Old North Co-op Gets Help from Student Volunteers

When the Old North Grocery Co-op finally opens for business toward the end of June, the list of people to thank will be quite long.  One of the most recent additions to that list is a group from the John Carroll University chapter of Students Today Leaders Forever who rolled into Old North from Cleveland this past Monday morning.  These college students were on a cross-country tour as part of an alternative spring break in which they spent some time taking part in service projects in different cities each day.

While in Old North, these students helped out with a lot of the messy work of interior clean-up (or clean-out) at the building that will house the co-op.  The photos below show just a sampling of the day’s activities as the 40 or so volunteers mobilized to begin the process of transforming the former horseradish factory into a neighborhood grocery store.

With hardhats, goggles, and face-masks, this crew prepared to remove an obsolete kitchen and open up some space. The photo below shows the progress achieved in just a couple hours of work.

The building still has a long way to go before it’s ready for opening day, but thanks to the energetic and committed group from Students Today Leaders Forever, we got a great start last week.  We’ll continue to report here about other sources of support that are being made available for this great community-building and public health initiative.  In the meantime, if you’d like to pitch in with future work days or contribute in other ways, contact the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group at 314-241-5031 or send an email to info@onsl.org.

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A Neighborhood that Cares about Affordable Housing & Design

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group has always maintained a commitment to the ideal that current and prospective residents, from across the economic spectrum, should be able to find high quality housing opportunities appropriate and affordable for their individual circumstances.  With that said, we were excited to learn that Habitat for Humanity was interested in adding some of their homes to our efforts to ensure that the market in ONSL includes high quality, affordable ownership opportunities.  Last week ONSLRG hosted a community meeting to allow neighborhood residents to hear from Habitat for Humanity staff about their plans to build 17 new, energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly homes in Old North this year.

The large turnout and lively discussion demonstrated that Old North residents are passionate about design related issues.  A lot of conversation focused on whether the contemporary design of the new homes would blend well with the historic character of the neighborhood.  Most historic neighborhoods that have been around for nearly a couple hundred years, however, include a range of housing styles that reflect the diversity of the population and the evolving tastes and construction methods.  While Old North is well known for its red brick, Victorian-era townhouses, the neighborhood is also home to buildings with facades of other materials and colors, as well as variation in size and setback.

It’s worth noting that Habitat’s staff and architects took the time to come up with designs that represent a significant departure from previous homes they’ve built in St. Louis - and with features that reflect characteristics of other homes in Old North, including the neighborhood’s sampling of flounder houses and one-story homes, especially in the northwest part of the neighborhood.

The rendering above shows one of the two-story flounder-style models adjacent to one of the one-story models.

The plan at the moment is for some of the preliminary development work to get started as early as the next month with volunteer crews to be on site for build days in two different waves, one from April through June, and the second from July through September.  The homes are to be built on the 1900 blocks of Hebert and Sullivan, and the 1400 block of Dodier (between Blair and 19th), as shown below.  As the site plan indicates, Habitat’s plan has attracted the interest of EcoUrban, another private developer with a track record for high quality, award-winning green buildings.

For information about how to get on the list for homeownership or to volunteer to help build these homes, contact Habitat for Humanity at 314-371-0400.  To offer your thoughts about how this development fits into the overall redevelopment of Old North St. Louis or for other general neighborhood questions, contact ONSLRG at 314-241-5031 or by email at info@onsl.org.

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Other upcoming events: Meetings with MODOT (Jan. 21) and Habitat for Humanity (Jan. 26)

Now that you’ve got a new calendar for the new year, you can start filling it up with events in Old North, including the following:

Next Thursday, January 21, ONSLRG will host a community meeting with representatives from the Missouri Dept. of Transportation, who will be on-hand to explain plans for the replacement of the Madison Street overpass.  This meeting will start at 7 p.m. and take place in ONSLRG’s Crown Village Gallery, 2700 N. 14th Street.

Then, on Tuesday, January 26, ONSLRG will host a community meeting with Habitat for Humanity.  Staff from Habitat will be present to discuss the plans for the 17 new, homes they’ll be building this year on Dodier, Sullivan, and Hebert.  This meeting also will begin at 7 p.m. in the ONSLRG gallery. 

