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Friday, February 22, 2008

Preservation Board Agenda Includes Demolitions of Flounder House, Building on Page

The St. Louis Preservation Board meets on Monday to consider a rather short agenda.

Notable items on the agenda include:

  • Preliminary review of an application by Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett (D-6th) to demolish a one-and-a-half-story flounder house at 2915 Minnesota Avenue. The house, built before 1884, is an example of a true flounder house. Flounder houses have half-gabled roofs with a slope from one side of the front wall to the other. Flounder houses were popular in nineteenth century St. Louis due to the speed of construction, but few survive. Many have been successfully rehabbed in recent years, and the smaller ones seem well-suited as economical alternatives to the glut of expensive, energy-inefficient multi-family conversions. Staff recommends denial of the permit.

  • Preliminary review for a new building at 1412 Mississippi Avenue in Lafayette Square. This building would occupy one of the last gaps in the street faces surrounding Lafayette Park -- the vacant lot at the southeast corner of Park and Mississippi. The Lawrence Group proposes a three-story building with heavy Romanesque massing topped by a Mansard roof with numerous dormers. The building is reminiscent of the ungainly building that houses the Soda Fountain Square restaurant. Hopefully the board and staff will provide guidance to improve the design.

  • Appeal of staff denial of a demolition permit for the building at 5100-2 Page Boulevard, subject of an earlier post in this blog. Staff recommends upholding the denial. Alderman Frank Williamson (D-26th) supports demolition.
  • 1 comment:

    Anonymous said...

    I'm familiar with the housing type, but the name "flounder house" never made much sense to me. Yeah, I know, someone thought it resembled the fish, but I don't see that. Anyway, I'm glad the PB decided that this property gets a stay of execution, at the very least. All historic architecture should be protected, not only the structurally imposing and/or easily renovated.

    Flounder House: Argh, sounds like a grog shop in Bristol, where one might spy Long John Silver and his maties o'er a glass of double rum, plannin' mutinies and a-playin' at treasure huntin'!

    Flounder House: A social service agency for the chronically indecisive. Perhaps in the Mark Twain Hotel. It's tough to get through, since staff can't decide whether to pick up the phone.