Tour Southwest Garden by Bike

Saturday, June 5, 10 am to 12 noon, Architectural Tour by Bicycle of Southwest Garden Neighborhood, led by architectural historian Lynn Josse.

Meet at the Southwest Garden office, 4950 Southwest Ave, at 10 am. Bring a water bottle and wear a helmet.

We’ll have coffee available. The ride is free but small donations to help cover the cost of insurance are gladly accepted.

Organized in partnership with the St. Louis Bicycle Federation

Soulard Stable Hootenanny Boosts Preservation Efforts

Last night's historic preservation benefit, the Anti-Wrecking Ball's Soulard Stable Hootenanny, was a success -- at least judging from the money raised and the good time had by all. There's something about rock 'n' roll, red brick and the early summer heat that makes a warehouse party just plain logical.

The show's proceeds were split evenly between the Friends of the San Luis' remaining legal costs and the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation's capital campaign for its conservatory in Sauget, Illinois.

The event was held at the Foundation's former warehouse in Soulard. Most people had never been inside of the historic former livery stable and its amazing space. The space, it turns out, was the perfect setting for a show.

One of the highlights of the evening was Bill Streeter's unveiling of the trailer for Brick by Chance and Fortune -- I can't wait to see more!

The Union Electric, pictured above, Leadville and Pretty Little Empire rocked the house. These bands gave the gig their all. The brick and wood of the stable made the sound echo loud and clear throughout the building.

Galen Gondolfi and Dabney Frake donated a wide array of mid-century items for the raffle, which also included prizes from STL Style, St. Louis Cinemas and Schlafly. (And, yes, the pink lamp went first with winner's choice!)


Who says preservation isn't fun?

Bill Streeter has more photographs here.

Sneak Peak at St. Louis Brick Film Saturday

This Just In: Bill Streeter will be screening a two-minute clip from his anticipated upcoming film Brick by Chance and Fortune this Saturday at the "Anti-Wrecking Ball: Soulard Stable Hootenanny."

Streeter's film will examine the history of brick in St. Louis as well as what happens to brick buildings in their lifespans.

More information about the event here.


What: Anti-Wrecking Ball: Soulard Stable Hootenanny
Where: Stahl Stable, 2412 Menard Street
When: 8:00 p.m. this Saturday, May 22
Cost: $10 benefits the Friends of the San Luis and the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation

Saturday: Preservation Month Party

As this year's Historic Preservation Month winds down, it's time to celebrate!
What: Anti-Wrecking Ball: Soulard Stable Hootenanny
Where: Stahl Stable, 2412 Menard Street
When: 8:00 p.m. this Saturday, May 22
Cost: $10 benefits the Friends of the San Luis and the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation

What's this all about? Well, for those new to the story, the Friends of the San Luis went to court to try to stop the demolition of the mid-century San Luis Apartments on Lindell Boulevard. The effort was slapped down by a circuit court judge who ruled not only to allow demolition to proceed but that no citizen has a right to appeal a St. Louis Preservation Board decision without a direct financial interest in a property.

The Friends could have stopped right there, since they lost their beloved space-age building. Instead, they filed an appeal to challenge the basis of the judge's ruling for the benefit of all future preservation efforts. On May 5, the Missouri Court of Appeals heard the case. During arguments that day, we received more favorable consideration than expected, so we are confident that the ruling will benefit future preservation efforts.

This effort was not free, and attorneys Jonathan Beck and Ian Simmons have shown themselves well worth our expenses. With the matter past us, it's time to toast preservation efforts past, present and future and make a little money to pay off those legal bills. (If you cannot attend but want to help that cause, send me a note at michael@preservationresearch.com).

The St. Louis Building Arts Foundation is on the bill as well, for providing an amazing historic space for the event and for efforts to preserve our architectural heritage more enduring than the soon-to-sunset Friends of the San Luis. There is a link between the long-term visionary efforts of the Foundation and the take-action single-mission Friends of the San Luis. We need both levels of action to make historic preservation matter in St. Louis. (This is not to slight all of the other worthy organizations that compose the effort here -- these two are far from the only organizations in town doing this hard work well.)