Feel free to make copies of this flyer for your friends and neighbors and help spread the word.

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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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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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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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North City Farmers’ Market Continues to Add Flavor to Old North Every Saturday Morning

Although KSDK-TV (Channel 5) reporter Ashley Yarchin didn’t quite capture the crowd at its peak in her news story about the market last week, the North City Farmers’ Market continues to draw Old North residents and healthy-food hungry customers from surrounding neighborhoods every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.  Come on out tomorrow morning to pick up your fresh produce and show your support for the market while getting a chance to enjoy the tasty samples prepared on the spot by Chef Euylan Welch and the great sounds of this week’s featured musician, Bob Reuter.

By the way, if you’ve got some time to contribute, contact market master Sarah Pritchard at sarahpritchard@yahoo.com.

You can watch the full report below:

 
For more information about the market, contact the North City Farmers’ Market project coordinator at: lucas@northcityfarmersmarket.org.

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A Sampling of Recent Good Things Going on in Old North

Todd Antoine of Great Rivers Greenway addressing the cyclists in Old North for the Tuesdays with a Twist bike ride on June 16.

Jackson Park has been getting a major makeover thanks to funds secured by Alderwoman April Ford Griffin. Watch for photos soon of progress there.

The Urban Studio Cafe is gearing up for an opening this summer, thanks to funds awarded to them as a winner of the Skandalaris Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Competition. Congratulations to Phil, Claire, Liz, and all of their supporters.

Peter Sparks continues to make progress with the renovation of his building at 2701 N. 14th Street.

The 13th Street Community Garden is tended regularly by garden coordinator Veronica Holden and her children, as well as other neihgborhood residents, including neighbors from Jackson Park Senior Apts.

Meanwhile, the current season of the North City Farmers’ Market has had 4 good weeks already, despite the blistering temperatures during the past couple Saturdays.   Please note that the market will not take place this coming Saturday, July 4th, so our many volunteers and workers can enjoy the holiday with their families.

Tom staffs the table full of produce from Lee Farms on Saturday, June 27.

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Another Healthy Food Initiative for Old North

On Thursday we celebrated the first delivery of farm-fresh veggies from Family Harvest CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  A CSA is an arrangement in which consumers purchase subscriptions for weekly deliveries of boxes of food straight from the farm throughout the growing season.  With this week’s delivery, the Old North St. Louis deliveries will take place every Thursday afternoon through October 22, with subscribers stopping by to pick up their boxes between 4 and 7 p.m. at 2718 N. 13th Street.  If you missed the earlier announcements about the CSA and still want to get in on this deal, contact the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office at 314-241-5031 or send an email to info@onsl.org.

Farmer Rusty Lee of Family Harvest CSA unloads the first shipment of food from his farm, with a little help from his son, Will (at left) and his intern, Clint (on the right).

Susan Tschetter wins the prize for being the first Old North resident to pick up her order.

Zoila Rendon displays the variety of vegetables in the first week

Our intern Aidan Gillespie and Wash.U. architecture student Hitomi Inoue helped set up for the first day.

This great arrangement would not have happened in the first place if we hadn’t been introduced to Rusty by Kay Gasen of UMSL and Kara Lubischer of University of Missouri Extension.  Thanks Kay & Kara!  We also owe thanks to the great volunteer help of Daniel Jacobs and Hitomi Inoue, Washington University architecture students, who recruited a couple of their friends to clean up the interior of the building where the CSA deliveries and pick-ups are taking place — and took it a step further by painting the pick-up area in bright, cheery colors.  We also benefited from volunteer help from a couple days of volunteer service from students coordinated by New City Fellowship.

Chris Smith and volunteers mobilized by New City Fellowship got down on their hands and knees to scrub the floor.

Washington University students painting the CSA pick up area.

Some of the food from the Family Harvest CSA and Lee Farms will be available on Saturday mornings at the North City Farmers’ Market.  So, if you can’t be a part of the CSA, come on out on Saturday to pick up some of the great food.

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