MSN: Find out Where to Celebrate Mardis Gras...

...except for in St. Louis.

A Valentine to STL

A friend and I were talking today about our shared-adopted hometown of St. Louis. We agreed that one of the things that makes this place so endearing is the way it is so far from perfect. The place is a work in progress, and we are all a part of it.

For those of us with St. Louis in our blood, it is a passion. When Kerri and I moved away for a few years, I'll never forget how we missed it so much. We wanted to move back the whole time.

And now that we're back again, we're here for good. The place has worked its way into our souls. We love it.

StL Evolution Critiques Ballpark Village

Over at StL Evolution, blogger Matt Fernandez gives an upbeat overview of the Ballpark Village project. He even makes the point that locating the ballpark right next to Highway 40 is turning out well.

Ballpark Village represents another $450,000,000 investment added to the city's renaissance, including 1,200 condo units in four towers on a newly restored street grid. Naysayers take note: at present, there is more construction happening in the City of St. Louis than anywhere else in the region.

During the '90s, everyone was talking about the revitalization of downtown, LoDo, Denver**, with downtown baseball and loft conversions leading the way. Now, in the '00s, it's the revitalization of downtown St. Louis that is making national news.

**(Click on the LoDo link and note the similarity between our new ballpark and Denver's...)

Maybe the promoters of 2004 were right?

1804: Lewis and Clark
1904: St. Louis World's Fair
2004+: St. Louis Is Back

Historic District Nominations...Demystified

Thanks to Michael Allen for providing a detailed description of how the process works to nominate a neighborhood for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Michael's description can be found in the comments section of this posting.

A New Way

It was on the way home, via a short cut from the 4300 hundred block of West Florissant, south on Prairie Avenue, across Fairground Park, continuing south to Dr. MLK, and then west a few blocks to catch up with the Metropolis Walk in the Ville.

Driving down Prairie, I rode by three other inviting looking night spots in the Fairground neighborhood. Maybe on a another night the Walk visits Fairground? Maybe. Thanks to Brian Marston for organizing the Ville Walk. It was a good time with a lot of fun people.

After visiting the Walk, I made another detour off the main routes, and headed straight south, down either Whittier or Sarah...I think Whittier (I couldn't tell; some of the street signs were missing). Somewhere around the corner of Washington and Whittier (or Sarah?), I arrived at a beautiful white stone church with a huge monolithic-shaped bell tower. I can't remember ever having noticed it before. A couple more blocks south, I would arrive in the heart of the new Gaslight Square development, situated along the northern edge of the Central West End neighborhood.

Prior to the Walk, the evening started out with a conversation with some Third Ward neighbors, including one long-time resident of the Fairground neighborhood. He's in his mid-80s now, but he remembers back as a young father, back in 1969, when his was the second black family to move on to his block in Fairground. Through the years, he's witnessed firsthand the long drought of disinvestment that blighted his community.

All along, he's remained active working as a volunteer to serve his neighborhood. Those years of work are starting to show a return. Today he sees more investment in the city's Third Ward than he's seen in the previous thirty-plus years. The drought years had seriously worn on his patience, and there's still a level of frustration, but now there's a new beginning too.

First Class Upgrade

Our Midget 2 baseball team, the South Sox, is returning for its second season of practices at Tower Grove Park in South St. Louis.

Tower Grove Park offers fee waivers on field use permits for youth sports teams. For more information, call (314) 771-4484.

Watch for the South Sox on Saturday mornings, beginning in early March. We'll be holding practices on the full-size baseball field located at the southwest corner of the park, just up from Arsenal along Kingshighway.

Architectural Irony

St. Louis has one of the nation's best collections of historic architecture. It's not surprising considering that back in the year 1900, St. Louis was America's fourth largest city. Many believe that our architectural heritage is one of the city's greatest assets.

We also have a culture that is very resistant to change. So today our conservative midwestern culture is challenged to think differently about the importance of our architectural resources. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard people say, "Oh, that's not historic."

Our mostly conservative culture isn't comfortable placing restrictions on the use of private property. Yet progressives want to see our historic architecture preserved and carefully reused.

Getting St. Louisans to think differently about the importance of our local architecture will take more than teaching them about the significance of historic buildings. It will take getting St. Louisans to become more willing to accept change.