On Saturday, let's celebrate a strong preservation effort and look toward the future!

Free Screening of "Beyond the Motor City" on Monday

"The old system hasn't died, and the new system hasn't been born yet," says one of the subjects in Beyond the Motor City. He's talking about urban transportation.

Beyond the Motor City is a critical look at the intersection between mass transit and the renewal of post-industrial Detroit. Director Aaron Wolf is best known for his documentary King Corn, which examined the terrible impact of federal agricultural policy on the American diet and on the small farm.

Thanks to the sponsorship of Citizens for Modern Transit, St. Louis is fortunate to be one of eight cities where Beyond the Motor City is being screened free -- Monday, May 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Tivoli. Appropriately, this event falls in Historic Preservation Month. The role of public transportation in cities is often left out of the historic preservation discussion.


From the film's website:

Beyond the Motor City examines how Detroit, a grim symbol of America’s diminishing status in the world, may come to represent the future of transportation and progress in this country. The film explores Detroit’s historic investments in infrastructure—from early 19th-century canals to the urban freeways that gave The Motor City its name and made America’s transportation system the envy of the world. But it also reveals that over the last 30 years, much of the world has left Detroit—and America—behind, choosing faster, cleaner, more modern transportation.

In a journey that takes us into the neighborhoods of Detroit and then beyond to Spain, California, and our nation’s capital, Beyond the Motor City urges us to ask how a symbol of America’s urban decay might transform itself into a model of urban revitalization. Can we finally push America’s transit system into the 21st century?

Immediately following the film, there will be a panel discussion moderated by KETC’s Patrick Murphy with Congressman Russ Carnahan, director Woolf, and Citizen for Modern Transit’s Tom Shrout.

People's Joy Parade

I missed much of the People's Joy Parade on Saturday by driving in the Cinco de Volvo contingent. Yet finding myself on a Monday morning wanting the parade to be never-ending, I am going to share a few photographs that I managed to take during the amazing event.

One of the best things about the People's Joy Parade was the route. We started on Cherokee, but with two blocks closed for the Cinco de Mayo program, we had to head north on Nebraska to Utah and then came back down Iowa. That means we went straight in front of the houses of many people who simply came out to the front porch with neighbors and friends to watch the madness. If only thsi could happen every weekend, all over the city!

There are more photographs here and I am sure more will be posted. But if all you have are photographs to show you what happened, you need to find a stoop or a curb next year and see the People's Joy Parade for yourself.

Built Environment / Blog Ecosystem / Media Landscape: May 5th

I am pleased to be part of this event:


Built Environment / Blog Ecosystem / Media Landscape

A conversation about the opportunities and complexities of blogs and websites pertaining to architecture, urbanism, preservation, and politics in St. Louis

Wednesday, May 5th
7 PM
1310 South 18th Street (Lafayette Square)
St. Louis, MO 63104.

Speakers:

Alex Ihnen (urbanSTL)

Antonio D. French (Pub Def, 21st Ward Alderman)

Jami Schoeneweis (56 House Left)

Michael Allen (Ecology of Absence)

Rick Bonasch (STL Rising)

Toby Weiss (BELT)

(This event is part of the week-long Chautauqua Art Lab 2010. For more information, see http://infleshwebuild.blogspot.com/)

Preservation Month Calendar Posted

I have posted a calendar of Preservation Month events in May 2010, which the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognizes as the national month for historic preservation. Check out the wide range of events, which range from walking tours of mid-century modern buildings to a used book sale benefiting the Chatillon-DeMenil House to a historic St. Louis County farm tour to a liability-waiver tour of the James Clemens House. There are also tours of Harris Armstrong houses, an exhibit on lost riverfront architecture, a rock 'n' roll show later in the month and a Pecha Kucha night (head-scratchers, check the calendar).

I'm sure that I have left a few events out, so please point those out to me via email or in the comments section here.

