Lindell MCM Walking Tour, May 1st

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Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 10 a.m

Join Michael Allen (Ecology of Absence) and myself for a walking tour of mid-century modern buildings on Lindell Boulevard in the Central West End, St. Louis, MO.

This second edition of our tour is part of the Open Streets 2010 event, and is co-sponsored by the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation.  This tour is free, while the knowledge and appreciation of Lindell’s thick and rich stock of MCM buildings is priceless.

Here’s an overview of some of the buildings you will see up close and narrated.

Meet us at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 1st, at the Pope statue in front of St. Louis University’s Pius XII Library, 3650 Lindell Boulevard (the Pius XII is a breathtaking MCM beauty – check it out here).

The official leg of the tour is from Pius XII to the former Housing Authority building (recently saved from the CVS wrecking ball) at Sarah & Lindell. We will take a short break stop, and continue with the unofficial portion of the tour from Sarah to Kingshighway.

Join us at 10 a.m., or catch up with us at any point on the walk. Look for a large group of people completely smitten with the mid-century modern treasures of the Central West End.  We look forward to sharing the riches with you!

Updating the Public Face

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Gravois Avenue & Hamburg
South St. Louis, MO

Just southwest of the River Des Peres is Chippewa Glass & Mirror. Not sure how long they’ve been around (though at least since the early 1980s when I used to file their invoices while temping at PPG, a glass wholesaler), but wouldn’t it seem they once used to be located on Chippewa, hence the name?

In Fall 2009, they began the remodeling work shown above. They added an ADA ramp and clad it in a handsome natural stone, which ran around to the front of the building and stopped abruptly, in mid-stream.

Actually, all work stopped for the longest time, leaving the building looking forlorn and undressed.  This building dates from 1908, an era of great modesty, so was probably embarrassed to be seen in its skivvies!

Come the change from winter to spring, they completed the remodel in rather quick fashion. All that remains to be done is a new sign. I love the clean, modern look of the place, all industrial and stone, which is a nice combo.  It is a radical new public face for a previously unassuming building, but rather than be a groaner of a remuddle, it’s well thought out, gutsy and spunky.

I also adore that they have reused and updated a long-standing building, giving it a whole new look for a new century rather than take the easy way out by either moving or demolishing to build new. This is a fine example of acting on “the greenest building is one already standing. A hearty round of B.E.L.T. applause to these business owners for improving their portion of the city streetscape!

Hidden Mid-Century Modern

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Bingham Avenue & Newport
South St. Louis, MO

Right next door to the South Side City Block For Sale, and practically in the shadow of the former candy company (background left in the picture above) is the home of Lyon Sheet Metal Works.

The company dates back to 1922, while their “new” building went up in 1950. The building itself is a basic brick factory, but the the glass block windows with stainless steel sills and that entrance are top of the line style for a company buried back in a part of town where few tread …today. But back in the day, with the candy/paper factory open and Western Bowl down the street, it was probably a rather hoppin’ intersection, but still off the beaten path.

Looking through the peeling grey paint, the metal panels that make up the mod, “L”-shaped facade appear to have originally been beige. In this case, I like the light grey better, as it poetically evokes what the company does, along with the stainless steel letters.

This is a strange and personal aside about Lyons:
I always get a pleasant little flutter in my tummy when I walk by this building, and always hear this line from the Pixies’ song “Subbacultcha”:  “She shakes and she moves me or something/she’s like jelly roll/ like sculpture!”

Head half a block down Newport to Meramec and you’ll find this little mid-century modern gem tucked into the line of dingy brick homes.  Built in 1956, it’s 1,362 square feet, slab on grade.  It’s taken a large amount of abuse, but I still see its glamor dying to shine again.

There is no other house even remotely like this within a mile radius. All the homes around it are 1910-1940s tiny brick bungalows. Circumstantial evidence would point to this being a mid-century in-fill. And because it’s such an oddity in this area, it boils my imagination….

