It’s hard to truly convey how much McRee Town, or Botanical Heights, as it’s known today, has changed over the last twenty years. Take the two houses above; they used to have third companion to the left, which was in fact a right triangle-shaped loner due to the alley formed by nearby Vandeventer Avenue. It apparently was judged not to be financially feasible for rehabbing, and has been demolished.

Moving east, crossing over the intersection of McRee with Tower Grove Avenue, which has become a nexus of great food in St. Louis, we come across some houses that were rehabbed back when I walked these streets back in April of 2014.

They’re still looking great, and I still believe the house below is one of the most unique of the buildings in the City of St. Louis.

Here’s the first house from another angle.

Just take a look at the house below; go back and take a look at the post I linked to up above; back in 2014, it was vacant, open to the elements, and now it is back on the tax rolls, providing a home and paying money to city services. I have a few issues with the redevelopment of McRee Town, but the results overall have been positive. Where did the people who use to live in these houses go? The good, law-abiding residents who lived through the bad times deserve to enjoy the good times that are now here.