Also, when earlier today I went to reserve my spot in Landmarks Association of St. Louis' tour of the Beaux Arts Building on Tuesday, May 11, I received a response stating that the tour already was full and that I would be put on a wait list. The tour announcement set no attendance limit, while other Landmarks tours has specific limits. I'd recommend making reservations as soon as possible for these popular tours!

Lindell Mid-Century Modern Walking Tour, May 1

On Saturday, May 1, the City of St. Louis presents its first Open Streets 2010 event. From 8:00 a.m. through 1:00 p.m., a route through the city including most of Lindell Boulevard will be closed to vehicular traffic.

The St. Louis Building Arts Foundation is pleased to join the city's effort by sponsoring an architectural walking tour showcasing the city's modern architecture.

Lindell Mid-Century Modern Walking Tour

When: 10:00 a.m. (lasts approximately 90 minutes)

Where: Meet at the statue in front of Pius XII Memorial Library, 3650 Lindell Boulevard

What: A narrated tour of Lindell's unusual array of modern architecture led by Michael Allen and Toby Weiss. From the somber International Style to New Brutalism to playful Googie, this tour has it all!

FREE

Free Tour of Paradowski's New Digs

On Saturday, April 24, Landmarks Association of St. Louis offers a free tour of the impressive new home of Paradowski Creative. Paradowski is located in the former Missouri Electric Light and Power Company plant at the southeast corner of 20th and Locust streets. Details are available in the organization's latest newsletter. RSVP requested; 314-421-6474 or landmark@stlouis.missouri.org.

DeMenil Mansion Hosts Fourth Annual Book Sale

Books and Crannies: our fourth annual used book sale
Benefits the Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation
Located at the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion, 3352 DeMenil Place, Saint Louis, 63118
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 15 (preview: 8 a. m. – 10 a. m., $5)
Noon – 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 16

DeMenil Place (April 14, 2010) - The Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation will hold its fourth annual Used Book Sale at the House on May 15 – 16, 2010. This year’s theme will be “Books and Crannies.” Bigger and better than ever, the sale has outgrown our gift shop: for one weekend, patrons will have access to parts of the house usually off-limits to visitors, including our staff-only kitchen (for cookbooks, of course!) and the basement “tunnel.”

Free tours will be offered throughout the sale weekend.

The Used Book Sale is one of the year’s biggest fundraisers, providing capital for ongoing operations and restoration projects. Books are accepted at the House from 10 AM – 3PM, Wednesday through Saturday until May.

The Chatillon-DeMenil House was saved from the path of Interstate 55 construction by concerned citizens. A remarkable community effort resulted in its careful restoration. In 1966 the House opened as a museum interpreting the lives of the French-American families who lived there from the 1840s into the 1920s, and as a rare survivor interpreting the tastes and architectural preferences of the Victorian upper class. For more information on the Chatillon-DeMenil House, please visit www.demenil.org or call (314) 771-5828.

Pot Pies for Preservation

From Jeanette Mott Oxford:

Epiphany United Church of Christ at 2911 McNair in Benton Park will host a Chicken and Vegetarian Pot Pie Dinner on Saturday, April 10, from 5-7:30 p.m. Reservations may be made by calling 314-772-0263. We had had quite a bit of building repair and maintenance lately and want to preserve our beautiful church as a resource for the community. Please help us meet our expenses while enjoying wonderful food and conversation with others who are committed to the City.

Tickets for adults and children over 12 are $8. Children under 12 may have a reduced price ticket at $5, and children under five eat free. We are a Just Peace, Open and Affirming, Whole Earth congregation. For more information, visit www.epiphanyucc.org.

May Is Preservation Month

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced the slogan for this year's Preservation Month of May: Old is the New Green. That catchy theme fits the strong focus on environmental stewardship that preservation advocates have embraced as well as the necessity of thrift amid ongoing recession.

While historic preservation is a year-round pursuit, having 31 whole days to celebrate and educate offers wonderful opportunities to showcase historic buildings endangered or rejuvenated, spread information and skills, share photographs and ideas and engage the broad theme of "old is the new green."

