Page and Union Demolition

Happy New Year?

I attended the Preservation Board for the first time on Monday and testified against the proposed demolition of the wonderfully urban commercial building at the intersection of Page and Union. Others spoke in favor of salvaging the building; they include activists and North Side residents Claire Nowak-Boyd, Barbara Manzara, and Michael Allen. Lynn Josse, who actually authored the nomination for the Mount Cabanne-Raymond Place Historic District also testified. Her testimony is available here.

Before I post my testimony I would like to share my observations. I highly recommend attending a Preservation Board meeting if you have never had the pleasure. The racial tensions of our City are alive and present, as well as the machine politics and factionalism which states that those outside a given neighborhood have no standing regarding development decisions. If does not matter that preservation and planning are City wide issues: what happens in one area affects the entire City's built environment as a whole. This impact is felt not only aesthetically, but politically. Once a given decision is made and accepted it becomes a precedent. Demolition of entire neighborhoods through urban renewal have many parallels with modern development decisions like McRee Town and Blairmont. Sadly, if you are not from the neighborhood, or perhaps of a different color, you will be reminded of this fact regardless if your position has merit. This is a provincial and self destructive mentality. It is also a logical fallacy, argumentum ad hominem specifically!

Division of the electorate weakens the City and marginalizes those advocates who seek a future beyond the narrow sightedness of the next election cycle.

Here is what I had to say:

Preservation Board of the City of St. Louis: Please uphold the Staff's denial of the demolition permit for 5286 Page. St. Louis City has a precedent of demolition for parking. In a December 12th 1982 Post Dispatch Article former Editor Robert Duffy notes statistics from Landmarks Association of St. Louis which indicate that “In the last 20 years, some 90 buildings in the heart of downtown either have been razed or slated to come down.... More than 30 of those sites have ended up as parking lots and others have been used for parking garages.”

Looking at the plethora of demolitions, there has not been a net benefit. Parking has not stimulated St. Louis' economic development citywide, nor has it done so on a neighborhood basis. It has not created a 24/7 city in which residents can access goods and services whenever needed. Parking creates dead zones that are only used during sports or cultural events. This parking lot would be underutilized, especially when the church is not being used to capacity.

The report issued by Cultural Resources points out that “opportunities for spending are not as high [in the neighborhoods around Page and Union] because of a lack of appropriate commercial development.” This means that the neighborhood has an economic shortage in terms of goods and services. In fact residents in this area have higher mean incomes compared to the area surrounding the popular, successful South Grand commercial district. Due to a shortage of commercial development, residents do not have as many opportunities to spend money in their neighborhood. There is a demand, yet supply is not present.

St. Louis' struggling neighborhoods--especially those within North St. Louis, which has been historically and currently is subject to discrimination--are in dire need of economic development. In order to make these areas desirable for both existing and new residents there must be economic options--the proliferation of goods and services. Currently, many communities north of Delmar lack economic choice, meaning that residents do not have their basic needs met. They are constrained by this lack of commercial development.

There is certainly a disparity when comparing the services available to those who live north and south of Delmar Boulevard. This disparity provides an incentive to move or remain south of Delmar, rather than move to the distressed North Side. While rehabbing the viable 5286 Page building into commercial space might not singlehandedly remedy the economic disparity on the North Side, it could potentially make a significant quality of life impact for surrounding residents.

The building at 5286 Page is particularly well suited to provide goods and services for the Academy neighborhood. The building's pedestrian connections provide easy access for neighborhood residents, especially those who are physically disabled or those who do not own a car. Its location at the bustling intersection of Page and Union makes it well suited to become a small service hub for surrounding areas. Additionally, it is served by the 94 Page and 13 Union Metrobus routes.

The building could house a number of small businesses like a restaurant, an electronics store, a shoe store, a barber shop, a resale shop, or a specialty shop. The units above the store front could provide office space for small businesses. This building might even provide lower rent than new construction, because rehabilitated buildings generally have lower rent than newer buildings. Also, as the building contributes to the Mount Cabanne/Raymond Place National Register district, its rehabilitation would be eligible for historic tax credits.

The reuse potential of this building is high considering that tax credits are available and also that the neighborhood is in need of commercial development. Demolition of this building would supplant a Merit structure with an underutilized parking lot. St. Louis' built environment already has too many holes. Rehabilitation of the building at 5286 Page would not only improve quality of life, but also ensure this prominent intersection retains its aesthetic appeal. Again I urge the honorable commissioners of the Preservation Board to deny the demolition permit.

Most likely this building will be demolished. It is rumored that Berean is looking to bypass the Preservation Board with a redevelopment ordinance via Alderman Frank Williamson. I am not familiar with the ordinances, thus I can't say if this will work, however there is some concern among those who know. Even if the Preservation Board isn't bypassed, I have the impression that the building will meet the wrecking ball.

If you would prefer to see this building rehabbed and don't want yet another dead zone via lifeless parking lot then please attend the next Preservation Board Meeting at testify against the demolition. Two minutes of your voice could change the built environment of this City for generations to come.

The next meeting is Monday January 28, 2008 at 4:00. The location is 1015 Locust Suite 1200. Be sure to bring some hostess snacks!