…the original brick home burnt down, and the owners – who vacationed in Los Angeles every year and loved modern art – decided to turn that insurance money into their own slice of Southern California. They hooked up with a 3rd year architecture student at Wash U. for the drawings, but the construction foreman was not impressed: “No basement? In St. Louis? You’re nuts!”

Yeah, like I said, the imagination tends to runaway…

urbanSTL vs. the ‘burbs

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I am so pleased to have an article freshly posted on urbanSTL, a fabulous new one-stop resource for St. Louis news and blogs.

Click over to read my piece, “Crying Over Spilt Milk: The Suburbs Happened, Get Over It!”

Especially loving the timing of this piece being published, as it comes in the rosy afterglow of St. Louis County voting an enthusiastic “yes” on Prop A.  This was a unique moment of Suburban & Urban joining together for a common goal, and this unity feels great!

The seeds of City/County dissension were planted in the 19th century, but come the 21st century it’s time to harvest that crop and whip it up into a bountiful meal so both sides can come to the table. Let’s eat, drink and be merry together as St. Louisans with no geographical suffix, just St. Louisans, period.

South Side City Block For Sale

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Gravois Avenue & Meramec Street
South St. Louis, MO

This is a rather rundown intersection in the Bevo Mill neighborhood, but if you look through the grime, there’s some interesting visual history of when St. Louis (like other Rust Belt cities) actually produced goods, and those industries dictated the transportation, housing and society of the neighborhoods they resided in.

While stuck at this stop light contemplating these fanciful thoughts, I noticed the two buildings above had Hiliker For Sale signs.  The building on the left is a 2-family flat from 1915, and next door is a 4-family from 1915.

And the one-story industrial building next to it, from 1918, is also for sale by the same company.

Even around the corner, on Meramec, the 4-family from 1915 is also for sale.

Which means the entire block bound by pink in the above aerial map (courtesy of bing.com) is for sale by the same agent, though info about these buildings are not on the Hiliker site.   Included in this full city block is the jewel of the lot…

…the 9-story-total factory from 1928 which was formerly the Graham Paper Company. It sits majestically at the top of the viaduct, and in the late 20th century it served as a storage warehouse.  I remember idle talk in the early 20s of it becoming loft apartments, but obviously that never happened.

All of these properties currently for sale are listed in city records as being owned by 4230 Gravois LLC, c/o Imagine Schools, which begs the question: did this organization buy all these properties with the intent of creating a campus, then changed their mind?

The Graham Paper Company building is a gorgeous example of dignified industry, which was par for the course for the 19th-into-20th century, and I admire how they tucked this large complex into a block already populated with multi-family housing.

What will become of this block? Must the buildings be purchased as a whole, or will “the whole” turn off any but the deepest pockets? It’s easy (but not desirable) for potential developers to dismiss the residential and remuddled one-story warehouse as demolition fodder, but the Graham complex cannot be denied.  It’s a strange and intriguing plot of land, and the possibilities for a new use are plentiful…and worrisome.

If anyone has information on what’s happening with this block (including – and most especially – history of Graham Paper Company), please do share.

B.E.L.T. is “Most Amazing”

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I am jazzed to report that this here blog is on the list of 50 Most Amazing Architectural Photography Blogs.

Thank you to Photography Colleges for reading, and acknowledging B.E.L.T. in the “Local” category, putting me in the company of architectural blogs about Berlin, Barcelona & Manchester.

You know what this means, right?  It means that the images and stories of  St. Louis are just as compelling and kick ass as great global cities.
Yeah, I said it: St. Louis Kicks Ass!

Shown Above: Woerner Elementary School on Leona in the Holly Hills neighborhood. It’s just across the street from this mid-century modern church.

Abandoned Church in Creve Coeur

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10362 Old Olive Street Road
Creve Coeur, MO

My Easter Sunday thoughts keep going back to this seemingly vacant church building. It’s located in a part of Creve Coeur that is off the beaten path, practically back alley, though the neighbor across the street, Kohn’s Kosher Meat & Deli, has constant traffic because it’s a desirable destination.