What can St. Louis do to celebrate Preservation Month? Will you and your neighbors help organize a walking tour, street fair, art walk, house tour or other event to showcase your historic architecture? Can transit advocates and urban farmers find ways to plug in?

We'll find out!

Please send your Preservation Month event announcements to me via email (michael@preservationresearch.com) or via the comments section and I will post them here in late April.

Architect Discusses Crown Square Project Tomorrow Night

14th Street rehabilitation underway in May 2009.

What: Discussion on the Crown Square Redevelopment
When: Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: St. Louis Artists Guild, 2 Oak Knoll Park (directions/map)

The new Architecture Section of the St. Louis Artists' Guild hosts its next meeting tomorrow night.

The featured speaker is architect Rob Wagstaff of Rosemann Associates, who will speak about the challenges faced in the Crown Square project (better known as the 14th Street Mall).

14th Street rehabilitation underway in May 2009.

Play on Sunday Tells the Story of the St. Louis Riverfront

Plate showing central riverfront from Pictorial St. Louis, 1875.

What: "Voices of the Riverfront"
When: Sunday, March 21, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Old Courthouse
Cost: Free

Voices of the Riverfront will bring to life some of the characters who shaped and chronicled the development of St. Louis' riverfront -- from Auguste Chouteau to Ernst Kargau to Hubert Humphrey. Written by sisters Nini and Sheila Harris, the play will be performed as a radio-style reading. The cast includes Jennifer Clark, Charlie Clark, Bill Hart, Doug Dunphy, Bob Officer, Jennifer Halla Sindelar, Craig Schmid, Jenny Heim and Michael Allen. Jim Mayhew will provide instrumental accompaniment.

The play lasts about one hour. Refreshments to follow.

Talk on Missouri Barns This Friday

Barn Again: Efforts to Document and Save Elements of the Rural Missouri Landscape

Noon, Friday, March 12 / Lecture Room / Architecture St. Louis / 911 Washington Avenue, Suite 170

Since joining Missouri Preservation as its Field Representative a little over a year ago, Bill Hart has been advocating for Missouri’s endangered historic resources. His position as Field Representative, a first for Missouri Preservation, is assisted by a Partners in the Field Challenge Grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. One of Bill’s outreach activities has included calling attention to the plight of the barn. Realizing that this is one of the most endangered building types not just in Missouri but throughout the nation, Bill has been photographing barns throughout the state (several hundred so far), keeping an eye toward at least providing quick photographic documentation of those that tenuously cling to the rural landscape. Bill has also been instrumental in organizing our state’s first barn alliance, which recently held its first meeting in conjunction with Missouri Preservation’s annual conference in Independence.

That "G" Word

This Thursday, I will moderate what should be a provocative City Affair panel discussion on the "g" word: gentrification. I volunteered to moderate because I lack a hard and fast definition of the word, and have been challenged and amazed at the wide range of connotations the word has attained. I'm eager to learn more about the cultural definition of the word, and look forward to the discussion.

Here's the event description:

What is meant by gentrification and whether that word is a positive or negative can vary depending on who uses it. Panelists will talk about the dynamics that they perceive as contributing to gentrification: real estate purchasing, property improvement, demographic change, perception of inclusion and other forces of city life.

The panel consists of:
Steven Smith - Owner of the Royale and activist

Minerva Lopez - Past President of the Cherokee Station Business Association

Alex Ihnen - Regional Director of Development at Washington University, blogger at St. Louis Urban Workshop

Alycia Green - Advocate at The People's Advocate St. Louis

Michael Allen will moderate the panel discussion.

Following forty five minutes of panel discussion we will open the floor to audience questions.

CITY AFFAIR XIV: GENTRIFICATION

MARCH 4, 2010
7:30-9:00 PM
STYLEhouse (STL-Style)
3155 Cherokee Street
Saint Louis, Mo. 63118

"Faces of the Riverfront" Exhibit Opens This Sunday

The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial will host a special exhibit from St. Louis artist Sheila Harris at the Old Courthouse from Feb. 14 through Aug. 22, 2010. Created especially for the memorial, the exhibit consists of nearly 40 watercolor paintings of buildings that once stood on the Arch grounds. Harris' "portraits" of buildings depict structures from several generations of the city's architectural history illustrating how the landscape of the riverfront evolved over time.

