Habitat for Humanity Starts New Project in Old North

On Friday morning Habitat for Humanity held its “First Nail” Celebration as the ceremonial start for their new project which will bring 17 new environmentally-friendly, owner-occupied homes to Old North St. Louis over the next 6 months or so.   The event included greetings from local, state, and federal officials, as well as a welcome to the neighborhood by ONSLRG Board President Tino Ochoa. 

ONSLRG board members (from left to right) Gloria Bratkowski, Johnnie Owens, and Tino Ochoa endured the slight drizzle berfore the program.

Habitat for Humanity-St. Louis executive director Kimberly McKinney, expressed her excitement about the start of construction in Old North and the recent award from the Home Depot Foundation for HfH-STL's sustainable design features.

Tino Ochoa emphasized how the Habitat home-owners will be joining a neighborhood that already is enjoying a good deal of positive development with Crown Square, the upcoming grocery co-op, and much, much more.

Dignitaries and future homeowners (including a few current Old North residents) hammer the first nails into the framing that will go up at one of the first houses on the 1900 block of Hebert.

And in a symbolic gesture of the teamwork and support this project requires, the group collectively raises the first wall.

To learn more about this project, to volunteer, and/or to get on Habitat’s list of prospective homeowners, call 314-371-0400.

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ONSLRG Welcomes Matt Fernandez as new Community Development Specialist

This week ONSLRG welcomed Matt Fernandez as the organization’s new Community Development Specialist, which means Matt now is getting paid to show up for work every day, after the past several months as a part-time contract worker and two previous stints as an intern. 

On his first full day on the job, Matt showed his willingness to do the dirty work of community development.

Already known to many in the neighborhood through his involvement in various projects over the past several years, Matt has been able to hit the ground running due to his familiarity with the community, the organization, and the broad range of issues affecting Old North.  Meanwhile, Matt’s educational background is uniquely suited for working with us, not just because he has an undergrad degree in Urban Affairs and a master’s degree in Urban Planning & Real Estate Development.  While those degrees are good training for neighborhood development work anywhere, Matt took that one step further and made Old North St. Louis the focus of his research throughout his education, including using his Master’s program “capstone project” to explore redevelopment options for the Mullanphy Emigrant Home area.  In addition to his two internships with us, Matt also worked at Landmarks Association while he was in grad school and gained significant experience working on preservation issues.

One important part of the job of the Community Development Specialist is to meet with prospective homebuyers and/or people interested in rehabbing opportunities in Old North.  As someone who has purchased a vacant, deteriorated building in the neighborhood and is in the midst of his own major rehab project, Matt can speak with credibility about the attraction of the neighborhood – and can offer firsthand insights about the process of putting together and managing a project.  And, with direct experience with the challenges of construction & historic rehab, Matt can speak the language of the construction contractors and development partners we have to deal with in our current and future projects.

Another key factor in Matt’s selection was his demonstrated willingness to do whatever needs to be done – whether that means mopping the floor, carting tables and chairs, swinging a hammer, scheduling an appointment with an appraiser, or meeting with a real estate agent at odd hours.  Matt was able to put those skills to work on his first full day on the job, this past Monday when an army of 40 college students arrived to tackle some of the interior clean-out of the future Old North Grocery Co-op building.

Matt (in the brown jacket, back to the camera) providing last-minute instructions to the volunteers from Students Today-Leaders Forever on Monday.

If you’d like to send your own welcome to Matt - or ask him about homebuying or rehab opportunities in Old North, send him an email at Matt@onsl.org or give him a call at the ONSLRG office, 314-241-5031, ext. 101.

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ONSLRG’s Annual Meeting & Pot-Luck Supper Next Monday, Feb. 15

Next Monday, February 15, the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group will hold its annual meeting and put-luck supper at the ONSLRG office and gallery.  If you’re a member of ONSLRG or just a friend who cares about Old North and want to show your support for the community-based, not-for-profit organization that serves the neighborhood, come on out and join us for a review of the highlights of 2009 and preview of plans for the rest of 2010.  And if you’re not yet a member, you can join now by clicking right here.

Click here to download a PDF of the flyer for this event so that you can print and share with your friends or neighbors.

Above: ONSLRG Board President Tino Ochoa discussed some of the plans for 2009 at last year’s annual meeting.

Above:  a highlight of this annual event is the opportunity to taste some of your neighbors’ favorite recipes.

If you have any questions, just give us a call at the ONSLRG office (314-241-5031) or send an email to info@onsl.org.

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Thoughts and Prayers to the Family of Richard Taylor

Richard Taylor, the longtime pastor of 4th Baptist Church and board member of Old North St. Louis Restoration Group for several years until last year, passed away last week after a long illness.   All of us at ONSLRG extend our thoughts and prayers to Richards wife, Linda, and their three daughters.

Richard in the dark sweater, third from right, at the 2008 ONSLRG annual meeting & pot-luck supper.

Richard provided an example of the type of service that has made Old North St. Louis work over many years.  Richard helped many neighbors during difficult times, whether they just needed someone to talk to or a ride to a doctor’s appointment; he served on numerous committees, task forces, and boards; he was always willing to volunteer time on a weekend or evening, to help out with a house tour or other special events; and he never gave up hope of finding resources to restore the 4th Baptist Church building on 13th Street, even after the devastating fire there in September of 2008.  Richard’s compassion and wisdom will be missed by all who had the pleasure of working with him.