And that has little to do with architecture.

Marketplace Snapshot

St. Louis neighborhoods are a diverse marketplace. There are many submarkets of people who make the city their residential destination of choice.

Given the diverse nature of city residents, what would you say are the leading household submarkets choosing city living?

Here's a start-

Empty nesters choosing downtown lofts

First time homebuyers seeking affordable housing

Bosnians moving into Little Bosna

Middle class African Americans wanting to move back to their old city neighborhoods

Catholic families with kids

Gays

There are lots more. What do you think?

South Sox Baseball Club

I manage a baseball team for 6th and 7th grade boys. The name of the team is the St. Louis "South Sox". The team practices at Tower Grove Park and plays out of Heine Meine Field.

We are looking for some new sponsors. If you are interested in supporting a youth baseball team, and promoting your business or organization at the same time, we'd like to introduce you to our team.

The budget for the season is approximately $1500. Our goal for sponsorships is $150 per sponsor. If you are a restaurant owner, your sponsorship cost would be made back through after-game visits by our team and their friends and families.

If interested, please contact me at rbonasch@sbcglobal.net. Thanks.

Maybe we're not paying the right people?

How is it possible that St. Louis is not mentioned anywhere on this website?

More Is Better

One thing that sets St. Louis apart from most other American cities is our historic neighborhoods. Much has been written about the marketing and reinvestment potential of historic rehabilitation. And much of that is made possible through the use of state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.

However, only a small percentage of the city is currently eligible for historic tax credits. If we set out to substantially increase the number of city neighborhoods listed on the National Register, who knows how much more we could see in neighborhood revitalization?

With the exception of the new Jefferson-Gravois Streetcar Suburb Historic District and the expanded Tower Grove Heights Historic District, most of the city's historic districts are concentrated close to downtown, along the riverfront (Hyde Park and St. Boniface) or in the central corridor. Visit the neighborhoods listed on the National Register, and you 'll see a large amount of historic rehab, both underway and recently completed.

The rebirth of downtown has largely been driven by historic rehab. Good work is happening now in Old North St. Louis and Forest Park Southeast through the same resource.

Yet, the vast majority of North and South City is not part of any national historic district. The lack of historic tax credits makes it much harder to finance rehab in these neighborhoods. Where would be a good place to start next?

"Experiment a Success"

KMOX's Kevin Killeen reported this morning that McBride and Sons' experiment to build a "suburban-styled" subdivision in the city is a success.

Homes have sold at a brisk pace, and contracts for an additional twenty homes have been written.

Then Killeen asked the builder if crime has been an issue: "I've noticed a lot of signs for security companies in the front yards".

According the builder, there has not been a single break-in in the development. The developer noted how the new neighbors are cooperating with each other to make the neighborhood a safe place.

Overall, it seemed like a strange news story. For starters, Botanical Heights is not what most people imagine when they picture a "suburban styled" housing development. There are no ranch or single story homes. All the homes have rear garages off of alleys, and the side yard setbacks are much less than most suburban developments. And there are plans for attached townhomes.

Next, it's really not much of an experiment, but rather a successful formula that has been replicated in multiple housing developments all over town. The West End, the Gate District, and the near north side are all places where you can find large, new home developments that have sold well.

And even though there has been none, Killeen decided to make crime a key part of his story. He could have taken many angles when reporting on the success of the project. The fact that he chose to highlight the issue of crime when reporting on the success of a new home development in the city is disappointing.

Bored in St. Louis

Seldom played, late model Fender Telecaster, with original metal-flake blue finish, white pick gaurd, and maple neck, seeks new home. Owner desires a like-quality acoustic mandolin in even exchange. Interested parties, please contact the owner of this blog. Thanks!

"The trouble with boys"

Much has been in the news lately about the struggles of young boys making the passage into adulthood.

They are failing at greater rates than ever before, and schools are having a hard time figuring out ways to help them improve.

Some say boys are treated like defective girls, rather than looked at as individuals with their own unique concerns.

With Matt turning thirteen in a less than two months, we're facing these challenges on a daily basis, and much of what we're reading in the articles and watching on the news we have seen happen in Matt's life.

