A Survivor in St. Louis's "German Quarter" Hangs On 8:06 PM

Even in a city with a lot of German heritage to speak of, St. Louis's Patch and Carondelet neighborhoods stand out. A separate city until annexation by St. Louis in 1870, the city of Carondelet indeed has its own storied past. It is so important to the city that absorbed it due to its unique architectural cache. The oldest parts of the Carondelet and Patch neighborhoods show contemporary St. Louis what its oldest neighborhoods once looked like prior to demolition in the post-war period. Small colonial homes by new German arrivals in 1840s Carondelet closely matched their French counterparts in portions of St. Louis closest to downtown. There is one major exception, though, which is the use of limestone as a building material. German Carondeletters preferred this striking material for their building facades:

This home, at Vulcan and East Marceau in the Patch, is known as the Schlichtig House, constructed in 1852. As you can see from this Google Streetview capture, its environs today are less than urban. This was not always so.

This 1945 capture shows the Schlichtig House at left with a fine row of neighbors, including another couple stone houses that may have been built by the Schlichtig family as well. (You may see more photographs of this area in the National Register of Historic Places "Carondelet - East of Broadway" Multiple Resource Area nomination).

Industrial expansion in this historic area of St. Louis (nee Carondelet) has claimed a lot of architectural lives. The Schlichtig House holds on, as do dozens of other homes dating to the same era in this battered part of the neighborhood. What can be done to preserve them?

The city of St. Louis asked this question twice, once in 1967 and again in 1973. The former was a St. Louis Riverfront Plan, while the latter was a St. Louis Development Program planning document. Both called for the majority of historic buildings to be moved to a protected site north of industrial territories. Their notion was to recreate the old village of Carondelet. While this might even today sound inauthentic and misguided--and certainly historic homes lose a part of their historic significance when removed from their context--I now wish it had happened then.

Far too many of these simple stone houses have been lost; few would be appreciated anyway without a self-consciously didactic arrangement of such homes as proposed in 1967 and 1973.

Now, with the nearby River City Casino complex up and running across the River des Peres in Lemay, Carondelet is seeing some development attention. Is now the time to buy up historic Carondelet stone homes and move them to safety in a series of protected blocks? History buffs will recall that Carondelet developed the nickname "Vide Poche", meaning empty pockets, due to its gambling houses that sent St. Louisans home empty-handed. Since River City has restored this historic function to the neighborhood by its very proximity, can we bring back Vide Poche as well? Is it time to dust off plans long ignored?

Why not, especially if such a plan would save this beauty in the 7700 block of Vulcan?

I wouldn't want to live in this splendid c. 1850s row house where it sits today. Were it moved, I'd love to snap it up. Moving historic buildings can be a touchy subject, but if our options are slow decay-in-place or success in mobility, I choose the latter.

A Patch Neighborhood Landmark to See New Life? 12:23 PM

The former Coca-Cola Syrup Plant at 8125 Michigan in the Far South City's Patch neighborhood may soon see new life as lofts and, potentially, the Lemp Brewery as a ground floor tenant. (Link to an April 2009 UrbanSTL discussion on the redevelopment).

A building permit in the amount of $11 million was just applied for yesterday--does this mean work will commence shortly?

Google Streetview Capture

At any rate, I will be a cheerleader of Pinnacle Entertainment's new River City Casino complex if it proves to be a catalyst for development in two of St. Louis's most historic but overlooked neighborhoods--Carondelet and the Patch.

(In semi-related news, building permits are WAY up in 2010 in the City of St. Louis compared to last year. I'll provide figures as soon as I get them).

The Patch Neighborhood and its Hidden Heritage 6:07 PM

The independent city of Carondelet was a French Creole city upon its establishment in 1767. Like its larger sister city upriver, its French customs, language, and building traditions continued even despite a transfer of the land to Spanish rule. A lot of the early architecture that survives in today's Carondelet and Patch neighborhoods is influenced by the Creole building conventions. In other words, these neighborhoods are probably St. Louis's best representation of the city's French and Spanish Creole heritage. The two neighborhoods, and especially the Patch, are also unique in their later German influence, with limestone being their material of choice.

While Soulard is another great example, the Patch has some truly stunning examples of Creole architecture. Yet the Patch has suffered a worse fate than Soulard. The neighborhood has long been a graying residential area, most of its business district dispersed and abandoned. Along with slow decline or stagnation comes on-the-cheap renovations and alterations to historic buildings.

Many of the Patch's diminutive Creole cottages have been altered beyond recognition. Usually, because the structures were relatively small and simple, the replacement of the dormer alone confuses the building's style and history.