Richard (at right) sharing stories of the neighborhood with visitors to the 2008 house tour.

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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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One Day’s Activities Reflect Vibrant Community in Old North

Saturday may not have been a typical day in Old North, but it sure reflected the positive energy fueling the neighborhood’s revitalization and demonstrated how active the community is.  As noted in yesterday’s post here, the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group is in the midst of moving our offices and community space down the street, to the heart of the Crown Square redevelopment.   While a Saturday ordinarily would be an ideal day to mobilize our dependable army of volunteers to help with the move, many of these individuals were deployed to various other community projects throughout the neighborhood, including:

• The Metropolis St. Louis tour of Old North;
• A vacant building board-up initiative, coordinated by the “Macho Action Group”, a division of ONSLRG’s Real Estate Committee;
• An event focused on the dynamics of community development, held at the Urban Studio Cafe with the Brown School of Social Work; and
• Construction of a wheelchair ramp by neighborhood volunteers for a long-time resident who experienced complications after hip-replacement surgery.

All of this played out against the backdrop of a beautiful November day, which brought out throngs of visitors to the neighborhood, many of whom chose to wait in the long line out the door at ONSL’s favorite ice cream parlor / lunch spot, Crown Candy Kitchen.  See below for a sampling of photos from this extraordinary slice of community life in Old North St. Louis.

Metropolis visitors toured Crown Square, including ONSLRG's new space (in the background)

Graham Lane showed off the creative adaptation of warehouse space as a cool, loft-style home.

Nico Leone (in the white t-shirt) led a tour through the home he is rehabbing on Wright Street and pointed out that the stairs were constructed from timbers salvaged from a nearby warehouse.

Macho Action Group volunteers cutting plywood and gathering materials for securing vacant buildings.

Boarding up a building on Palm Street, to keep it protected from the elements and vandals, so that it can survive long enough for a future rehab. Hey, isn't that Graham Lane, again?

ONSLRG's practicum student, Meghan Baer (in the purple shirt), helping set up at the Urban Studio Cafe for the program with her fellow students from Washington University's Brown School of Social Work.

The line at Crown Candy stretched out the door.

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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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Scenes from Vegtabalooza at North City Farmers’ Market

The following shots capture a little of the spirit and fun of Saturday’s Vegtabalooza at the North City Farmers’ Market.  (Check back to this post later for updated captions of people in the photos)

Fresh veggies from the 13th Street Community Garden

Ray Ray and James of City Seeds kept busy with a steady flow of customers

Contest judges tasting the apple pie entries.

Best vegetarian dish winner

Best Tomato winners

Strangest Looking Vegetable winners

Apple Pie Contest winners

Dickherber family with one mighty big pumpkin

The Lettuce Heads performing for the Vegtabalooza crowd

A good time was had by all.

Although Vegtabalooza is over, the North City Farmers’ Market continues EVERY Saturday morning through the last Saturday in October.  Come back next week for more farm-fresh food, children’s activities, live entertainment, and cool people.

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Vegtabalooza Happening Right Now!

If you’re sitting at home right now on Saturday morning wondering what to do on this beautiful day, perhaps the following photos will entice you out the door to join us for Vegtabalooza at the North City Farmers’ Market.  Most of these shots are from the early morning set-up, so the crowds haven’t arrived yet.   And if you’ve got a potential prize-winning fruit or vegetable or an apple pie in the oven, there’s still time to enter them in the contests here.  So hurry on over - the market fest ends at noon!

We look forward to seeing you at St. Louis Avenue just slightly west of N. 14th Street.

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Come One, Come All to Vegtablooza ‘09 - Sat., Sept. 12!

If you’ve never been to the North City Farmers’ Market, or even if you’ve been every week, this week’s market is one not to be missed!  Come on out tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. until noon for a great celebration of farm-fresh food and a taste of a community in the midst of a phenomenal rebirth. 

So, what is a Vegtablooza?  This special event is our city’s “first festival celebrating fruits and vegetables”, with great musical entertainment, free food tastings and cooking demonstrations, and contests galore - including prizes for best apple pie, best tomato, best vegetarian or vegan dish, strangest fruit or vegetable, biggest fruit or vegetable.  If you’ve got a great recipe for a delicious apple pie, bring your pie and enter it in the contest.  If you’ve got something else that might qualify for any of the other contests, please bring it along, and who knows, you might go home with a prize!

Feel free to click and save this flyer and forward to everyone you know!

Come on by to buy some food (you’ve got to get your groceries anyway, so why not get something healthy and fresh, and support a good cause and have fun all at the same time?) and stay for the festivities.  This week’s food will include watermelons, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, okra, banana peppers, acorn squash, delicata squash, basil, mint, coriander, and much, much more!

In addition to our usual live music (starting at 9:45 a.m.), we’ll have children’s activities (including face painting and pictures with the Giant Carrot) and free health screenings by Grace Hill Health Center’s mobile health van. 

Tell your neighbors, bring the kids, and join in the celebration!  The market takes place every Saturday morning along the south side of the intersection of N. 14th Street and St. Louis Avenue, right across the street from Crown Candy Kitchen and at the edge of the Crown Square redevelopment of the former 14th Street Pedestrian Mall.

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