Hey everybody, look! I am famous. This Old House blog used one of my photos of the Shaw neighborhood. They misspelled my name but they got the Circa Properties part right.

The Shaw Neighborhood was selected as one of the best places in the Midwest to buy an old home for the quality of architecture and the values in the neighborhood. Click here to view an MLS link of all currently available homes as well as all the homes that have sold in the area over the past year.

Here are few “fixer-uppers” I picked from the list of active properties. These homes are listed between 65-80K and need a good amount of work. But they have loads of potential for anyone who is capable of doing the work.

My very first house was in the Shaw Neighborhood. It is pictured below. It is the stone two-family in the middle. The people who owned it before me bought it for about 50K, they lived there for about 10 years and did a tremendous amount of work, then they sold it to me and my business partner for 162,000. The single family on the corner was purchased for 315K and the one on the other side has a replacement value of 600K which means that to rebuild it the way it stands would cost at least $600,000. My feeling is that it would probably cost more because houses today just are not built the same as they were 100 years ago. So, I think This Old House got it right when they said the Shaw Neighborhood is one of the best place to buy an old house!

Google has finally added Saint Louis to the list of cities with ‘Street View’ functionality. I’m glad to see so much of the city has been covered already, with more to come! This is a great way to quickly explore a few properties you may be interested in and the surrounding streets.

Check it out here

I was taking a walk through Compton Heights last week and noticed that there were several places for sale. This neighborhood includes about 250 acres in the center of the city and is located just east of Grand Ave and a block south of Reservoir Park.

STL Magazine in December 2006 had a pretty good article on the neighborhood. According to the article Compton Heights was the first development in Missouri to use deed restrictions which designated a uniform set-back from the street and specified that there would be no more than one single-family residence per lot.

The two main streets, which were laid out by Julius Pitzman, designer of Vandeventer Place, were named for writers Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Click here to view the MLS listings of the 16 homes now available for sale in Compton Heights. Prices for the current listing in this neighborhood range from $349,500 to $1,095,000 with a median price of $577,000. Average days on market is 146 with listings as new as 10 days old and others that have been testing the market for nearly a year. The oldest home on the list is 123 years old and the newest home currently for sale is only 57 years old.Visit the Compton Heights neighborhood website here.

Note: 3153 Longfellow (not pictured here) was at one time home to Irma S. Rombauer , author of The Joy of Cooking.

Visit the Compton Heights neighborhood website here.

On  May 10, ( this Saturday) ten homes and community gardens will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 per person in advance, and $12.00 the day of. Each ticket comes with one FREE ice cream cone from Crown Candy. Check the ONSL website for purchasing details.

In addition I will be opening 1412 Hebert from Noon-4PM the day of the tour (this Saturday). While the other ten homes may be coveted by the many visitors, only Hebert may actually be purchased. If you are looking for a great community of neighbors and historical St. Louis architecture with only a 1 mile commute to downtown, look no further.

Lately, I have become intrigued with the idea of redirecting the stormwater runoff from my garage roof into a rain garden. “Stormwater has been identified as one of the leading sources of pollution for all water body types in the United States.” Read more about stromwater runoff on the epa website.
When I first read that quote about stormwater it didn’t make sense to me. That was because I had no idea how storm sewers work. The conventional method of handling stormwater contributes to stream erosion and water pollution because it is designed to convey water off site and into the underground maze of pipes as quickly as possible. Once all the water from the storm event is funneled into the sewer system it picks up velocity and volume and literally gushes into streams and creeks which causes erosion of stream beds and banks. Additionally as it moves from the sidewalks to the streets and through the underground system, it picks up all the contaminants in its path (gas, oil, pet waste, trash, salt, yard waste, fertilizers, weed killers, etc.) causing water quality contamination.

Building a rain garden allows stormwater to be kept on site and naturally filtered through the ground where it can eventually find its way back to the water table. Rather than being contaminated along its path, it is purified as it filters through the layers of the rain garden. However, I am barely able to keep the cilantro and basil in my little window boxes alive, so the idea of a rain garden seems a little intimidating. Luckily, this Saturday there is a Water Festival at Hazelwood East High School (11300 Dunn Road, St. Louis, MO 63138). The Living Green in Watkins Creek Water Festival begins at 10AM and closes at 2PM.

From the press release:

Rain Gardens, rain barrels, jazz musicians, and fire trucks will highlight the array of topics, hands on learning and just plain fun expected at the Living Green in Watkins Creek Watershed community water festival…The first-ever event will feature water quality information and exciting learning activities for students and adults wanting to know more about their natural environment. More than 20 exhibitors will represent a range of environmental, education and community organizations. Come and learn about how our natural water system works to support the living ecology of our world….Learn about the steps that residents can take to help keep our rivers and stream clean. AmeriCorps Stream Team volunteers will lead a Confluence sponsored stream clean up of Watkins Creek near the high school on the morning of the water festival.

Living Green in Watkins Creek Watershed is a partnership with RegionWise, an urban center at Saint Louis University, the Hazelwood School District (HSD), Metropolitan Sewer District, Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

This weekend is the 15th annual Grand South Grand House and Garden Tour. You can view the Magic Chef Mansion located on Russell Blvd across from Reservoir Park and the Tower Grove Park Director’s House. This is the house located inside Tower Grove Park near the intersection of Tower Grove Ave and Magnolia.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 the day of the tour and can be purchased at Gringo Jones Imports, Botanicals Design Studio, the Missouri Botanical Garden in the Garden Gate Gift Shop, or over the phone by calling 314.773.4844. See the website for complete details. Tour is on Saturday and Sunday, April 19th & 20th from 11 am to 5pm.