The Patch and Carondelet neighborhoods together represent one of St. Louis's most historic neighborhoods. To me, they should be tourist attractions in their own right. There should be a lovely row of businesses--antiques, groceries, clothing, etc.--along South Broadway. There should be red brick streets, gas lamps, historic markers, and all the trappings of a self-consciously historic neighborhood. The Patch/Carondelet could arguably be called St. Louis's "French Quarter"--or its "German Quarter". Yet a lot of the physical markers of this heritage have been hidden behind insensitive alterations.

For some New Orleans (the center of Creole culture in the U.S.) examples of Creole Cottages and their variations, click here. It's a series from 1984, but it might as well be from 1884, since not much has changed since with most of these buildings. There is more information about Creole structures in New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood here.

In the Patch, there are some examples from the St. Louis Community Information Network's Geo St. Louis site. It's important to note that Creole influence bled into other styles that were developed in the early to mid 1800s. That means you'll see some Creole buildings with Federal detailing (tooth-like dentils on the cornice line) and Greek Revival (temple-like entrances, with columns).

From Patch Neighborhood

This little cottage on Water Street likely had a skinnier dormer at one point. The owners probably wanted a bit of extra space with this Craftsman-esque dormer.

From Patch Neighborhood

That previous house is actually right next door to a relatively intact example of a simple Creole cottage. Typically, these are built right up to the street and are symmetrical. This one defies that convention.

From Patch Neighborhood

I'm willing to bet that this 7700 block of Michigan house also once had a skinny dormer and no side porch. While Creoles almost always preferred front entries rather than side, I could see this little structure being a Creole-structure with a German twist.



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Here's another, on the 7900 block of Minnesota. Almost surely the original dormer was boxed in on this otherwise lovely Creole building.


The 7700 through 7900 blocks of Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania have a huge concentration of old Creole buildings that probably date to the 1850s or earlier. If they are later examples, they obviously referenced this era during their construction. Unfortunately, the Creole character is obscured by decades of alterations, such as vinyl siding, replaced dormers, and the addition of porches or Craftsman elements (which is confusing, because Craftsman structures are fairly common in the Patch and Carondelet as well).


UPDATE: Apparently, per the National Register nomination for the area, most of these homes were built in the 1880s or 1890s, with some dating back to the 1860s.


That said, if you Google StreetView those aforementioned blocks of Minnesota and Pennsylvania (Streetview didn't go through the Patch very extensively, so you're relegated to these two streets only), you'll see about as many intact examples.

From Patch Neighborhood

This is a lovely little house that seems directly inspired by its New Orleanian roots, save for the side entry.

From Patch Neighborhood

Many New Orleans Creole cottages are stucco over masonry. This one seems to have taken its inspiration from New Orleans as well.


UPDATE: Reading the St. Boniface Neighborhood National Register District Nomination, this structure is listed as non-contributing since its entry was removed from the front facade and its arched windows were replaced with rectangular ones. Fooled me! I still think it's attractive house, but could also be a candidate for rehabilitation given its history.

From Patch Neighborhood

This is a very well preserved example on the 7700 block of Michigan. It could definitely pass in the French Quarter if its windows were full-length to allow for better air circulation in the steamy Gulf Coast climate.


For those who regret the loss of St. Louis's French and Spanish Creole heritage, a lot of which was concentrated in the neighborhoods close-in to downtown...

From Patch Neighborhood

(CREDIT: HABS)

...such as this example, formerly located on Poplar Street, at least take comfort in the fact that the Patch and Carondelet neighborhoods (along with Soulard, Benton Park, Old North St. Louis, and Hyde Park) do retain a good number of them.


With a facade improvement program, some of these structures could see their original Creole character revived. St. Louis could really market this area as another historic showpiece, as it does with Soulard. With a new casino rising blocks away in Lemay, the Lemp Brewing Company proposed to anchor the old Coca Cola Syrup Building, and several historic renovations and new home construction by Rothschild in the area--new residents, tourist inflow, and newfound vitality don't seem so far off.


UPDATE:

From Patch Neighborhood

This image comes to you from 1989's A Guide to the Architecture of St. Louis.

You can see here how the two smaller Creole houses on either side of the two-story structure have seen alterations since the 20 year old photo.

A Digest 3:48 PM

It's been a busy semester and a sparse blog as of late.

