Bowood: Where are the redevelopment plans? 12:03 PM

(UPDATE: Please note that Paul of Vanishing STL has updated the blog post referenced below after having received a comment from John McPheeters of Bowood Farms. Please see this updated post here.)

Kristen Hinman of the Riverfront Times has penned a nice article about the Bowood Farms controversy in the Central West End.

It ends thusly, with Bowood Farms' John McPheeters saying the following:

"I'm a strong supporter of saving worthy historic buildings," the nursery owner adds. "But you have to look at the local circumstances of each one."

What were the circumstances, though? The fact remains that McPheeters could have used some of the surrounding vacant land they already owned in order to fashion a storage lot. Or they could have used some of the land they had already cleared away. That's right: in case you missed it, Vanishing STL's Paul revealed that this was not Bowood's first demolished mansion of 2009. 4569 Washington has been felled as well.


Here is one of Vanishing STL's most telling images: Bowood's land ownership in the area.




As you can see, this may not be the last of Bowood's demolitions in the area.


I must also echo Vanishing STL on one final point. Please do not support Bowood Farms any longer. Take your business to Bayer's Garden Shop on Hampton instead (or another nursery of your choice).


The city should adopt, once more, citywide preservation review to avoid these incidents in the future, as Hinman covered in her article. In addition, redevelopment plans should be required. Where are Bowood's?


More on Alderman Kennedy's gentrification fears later.

4608 Washington: Almost Gone 4:36 PM

Bowood Farms has nearly completed the wrecking of 4608 Washington.

Their senseless act (they owned lots across the street to place their proposed storage lot) saddens me. I once referred many friends and family members to eat at Cafe Osage and to avoid the temptation of the chain store for gardening supplies by shopping at Bowood. In what could only be seen as an idle threat, with me sitting here in New Orleans, I will no longer refer anyone to dine at Cafe Osage or shop at Bowood Farms.

There was no good reason to tear down the nearly 110-year old structure.

See the "Before" and "After" shots below.

(Again, thanks go to my sister, Kelsey, for these photographs! The post-demo photos are from today!)

BEFORE

From Miscellaneous Items

AFTER

From 4608 Washington

Streetscape - BEFORE

From Miscellaneous Items

Streetscape - AFTER

From 4608 Washington

The next step? A sit-down with Alderman Kennedy to get the Central West End Certified Local Historic District extended so that these losses do not continue and accelerate.

Preservation Board Determines No Jurisdiction Over 4608 Washington; Building Division Will Likely Allow Demolition 11:02 AM

At yesterday's Preservation Board meeting, it was determined that the Board had no jurisdiction over 4608 Washington, which is neither in a local nor a National Register historic district.

Therefore, like any other demolition permit, it will likely be processed through the Building Division and demolished as soon as the owner, Bowood Farms, wishes.

Now is the time to act to save this building! Central West End's northern fringes must not succumb to the same empty, piecemeal-demolished fate of portions of Delmar, a block north.

First, contact Bowood Farms to let them know you oppose this demolition. Call them at 314-454-6868.

Second, contact Alderman Terry Kennedy by email or by phone to let him know that this demolition is nonsensical; several vacant lots that Bowood Farms already owns could fit an open storage lot. Their success as a business is clearly not dependent on establishing a storage lot contiguous to their property.

Third, contact me at matthewmourning@gmail.com to start a group to oppose this demolition! We need to be quick, of course, because this building, built in 1900, will not live to see its 110th birthday!

More details to come.

From Miscellaneous Items

Cultural Resources Offices Recommends Approval of Demolition of 4608 Washington 1:56 PM

...subject to two conditions (do they both need to be met, or either one?)

The staff recommends that the Board approve the proposed demolition, pending:
1. a favorable recommendation by the MO SHPO [State Historic Preservation Office] for the Certification of the smaller Central West End District Extension, which excludes Washington Avenue.

2. Bowood Farms, Inc. should commit to the development of a Land Use Plan for its
land holdings and proposed site development with the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency. In this way, the City and its Agencies could assist with potential Zoning, design review, and proposed demolition, among other considerations, so that the entire development can be managed appropriately from a land use aspect.

Check out the PDF of the CRO Agenda Item here. It includes a fuller comment by the CRO Staff as to why they made these recommendations. Click here to see my pictures of the property located at 4608 Washington.

I honestly don't understand these provisos. The first sends the message that the CRO agrees Washington Boulevard (4500 and 4600 blocks) is not worthy enough to join the Central West End Certified Local Historic District. Why didn't the CRO state it thus: "approval only if the Missouri SHPO rejects staff recommendation that Washington Boulevard be added to the CWE Local Historic District..." Does that sound too punitive towards the applicant? Maybe.