This week, two boys, one in 6th the other in 7th grade, were expelled from Matt's school. The news came as a shock to all of us since we've known these two young people since they were kindergarten age.

It's not a St. Louis thing, but a national concern. Some suggest all-boy middle schools would help. Others say the presence of a father figure in the home is a big factor. Reports are that 40% of young boys are growing up in homes without their biological fathers.

What about opening up the schools for evening study halls with sons and fathers? We could help each other out.

CBC High School Considers Mandatory Drug Testing

In a move that may lead to wider spread efforts, CBC High School in Town and Country Missouri, a posh suburb of St. Louis, is considering mandatory drug testing of students.

School administrators believe mandatory testing may provide students a way to say "no" to offers to experiment with illicit drugs.

A First for Downtown St. Louis

In an attempt to position the event as a major regional event, for the first time in its long history, the Annie Malone parade will be held this year in downtown St. Louis.

Annie Malone is not a city neighborhood, but rather a famous person in St. Louis history who was one of America's first African American millionaires. She made her fortune developing and selling hair products targeted to African American consumers. She resided in the historic Ville neighborhood.

Today, the Annie Malone organization serves low income St. Louis households, providing a wide array of services. The Annie Malone organization is based in the Ville neighborhood, 2612 Annie Maolone Drive, St. Louis, MO 63113. Telephone 314-531-0120.

The Annie Malone organization also operates a Day Care Respite and Crisis Nursery in the Penrose neighborhood at 4411 North Newstead, St. Louis, MO 63115. Telephone 314-381-2410.

RIP Mary Taylor

Longtime 3rd Ward neighborhood resident and volunteer Mary Taylor died recently after suffering a heart attack.

Ms. Taylor volunteered for many years on various neighborhood projects and served on the board of directors of the Neighborhood Council. She was a beloved friend, neighbor and dedicated city resident. She will be missed by her many friends.

5,000 + 50,000 = Great Family Fun

You don't have to wait for the 2006 season of Six Flags to find great family fun in St. Louis. At 1:00 pm on Sunday, February 19, visit Soulard for the annual Krewe Barkus Dog Parade.

5,000 dogs and 50,000 human spectators will fill the historic streets of Soulard for this offbeat, family-friendly festival.

An Interesting Blip

Most of the ancient Indian mounds in St. Louis proper have been lost to development. There are the partial remains of one next to Highway 55 near S. Broadway. A '50s vintage home was built on the carved out side of the mound.

One of our longtime friends, a local historian who talks about having personally "shoveled out Lafayette Square townhouses back in the 70s", prides herself on having travelled nearly every south city neighborhood street by foot. Sometimes she leads historic walking tours of city neighborhoods.

St. Louis is a place layered in history. Recently, we were on foot, walking every block of a neighborhood on the city's near north side. A large part of the area had become industrialized, and then mostly abandoned by industry. There was one spot in the middle of the neighborhood that didn't fit the rest. It was undeveloped, yet surrounded by heavy industrial uses.

On one side was a fenced yard holding dozens of retired trailers. On the other lay parallel rows of abandoned railroad track, along with an overhead signal fixture. Sandwiched between the train tracks and the trailer lot was a small forested hill, roughly thirty to forty feet wide, rising approximately 8 to 10 feet above the grade of the sidewalk-and the grades of all the nearby blocks.

I wondered, why was this lot left alone when the rest of the blocks were originally developed? Was it created by transporting fill to the site in past decades? Or could it be the remains of an old Indian Mound? I hope it's an Indian mound.

If you want to visit this mound yourself, you can find it on the eastern side of the intersection of Hadley and Howard, two blocks north of Cass Avenue.

Urban Studio Presents D-I-Y Plaster Repair Course

Plaster is a beautiful wall and ceiling material found in most older city homes. However, the repair and installation of plaster is a dying art, and expensive to hire..

The Urban Studio, a nonprofit community resource center located next door to Crown Candy in the Old North St. Louis, is presenting a course to learn do-it-yourself plaster repair:

Learn How to Repair Your Own Plaster (and save thousands of dollars) with Master Plasterer, Eric Aulbach

For more information about the plaster class and the Urban Studio, please visit:

The Urban Studio Blog