I have a lot to catch up on, and thought I would do so in rapidfire fashion:

First, the Mayor's inauguration speech. Impressive. No, really. He actually engendered a bit of civic confidence and pride. A couple standouts, though, were his calls to hire more young professionals to staff Planning and Urban Design (as well as IT and the Citizens Service Bureau), his confidence in the revitalization of North City (via Paul McKee, Jr.?), his threats against MODOT to start considering public transit, and, of course, the call to reenter St. Louis City into the County.

My suggestions? Give Planning real power in city government and then seek the professionals. Who wants to work in an "advisory" agency that has real little power? Well, okay, I would love the job, but would be extremely frustrated at the limitations of the office. Rollin Stanley surely was. The city will continue to lose these talented and energetic people if the process of government is designed to exclude them.

Re: North City, it's rumored that the Blairmont Master Plan will be introduced to the Board of Aldermen shortly...

Re: MODOT, bravo, Mayor Slay! Just think: if St. Louis City joins the County, Metro will have an easier time passing transit funding bills.

Which brings me to the next point: yes, St. Louis City entering the County is the conservative solution to undoing the Great Divorce of 1876. But it's a necessary first step, really, to the healing of a fractured regional psyche. If the City and County showed a dedication to work together to solve urban problems within both, the region could shift the dynamic away from the growing western fringes and back toward the center.

Next Up: the Walgreens coming to Lafayette just west of Tucker. Urban STL forumers who attended a recent public meeting have said that Walgreens will actually build up to the street and will add a faux-second story to better fit in with the surroundings. The new store will even attempt to match the detailing of the Georgian across the street. While I'm sure this will turn out laughable, think of the alternative: the beige or white box with way too much parking surrounding it on three sides. No thanks. I am happy to hear this news!

Next: Various local business news.

It appears that Five Bistro is moving to 5100 Daggett on the Hill (formerly Pizzeria del Piazza), leaving its Grove location empty. Yet I hear from a friend that the former El Mundo Latino restaurant at the northwest corner of Manchester and Tower Grove may be getting rehabbed as we speak. Putting that corner back in use would be a major shot in the arm to the still-struggling western end of the Grove District along Manchester.

As reported by Sauce Magazine, this nifty building in Benton Park will be host to a wine bar called Ernesto's. Check out the Streetview from 2007 and then look at the massive rehaul the building underwent.


Photo Source: St. Louis Investment Realty

Now, did I call the Patch neighborhood's coolness or what? The Post-Dispatch is reporting that a partnership between Steins Broadway, Inc. and Rothschild Development may transform the former Coca Cola Syrup Factory into 77 new lofts and the home of Lemp Beer! Awesome news.

Lastly, the Kiel Opera House is coming back to life, finally (well, I suppose we should wait and see, but it appears a done deal). This is nearly 100 percent positive news--except the parking situation. The talks are that the adjacent Abrams Building will be hollowed out and turned into a parking structure. It's time the city showed leadership on this issue. Not every development should receive its own garage. Surely the city's new Tucker/Clark garage could service most able-bodied patrons; the rest could benefit from set-asides from the Scottrade Center attached garage.

That's it for now.

The Patch - East of Broadway 7:46 PM

Click here to pull up a map. Or scroll to the end of this post for a photo tour.

It doesn't look like much, but this forgotten section of St. Louis contains some of its oldest housing. The compact square blocks reflect the area's history--part of the Creole town of Carondelet.

If you removed some siding and tidied up a bit, you'd have the remnants of an old French and Spanish village. Many of the structures here date from the 1840s--and even earlier.

Even back in the anti-urban days of the 1960s, the City of St. Louis saw this area as a priority for preservation. The 1967 Riverfront Development Plan actually proposed dedicating this entire area to industry and moving all existing housing to flank a proposed park just to the north. In effect, they wanted to recreate the village of Carondelet as it once may have appeared.

While these undertakings usually create absolutely cheesy and inauthentic outdoor museums, I can't help but wish this one plan went through. Today, the area is more industrial area than residential neighborhood, as time and demolitions have taken their course. What houses remain are so altered from their formerly modest appearance that they appear to be cheap new construction.

I'd like to see another Riverfront Plan, but houses don't need to be moved this time. Instead, there needs to be a residential facade improvement program to bring these homes' history back to light. There also needs to be some infill that truly evokes the Creole cottages that lie underneath the ramshackle re-dos.

One of the very few remaining links to early St. Louis is slipping away almost unnoticed.

There's more history to be had in the National Register nomination of the "East of Broadway" multiple resource listing.

[To follow that last link, type in "MO" for state code and navigate to "East of Broadway"].