The second one is much less sensible to me. Who cares if Bowood develops a land use plan for their holdings if they set this terrible precedent to begin with? You can't recommend a good plan after approving a bad planning course, in my opinion. Demolishing a sound, attractive structure a stone's throw from new investment (a couple new homes have gone up nearby, which you'll see when you read the PDF) is a bad plan, especially when the replacement is an open storage lot. Opportunities for this open storage lot exist all around the site. The PDF includes a map of Bowood Farms' land holdings all around its business. The CRO acknowledges that other lots exist for this development.

While both conditions would be hard to meet, and their imposition almost seems like a roundabout way of saying "no" to the demolition, it still appears to me to set the stage for the Preservation Board to simply approve the demo minus the recommendations set forth by the CRO staff during the meeting tomorrow afternoon.

I hope I am wrong. Thanks to Bowood Farms, in large part, this block could be a real catalyst to connecting the disparate and disconnected revitalized "zones" of St. Louis's central corridor: Downtown, Midtown, and the Central West End (including Gaslight Square). A demolition will not serve this purpose.

Correction: Bowood to Demolish 4608 Washington for Open Storage, Not a Parking Lot 5:48 PM

It turns out that Bowood is not actually seeking to develop a parking lot on the site of 4608 Washington as previously reported.

It's to be an open storage lot.

Much better, huh?

Most of the earlier points therefore still stand. This structure could be and should be reused. Why doesn't Bowood use the adjacent lots that are already cleared? What are the plans for those?

Sorry for the confusion.

Bowood Farms to Press for Demolition of 4608 Washington...for a Parking Lot 5:29 PM

(Please note that, as of March 18, 2009, it has been reported that Bowood Farms intends to use this site as open storage, not a parking lot. Read the relevant update here.)

As reported on Sunday, Bowood Farms intends to demolish 4608 Washington Boulevard, a two and a half story home.

What is the intended replacement: a parking lot.

The Cultural Resources Office will apparently recommend denial of a demolition permit for such a use.

Bowood Farms' website challenges its visitors with this when they first enter the site:

Enter our plant filled garden oasis and you will forget that you are in the urban Central West End of St. Louis, Missouri.

How true that statement is when a neighborhood business proves itself a decidedly anti-urban neighbor with such an action! Don't get me wrong. Bowood deserves much credit for rehabilitating their old auto repair warehouse into a gem of a business in an overlooked portion of the Central West End. But this proposed demolition is absurd.

Bowood likely has a full parking supply from on-street parking alone. The case for a parking lot is weak, in my opinion (zoning may have something else to say...). Even if a parking lot is strongly desired, it should not go atop a lovely home that could be put to better use.

I wrote the following on the Bowood Farms community bulletin board, only to see it removed within hours:

Even as a new member of the Central West End community, Bowood Farms has already established itself as a fixture of the neighborhood. The once neglected northern portion of the Central West End is now being seen as an area laden with potential for redevelopment.

I was shocked, therefore, to hear that Bowood intends to wreck the gorgeous 2 1/2 story home at 4608 Washington. Nothing could be more destructive and damaging to that historic block (which has suffered too much already over the years). Further, this is a waste of that inimitable structure's embedded energy; its innards will end up in a landfill. Somehow, a business that encourages ecology of any kind demolishing a perfectly fine building seems contradictory.

Bowood: I ask you to withdraw your demolition permit if you wish to be a better community steward. Too many vacant lots exist already, and the loss of this home for that block might just be a death knell to its realization as a connected and vital piece of the Central West End.

This demolition must not be allowed. The folks who are against the demolition of the San Luis Apartments on Lindell for a surface lot should take note. Even though 4608 Washington is just one, somewhat small building in comparison, the horribly anti-urban sentiments of the plan are very similar.

1. A perfectly re-usable building will be felled;

2. The site of the demolished building will become a (presumably) unsightly parking lot;

3. Central West End's urbanity and architectural heritage will suffer.

Please do what you can to protest this demolition. The first step would be to call/email 18th Ward Alderman Terry Kennedy. Let him know this plan is unacceptable for an urban, diverse, vibrant neighborhood. Washington Boulevard has been neglected for far too long, and this plan only further erodes its potential. You could also call Bowood Farms itself and gently let them know you think they are making a mistake. Being confrontational would help no one, though, so keep that in mind.

The next step, and the most important one, would be to show up at the Preservation Board meeting to testify against the demolition. The next meeting is on Monday, March 23, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. The location is 1015 Locust, Suite 1200.

It is important to protect landmarks both big and small in neighborhoods that wish to remain urban, livable environments.