The city, as one finds it in history, is the point of maximum concentration for the power and culture of a community. It is the place where the diffused rays of many separate beams of life fall into focus, with gains in both social effectiveness and significance.

The city is the form and symbol of an integrated social relationship; it is the seat of the temple, the market, the ball of justice, the academy of learning. Here in the city the goods of civilization are multiplied and manifolded; here is where human experience is transformed into visible signs, symbols, patterns of conduct, systems of order.

Here is where the issues of civilization are focused: here, too, ritual passes on occasion into the active drama of a fully differentiated and self-conscious society.

Want to live walking distance to Bailey’s Chocolate Bar, 33 Wine Bar, Marbles Yoga Studio, Sqwires, 1111 Mississippi, Ricardo’s, Arcelia’s and much, much more? Well now you can and for a very affordable price. 1729 Preston is move in ready and waiting for its new owners.

The home is located on side street off of Lafayette which dead ends so it is very private. The yard is huge and fully fenced with plenty of trees which makes a nice buffer since I-44 runs along the south side of the street. Once inside the hum is inaudible.

The formal entry way is just an indication of what this home has to offer in the way of originals and built-ins. The wood is beautiful making the entry a very functional show piece.

Off the entry is the a set of French doors leading to the dining room. Around the fireplace are floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves. The oversized window makes this cozy room bright.

The living room is just off the kitchen and the circular floor plan makes this home great for entertaining.

The floors are gleaming and the decorative fireplaces are original to the home.

Off the kitchen is a large screened in porch. It will easily accommodate a table of six and will be great for dining alfresco

And the oversized lot offers plenty of opportunity for gardening.

Almost 250 years ago Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau founded the city of St Louis several miles below the confluence. On the west bank of the Mississippi on a bluff they found a place safe from flooding on which they decided to build. On February 14, 1764 Chouteau, who was only 14 years old, led a crew of men and as legend has it began to build the village on the grounds where the Arch now stands.

Building out of the flood plain, turns out to be a pretty good idea. And now 250 years later St Louis residents have the opportunity to live along the mighty Mississippi again, far above the threats of the water.

Mississippi Bluffs has been a long time coming, but it is here. I went out this morning to take some pictures. In light of the recent flooding I thought it would be a good idea to highlight what a 14 year old boy knew instinctively.

Below is a site plan. The Mississippi is at the top and Broadway is at the bottom. There will be 4 buildings. Two buildings will have 8 units, two will have nine. There will be 3 different floor plans, each with three balconies from which to view the Mississippi.

The site plan includes a 6-acre park and pool area complete with scenic overlook and fire pit.

I hung out awhile to enjoy the scenery and watch the river. I also took a few shots of the construction. The first building is up and has a total of 8 units. Three are already three under contract. I was standing in the 6-acre park when I took this photo.

Here’s another from a different angle. This is the eastern elevation. I was standing on an old platform that was used for a cannon. The steps are new and the old platform will be another over look/common space for residents.

View of the Mississippi from the cannon over look.

There are a total of 34 units. There are 16 A-units (1870 interior sq. ft), 10 B-units (2187 interior sq. ft.) and 8 C-units(2396 interior sq. ft). Both B & C have the option of adding a private elevator. For the first building A units are being offered at $429K with prices going up to $459K for the second building. B units are $499K increasing to $529K and C-units are currently $599K with an increase to $609K for the next phase. The display should be open by end of April, beginning of May but feel free to go out on weekends to visit the site in the meantime. Or call our office or me directly for more details.

Check out my new listing at 1412 Hebert. It is gorgeous. This is the view from the front door into the living room and through to the dining room. My favorite part about this room, next to the great natural light and the gleaming hardwood floors are the built-in bookshelves. This is just one of the thoughtful treatments done during the renovation of this home.

This photo looks into the dining room from the kitchen. The stairs featured lead to the second floor. The open floor plan is ideal for entertaining.

This kitchen is one of the smartest layouts I have seen. Notice the opening between the dining room and kitchen and how neatly the dishwasher fits there. Also notice that the space doesn’t feel cramped or dark. It is the cut out in the doorway that doubles as extra counter space that makes this arrangement possible. It doesn’t seem like anything special until you realize that most homes would have either lost the space for the dishwasher or closed in the opening, losing the view and the light. The cabinets in this kitchen are solid wood, hand-made and over sized, meaning that they utilize all the storage space offered with these high ceilings. The counter-top is stile stone meaning that you can actually use it and there is under cabinet lighting as well as upgrade stainless appliances. I could go on about the kitchen, but there are some other unique features about this home that deserve a quick highlight.

The second floor deck complete with ceiling fan and view of the arch may very well be my favorite part of the home.

But the extra deep with yard with artisan fence is a close second.

SOOOOOOO much has been going on in ONSL just in the last 12 months. It is refreshing to see what a group of dedicated citizens and a well run community-based non-profit organization can do in the way of revitalization. Progress is being made on so many levels. The 14th Street Mall, is in the midst of its 30+million dollar redevelopment. And on a smaller scale there are many single building rehabs already finished or in the process of complete renovation/restoration.

1412 Hebert, in my very humble opinion, is going to sell fast. I am not saying that there are not thoughtful and thorough renovations done in other parts of the city. But you’d be hard pressed to find this kind of attention detail 200K. 1412 Hebert sits on one of the best blocks in ONSL where the homes are stately and owner occupied. It is walkable to the 14th Street Mall and not to far from the New Roots Urban Farm