If my prediction comes true, and South Broadway becomes the city's next hot business district, we may some day see the Patch (east of Broadway) truly take off. There's a lot working against it, with heavy industrial neighbors not the least of those problems. Still, it's a historic and potentially handsome area. Imagine some new street lamps, sidewalks with brick pavers, street trees, a streetcar down Broadway, and we may have a deal.

The pictures below are from the St. Louis Community Information Network.


116 E. Steins St.
(Newly rehabbed as part of the Steins-Broadway Condos project.)


116-18 Steins St.
No offense to the owner of this property, but the siding-cladding of this historic structure is simply shameful. The Germanic limestone peeking out from the vinly is even more of a tease.


214 E. Steins
Who knows how old this double-balconied house is? Architectural ornament has long been removed. A quick check of city records claims an 1884 construction date. However, my experience with the St. Louis Community Information Network has taught me that they really don't have records prior to the 1880s, and so make guesses (and shoddy ones, it appears, some times) at the construction dates of earlier buildings.



218 E. Steins
A shoddy structure with some potential, despites its gritty location.


308 E. Courtois St.
While this is certainly no French Colonial structure, it's a handsome, if somewhat spare building that is deserving of preservation.


310 E. Courtois St.
This one could quite possibly be a late French Colonial structure (construction date: 1840s?). The roof pitch is suggestive of it. STL CIN says it was built in 1890--though it's not a member of any of the styles popular then--mostly Victorian styles, in St. Louis (Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne, etc.).



7619 Water St.
Welcome to Old Carondelet!


7621 Water St.
A nice port-cochere example of a French Colonial. (I'm kidding)



7611 Water St.
It looks like Steins-Broadway Condos is renovating this French Colonial Style home! Nice! It's a great structure.


7623 Water St.
A cared-for but altered old Colonial.



7631 Water St.
A nice old row in the Patch. There's enough context here to redevelop this neighborhood into something truly special and valued.



7805 Water St.
This "newer" building (what--1880s?) brings the district architectural diversity.



7811 Water St.
Doesn't look like much, but what's underneath?


7827 Reilly Ave.
An ancient building that's slipping (slipped?) away.



7827 Reilly Ave.
A classic German limestone building covered by this latticed porch. It could be a two-story cousin to the better known Steins Row across Broadway.


7827 Vulcan
Solid industrial buildings along Vulcan.


The Jacob Steins House - Corner of Steins and Reilly Streets
Amazingly, this is still there despite the industrialization of this area (and despite this vintage shot that suggests the building is gone). Read more about the history of this house here.

That's all for now!

Mini-Tour of Historic Carondelet 12:22 AM

Thanks to a combination of Norbury Wayman's History of St. Louis Neighborhoods and improvements in online mapping technology (maps.live.com; Google's StreetView), we can now take an online, no-calories-burnt tour of St. Louis neighborhoods!

Just a couple of Norbury notables from Carondelet and the Patch:

First, from Steinstown, a Carondelet German sub-neighborhood.

The iconic Steins Row, at Steins and Pennsylvania, built somewhere between the 1840s and 1850s:




Second:

The Jacob Stein House - 7600 Reilly, built sometime pre-Civil War (not a great picture at all)




Third:

Confederate General John S. Bowen's residence at Michigan and Kraus, built 1850(?):


View Larger Map

Fourth:

American Gothic House at 5801 Minnesota. The city claims it was built in 1892; it was likely built much earlier, perhaps 1850s:


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This is a truly rare style for St. Louis. Most Gothic-styled homes were built before the Civil War, and, due to the style's association with religious architecture, it was used sparingly in residential settings. This is unabashedly Gothic, however. And it appears occupied and a splendid contributor to Greater Carondelet's impressivly diverse architectural cache.

Fifth:

John Krauss residence, built 1842, located at 122 E. Davis (just east of Broadway):



The above maps.live.com representation couldn't capture a good front facade shot due to foliage, but you can tell from this perspective that this is one stately home, occupying its own block.

Sixth, and finally:

The Lyle House, inside Carondelet Park, built 1842:



These early structures provide a link to past that not many St. Louisans know to appreciate. While colonial and antebellum St. Louis is largely erased, it is good to know that some of the town of Carondelet (annexed by the City of St. Louis in 1850) has indeed survived.

Carondelet Commons? 12:08 AM

Wow.

I never expected the Steins Broadway developer's proposed rehab-arama in Carondelet and the Patch! 300 Units! I guess that's the best strategy: propose new units during a downturn; investors realize by the the time of construction that the market could be totally different (and better).