This simple, compact brick building with modest mid-century modern flourishes was, according to the corner stone blocked by aggressive shrubbery, erected in 1960 as Immanuel Baptist Church.  The St. Louis Metro Baptist Church Assoc. indicates that Pastor Benny J. King once led services at this address, but is vague about the present day situation.

The St. Louis Genealogical Society lists this congregation as having moved from 5859 Cates Avenue to Creve Coeur, and indicates that it’s still open. But there is no address or signage to identify the place from the road, no signs of life, and no regular lawn care…

…the landscaping is so overgrown one can barely see the church from the street,  and it was mostly impossible to use the set of stairs from the parking lot to the entry. So, is it vacant, or just unkempt? Recently abandoned or the groundskeeper is on hiatus?

St. Louisans are now used to gigantic Catholic Churches sitting vacant across the city and inner-ring suburbs, their presence still casting a heavy vibe in its neighborhood. But this little Baptist church has been camouflaged into limbo, which is a sad way to celebrate Easter.

SPRING 2012 Update

Someone has made a huge effort by clearing out the forest that had grown around it. And now that it’s clear, I could see the cornerstone and confirm the church was erected in 1964. Click to see new photos of the church cleaned up.

Similar South Side Deco

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Oak Hill & Potomac
South St. Louis City

It was with great happiness that I read this post on St. Louis Investment about the building shown above.  In short, this 12-unit apartment building, built in 1939, is currently being renovated into 6 units.

When I took these pictures of the place in Spring 2007, two men who said they were the newest owners of the building chatted with me about their plans, pending final analysis from their building inspector. They were hoping it was in better shape than it looked. Guess it wasn’t…and so it continued to sit vacant and exposed to the elements.

But not any longer, which is a huge relief.  I’ve always liked this building because it comprises 1/3 of what I mentally refer to as the Blonde Deco Trio.

Chippewa & Gustine
South St. Louis City

Here’s another member of the clan, a few miles away in Dutchtown. It’s the oldest of the trio, going up in 1937.

And like the previous one, it is 3 stories tall with 12 apartments, same two-toned brick and wrap-around corner windows…

…and the entrances get a grand vertical treatment, highlighted by glass block.  This is my favorite of the three because its burnt sienna brick detailing is plentiful, yet so compact and precise.

Wilmington & Marwinette
South St. Louis City

The youngest of the 3 is from 1941, and resides in the Holly Hills neighborhood.

Of the 3, it’s the least exuberant, almost as if the builder was coming to a natural conclusion on the repetition of this model. Or maybe they’d exhausted their supply of burnt sienna bricks?

It is in the best shape of the trio, and even works nicely with a bit of porch flourish added to both of the entrances (though that colonial eagle has got to go).

So, both of these occupied Blonde Decos serve as excellent role models for the Oak Hill renovation, and it will be pleasure to have the triumvirate alive and well.

Are there other models of this building lurking about St. Louis? If so, please do let me know where they are.

Remodeling Mid-Century Modern Homes

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My day job is in the residential remodeling field, so I read all the remodeling industry magazines. This issue of Qualified Remodeler got my full attention because the remodeling of a mid-century modern home in Austin, TX made the front cover.  (Click any photo for an enlarged, readable version.)

Much of the remodeling industry is only now coming around to embracing the importance of a great website, and treading cautiously into social networking. In other words, it’s an old fashioned field that’s slow to change.

So one of the industry rags embracing mid-century modern home remodeling can signify that interest in, and renovation of, mid-century homes is now more than a trend – it’s the next wave of remodeling dollars to be pursued.

This home is from 1945, and the remodeling firm added a 658 s.f. master suite addition to the back. They also moved the front entrance and created a new entry foyer, which is absolutely gorgeous.

The article is very encouraging because this firm and the home owners understood the importance of modesty, scale and appropriateness.  The bits about aesthetically proper fenestration is pure delight.

Even better is the outcome: neighbors used to teardowns for McMansions love that this home was remodeled. Setting an example with productive action has a positive domino effect, and I hope this cover article is the first of many such stories on successful and era-sensitive remodels of mid-century homes all across America.