The exhibit will launch with an artist’s reception on Sunday, February 14, at 2:00 p.m.

Chatillon-DeMenil House Trivia Night, February 13th

Undated photograph of the Chatillon-DeMenil House by Dr. William G. Swekosky, from the collection of Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

The October 1966 issue of the Landmarks Letter, newsletter of preservation group Landmarks Association of St. Louis, reports on notice of the newly-restored Chatillon-DeMenil House in the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune's feature article on St. Louis "glowingly described the Chatillon-DeMenil House." Furthermore, "[t]hree recent out-of-town visitors to the house said they came to St. Louis to see it after reading the newspaper story." Over forty years later, the Chatillon-DeMenil House continues to attract visitors from around the nation (although the house is closed for January).

Interior view of the Chatillon-DeMenil House in 1962 prior to restoration, from the collection of Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

St. Louis is very fortunate that the Chatillon-DeMenil House was spared from the path of I-55 through purchase by Landmarks Association of St. Louis (via a gift from Union Electric Company), and that the foundation that assumed ownership afterward has operated the house as a museum for over four decades. Thousands of people have been able to set foot in a fully restored 19th century Greek Revival mansion through tours and interesting programs. We could very well have had greater numbers hurtling over the site at 65 miles per hour if not for the swift, smart work of St. Louis' early preservation leaders. We all should support the less dramatic stewardship that allows the house to remain an active part of St. Louis' public life.

That is a roundabout prelude to announcing that the Chatillon-DeMenil House is having a trivia night fundraiser next month:

Trivia Night to Benefit the Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation

Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: St. Wenceslaus Parish Hall, 3014 Oregon Ave

Everyone's an expert on something, and a little bit of everything (and anything) can be expected at our first trivia night. 80s TV shows? Come on down. St. Louis history? That could be useful too. Who knows?

Cost is $20 per person, 8 people to a table. Beer and soda provided. Come alone, come with 1 or 2 friends, come with a bunch of friends, just come! Don't think you have to fill a table to attend!

Doors open at 6:30pm, trivia starts at 7 p.m. All proceeds from this event go to the historic Chatillon-DeMenil House. For more information or to make your reservation, please call Jim Hubbard at 314-578-0798.

Second Anti-Wrecking Ball: Success

Toby Weiss has already posted an excellent recap of last night's Anti-Wrecking Ball, but here's another. In short, we raised more money than we thought that we could, had more people attend than we expected and had a lot more dancing than usually seen at preservation fundraisers!


Video by Toby Weiss.

Dozens of people came to Old North St. Louis to support the cause of citizen preservation action and to enjoy a party inside of the spacious, lovely new Old North St. Louis Community Gallery. The venue was perfect, and not simply spatially. While the event's focus was raising money for the Friends of the San Luis' appeal of a circuit court ruling against citizen standing in preservation battles, it was also a celebration of all that we can do together. The gallery is smack dab in the middle of the revitalized 14th Street commercial district, until recently a horrid pedestrian mall. The rebirth of the mall and Old North have come through the dedication of scores of people working against tough odds. Citizens, acting on the belief that we can make our neighborhoods better places and save our irreplaceable landmarks.

The attendance was a great example of the wide support for preservation. There were north side residents, young urbanists, veteran preservationists, architects, artists, anti-eminent domain activists, and even a Preservation Board member. Up the street at the Urban Studio Cafe there was an art opening, and crowds migrated back and forth throughout the evening.

DJ Darren Snow kept a wonderful flow of music going. Emily Beck created a powerful slide show that weaved together the past year of Friends of the San Luis events, architectural images and photographs of people across the city celebrating the historic architecture of our neighborhoods. The Chase Park Plaza Cinemas, STL Style and Toby and I provided raffle items. Volunteers too numerous to mention pitched in, and the party went well past the advertised midnight close. Bravo!