One of the best parts of this announcement is this:

The renovation of the former Coca Cola syrup plant at 8125 Michigan Ave. into 78 apartments and about 20,000 square feet of commercial space, along with the construction of 16 new apartments nearby. This would be in partnership with Rothschild Development, which developed the former St. Boniface Catholic Church, 7622 Michigan Ave., into the Ivory Theatre.

That's this building right here. (Sorry, Street View wouldn't go on Michigan, actually. But it does give a sense of the scale we're working with.)


View Larger Map

I see this location as having major potential for a neighborhood grocery store. I know, I know, Loughborough Commons is perilously close by, its newly minted Schnucks underwhelming (but satisfying) shoppers all over the South Side and South County. But at 20,000 sq. ft., a perfectly functional and MUCH more walkable grocery store could serve the venerable and highly urban Patch neighborhood (or, "South Carondelet" as it's referred to in the article).

There's another possible setback, but one which I think is false. This site isn't on a major street. How would anyone know that it's even there?

The beauty of pedestrian-oriented urbanism is that the buildings are not intended for the destination-oriented shopper, those auto-mobile, if you will. It's intended to be used, as an amenity, for neighborhood residents. To be sure, many, if not most, residents would drive anyway. But it's still at a perfectly urban scale that would encourage many to walk. Such a store would be St. Louis's first walkable full-service grocery. For that alone, it would be monumental.

I am reminded of New Orleans' Uptown's Whole Foods store in an old transit depot on the famous seven-mile retail and restaurant-laden Magazine Street.

While this picture (credit goes to Walter Parenteau's flickr page; click the photo to visit the page) does not hint at the incredible number of pedestrians who filter in and out of the shed, nor the seamless blend into a mixed-use neighborhood, take my word for it. This store is a neighborhood amenity. Take a look on New Orleans Craigslist...the Whole Foods is listed on most ads for an Uptown apartment.

Now, I'm not necessarily pushing for a Whole Foods, or a Trader Joe's, being, as they are chains, but suffice it to say that they are far superior to the best Schnucks is going to give us. They emphasize healthy, organic foods as well, often purchasing from local farmers. In short, if a local guy could pull this location off, great! Otherwise, I would welcome a WF or a TJ!

Anyhow, here's to hoping the Patch becomes an even more viable and functional urban neighborhood as all of these rehabs and new constructions become reality. I am crossing my fingers that it will happen. Just to taunt the larger and more suburban neighbor--why not call the Coca-Cola Syrup factory Carondelet Commons? It, after all, would be more truly a commons.

Visit Carondelet Bakery! 2:09 PM

This is the second small business spotlight; the first can be found here.

Business: Carondelet Bakery
Category: Bakery/Desserts
Neighborhood: The Patch [In the "Ivory Triangle"]
Location: 7726 Virginia Ave., St. Louis, MO 63111
Contact: 314-638-3519
Hours: ???
Amenable to: sweet tooths, brides- and grooms-to-be, other celebrations
Prices: Contact the bakery to get prices!

At 22, with most of my friends at least a little bit older than that, it's prime time to begin the lifelong journey of marital bliss. June is the "wedding-est" month of the year, after all, and it's almost upon us. Several friends will be getting married soon.


I beseech them, and you, to try out the Carondelet Bakery for wedding cake needs. The small storefront is one of St. Louis's oldest commercial establishments, opened in 1875--when the city of St. Louis was still part of St. Louis County. I'm not saying longevity equals quality, but think of Crown Candy. There is a reason these businesses have weathered downturns and "chain-ification" in their respective markets.

Sure, its siding-clad frontage was probably not a feature of the nineteenth century structure. Even so, the rarity of neighborhood bakeries these days renders this business historic and important to St. Louis and Carondelet/The Patch alike.

I have ordered a de-lish coconut cake from the bakery that was probably the best cake I've ever had in my life. The recipient of the cake echoed my sentiments.

Plus, if you're in the neighborhood and don't want or need a whole cake, there is a variety of other baked goods, including cookies, that you can get on the quick and on the cheap.

Another great thing: it's in a quaint business district (called the Ivory Triangle) that's definitely up and coming. The newly refurbished Ivory Theater in the antebellum St. Boniface Catholic Church's old digs is an architectural gem and it's a block away. The recently opened Ivory Coast Bistro is right across the street.

I recommend walking the streets of the historic and once independent town of Carondelet, now called the Patch, for its delightful hodgepodge of housing (including some 1850s German row houses on Stein, not far from cutesy 1960s bungaloid infill). When you do, stop by the Carondelet Bakery to step in the past and to support local--even if it's just a cookie!