to the neighborhood. Seven of them, yes, 7!!!, stayed an hour to several hours working right along with us doing demolition and trash removal. Yucky, tiring, dirty work. What a way to say ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’!

Long before their home is ready for occupancy, Heidi and Ben have established themselves as good neighbors, as well. They come out to neighborhood meetings and help out at neighborhood clean-ups (see Ben below helping clear a vacant lot this past May).The Severs are now part of a growing list of people who are redeveloping LRA properties in Old North and demonstrating how revitalization happens. We still have a good number of LRA buildings in Old North ready for new owners and ONSLRG has staff ready to help. Give Karen Heet a call at 314-241-5031 or send her an email (karen@onsl.org) to learn what’s available and how to get in on the excitement.

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A Day of Hope and a New Challenge

Saturday was a day full of mixed emotions, from the energy and excitement of prospective rehabbers at ONSLRG’s Rehabbers and Developers Fair to the sadness and frustration upon learning that a serious fire was consuming the core of the former 4th Baptist Church building on Sullivan & N. 13th Street. By the end of the day, we were reminded that Old North is now enjoying a tremendous rebirth precisely because the community continues to attract new waves of people from far and wide, reflecting diverse backgrounds and different walks of life but sharing a desire to take on something that others had given up on and possessing a vision to make it their own. And as many long-time residents and newcomers alike have expressed to us, what they love about ONSL is the strong sense of community - and the type of warmth, generosity and kindness expressed during difficult times. All of that was evident on Saturday.

Despite the troubles in the real estate and financial markets well beyond Old North, the Rehabbers and Developers Fair still attracted a healthy attendance and a good amount of interest from many who couldn’t make it on Saturday. The attendees received a welcome from ONSLRG Board President Tino Ochoa (in the photo at right), who shared some of the reasons why he is happy to be a resident of ONSL. Other speakers included Laura Costello, director of real estate for the St. Louis Development Corp., who discussed the process for acquiring LRA properties in Old North; Rick Horn (in the photo at the top of this post), who described how a 203k purchase-rehab loan works; Judy McDaniels from Lead Safe St. Louis; and developer/contractor Kevin Dickherber, who completed a rehab project in ONSL after attending our Developers Fair in 2005.

After all of the talking, attendees took a short walking tour to see some of the LRA properties available in Old North. Along the way, two of ONSL’s recent purchasers of LRA property, Viveca & Graham (seen below), opened up the formerly vacant garage that they are transforming into their home and Graham’s sculpture studio.

If you want to learn more about what was discussed at Saturday’s program or to pick up some of the materials distributed there, contact Real Estate Development Coordinator Karen Heet at the ONSLRG office (314-241-5031) or via email: karen@onsl.org.

4th Baptist Church Building Fire

Meanwhile, we expect to find out more this week about the extent of the damage to the 4th Baptist Church building. As of Sunday evening, most of the exterior walls were still standing, but much of the inside was completely destroyed. Neighbors and members of the congregation rushed to the scene but could only watch as firefighters attempted to bring the fire under control and keep it from spreading to nearby buildings. The congregation has not used the church building for several years now because the costs of the buildings repairs and maintenance were beyond the budget of the 4th Baptist community. Nevertheless, Pastor Richard Taylor, his family, and members of the congregation continued to hold out hope that they would find a way to preserve and restore the buildiing to its former glory. The fire on Saturday dealt a severe blow to those hopes.

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Rehabbers & Developers Fair THIS SATURDAY, Sept. 20

Come find out how you or your favorite rehabber can get started on a rehab project in Old North! This Saturday, ONSLRG will host our second Old North St. Louis - LRA Rehabbers’ Fair from 9 a.m. - 12 noon.

The event will focus on acquiring and developing property currently owned by the City’s Land Reutilization Authority and located in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood . Please note that Saturday’s program will NOT be held at ONSLRG’s office but at 1400 North Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63106. (Click on this address for a link to a Mapquest map of the location and the option of getting directions to that address from any other location.) The site of Saturday’s program was once a vacant and burned-out LRA property that was rehabbed in 2006.

On Saturday, you will be able to learn:
▪ How to purchase property from LRA;
▪ What loan products are available for gut renovations;
▪ The financial incentives to renovating LRA properties in Old North;
▪ The lessons learned from people who have gone through – or are in the midst of - the process;
▪ Which LRA property is available in Old North.

A tour of some available LRA properties will conclude the Fair. All attendees will receive a packet including a map of the neighborhood, a list of available LRA properties, the forms necessary for submitting an offer for LRA properties, and more.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP to Karen Heet, Real Estate Development Coordinator, at 314-241-5031 or karen@onsl.org by Wednesday, September 17th.

We want to ensure that we’ll have enough copiesof the handouts, so contact Karen soon to let her know you’ll be coming.Just last month, the LRA Commission approved extending an option to rehabbers who will be taking on the buildings above, at 1946 and 1948-50 Palm. Meanwhile, the former LRA building below on N. 19th Street is partially occupied and well on its way to completion.

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Transforming Vacant LRA Buildings into Rehabbed Homes

Coming soon: another transformation of a long-vacant property. Last week the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) commission approved extending an option for the sale of 3240 N. 19th Street to a couple of young rehabbers. This project will be just the latest in a long series of LRA properties that have been taken on by individuals and community-minded developers throughout Old North St. Louis.

Three years ago, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group approached LRA with an offer to work with them on marketing and promoting the sale of LRA properties in Old North St. Louis. LRA agreed to post on their website the listing of available LRA properties north of St. Louis Avenue, along with guidelines for how to make an offer. Although some of the information is out of date, the Request for Proposals information page is still up on LRA’s website. In return, ONSLRG hosted a “Developers’ Fair” to bring the buildings to the attention of individuals and smaller developers and offered ONSLRG’s staff to assist prospective buyers. As the information online states, the first step in the process is to call the ONSLRG office to see what’s still available and to have a conversation about possible redevelopment plans.

Over the past 3½ years, approximately 60 households have moved into new or rehabbed housing units in Old North St. Louis at formerly vacant LRA properties. Many of these properties were purchased and developed by one of ONSLRG’s partnerships with RHCDA (including the North Market Place Homes, North Market Place Apartments, and Crown Square Apartments), but LRA has also sold buildings to individual rehabbers, especially in the northern part of the neighborhood. Among the former LRA properties currently in the midst of rehabs are:

1517-19 Palm (which obviously is still very early in its process).

3243 N. 19th - where two buildings are being rehabbed (right across the street from 3240 N. 19th), including one at the rear of the parcel (as shown in the first photo below) and one at the front of the parcel (seen in the second photo).

1303 North Market, where a former garage is being rehabbed for residential & artist’s studio space.2824 N. 14th Street (part of the Crown Square redevelopment)

2718 N. 14th (another Crown Square rehab).

And 2601-03 N. 14th (yet another Crown Square property).

If you’d like to learn more about LRA or other properties available for purchase and rehab in ONSL, contact Karen Heet via email at karen@onsl.org or call Karen at the ONSLRG office, 314-241-5031.

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